Newsletter lesson from past school years

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Past Lessons

   

May 2011 Writing Lesson:  Mother's Day Cards

Here’s what to do:

 1.)  Tell the class that they’ll be creating special Mother’s Day Cards for either their Mom and/or another special Mom who has made a difference in their lives.  It could be a grandmother, aunt, neighbor, or anyone who has “been like a mother” to them.

 2.)  Explain that they will be using language in a special way as the text for their card.  Write the following on the board and discuss it with the class:

 Figurative Language:  describing someone or something by comparing it to something or someone else.

 Simile:  Comparing someone or something using the word “as” or “like.”  Ex.  Shannon was as angry as a hornet.

3.)  With the entire class, generate a list of adjectives that describe the mother they are thinking of. 

                    Ex.  lovely  
                           strong
                           smart
                           reliable
                           generous
                           bright
                           fun

 4.)  Then, next to each adjective, write a number of different objects or people that share that trait:

                   Ex.    lovely   -   rose, sunset, sunrise, ocean, princess     

                            strong   -   concrete, steel, lion,

                            smart    -   professor, scientist, encyclopedia

                            reliable  -  alarm clock, Old Faithful, sun, moon     

                            generous  -   Santa Claus,  Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy

                            bright  - star, neon light, sun, moon       

                            fun    -    amusement park, carnival, video game

 

5.)  Show the class how they can select the adjective(s) they want and write a short text for their card:

                    Ex.  Mom – you are as lovely as a rose,

                          strong as a lioness,

                          bright as a star…

                         and I love you.

 Have children try their hand at this.  Circulate and offer feedback.

 6.)  Next, make the card.  A collage is one way to create an interesting, artistic cover.  Go to Google images and select photos of the objects or people selected.  (Ex. for the sample, above, you could select and print a variety of images of roses, lioness, stars.  Cut these out and arrange in overlapping fashion.  Glue down.  Add glitter, if desired.  Another option is to have students draw a picture of each object they selected, cut it out, and glue down in an artful arrangement.  Then, inside, place the message.  This can be typed with an interesting font, or hand-written.

 7.)  When finished, review the terms figurative language and simile.

 

April 2011 Writing Lesson:  Spring is Sprung!

Here’s what you’ll do: 

1.)  Google “Signs of Spring – images” and, if possible project these for the class.  Click on a variety of realistic photographs of the changes in nature we see in springtime – daffodils, crocus, birds, butterflies, bullfrogs, jack-in-the-pulpits.  Discuss these. 

2.)  Divide students into small groups (2 or 4 students each), and have each group select their favorite sign of spring.  Try to avoid duplication – the more variety, the better. Explain that they will be creating side-by-side narrative and expository segments for a class big-book.  Their writing will appear in a left/right spread, with a narrative descriptive segment (beginning with a “looking statement”) on the right spread page, and an informational, expository paragraph on the left spread page.  Remind them that the purpose of narrative writing is to entertain, the purpose of expository writing is to inform.  Discuss how the right and left pages of each spread will differ.  You can have the entire team research their spring selection to contribute to the expository task.  Provide books and/or websites.  Perhaps, use your media center time for the research aspect of this project.

3.)  Remind students that authors ask productive questions in order to generate ideas and specific details for their writing.  List/display the following questions for their reference:

(In the narrative segment, ask children to imagine that they are a character in a situation where they come into contact with their particular sign of spring.  Be sure to tell them that it can be "make believe."  That's what fiction is all about!)

Narrative

•  Where were you when you saw this sign of spring?  What were you doing?

•  How did you feel when you saw/experienced this?  What did that feeling look/feel like?

•  What did this sign of spring look, feel, smell, sound, seem like?  (Include size, color,  texture, how (or if) it moved, etc.)

•  What did it remind you of?  (Was it as graceful, playful, elegant as something else? – simile)

Sentence Starters:

While ______ I noticed________.  “What is this?”  I exclaimed.  It was a _____.

When I saw it, I _______.  Amazed, I _______.  I stopped and exclaimed, “______.”

It seemed______.  I imagined it felt______. 

When I bent to get a closer look I realized___.  This incredible sign of spring____.

Gazing at it I thought, ______.  It reminded me of______.

Expository

•  What is this sign of spring – an animal, insect, plant, weather pattern?

•  What does this sign of spring look (feel, sound, smell) like?

•  Why is this important to the environment?  (food source, contributes to habitat somehow, as sign of something important – attracts insects, part of the food chain, etc.)

•  How/why is this sign of spring important to people?

Sentence Starters:

Let me introduce the _____.  Have you ever seen ____? 

Have you ever wondered about____?  Let’s learn about the _______.

Examining it closely you’ll notice______.  One interesting characteristic is ____.

It’s interesting to note that______.  When spring arrives it_______.

This is important because______.  It plays a part in______.

People enjoy _______because_____.  When people see _____ they know____.

Have students answer these questions.  Provide sentence starters (listed beneath each set of questions, above)  to aid in sentence variety and fluency.

5.) It is helpful to MODEL an example of both a narrative and expository segment.  You can use the “cherry blossom” segments, below, as the basis for your modeling.

Here is an example of this side by side springtime genre study:

Narrative:

I gazed at the cherry trees outside my window throughout the winter, their bare brown branches reaching toward the sky.  As the days grew warmer, I watched them, until one day I gasped and exclaimed, “What is this?”  There, at the ends of the branches I saw small whitish buds.  They looked soft as silk.  Each day the buds would unfold a little farther.  It seemed as though they were bursting into soft pink clusters.  I reached up and touched the fluffy blossoms and felt a little thrill. “Cherry blossom time,” I whispered and smiled to myself.

Expository:

Let me introduce the cherry blossom – a sure sign of spring. When spring arrives the blooming begins as soon as the weather gets mild.  The cherry blossom season is short, usually a week or two at most. It’s interesting to note that each blossom later becomes a cherry!  Examining a variety of cherry blossoms closely, you’ll notice that there are many different kinds.  Some are pink, others white or yellow.  It’s interesting to note that some have only five petals, others have twenty or even one hundred!  People enjoy cherry blossoms because they are very beautiful.  Birds enjoy them because they are a sign that soon there will be plenty of sweet fruit to eat!

6.) Then, have half of each team respond in writing to the narrative task (describing, in an entertaining way, their springtime topic) and the other half respond in a straight-forward expository style, (providing information about their plant, animal or weather pattern.)  Circulate as they work, guiding them, sharing interesting writing aloud to inspire others.

7.)  Finally, add an art component.  You can print out your google image, and/or have the narrative teams draw or paint an evocative image, the expository group create a diagram, labeling the parts.  Pair with the writing, and place in a class book, in expository-narrative spreads, emphasizing the differences in purpose and style.

8.)  In the end you will have an attractive, inspiring springtime field guide to share with your class and beyond.  Remember – having an enthusiastic audience really motivates students!

March 2011 Writing Lesson

Here’s what you’ll do: 

1.)  Ask the class how many of them will be observing St. Patrick’s Day.  Discuss some traditions, signs and symbols of the holiday.  They might mention leprechauns, pots of gold, and rainbows.  Explain that Ireland has a rich collection of folklore that involves magical themes.  Ask if anyone has ever heard of a fairy ring or pixie circle.  (Many probably have never heard about this phenomenon or the legends connected to it.)

2.) Read aloud (or print and distribute) the following informational paragraph about Fairy Rings:  

If you ever stroll through the Irish countryside don’t be surprised if you come across a fairy ring.  What is a fairy ring, you might ask?  A fairy ring (also called a fairy circle, pixie ring, or elf circle) is a natural growth of mushrooms that occur in a circular pattern. Fairy circles can be up to 30 feet across!  These sporocarps grow several feet apart around the circumference and sometimes surround a circle of dead or dark green grass.  These fungus-type plants that make up the fairy circle look as though they could be seats or tables for magical beings like fairies.  Many people enjoy the superstition that these fairy rings are actually magical gateways into mystical kingdoms where fairies, elves, or pixies live.  They believe that fairy rings grow to mark a place where one of these magical characters has appeared.

3.)  Discuss this paragraph with your student writers – point out the use of word referents – different ways to refer to the mushrooms mentioned:  sporocarps, fungus-type plants.  (Google  "fairy ring" images and show these to the class – there is a good mix of realistic and magical images for them to see.)

4.)  Explain that they will be using the information about fairy rings to create an entertaining narrative main event.  Write the following on the board:

I stumbled upon a strange circle in the clearing and gasped at what appeared in the center!

This is a summary statement about the main event of a story.  Ask them to write a fully elaborated main event from this summary. 

• Discuss the variables (what appeared in the circle – leprechaun, fairy, pixie, elf)
• Have some tradebooks or images available that portray these magical beings.
• Ask them how they would feel if they saw a fairy, pixie, leprechaun, or elf.  Remind them that they’ll need to SHOW these feelings (rather than tell) in their main event. 
• Post the productive questions they’ll need to write their main event.  It might be helpful to limit the event to an observation of their magical being, unless you want them really spend a great deal of time on this.  If so, they might capture the being, be chased by the being, or involved in some other magical adventure.  But, simply observing the being is quite extraordinary on its own!

Productive Questions for a Main Event (these can be found on p. 259 in the Comprehensive Narrative Writing Guide):

• ACTION:  What did you (and, what did the magical being) do?  (How did it move?)
• DESCRIPTION:  What did you see, hear, feel? (What sounds did it make?)
• THOUGHTS/FEELINGS:  What did you wonder/worry?
• DIALOGUE/EXCLAMATION:  What did you say or exclaim?
• SOUND EFFECT:  What did you hear?

5.)  Be sure to MODEL this first!  Remember, modeling is NOT the same thing as sharing an exemplar.  To review the dynamic of successful teacher modeling, see p. 264-266 in the Comprehensive Narrative Writing Guide, and go to Youtube, search Empowering Writers and select the “Magical Bike” video.

