Each month during the school year, Empowering Writers posts a writing lesson for narrative, expository and/or persuasive lesson plans on timely topics.  A portion of these lessons are featured in Empowering Writers' monthly newsletter that is available through Facebook.  To receive our FREE newsletter, click on the link to visit Empowering Writers Facebook page.

 Click here for Past Newsletter Lesson from 2009-2011 school years

April 2012 Writing Lesson:

Anybody have SPRING FEVER?!!?  A little springtime magic out your window might be the cure.  Our April lesson of the month allows you to analyze a great piece of narrative writing, and the option to write a springtime personal narrative.  They say a picture speaks a thousand words, but great writing can paint a brilliant picture...why not show us yours!  Post your springtime magic stories and inspire us!  Click here to download the April lesson

LIKE this?  Take a look at "Building Writing Portfolios:  Powerful Models of Cross Curricular Writing."

March 2012 Writing Lesson:

In like a lion, out like a lamb...the school year "Marches" along.  Our March lesson of the month focuses on what we call "The Author's Group Model" for revising an expository report.  All you'll need for this is a "before" version of a piece that could use a little polishing.  Click here to download the March lesson

LIKE this? Check out Step by Step Strategies for Teaching Expository Writing

February 2012 Writing Lesson:

February finds many in the throes of winter doldrums AND in preparing for upcoming writing tests!  Our February lesson of the month provides a little relief in the way of a comprehensive review of all of the salient features of a well-written personal narrative.   Simply photocopy and/or project the story and use the annotated version to guide your whole-class conversation.  Click here to download the February lesson

LIKE this?  For more powerful review see our NARRATIVE WRITING TIMED ASSESSMENT REVIEW.

January 2012 Writing Lesson:

Happy New Year!  Whether you live in the snow belt or the sunny south, our January lesson of the month will provide some welcome winter fun.   This narrative writing lesson - a vivid description of a snowman (or woman!) can be teamed up with an expository "how-to" - having the class write a step by step "how to build a snowman."  Try reading "Snowmen at Night" by Caralyn and Mark Buehner as a jumping off point.  And, if you live in a warm climate (or wish you did!) try describing a snowperson dressed in summer garb.  Click here for the lesson of the month.

December 2011 Writing Lesson:

Hard to believe the holidays are just around the corner!  Here's a "sweet" narrative writing lesson with a terrific tasty art activity that will inform the writing and stimulate the appetite!  Post your gingerbread house descriptions and photos so we can all enjoy the results!  This month's lessons comes from Empowering Writers Easy Art Activities that Spark Super Writing.  Click this link to download the lesson.

October 2011 Writing Lesson

 Happy autumn!  By now school routines are well under way and teachers and students alike can relax and enjoy the change of season and all that the beautiful month of October brings.  Of course, students get excited about Halloween, and this month we’ll use this perennial favorite holiday as the jumping off point for our lesson of the month – an opinion piece supported by specific elaborative detail. 

Most often we write either narrative stories or expository pieces.  This month we’ll use some of the same skills, but apply them to an opinion piece about a favorite Halloween costume.  

Objective:  Students will write their opinion about a favorite Halloween Costume and explain why this costume appeals to them.  They will back up their opinion with specific elaborative details.

Procedure:  

1.) Discuss favorite Halloween costumes.  If you have any catalogues or newspaper circulars that include costumes, provide these.  You might also go to Google Images and print or project a variety of costumes.  You might also ask students to bring photographs of costumes from previous years.

2.) Distribute paper and have students draw a detailed picture of their favorite Halloween costume.  Be sure they fill the page with their illustration and include as many details as possible.  This can be the costume they are actually planning or a fantasy costume.

3.)  Next, provide the following questions to stimulate a variety of details.  You may also provide the corresponding optional sentence starters to build sentence variety.

4.)  Have students combine these sentences into a paragraph that will accompany their illustration.  Before you ask them to try it, model a sample for them that outlines your favorite costume.  (If you have any photographs of you as a child in your Halloween costume, why not bring it in and use that as the basis for your opinion piece?  This would be a highlight for your students!)

My Favorite Costume

• Which costume is your favorite?        

The costume that appeals to me most is ____________ because__________.
I’d love to dress up as _______________ because _______________.

• What are your favorite parts of the clothing or costume?  (Describe!) (What is it made out of?  How was it put together?  Color, texture, other materials?)