6.)  After you model this, proceed to GUIDED PRACTICE and have the class try their own.  Provide some sentence starters for students who need them:
    •  I gasped when I saw______  ª  My mouth dropped open at the sight of______
    •  In the center of the ring appeared a________.  •  The magical being________
    •  I stared as the amazing character_____  •  It was_____________
    •  I couldn’t help but notice___________.

Here’s a sample that might inform and inspire your modeling:  

After a long hike through the forest I came to a small clearing and gasped.  There was a circle of small toadstools.  The grass in the middle of the circle was the color of emeralds.  The toadstools changed color and began to sparkle.  They looked like golden knobs with fairy dust glimmering around them.  I was dazzled by the sight, so much that at first I didn’t notice what was in the center of the circle!  My eyes nearly popped out of my head.  My heart began to race.  “Oh my goodness!” I murmured.  That’s when the tiny fairies turned my way.  They were small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, the size of sparrows.  They hovered in the air and came closer to me.  They had big sparkling eyes and wore clothing made of brightly colored leaves and flower petals.  Like hummingbirds, they flew around me.  I heard a buzzing sound and then a tinkling noise.  They swirled their magic wands as they flew, sending out a sweet smelling cloud of glittering dust.  The dust made me sleepy, but I fought to keep my drooping eyelids open.  Then, as mysteriously as they appeared, they left, one by one.  They each landed on a toadstool, spun around on the curved top, and disappeared.  “Wow!” I whispered, rubbing my eyes.  “Did I really see what I thought I saw?”

Finally, display student main events alongside images of Fairy Circles!

 

February 2011 Writing Lesson

Here’s what you’ll do:

1.) Explain to the class that it’s time for a little fun with language.  You can discuss with your students that authors and poets select all their words very carefully, considering the meaning of the words, the images the words conjure up, the actual sound of the words, and the way the words function (parts of speech).

Write the following on the board:

Nouns             Verbs            Adjectives

Discuss and define each, providing examples:

    • Noun – person, place, or thing – Mom,  Edison School, apple
    • Verb – an action word – run, fly, scream
    • Adjective – a describing word – lumpy, golden, terrifying

2.)  Ask what they notice about this little poetic text (Write it and read it.)

February – freezing, frosty,  finicky, frustrating – February

They will probably mention that all the words begin with “f”.  Ask if anyone knows what we call this pattern of repeated initial sounds.  Alliteration.
Question them further by underlining the adjectives between the “bookends” of our topic word: February – freezing, frosty,  finicky, frustrating – February
Ask them what part of speech these words represent.  (adjectives)

3.)  Share another example and use the same questioning process:

Sledding – sliding, scooting, speeding, sluicing – Sledding
See if they notice that the alliteration includes words that are verbs. (You can also try this without the gerund form: Sledding – slide, scoot, speed, sluice – Sledding
Ask if anyone knows what the word “sluice” means.  If not, how can they find out?  Have someone look the word up in the dictionary.

NOTE:  For less experienced students, (or for a shorter lesson) you can shorten each “Alliteration Poem” by including only 2 examples of the series of adjectives or verbs:
    Ex.  February – freezing, frosty – February.

4.)  Explain that in poetry and sometimes in prose, that authors can select, or even make up words that sound like what they mean.  The name for this technique is: onomatopoeia. Have them practice pronouncing that mouthful a few times!
 

Give an example of this: Puddle – plink, plop, plunk, ploop – Puddle
 

5.)  Explain that their job will be to create this kind of poetic description.  They must use alliteration, begin with a noun or verb as their “bookends” and fill in the middle with either verbs or adjectives.  You may challenge them to use a collection of only verbs, or only adjectives, or allow them to mix the two, as long as they can identify which is which.   This is a fun whole class activity, or small cooperative group effort.  You might even assign it individually as a week-long homework project.
 

TIPS:
•  Select a topic that begins with a frequently used letter.  How do you know if it’s a frequently used letter?  Open the dictionary and compare sections.  Is the “s” section larger than the “q” section?  It will be easier to find related descriptive adjectives or vivid verbs if you have more choices.

•  Ask them to begin by finding only 2 verbs or adjectives:
   TOPIC – verb – verb – TOPIC    or     TOPIC – adjective – adjective – TOPIC
   Then, as a challenge they can add two more!

•  Encourage them to use the dictionary to help come up with their verbs or adjectives.  Show them how to skim and scan, how to read the abbreviations that identify    words as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and encourage them to learn some new words that might relate to or describe their TOPIC.

•  Point out that it is the letter SOUND that needs to repeat, not necessarily the letter – ex. Giant, could use words that begin with a “j”, but couldn’t use a word such as “glaring” as the hard “g” sounds different than the soft “g.”

•  Encourage them to “invent” sound words if their topic is a “noisy” one (as in the puddle example, above.)

•  Be sure to have students identify the parts of speech, alliteration, onomatopoeia, as they appears, and encourage them to use the proper terminology.  For fun, you might have students color code – write their nouns in blue, adjectives in red, verbs in green.  

Here are a number of additional examples, below:

    Snow – slippery, slick, slushy, sloppy - Snow

    Hockey – hallowed, harrowing, happy, hazardous - Hockey

    Piano  - play, practice, plink, plunk - Piano  

    Swim – splish, splash, swish, swoosh  - Swim

    Princess – pretty, perky, poised, perfect – Princess

    Knight – noble, natty, neat, nervy – Knight

    Ghost – ghoulish,  glistening, glimmering, goggle-eyed – Ghost

Here’s a list of some suggested topics:  puppy,  kitten,  seagull,  skunk,  squirrel,  tornado,  giant,  fire,  bee,  snake,  worm,   crow,  

 
•  As an extension, have students illustrate or create a collage depicting their poetic description!

 

January 2011 Writing Lesson

This month we’re actually offering two lessons!  Last year in January, with state testing around the corner, we offered test-prep strategies, and thought it was worth running these again.  Also included will be a mini-lesson on “response to literature” that can be applied to whatever your students are reading. Simply scroll past the test prep section to access this lesson.

Let’s begin by empowering your young authors to approach their writing test with confidence and skill – and giving you the tools to painlessly prepare them.  We often forget that successful responses to formal writing assessments depend not only on solid writing skills, but on savvy test-taking strategies.   And, of course, simply administering lots of prompts is not the answer.

Rather than take on a frenzied last minute review just prior to testing, or administering lots of prompts, begin now, at a more leisurely pace – the steps suggested here can be scheduled over several weeks.  The review we suggest is made up of a number of components:

A)  The review and reinforcement of all key genre-related skills:
    •  Organization, and skills in isolation should be modeled and practiced.
    •  Students should practice applying these skills to an entire piece of writing, in directed fashion.
    •  Constructive specific feedback should be provided.

B)  Direct Instruction on Test-taking strategies
    •  Prompt analysis – determining the genre and the given and variable elements
    •  Effective pre-writing/planning strategies

Here’s what to do:
1a.)  If the focus of your instruction has been creative writing - NARRATIVE writing, and/or if your state generally provides a narrative prompt (a story vs. information) list the following on the board and discuss each with the class, including the productive questions used to generate effective writing in each skill area:

(Helpful pages in the Comprehensive Narrative Writing Guide to guide your discussion are noted.)
    •  Narrative Writing Diamond – p. 46
    •  Entertaining Beginnings – p. 47-49
    •  Elaborative Detail – p. 79, 89
    •  Suspense – p. 215-216
    •** Fully Elaborated Main Event – p. 255-257, 259
    •  Extended Endings – p.  305-307

(Note:  You may want to have students make review folders and copy some of these pages for student reference.)

1b.)  If the focus of your instruction has been EXPOSITORY writing, and/or if your state generally provides an expository prompt (information about a topic, experience or person) list the following on the board and discuss each with the class, including the productive questions used to generate effective writing in each skill area:

(Helpful pages in the Comprehensive Expository Writing Guide to guide your discussion are noted)
    •  The Expository Pillar – p. 14 – 16
    •  Broad Yet Distinct Main Ideas – p. 115-116
    •  Elaborative Detail – Detail Generating Questions – p. 185-187
    •  Golden Bricks – p. 241, 243
    ª  Introductions – p. 301
    •  Conclusions – p. 302, 343-345

(Note:  You may want to have students make review folders and copy some of these pages for student reference.)

2.)  Next, students will have the opportunity to look at some student work and compare it to an anchor set.  Click here for student samples that have been annotated for your discussion, as well as the corresponding anchor sets (taken from our Narrative and Expository Writing Assessment Review Materials).  You can make copies or project these for your class discussion.  (Later, students will be asked to write to the same prompt they’ve analyzed here.)

3.) After your genre-specific review, explain that you’ll be administering a prompt in a directed fashion, meaning you’ll coach students through their responses, reviewing and reinforcing as they go.  This helps students remember what you’re looking for, and helps them to assimilate and apply all skills into a cohesive whole.
    

    For narrative writing, use the following prompt:
Think about a really fun day you had doing something outdoors.  Write a story about your special outdoor activity.

    For expository writing, use the following prompt:
Think about someone you look up to.  Write a piece explaining what you admire about that person.

4.)  Analyze the prompt before they begin to determine the genre.  
    •  Discuss the genre – is it meant to entertain an audience of others (narrative), or to inform (expository)?  
   

(Keep in mind that there are some prompts which can be interpreted as personal experience narratives OR expository pieces.  Ex.  Think of a day you did something really fun.  Explain what you did and why it was enjoyable.)

This could be successfully addressed as a personal narrative – a story with an entertaining beginning, middle with a single significant main event, and a satisfying ending in which the author shows how much fun she/he had.  It could also be addressed as a piece of exposition with an introduction, a number of main ideas, each covering one aspect of the fun event, and a conclusion.  What’s important is that students do not try to write a “hybrid” piece with elements of both narrative and expository, rather, that they select the genre they’ve worked on this year and write with the specific purpose, organizational strategy, and skills that define that genre!)

5.)  Analyze the prompt for givens and variables.  What this means is, what does the prompt require they include (givens) and what decisions do they need to make as the author (variables)?   

    Comprehensive Narrative Guide – see pages 342-343
    Comprehensive Expository Guide – see pages 383-384

6.)  Review the graphic organizer they should use for planning.   

    Narrative Writing - Comprehensive Narrative Guide – see page 343
    Expository Writing - Comprehensive Expository Guide – see page 384

7.)  Direct them through the response process, reviewing each skill as you go.  The following pages of the guides show how this is done in timed test situations, if you are fortunate enough to live in state that does not place timing restraints on students, simply remove the timing cues.  What’s most important is that you remind students of the specific skills they need to demonstrate in each section of the story or piece!   

    Narrative Writing - Comprehensive Narrative Guide – see page 347-349
    Expository Writing - Comprehensive Expository Guide – see pages 418-419

8.)  After students are done, collect their responses and, as quickly as possible, provide specific feedback.  Look at their work with an eye for evidence of each skill taught.  Be sure to use the anchor sets for comparison purposes.   Use sticky notes or write directly on the paper to applaud and affirm skills in application (Ex.  YES! Love your use of specific elaborative detail here!) and to make clear suggestions for specific improvements.  (Ex.  You gave it away too quickly here – instead, build some suspense!)   Write the holistic score on the paper for them to see.

9.)  When you’ve handed the papers back, have them use “tails” (strips of lined paper that can be taped onto the piece for revisions, additions, etc) to address any of the suggested revisions.  Show them how these improvements can raise their holistic scores – then change the holistic scores accordingly!

This process really helps kids approach the “real” test with confidence.  Additional suggestions:

•  Select another prompt from the Comprehensive Guide and model an entire response, again, reinforcing the application of skills in an entire piece of writing.  Be sure to analyze the prompt for givens and variables first, and then discuss each of the skills you want to see.  
•  For a more detailed pre-test review, why not take advantage of our product of the month

RESPONSE TO LITERATURE LESSON:

Often students are asked to respond to a piece of literature they’ve read.   Questions arise about how to best organize responses.  In fact, this kind of writing is expository in nature, as it provides information about what was read.  A well-crafted response will not only include literal information from the story, but will look for evaluative and inferential thought as well.  In planning this lesson you may put some boundaries on the assignment simply by asking children to respond to one, some, or all of the questions.

Here’s what you’ll do:

1.)  Select a piece of literature (or several) that your student writers are working with.  Explain that response to literature questions help the reader think more carefully (critically) about what was read.  These kinds of questions will not only ask about what happened in the story (literal), but will challenge the reader to compare the character’s experience to their own (evaluative), to draw on their own life experience to better relate to and understand the character , and to help infer (guess, predict) what might happen, or how the character will change as a result of the events in the story (inferential).

2.)  Post one or more of the following questions that you’d like students to address.  You may also differentiate by assigning different questions to different students.  The literal questions are the easiest, evaluative and inferential questions more challenging.  (Questions are marked for you with an L. E. or I. to indicate the type of question.)

•  What was the main event in the story?  (What is the story all about?) (L)
•  Who was the main character and what was he/she like?  Be sure to include behavior that shows what the character was like.) (L)
•  What, in your life, can you compare to the main character’s experience in the story?   Was there a time you felt the same way? (E)
•  What character trait do you share with the main character? (E)
•  How do you think the main character felt about what took place in the story?  (I)
•  What do you think the main character will remember most about what happened? (I)
•  What do you think the main character will do differently from now on, and why? (I)

Talk through the selected questions.  Post sentence starters to help students articulate their responses.  A variety of these are listed, below, with the corresponding question.  Sentence starters will not only provide sentence variety, but will help direct student thinking.  Stress that the use of specific examples from the story, as well as from their own lives, will enrich and enhance their responses.

•  What was the main event in the story?  (What is the story all about?) (L)
    The story was really all about__________________.
    (Title) tells about a time when__________________.
    In (Title) the main event centered around _______________.
    The challenge in (Title) was that___________________.
    The highlight was when_________________.

•  Who was the main character and what was he/she like?  Be sure to include behavior that shows what the character is like.) (L)
    The main character, (Character name) was a______________ person.
    The main character in (Title) was named _________ and was___________.
    The hero/heroine of (Title) showed that he/she was ____________when_____.    (Character name), the protagonist, demonstrated that she/he was ________
        when she/he_______________.
    When (Character name) _________________________we were able to see her/his_________________.

•  What, in your life, can you compare to the main character’s experience in the     story?  Was there a time you felt the same way?(E)
    This story situation reminded me of the time______________________.
    The main event in (Title) is very much like_____________________.
    I experienced a similar situation when_________________________.
    I knew just how (Character name) felt because__________________.
    I empathized with (Character name) because in my own life I _________.

•  What character trait do you share with the main character? (E)
    Or, if you do not share any traits, explain.
    (Character name) and I are both_______________because________.
    I feel I am like (Character name) because____________________.
    When I _______________, I was ____________like (Character name).
    I am nothing like (Character name) because_______________.

•  How do you think the main character felt about what took place in the story?  (I)
    In the end, I think (Character name) felt _____________because__________.
    If I were (Character name) I would feel__________at________________.
    Because of ________________(Character name) must feel__________.

•  What do you think the main character will remember most about what happened? (I)
    The most memorable part of the story was when_______________.
    How could (Character name) ever forget the moment when_______?
    If I were in (Character name)’s shoes, I’d never forget_________.
    After everything that happened (Character name) will surely remember_____.

•  What do you think the main character will do differently from now on, and why? (I)
    (Character name) was changed when____________and next time will_______.
    From now on, (Character name) will probably______________so that_______.
    After these story events, (Character name) will surely decide to________because____.
    To avoid ________________next time, (Character name) will likely__________.

Here’s an example based on a sampling of these questions.  See if you can match each sentence here with the corresponding question:   

   The story Newsgirl  by Liza Ketchum was all about a girl named Amelia who moves with her mother to San Francisco in 1851.  The challenge was that they ran out of money and Amelia tried to earn money posing as a newsboy, selling old East coast newspapers.  The highlight was when she found herself on a runaway hot air balloon that dropped her in the gold fields miles and miles away from home.
    Amelia was extremely brave, persistant, and smart.  It was dangerous dressing up like a boy in order to sell newspapers, and she got bullied and excluded, but she pressed on, earning money for her little family.  She wanted to write a newspaper story, and even though the editor sent her away, she didn’t let her discouragement stop her.  Her intelligence and quick thinking saved her when she got stuck in the runaway balloon, and ultimately prevented a fatal crash.  Later, she wrote about this adventure and got the story published.
    I feel I am like Amelia when she wishes she knew her father.  Unlike Amelia, I see my dad sometimes, but I don’t get to spend a lot of time with him.  Amelia and I both feel sad when we see other children with their dads enjoying themselves.  I know how it feels when your dad is not ever able to come to important events.  You feel different than other kids who have two parents nearby.

December 2010 Writing Lesson

Whether you live in the sun-belt or the north pole, everyone loves the image of a snow covered Arctic landscape.  Everyone’s favorite Arctic inhabitant is, quite possibly, the penguin.  Regardless of the grade you teach, students will enjoy researching fun facts about this comical, flightless bird.  The class will put together a collection of “golden bricks” (powerful details) and “word referents” to describe the amazing penguin.  

Here’s what you do:

1.)  Gather some photographs, books, and articles about penguins.  Some helpful websites:

http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/penguins/index.htm
http://www.google.com/images - search penguins
www.siec.k12.in.us/west/proj/penguins/main.html
http://42explore.com/penguin.htm


2.)  Gather your students and ask them what they already know about penguins.  Chart the information they provide.

3.)  Ask them what they’d still like to know about penguins and chart their questions.  (This will drive their research.)

(More on this process in Write About Science – Pick, List, Choose, Ask, Find, p. 10 – 12.)

4.)  Introduce the “Golden Bricks” – our name for some of the more powerful details we use in expository writing to “show” rather than “tell”.  These include:

    •  quotes        •  statistics        •  amazing facts
    •  anecdotes    •  descriptive segments

Discuss, as appropriate, with your class, explaining that their job will be to research and locate samples of these about penguins.  (Hint:  primary students might stick to descriptive segments and amazing facts, middle grades can include statistics, and middle school might include quotes.  Anecdotes, based on personal experience, will only be relevant to students who may have seen a penguin at a zoo, water park, or on a nature program.)
    (More on Golden Bricks in The Comprehensive Expository Writing Guide, p. 241-243.)

5.)  Make a poster or chart for each of the “Golden Bricks.” Label each and hang around the classroom.  As students discover these powerful details, have them write them down on an index card or sticky note and attach it to the respective poster/chart.  As a class, compare and discuss.  This is also an opportunity to check their original informational brainstorm charts for accuracy, and to add additional facts.  When satisfied that you have sufficient detail, have the class transcribe their information clearly onto each poster/chart.  (NOTE:  you might want to have students cite their sources for each Golden Brick or piece of information by writing an asterisk after each entry, followed by the book or magazine title, author, page numbers, or web address.
    (Tips on Research and Citing Sources in Write About Science, p. 41-51.)

6.)  Once all of your poster/charts are complete you can have students create some “Penguin Art”.  Just google “Penguin Art for Kids” for tons of ideas.  