Everyone would notice the________________________________.  
I’d enjoy wearing___________________________________.
The best part would be___________________.

• What do you love about the props? (Describe!)

In my hand I’d carry  ___________________________.
The finishing touch would be_____________________.

• What would you imagine while wearing this costume?

Dressed in this costume I’d imagine I was _______________________________.
In this costume I could almost believe that__________________.
I could pretend to____________________.

• How would you feel in this costume?  

Wearing this special outfit would make me feel____________because____________________.
Dressed as __________, I’d feel ____________________ because______________.

• How would other people would react to your costume?  Would they be amused, frightened, impressed?)

When people see this costume, they’ll certainly_____________________________.
All of my friends and neighbors would be_______________________.

Ex.   I can’t wait to put together my favorite Halloween costume – a Gypsy! Everyone would notice the strands and strands of bright beaded necklaces and the stack of jingling bangle bracelets around my wrist. I’d enjoy wearing the colorful scarf around my hair and the large dangling earrings that catch the light every time I move.  The best part would be the crystal ball I hold in my hands.  I could pretend to tell the fortunes at each house where I trick or treat.  Wearing this unique costume would make me feel pretty and mysterious because I’d look like someone else from another time and place.  All of my friends and neighbors would be impressed with this bright, lively costume.

September 2011 Writing Lesson

Skill: Genre/Author’s Purpose

Objectives:
Students will design narrative and expository book covers that are thematically related to one another.

Materials:
Construction paper
Drawing materials
Pictures from magazines or clip art
Copy of the Narrative summarizing framework for each student - attached
Copy of the Expository summarizing framework for each student - attached


Background:
1.    Read several narrative and expository books with students and identify the genre and author’s purpose.  (character/problem/solution narrative or personal experience narrative - written to entertain an audience of others, or expository text – written to inform an audience of others)
2.    Discuss these books side by side looking for the key characteristics of each genre.
a.    Character/problem solution narrative: Is there a problem in the book?  Who are the characters? What was the problem?  How was the problem solved?
b.    Personal experience narrative: Were the characters secondary to an activity or experience?  What was the activity or experience? How did the activity or experience end?  
c.    Expository: Did we learn any information in the book?
d.    Be sure to point out that, almost always, the covers of char/prob/sol. narratives include the main character’s name and/or a suggestion of a problem in the title.  Personal experience titles usually include a place or an activity.  Expository titles usually state the topic and the cover art looks realistic (often photographic).

Procedure for expository book cover:
1.    After discussing genre and author’s purpose with students ask them to choose a topic they might want to learn about.  Be sure to model the thought process before asking students to work independently.  Some suggestions: specific animals (monkey, dog, parrot, etc), tornadoes, hurricanes, baseball, airplanes, etc
2.    Hand each student a copy of the expository summarizing framework and ask them to fill it out.  Model this first: This book is all about hurricanes.  The author’s purpose is to inform.
3.    Give each student a piece of construction paper and fold it in half to resemble a book cover.
4.    On the front of the book cover have students write the title of their chosen topic with marker.
5.    Have students find a real life picture of the topic they have chosen using magazine pictures or internet sources.
6.    Student will then glue the picture down onto the front cover.
7.    On the back of the cover student should glue the expository summarizing framework.  

Procedure for narrative book cover:

1.    Students will create a companion book for the expository topic they have chosen above.  For instance if they chose Hurricanes as their topic they now need to think of a story where a character is in a hurricane.
2.    Give each student a narrative summarizing framework and ask them to write a story plan that relates to their topic.  Be sure to model this with students before asking them to do this independently.
3.    Possible model:
a.    This is a story about me.
b.     The problem was I was on a boat and a hurricane was approaching quickly.
c.    The problem was solved when the Coast Guard came and rescued me from the storm.
d.    The author’s purpose is to entertain.

4.    Give each student a piece of construction paper and fold it in half to resemble a book cover.
5.    Have student write the title of the narrative story on the front cover and design a picture to go with the story.
6.    On the back of the cover have students glue the narrative summarizing framework to complete the book cover.

Pair them up and use them as a creative bulletin board to showcase your student’s knowledge of genre and author’s purpose.

On Back to School night with parents you can use the bulletin board to discuss what students have been learning in your writing classroom.  You can even do a book cover activity with parents to see if they recognize genre and purpose.