7.)  Finally, engage in some creative writing about penguins.  Ask students to create “word referents” to describe these birds.  Begin by generating a list of nearly synonymous words or phrases, then come up with some adjectives:

Ex.
        Adjectives                 Nouns
        flightless                   birds
        black and white        creatures
        hardy                       Arctic dwellers
        comical                    nest sitters
        tuxedoed                 cold water swimmers
        entertaining             winter acrobats
                        

8.)  Make a hallway bulletin board that combines the Golden Brick and Information Charts and penguin art.  Use creative word referents for the title of your display.

9.)  Extension Activity:  As a culminating activity (maybe in January) have older students use the information they’ve gathered to write an expository report on penguins that includes the golden bricks and word referents.  Add these to your bulletin board.  (See Write About Science – The Final Report, p. 53-61 or The Comprehensive Expository Writing Guide, p. 426-427 for guidance.)

November 2010 Writing Lesson

As thoughts turn toward Thanksgiving, our lesson of the month will encourage a bit of research and inspire some fun!  Students will research and take notes on the wild turkey, write an informational paragraph, and then make their own wild gobbler.  Here’s how…

1.)  Explain that they will research to find out all about wild turkeys.   Begin by either gathering a collection of books from your media center or, ask students to locate some useful books.  You might also refer them to the following websites:

    For younger students:  http://www.kidzone.ws/animals/turkey.htm  and for older, middle grade students, try:
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/wildturkey.htm.

2.)  Give students some tips on how to take notes as they research.  Write the following sentence on the board:
    Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the turkey our national bird.
      Underline the key words in the sentence.  Show them how to use a dash and slash to separate keywords and to remind them of the important fact they read:  Ben Franklin – turkey/national bird
(For more on this skill, see “Write about Science”, p. 42-47.)

3.)  Have students compile their notes from a variety of sources.   

4.)  Write the following main idea on the board:  The wild turkey has a fascinating appearance.

5.)  Explain that they should place a check beside each of their details that relate to the main idea: appearance.  These are the details they’ll include in their paragraph to support this main idea.

6.)  Have students share their selected details and discuss together to ensure that these are all relevant to the main idea – appearance.

7.)  Now, have them begin with the main idea sentence and organize their details.  Provide some sentence     starters to ensure sentence variety:    This interesting bird has________  You’ll notice_________
    Unlike other birds, the turkey has_______  The wild turkey_______  This North American bird____

8.)  Once their paragraphs are finished, they can make their own “wild gobblers.”  Here’s what you’ll need:  
    •  plastic cups, preferably red   •  scissors  •  string   •  construction paper in assorted colors •  crayons, markers •  glue, tape

9.)  Poke a small hole in the center of the bottom of each cup, just large enough to thread through a 12 inch length of string.

10.)  Distribute cups, string, construction paper to students.  Have them thread the string through the hole and tie a large knot on the outside of the cup, allowing the length of string to hang through the inside of the cup.  This forms the turkey’s body.  They will use the string to produce a “gobbling” sound – you’ll learn how later!

11.)  Cut out a neck and head, wing and tail feathers and affix with tape to the cup.  Remember, the bottom of the cup should be facing up.  

12.)  How to gobble?  Have children hold the cup in one hand, thoroughly wet the fingers of their other hand and grasp the upper part of the string between (wet) thumb and forefinger.  Tug at the string with wet fingers to produce an amazing gobbling sound!   (For more on this, see “Easy Art Activities that Spark Super Writing”, p. 58-61.)

 

October 2010 Writing Lesson

It’s hard to believe autumn is here – the time of year when students and teachers both settle into a comfortable routine and, together, explore and enjoy the many changes fall brings!  Thinking about a new season in life is always invigorating and fun – this month’s lesson uses the “stuff” of autumn as the inspiration for some short response, side-by-side narrative and expository writing. Our “autumn exploration” can be adapted for just about any grade and will focus on elaboration in both genres.  We’ll apply the “detail generating questions” authors use to produce powerful writing.

Here’s what to do:

1.)  Begin by discussing genre in terms of purpose and salient features.  The chart below can help you:
       Narrative Writing                                                  Expository Writing
       purpose:  to entertain                                             purpose: to inform
       focuses on a main character, setting,                     focuses on a TOPIC
                  problem or adventure
       the main character tells a story                              the author provides information
       follows the narrative diamond                                follows the expository pillar
       includes strong sensory information                      includes powerful description

 2.)  Explain that they’ll be writing an entertaining descriptive paragraph about an autumn setting and an informational paragraph about autumn.  (Another option is to divide the class in half and have half the students work on narrative paragraphs and half on expository.  You could even pair students up, one writing narrative, the other expository.)

3.)  Discuss/chart the questions authors ask to generate detail and elaborate.  
    Narrative:                                                            Expository:
      •  What was the temperature/weather like?        •  What did it look, sound, feel, smell like?
      •  What kinds of plants/trees grew there?           •  Why is that important (to your main idea)?
      •  How did the air feel?                                        •  Is each detail in a separate sentence?
      •  What kinds of animals were there?                 •  Did you give a specific example?
      •  What did you hear/see/smell?
      •  How did you feel about being there?
       
4.)  Write the theme/topic on the board:  Autumn Stroll (narrative)  Changes in Autumn (expository)
    Explain that the narrative paragraph falls in the “personal experience” category.  As the author you
    entertain the reader    by describing what you see, hear, feel, smell on your autumn stroll through the woods.  In
    the expository paragraph the author explains the changes in nature in autumn and why they’re important.  

5.)  Here are some examples to share.  Point out the way the respective detail generating questions relate to each detail!

Narrative:
    I strolled through the forest on an autumn morning.  It was chilly and I buttoned up my sweater.  The sky shone bright blue and the air was crisp.  I gazed at maple and oak trees.  The leaves were already beginning to turn shades of gold, orange, and brown.  Squirrels scampered about and birds chirped, all of them collecting nuts and berries to prepare for winter.  Inhaling deeply I enjoyed the woodsy scent of this fall morning.  A smile curled the edges of my mouth as I headed on down the woodland trail.  (Note:  See pages 90-92 in the Comprehensive Narrative Writing Guide for more ideas.)

Expository:  (the MAIN IDEA sentence is underlined.  Each subsequent detail supports the main idea.)
    Many changes in nature occur in autumn.  The cooler temperatures and shorter days cause leaves to change from green to shades of red, gold, and orange.  This happens because there isn’t enough light or water for photosynthesis to take place and trees begin to slow down in making the green chlorophyll they produce all summer.  You might see squirrels running about gathering nuts.  They will store these up so that they have enough food for the winter months ahead when food is scarce.  Many types of birds that thrive in warmer climates begin migration in the fall, traveling to warmer climates for the coming months.

Be sure to point out the difference in tone and style between the two pieces.  Students might also need to do some research to complete their expository paragraphs.  This is the nature of informational writing! (no pun intended!)  They might go to the following link: http://www.tooter4kids.com/autumn/why_do_leaves_change_color.htm

6.)  Some additional tips:  Provide sentence starters, if necessary.  As students work, circulate and share powerful examples.  Finally, use these paragraphs for an Autumn Side by Side bulletin board!

September 2010 Writing Lesson

As exciting as a new school year can be, it is often also surrounded by a wide range of feelings and emotions.  Often students (and teachers!) feel a mix of emotions at the prospect of beginning a new year.  Of course, the best way to explore feelings is to write about them!  This lesson inspires conversation around the range of feelings students have about returning to school, and introduces (or reinforces) techniques to “show” rather than simply “tell” about these feelings.

Objectives:
1.)  explore the range of feelings related to “back to school”

2.)  have students recognize the difference between “showing” and “telling” feelings (elaboration)

3.)  create “feelings” posters for reference throughout the school year

Procedure:
1.)  Explain to the class that you’ll be exploring feelings and how authors write about feelings.

2.)  Tell them that as you went through school as a child you had lots of different feelings about each new school year.  Have a little fun explaining and pantomiming the following:

• Tell them:  “When I was in kindergarten I didn’t want to leave my mom to spend the day at school.  When the school bus came, here’s how I felt…”  (Pantomime SAD in an exaggerated way.)  Ask the class how you felt – see if they can guess.  Then, chart the evidence of what SAD looks like.  (See p. 200-202 in the Comprehensive Narrative Writing Guide and p. 92-102 in Getting Ready to Write” for more guidance.)

• Then go on:  “Once I got to school and met my teacher, and saw my friends, I felt differently.”  (Pantomime HAPPY and repeat the guessing/charting procedure.)

3.)  Continue the process through as many feelings as you like, displaying FEELINGS charts as you and the class create them.

4.)  Depending on the age of your students, you can take this a step further, within the same timeframe, or continue on another day.  The next step involves writing a description of how a student might feel coming back to school.  Ask them to create a fictional character and describe how she/he is feeling – this way they can freely express emotions they might secretly have, or they can just enjoy the make believe!

5.) Provide an optional sentence to start them off:  When _____________got off the bus on the first day of school, it was easy to see how he/she was feeling!  Then, let them describe the feeling without naming it!  When finished, the class can try to guess the feeling. You can model an example to get them started.
Ex.  When Clara got off the bus on the first day of school, it was easy to see how she was feeling!  She bounded into line.  A wide smile spread across her face.  Her eyes were wide open and curious – they seemed to twinkle.  When she saw her friends she clasped her hands together and jumped up and down.  

6.)  As the year progresses you can add to your class “Feelings” charts, adding physical feelings or other emotions for children to refer to as they write.  Be sure to remind them that as they begin to write     narrative stories you’ll be looking for them to “show” rather than “tell” how their story characters are feeling.

 

June 2010 Newsletter Lesson

Persuade someone to make one summer dream plan come true!  For sure, persuasive writing is a sophisticated genre – but – just ask parents - even the youngest students can present their arguments in a compelling (although not always the most convincing) way!  This lesson will suggest age-appropriate ways to write a persuasive letter!

            Here’s what to do:

1.)  Ask students to make a list of fun or interesting activities they’d like to engage in this summer.  Explain that they’ll be writing a persuasive letter to their parents in an attempt to convince them to make their dream a reality.  Suggest that their “wish-list” be composed of realistic suggestions – many families are tight budgets, so you might make some suggestions – visits to state parks for hiking or picnicking, a trip to the local beach or lake, a camp-out in the backyard or porch, a family bike ride, or a night-owl board game marathon.  There are plenty of realistic possibilities that don’t involve a big Disney-world budget!

2.)  Ask them if they’ve ever tried to convince their parents to do something for them.   Have they ever argued for something and had their parents refuse?  Discuss what makes a convincing argument.  Through your conversation, try to elicit some responses along these lines (taking into account the maturity of your students):

 

            Persuasive Writing – purpose – to convince someone to think as you do, or to do

                                                                something you’d like them to do.

 

            Convincing arguments:

                        a.)  point out the benefits (what’s in it for the person you’re trying to convince)

                        b.)  anticipate your reader’s arguments – the reasons they might disagree

                                                with you or turn you down

                        c.)  come up with a “Yes, but” rebuttal or response to each of their

                                                reasons to turn you down

                        d.)  include plenty of details, show, rather than tell

 

3.)  Have students discuss and brainstorm specific points (a – d)  relative to their argument.  You might have them fold a paper in quarters and jot down their ideas for each of the four suggestions for convincing arguments.

 

4.)  Review the format for a friendly letter – greeting, body, closing, date.

 

5.)  Share the sample annotated exemplar letter best suited to the grade you teach and talk through the salient characteristics. (We’ve included two versions, one for grades 2 – 3, another for grades 4 and up) If you prefer, give each student a copy for reference.  Click here for annotated letter

6.)  Depending on the age of your students, you might suggest a strong lead – write a descriptive segment that shows the setting of their destination in an appealing way. 

 

7.)  Provide some sentence starters for each of the “Convincing Argument” points:

 

            a.)  benefits for the reader:

                        Since I know you enjoy____________

                        Wouldn’t it be nice if______________

                        Together we could________________

                        Because family time is important, we__________

            b./c.) Yes, but:

                        While I understand that__________, it’s also true that______.

                        Even though______________, you’ll see that____________.

                        I know you think___________, but I’ll bet you’d discover______.

            d.)  Show, rather than tell:

                        Picture this: _____________

                        Couldn’t you just imagine the sight/smell/sound of _________?

                        Wouldn’t you love to see__________?

 

 

8.)  End the letter with a “call to action” – be clear about what they want the reader to do.

 

9.)  If you like, as an extra objective, have students address envelopes and have the school mail them out!

 

 

 

May Newsletter Lesson

Our lesson of the month is all about encouraging students to apply their writing skills in writing heart-felt Mother’s Day letters to their own Mom or another marvelous mom in their lives. 

         Here’s what to do:

 

1.)  Explain that writing letters was once a way for people to express their deepest feelings or communicate other important information.  The recipient often saved special letters as treasured keepsakes.  Some people feel that now-a-days letter writing has become a lost art! 

 

2.)  Tell the class they’ll be writing a special Mother’s Day letter to either their Mom and/or another special Mom who has made a difference in their lives.  It could be a grandmother, aunt, neighbor, or anyone who has “been like a mother” to them.

 

3.)  Begin by sharing the sample letter.  Use this annotated letter to show the proper format for a letter (greeting, date, body, closing).  You can also point out the main ideas the author discusses in each paragraph, powerful word choice and sentence variety.

 Download annotated samples here

 

__________________________________________________

May 9, 2010

Dear Mom,

         I’m so glad there’s at least one day a year set aside to celebrate you!  To be honest, I don’t celebrate or thank you nearly often enough.

         I’ll bet it seems I hardly notice all the things you do for me.  But, I do notice, even when I don’t take the time to say thank you.  Where would I be without nice clean clothes and a snack packed each day for me with love?  It’s so thoughtful when you drive me to school.  I enjoy the time in the car with you, talking about my day.  You arrange play dates and sleepovers.  Everyone knows you’re the mom that’s the most fun!

         All of that is special, of course, but it’s the times you comfort me when I’m sad, or disappointed, or scared  - that’s when I know I’m the luckiest kid in the world.  Last month when I was sick and worried about missing school, and sad about missing Laura’s party you sat with me, put your arm around me, read to me like you used to when I was little.  I felt cozy and safe with you and I knew then that everything would be all right.

         My best memory of a time we spent together was last year when you took me horseback riding.  You encouraged me, and we had so much fun on the trail.  The picnic we shared afterwards was perfect!  It’s a time I’ll remember until the day I die! 

         I love you and respect everything you do – even when sometimes you have to tell me no.  Thank you for being my Mom.

Love Always,

Jenna

 

4.)  Point out that the author of this letter focused on several main ideas – list these ideas and some productive questions:

•  paragraph 1:  Setting aside time to celebrate Mom

•  paragraph 2:  What are the things you do for me?

•  paragraph 3:  What is a specific time/situation that shows how kind/loving/caring your mom is?

•  paragraph 4:  What is your best memory with Mom?

•  paragraph 5:  How do you feel about your mom?

 

5.)  Discuss the closing – brainstorm some possibilities.

 

6.)  Have them begin their drafts, focusing on the correct format.  Circulate and offer suggestions for good sentence variety and word choice.  Offer some sentence starters if necessary:

         •  Where would I be without______?

         •  It’s so thoughtful when you_____.

         •  I love it when________________.

         •  I’ll never forget the time that____.

         •  It means a lot to me when______.

         •  My favorite memory of our time together is___.

         •  I want you to know that______.

 

7.)  After they’ve completed their letters, distribute envelopes that they can decorate.  For an added writing opportunity, have them list word referents for their mom all over the envelope, maybe each printed in a heart of flower:  ex: 

MOM:

  My favorite person            My greatest supporter     

  Awesome woman     Homework coach   

  Wonderful nurse (secretary, doctor, etc)  Generous friend

   Excellent cook     Talented gardener   Fashionable woman

  Hard worker     Carpool Queen         Soccer fan   Pet lover

  etc.        

 

8.)  Add a tissue paper flower and have children deliver their letters on Mother’s Day!

 

April Newsletter Lesson

Spring Inspiration (In 17 syllables!)

Do these numbers mean anything to you?

17:     5 – 7 – 5

 Hint: think poetry…

If you guessed Haiku, you are right!   Our April lesson of the month will feature this ancient Japanese form of poetry.   Haiku gets its distinctive style from both its form and its thematic material.   It consists of just seventeen syllables, five in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the third.  These non-rhyming poems usually focus on some small, beautiful aspect of nature – a raindrop on a leaf, a firefly hovering over a field – some fleeting slice of life.  And what better time than spring to hone our observation skills and appreciate the world coming into bloom again!   Here’s what you do:

 

1.)  Ask the class to close their eyes and imagine – then read some examples of Haiku:

 

            Napping cat content

            Beneath thick lilac blossoms

            Warmed by springtime sun.

 

            Brown against wet grass

            Red feathered chest puffed and proud

            Robin stretches worm.

 

            Yellow daffodils

            Bowing graceful bell-like petals

            Under April rain.

 

2.)  Ask students to think about how each poem conjures up a single little scene, a fleeting moment in time.   Explain that this is called “Haiku”, an ancient kind of Japanese poem.  Ask them to listen again and to tell how many syllables they hear.  (17)  Then, read each line by line and have them identify how many syllables in each line. (5-7-5)

 

3.)  Brainstorm and chart a variety of springtime images.  Here are some examples:

•  staying light later  •  rain in a puddle •  touching a pussywillow  •  sun on shoulders •  smell of fresh-cut grass  •  specific kinds of flowers •  bees gathering pollen

•  trees budding •  birds making nests  •  polliwogs •  tree-frogs

•  moths • butterflies     

 

4.)  For younger students, make a template with a blank for each syllable, arranged in three lines – 5 – 7 – 5, respectively.  This will help them plan their Haiku.   Ask them to select a theme for their poem and brainstorm lists of nouns, verbs, and adjectives that relate to their theme.  (It is helpful to try, as much as possible, to avoid too many articles such as ‘a’, ‘an’,  ‘the’, etc.) 

 

Give them some helpful hints – a line might describe their subject (what does it look/sound/feel like?)  It might show some action – (What does it do?)  It might reflect a feeling – (How did the subject seem to feel?)  If they're short a syllable or two they can try adding and adjective or an adverb.

 

5.)  Work through one together, trial and error, to model the thought process.  Stress vivid verbs, powerful adjectives.

6.)  Have the students try their hand at it, circulate, offering suggestions.  Then allow them to take their Haiku-in-progress home to “tinker” with it some more.  Establish      a “due date”.

 

7.)  Option – have students create water-color wash paintings to illustrate their Haiku and display on a bulletin board!

March Newsletter Lesson  

Children, teachers, books, authors…who loves them more than Oprah?   We’re so passionate about our mission to continue to empower tomorrow’s authors – and we’d like to show the results of our work to the world.  It would be so…empowering… to showcase our young writers and their teachers making magic with words – and what better venue than the Oprah Winfrey show – but time is running out! 

So, we’re planning a CONTEST!  Here’s our plan – have your students draw big, bold pictures of Oprah and write a vivid, lively elaborative segment describing her.  We’ll choose the most entertaining, well-written examples and submit them to the Oprah Winfrey Show.  And if we get invited to the show, we’ll take the winning teacher with us!  Here’s what you do:

•  Collect some copies of the Oprah magazine – don’t have any magazines?  Just google ‘Oprah Magazine Covers’ and you’ll find plenty o f examples. 

•  Explain to the children that you’re so proud of their writing that you know even Oprah would be impressed!  Tell them about our contest.  Begin by telling them a little about Oprah – see what they already know.  Chart everything they know about Oprah.

(google ‘Oprah Winfrey biography’ for more information)  Show them a collection of photos of Oprah – her magazine covers are terrific examples. 

 •  Give them large pieces of construction paper and have them draw pictures of Oprah with as much detail as possible.  Here are some examples we have collected:

 •  Explain that they’ll be writing descriptions of Oprah.  Follow the usual procedure for creating an elaborative segment describing a story critical character.  (Review the process in the Comprehensive Narrative Writing Guide, p. 88 – 89 and 94-96.) 

 •  Here are some tips to help:

            1.)  Begin by brainstorming a list of possible word referents for “Oprah”

                        ex.  •   talk show host  •  philanthropist  •  generous person

                      •  celebrity •  famous woman  •  well-known personality           

                      •  American icon  •  beautiful human being  •  book lover      

                      •  wealthy woman  • sensitive lady •  intelligent TV star  etc.

 

            2.)  With their portrait of Oprah nearby, list some detail generating questions:

                 •  What kind, color hair?  •  What kind, color eyes?  

                 •   What kind of smile?  •  What does her expression seem to say?

                 •  What kind of clothes is she wearing?  •  What surprises you?

                 •  What kind of jewelry is she wearing?  •  Where do you think she might be going?  

 

            3.)  MODEL a descriptive segment of Oprah for the class.

 

            4.)  Move to GUIDED PRACTICE, having students respond to the detail generating questions as they apply to their drawings.   Provide some                                              optional sentence starters to help:

                    Ex.    •  I’m amazed by_________.  •  It’s hard to take your eyes off of____.

                         •  Everybody is impressed with_____.  •  Don’t you just love_____?

                         •  You can’t help but notice______.  •  I especially appreciate____.

                         •  Aren’t you wowed by___?   •  Get a load of_____.   •  I really admire _.

 

            5.)  As they work, circulate, offer affirmation, critique, and direct their attention to

                  conventions, mechanics, etc.

 

            6.)  When they’re done, have them copy over their segments in their own hand,

                        and be sure to include their name and age.  Attach this to their drawing.

 

            7.)  To submit your entries:  Label each piece with student’s full name, age, grade, your name, school, your phone number and email address.  When you select                    the pieces you’d like to send, be sure to have parents sign the release form. 

                 Mail your entries and corresponding release forms to:

                        Empowering Writers

                        731 Main Street, UNIT 1B3

                        Monroe, CT  06468

                DEADLINE:  APRIL 1, 2010 -   So get crackin’!

            8.)  Please note:  All entries become the property of EW.  If we are successful in contacting the producers of the Oprah Show, and if we are lucky enough to be             invited we will contact the winning teacher!  Hey – you never know!!

                                                                                                                      

February Newsletter Lesson

By February we’re usually bogged down in test prep!   So this month’s lesson is fun and easy, a nice break from the norm for teachers and students alike, and the good news is, it will really help kids with the ever elusive skill:  elaboration!  In five minutes a day!  Our objective is to demonstrate the power of specific, sensory detail and to get students beyond the mere stating of facts. 

Here’s what you’ll do:

1.)  Grab a good sized bag and collect some common objects – here’s some suggestions:

•  a pencil •  scarf  •  a necklace  •  a bedroom slipper  •  your ipod

•  a scented candle  •  a watch  •  a framed photograph  •  sunglasses

2.)  Explain to students that when writing narrative or expository pieces specific, sensory detail is important.  When writing about a topic or main idea in expository writing, or about a story critical object in narrative writing, we need to include powerful detail to bring these things to life!

3.) On two distinct areas of the board, write the following:

· Just the facts!    

·  Wow - I can SEE it!
   What does it "look" like?
  (sound/feel/smell/taste)

 

4.)  Stand next to the heading “Just the Facts” and pull an object from the bag – ex.  the pencil.  Ask the class what you have in your hand.  Of course, they’ll say a pencil.  Say to them, “Okay class, you’ve just stated a fact!”  Now let’s kick it up a notch…”

Move over and stand by the “Wow I can see it” heading.  Ask the class, “What does this particular pencil look like?”  Take their observations and “revise” your original statement:  “I have a sharpened yellow pencil with a clean eraser.”

            If you’ll be testing in expository writing, take it a step further and add another heading – “Why is it important?”  Then, your elaboration might sound like this:

   “I have a sharpened yellow pencil with a clean eraser to use for classwork.”     What an improvement! 

5.)  Demonstrate with a few objects, then give them a turn.  All of this is done orally.  Keep it fast-paced and fun!  After a week or two of the oral practice, write it down instead.  Always model this first, then have them try it. 

Here’s a few more examples for you:

 

Just the Facts!        Wow!  I can SEE it!                                 Why is that important?

                            What does it ‘look’ like?                            (for expository)

                            (sound/feel/smell/taste)

  

She bought a necklace.   She bought a thick silver necklace  She bought a thick silver necklace                       

                                       with a cloudy blue stone.                    with a cloudy blue stone to match her

                                                                                             new jeans.

 

Look at my ipod!        Look at my little lime green ipod!    The color cheers me up and makes it

                                                                                         harder to lose when I’m dying to hear

                                                                                          my favorite music!

 

Mom has a scented         Mom has a tan-colored candle in              It not only makes the house smell cozy, but

candle.                              a jar that smells like sugar cookies         the flickering flame is pretty to look at,

                                          baking.           

 

 

Ms.  Allan had her         Ms. Allan had a pair of pink, fuzzy          I think she slips them on when her feet  

slippers under her          slippers under her desk.                        need a gentle, warm hug after standing on           

desk.                                                                                     the hard, cold pavement during recess duty!

 

 

6.)  Remind students that using this kind of description will dramatically enhance their writing!  (It certainly doesn’t hurt on the writing test, either!)

January Newsletter Lesson

January is always a time to begin anew, and, with state testing around the corner, it’s a great time to look at test prep through a different lens.  This issue’s lesson of the month will be devoted to empowering your young authors to approach their writing test with confidence and skill – and giving you the tools to painlessly prepare them.  We often forget that successful responses to formal writing assessments depend not only on solid writing skills, but on savvy test-taking strategies.   And, of course, simply administering lots of prompts is not the answer.

 

Rather than take on a frenzied last minute review just prior to testing, or administering lots of prompts, begin now, at a more leisurely pace – the steps suggested here can be scheduled over several weeks.  The review we suggest is made up of a number of components:

 

1.)  The review and reinforcement of all key genre-related skills - 

•  Organization, and skills in isolation should be modeled and practiced.

•  Students should practice applying these skills to an entire piece of writing, in directed fashion.

•  Constructive specific feedback should be provided.

 

2.)  Direct Instruction on Test-taking strategies

•  Prompt analysis – determining the genre and the given and variable elements

•  Effective pre-writing/planning strategies

 

Here’s what to do:

1a.)  If the focus of your instruction has been NARRATIVE, and/or if your state generally provides a narrative prompt (a story vs. information) list the following on the board and discuss each with the class, including the productive questions used to generate effective writing in each skill area:

 

(Helpful pages in the Comprehensive Narrative Writing Guide to guide your discussion are noted.)

•  Narrative Writing Diamond – p. 46

•  Entertaining Beginnings – p. 47-49

•  Elaborative Detail – p. 79, 89

•  Suspense – p. 215-216

•** Fully Elaborated Main Event – p. 255-257, 259

•  Extended Endings – p.  305-307

 

(Note:  You may want to have students make review folders and copy some of these pages for student reference.)

 

1b.)  If the focus of your instruction has been EXPOSITORY, and/or if your state generally provides an expository prompt (information about a topic, experience or person) list the following on the board and discuss each with the class, including the productive questions used to generate effective writing in each skill area:

 

(Helpful pages in the Comprehensive Expository Writing Guide to guide your discussion are noted)

•  The Expository Pillar – p. 14 – 16

•  Broad Yet Distinct Main Ideas – p. 115-116

•  Elaborative Detail – Detail Generating Questions – p. 185-187

•  Golden Bricks – p. 241, 243

ª  Introductions – p. 301

•  Conclusions – p. 302, 343-345

 

(Note:  You may want to have students make review folders and copy some of these pages for student reference.)

 

2.)  Next, students will have the opportunity to look at some student work and compare it to an anchor set.  Click the links below for student samples that have been annotated for your discussion, as well as the corresponding anchor sets (taken from our Narrative and Expository Writing Assessment Review Materials). 

 

(4pt. Rubric) Narrative Student Sample and Review Materials

 

(6pt. Rubric) Narrative Student Sample and Review Materials

 

(6pt. Rubric) Expository Student Sample and Review Materials

 

You can make copies or project these for your class discussion.  (Later, students will be asked to write to the same prompt they’ve analyzed here.)

 

3.) After your genre-specific review, explain that you’ll be administering a prompt in a directed fashion, meaning you’ll coach students through their responses, reviewing and reinforcing as they go.  This helps students remember what you’re looking for, and helps them to assimilate and apply all skills into a cohesive whole. 

 

For narrative writing, use the following prompt:

 

Think about a really fun day you had doing something outdoors.  Write a story about your special outdoor activity. 

 

For expository writing, use the following prompt:

 

Think about someone you look up to.  Write a piece explaining what you admire about that person.

 

4.)  Analyze the prompt before they begin to determine the genre.  

•  Discuss the genre – is it meant to entertain an audience of others (narrative), or to inform (expository)?  (Keep in mind that there are some prompts which can be interpreted as personal experience narratives OR expository pieces.  Ex.  Think of a day you did something really fun.  Explain what you did and why it was enjoyable.

 

This could be successfully addressed as a personal narrative – a story with an entertaining beginning, middle with a single significant main event, and a satisfying ending in which the author shows how much fun she/he had.  It could also be addressed as a piece of exposition with an introduction, a number of main ideas, each covering one aspect of the fun event, and a conclusion.  What’s important is that students do not try to write a “hybrid” piece with elements of both narrative and expository, rather, that they select the genre they’ve worked on this year and write with the specific purpose, organizational strategy, and skills that define that genre!)

 

5.)  Analyze the prompt for givens and variables.  What this means is, what does the prompt require they include (givens) and what decisions do they need to make as the author (variables)?

Comprehensive Narrative Guide – see pages 342-343

Comprehensive Expository Guide – see pages 383-384

 

6.)  Review the graphic organizer they should use for planning.

Narrative Writing - Comprehensive Narrative Guide – see page 343

Expository Writing - Comprehensive Expository Guide – see page 384

 

7.)  Direct them through the response process, reviewing each skill as you go.  The following pages of the guides show how this is done in timed test situations, if you are fortunate enough to live in state that does not place timing restraints on students, simply remove the timing cues.  What’s most important is that you remind students of the specific skills they need to demonstrate in each section of the story or piece!

Narrative Writing - Comprehensive Narrative Guide – see page 347-349

Expository Writing - Comprehensive Expository Guide – see pages 418-419

 

8.)  After students are done, collect their responses and, as quickly as possible, provide specific feedback.  Look at their work with an eye for evidence of each skill taught.  Be sure to use the anchor sets for comparison purposes.   Use sticky notes or write directly on the paper to applaud and affirm skills in application (Ex.  YES!  Love your use of specific elaborative detail here!) and to make clear suggestions for specific improvements.  (Ex.  You gave it away too quickly here – instead, build some suspense!)

Write the holistic score on the paper for them to see.

 

9.)  When you’ve handed the papers back, have them use “tails” (strips of lined paper that can be taped onto the piece for revisions, additions, etc) to address any of the suggested revisions.  Show them how these improvements can raise their holistic scores – then change the holistic scores accordingly!

 

This process really helps kids approach the “real” test with confidence. 

 

Additional suggestions:

•  Select another prompt from the Comprehensive Guide and model an entire response, again, reinforcing the application of skills in an entire piece of writing.  Be sure to analyze the prompt for givens and variables first, and then discuss each of the skills you want to see.  

•  For a more detailed pre-test review, why not take advantage of our product of the month:  Narrative and Expository Assessment Guides. Order in January for a 10% discount!

 

December Newsletter Lesson

Greetings for a wonderful holiday season from the entire EW team!  Spirits are high, anticipation is keen, and the month is sure to go by in a rush of preparations in school and at home.   Cards are sent, gifts are bought, spirits are soaring!    

 

Our lesson of the month is about what this happy time of year symbolizes – and uses similes as the tool for creating unique holiday greeting card keepsakes!

 

LESSON OF THE MONTH:  Holiday greeting cards for a Special Someone 

 

Here’s what you do:

 

1.)  Ask the class what special holidays or traditions they observe in December.  Their responses might include  Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, New Year’s activities, or simply the cultural traditions – Christmas trees, holiday lights, exchanging gifts, etc.  Ask if anyone’s family receives or sends holiday greeting cards.   Explain that the warm wishes sent in a card can be a wonderful keepsake gift for a person they care about. 

2.)  Brainstorm a list of the signs and symbols of the holiday season.  The list should include symbols of specific holidays related to all faiths, cultural traditions, and seasonal signs.  Your list might look like this:

 •  snow    •  Christmas stocking •  reindeer •  Santa •  Christmas cookies

 •  fire in the fireplace     •  Christmas carols •  menorah •  dreidel •  sleighride

 •  Christmas tree •  mistletoe •  candle in the window •  wreath on the door

 •  brightly wrapped present     •  snowman •  star atop the tree   •  holiday card

 •  snowflake

        

Explain that they’ll be thinking about adjectives that describe these seasonal symbols that could also describe a PERSON!   

 

(Ex.  – warm fire,  jolly Santa,  pretty present,  welcoming wreath,  merry Christmas carol   festive Christmas tree,  bright menorrah,  fun snowman,   cute reindeer,  sweet cookies,  exciting sleighride,  generous stocking,  beautiful snow,  unique snowflake, etc.

 

3.)  Discuss similes -  figures of speech that compare two different things, pointing out one way that they are similar.  Similes use the “like” or “as”.   Ex.  You are as bright as the star atop the tree!

 

4.)  Ask the class to think of someone they care about to whom they’d like to send a special card.  It might be a parent, grandparent, special relative, neighbor, or friend.

 

5.)  Get a long piece of construction paper in a holiday color.  (Cut large pieces of paper in thirds, horizontally.  Fold these strips accordion-style to make an expandable card.  On the cover they can draw a picture of the card’s recipient (A portrait or “head-shot” is best).  Decorate with some cut-out holly leaves and berries, or small cut out snowflakes, candy canes, etc.  Perhaps add a glitter border.  Be creative!  Add the greeting:  Thinking of you during the holidays…

 

6.)  Have students select a number of holiday symbols from the class list, one for each folded section of their card.  Draw these, one per folded section.  

 

7.)  Beneath each picture write a holiday simile:

 

You are as beautiful as freshly fallen snow,

 as unique as a snowflake,

 as warm as the fire in the fireplace,

 as much fun as a snowman,

 as bright as the star atop the tree…  (etc.)

 

8.)  On the last page they can write a specific Holiday greeting and their closing:  

 

(Ex.)  Merry Christmas!  or Happy Hanukah!  or Seasons Greetings! n>  

Love, _______ or Your Friend, _________ etc.  Have them add the date.

 

9.)  Fold up the finished card and hole punch the entire thickness of the folded card in one corner.  Tie with a festive ribbon or loop with a sparkly pipe cleaner so that the card can be hung on the tree or in a special place in the home.  This makes a beautiful keepsake (while teaching the use of similes!)  

November Newsletter Lesson

Hard to believe we’re already three months into the school year!   Most of you have already hosted an Open House, Parent Conferences, and prepared report cards.  All this, and holidays right around the corner make this time of year a more than a little stressful.             

So, in thinking about what might help you most I revisited a couple of Barnes and Noble Events we presented for Educator Appreciation Week.  Our theme was how, instead of being all about test scores, rubrics, and prompts, writing can be a refuge, a sanctuary, and an indulgence for teachers…here’s how…

Write your own School Journal:

Do you ever feel frazzled, overwhelmed, or just plain exhausted at the end of a school day?  Creating your own school journal is one way to unwind, de-stress, to focus on the positive, and get in touch with what drew you to the classroom in the first place!

Here’s what you’ll need:

            1.)  paper and pen – I prefer a nice journal, with a pleasing cover and spacious pages, but you could also make your own.  Another little indulgence is a special pen – one that nobody uses except you.)

            2.)  (Completely optional) a scented candle to set the mood – lavender is said to calm and relax you, and to soothe headaches, lemon is uplifting and has an anti-stress effect!

            3.) Ten minutes of quiet time.

Here’s what you do:

            1.) When the last school bus pulls out, go to your room, close the door and sit down at your desk.  Light your candle and breathe deeply.  Take 5 minutes of calm to recollect ( re-collect - what a great word!) all the parts of yourself that have scattered!

            2.)  Open your journal and take your pen.  Having a simple routine prevents any kind of writer’s block and provides a simple structure.

            3.) Each day write down your:

                        •  Greatest satisfaction

                        •  Biggest challenge

                        •  One funny, heart-warming, or frustrating moment

                        •  One short, sensory description of a sight, smell, sound that is unique to school.    

                        •  You might want to end with the one big thing you learned that day. 

Here’s a sample of what an entry might look like:

Nov. 2, 2009

Today it was Gordon!  He comes up to my desk beaming, hands me a crumpled paper from his clenched fist.  “I wrote you a letter,” he says, blushing.  He shoves the sweaty folded paper into my hand as they file out for lunch.  I open it, smiling.  It reads:  DEER MRS. M, YOUR THE BEST TECHER BECUASE YOU TECH US HOW TO RITE AND SPEL.

Well. No testament to my success with spelling, that’s for sure! But that doesn’t matter!

I continue to struggle with Russell – his sharp, cutting meanness toward other students is painful, not only for them, but for Russell himself.  He’s isolating himself from the rest, repelling exactly what he needs the most – a good friend.  I need to think about this, how to get at his hurting heart and give him the positive attention he needs.  But it’s hard…really hard.

Snack time – can’t believe I was craving Fritos today.  The room smelled of smelly markers (fake green apple and blueberry – do blueberries actually have a smell?) and salty, Fritos.  Ummm…the smell of second grade!

Ten minutes is all it takes.  No need to write to each of the suggested “prompts” each day.  But, it’s important to focus on what really meant something each day.  It’s also a way to reflect on and track concerns over time.

Honestly, I wish I’d done this every day I spent in the classroom - this is the stuff of a powerful memoir, a great way to look back over a career and hold on to the most significant parts.

Oh, and by the way – you can use the same idea with students.  Instead of having them crawling out of their skin waiting for their bus to be called, you could all journal together!  Their prompting questions can be the same as yours!

October Newsletter Lesson

 Happy October!  The routine of school is well under way and writing instruction is in full swing.  Colorful foliage, jack-o-lanterns, and Halloween - what better time than autumn for some colorful writing inspiration?

This month’s lesson which can be adapted for just about any grade will be built around elaborative detail.  Use the sounds, sights, and smells of the season to write descriptive snippets or autumn poems!  

Here's what to do:  

1.) Begin by discussing the importance of sensory information when writing description. Authors include specific detail about what they see, hear, feel, taste, and smell in order to bring the writing to life.

2.) Explain that they’ll be describing the sensory characteristics of autumn. Begin by charting things you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell that are specific to autumn. (You might also narrow this topic and use Halloween.)

Charts might look like this:

What we:

See

gold/orange leaves, bonfires, Jack-o-lanterns, Indian corn

Hear

crackling fire, crunching leaves, whistling wind, honking geese

Taste

apple cider, Halloween candy, roasting turkey, candied apples

Feel

chilly air, itchy sweaters, wind in your hair, fallen leaves underfoot

Smell 

roasting chestnuts, apple pie, fresh, crisp air, hot mulled cider apples

or…for Halloween

 See

Jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, trick-or-treaters, skeletons

Hear

scary music, "Trick or Treat", howling wind, crunching leaves

Taste

chocolate candy, candy corn, popcorn balls, candied apples

Feel

chilly air, shivers down your spine, heavy trick-or-treat bags, wind in your hair

Smell 

toasted pumpkin seeds, apple cider, popcorn, burning leaves     

 

3.)  Ask the students to select one or two favorite items from each sensory list, combine them in four lines ending with the “topic word”  to create a seasonal poem.  They can experiment using commas or the words “and” or “too” to adjust the rhythm of each line of the stanza.  Encourage them to “play” with the rhythm by

trying different combinations, always reading the latest version aloud.

 

Ex.       Indian corn and apples,                            Skeletons and trick-or-treaters,

            Whistling wind, crackling fire,                Howling wind and chilly air,                   

            Candied apples, cider too,                        Candy corn and jack-o-lanterns,

            Chilly air and fallen leaves…Autumn.       Shivers down your spine…Halloween.

September Newsletter Lesson

            One of the best ways we get a glimpse into the heart of a character is when we write a “satisfying story ending”.  At the conclusion of a significant main event the main character reflects on it and shares a memory, a feeling, a hope, wish, and/or decision.  This shows something about the values, dreams, and desires of the hero of the story.  To generate this kind of ending, the author asks:

 

                        •  What does the main character remember most?

                        •  How does the main character feel about the main event?

                        •  What does the main character hope or wish for?

                        •  What does the main character decide to do?

 

            You can use a variation on these same questions to really get to know your students and parents.  Here’s a lesson that can be adapted for any grade level! 

Objectives:  

1.)  find out what’s important to your students and their parents

2.)  share with students and parents what’s important to you

3.)  create getting to know you cards using productive questions 

Procedure: 

1.)  Explain to the class that since you’ll be spending so much time together it’s important to get to know and understand one another. 

2.)  Write the following on the board:

            •  Your most important school event, activity, or experience

            •  How you felt about the school event or activity

            •  What you hope/wish for this year in school

            •  What you decided you want to see happen in school this year

 

3.)  Explain that authors use questions like these to craft satisfying story endings in which the reader comes to understand the main character. 

4.)  Demonstrate (model) how to respond to these questions by answering the questions yourself, so that students can get to know you.   

Ex.   

•  Your most important school event, activity, or experience 

The day I started teaching fifth grade  was the most exciting day of my career! 

•  How you felt about the school event or activity              

What I love about fifth graders is the level  of enthusiasm they bring to learning  new things.  I get excited when I see young people take a chance and try something new  with a smile and a sense of determination. 

•  What you hope/wish for this year in school                       

My hope for this year is that we respect  everyone in the classroom and help one another learn.  I hope to create an atmosphere where we trust one another enough to ask questions and share ideas freely. 

•  What you decided you’ll do to make your hope or wish come about                        

We’ll have a suggestion box and will create our class rules so that we can  decide how we want our classroom to run.                                              

5.)  Depending on the age of your students, you can give them all of the questions, or one at a time.  They can draft their responses on scrap paper, then write their final versions on a “card” , with a self portrait on the front and their responses inside.  Be sure to tell them that when writing about their most important event or activity in school, they can write about something they either liked or disliked and why.  They might include what they wish their previous teachers had known or understood about them.   Explain that the “decision” section should tell what they’ll commit to in approaching the school year.

6.) Provide some sentence starters to help them articulate their ideas.  Of course, encourage them to begin sentences in interesting ways of their own as well.

I’ll never forget the time when____.  My most important school event/activity/experience was when___.  What I really love about school is____.  When that happened I felt____ because____.

This year I really hope_____.  I wish that in ____th. grade I’ll be able to ____. 

As I start this year I’m going to be sure to____.   I’ve decided to__________.

 

7.)  You might send a similar form home to parents – what they see as their child’s most significant school experience, how they felt about it, their hopes/wishes for this year, and what they have decided to do to help bring that about.  This can be very revealing about what motivates and matters to your classroom community this year!

 

 

Summer Newsletter Lesson

It’s about that time when all of us, teachers and students alike, take a collective sigh of relief and look forward to kicking back into summer!  While summer is a great time to rejuvenate and relax, it’s also a time that can be used creatively in preparation for the next school year.  Now, we’re not talking about setting aside time for “work” – rather, we’d like to make some suggestions for “incidental planning” – creative ways to seize the 
opportunities summer offers to enhance next year’s writing instruction! 

Teacher’s Summer Writing Scavenger Hunt

1.)  Do you like reading on the beach or on the back porch swing?  Want to be the star of your book club?  Start reading your summer novels with “author’s eyes” and a stack of small sticky-notes.  Mark the entertaining beginnings, descriptive segments, fully elaborated main events, and segments of suspense!  You’ll be amazed at how adult fiction is full of the same techniques and examples of author’s craft you’re teaching your students!  And, you’ll be amazed at how much more astute you’ll be at recognizing writer’s craft!

2.)  Taking a road trip?  When you stop at a visitors’ center or tourist information booth, look for those regional freebie tourist magazines.  They usually have well-written, concise articles about the place you’re visiting – good examples of expository writing to share with your class in the fall.  A great way to provide published examples of the expository skills you’re teaching, while sharing a little about “What I did on my summer vacation…”

3.)  Start a pile of catalogues and Sunday newspaper circulars that feature home décor and furniture.  Bundle them up and put them aside for a fun and easy fall expository writing project.  Ask the class to imagine their dream bedroom!  Let them peruse the catalogues to get ideas.  Allow them to cut out their favorite things and create a “Dream Room Collage” on a piece of construction paper.  Then, have them write an expository piece about their dream room. 

4.)  Have a camera?  Take photos of seasonal things – the crowded beach, a lush garden, a thunder storm,  the farmer’s market, the amusement park.  Use these as picture prompts in the fall – ask your class to write a descriptive segment about one of your “summer settings”.

5.)  Make a collection of your favorite summer treasures from nature.  A seashell or dried sea star, a smooth colorful moonstone, a dried flower, a colorful feather, a pine cone or branch of lavender.  Place these in a “summer treasure box.”  In the fall describe these to the class – but don’t name them!  Use word referents, describe the texture, color, size, where you found it, etc.  Jot down these summer “riddles” and have them guess each summer treasure!

6.)  Want to write that children’s book?  Summer is a great time to begin!  Don’t know where to start?  Go to “Recommended Reading” and check out our article titled, “So You Want to Write a Children’s Book”.  It will give you everything you need to begin!

7.)  If you’re traveling write a postcard to next year’s class – write a powerful descriptive segment or main event about your vacation.  Mail it to your school address and it will be waiting for you when school begins!

May Newsletter Lesson

Writing Science Riddles

 

    To explore and identify the attributes or characteristics of objects, materials, or substances, try writing science riddles.  This relates to the narrative writing technique we call “building suspense”.  We use word referents, in the sense that we describe something without naming it. 

    Start off in the most general way, getting more specific as the “clues” are formulated.  The use of word referents can be helpful here in order to avoid revealing the “mystery topic word”.   Another way to clarify thinking around formulating clues is to frame some of them in the negative, telling what the mystery topic is not.  For example, in describing sand, the riddle-writer could say, “It pours, but it is not a liquid.”

    It’s helpful to demonstrate this for students first.  Then, narrow the field of topic choices for the class, sticking to familiar or current topics. You might want to assign a broad topic such as “mammals”, “ecosystems”, “energy forms”, “celestial bodies”, etc., divide the class into teams and have each team select a particular example within that broad topic for their riddle.  Each team would write their riddle on an index card.  Later, these could be saved in a deck for students to enjoy solving and reviewing during free time.

    Another variation on this would be to complete an ongoing Class Book of Science Riddles.  As the school year progresses have the class write Science Riddles about each applicable science topic you cover.  Have them write their riddles on the right page of a two page spread in a blank book or journal, turning the page for the answer to the riddle.  Illustrate and label these. 


Related pages in Comprehensive Narrative Writing Guide p. 215-223   Also, a terrific literature connection is the picture book:  “Atlantic” by G. Brian Karas 0-14-240027-0 – Puffin Books - ©2002 –It describes the Atlantic Ocean in relation to its geographic location, characteristics, function.  However, the first page reads: “I am the Atlantic Ocean” – for the purpose of reinforcing the idea of a science riddle, cover the words “Atlantic Ocean” with sticky notes and see if the class can guess the topic at the end.
           


Objectives: Students will:
1.)  identify defining characteristics and attributes of key objects, animals, systems, plants, or substances   
2.)  use these characteristics and attributes to describe the topic through use of a “riddle”

Procedure:
1.)  Explain to the class that they will be describing something they’ve studied in science by listing its attributes or characteristics.  Some classifications, categories, characteristics, attributes might include:

   living, non-living, plant/animal, color, texture, weight, float/sink,

liquid/solid, life-cycle, behavior, size, etc.

2.)  Select your riddle topic:  example: frog.  List all of the characteristics they can about the frog.
3.)  Use their input to create a science riddle.  (See samples next page.)
4.)  Divide the class into small cooperative groups and assign each a riddle topic.  (Be sure you keep each group’s topic a secret! )  Circulate as they work on their riddles.
5.)  Have them share their riddles and let the rest of the class guess!
6.)  (Option) Keep an ongoing book of science riddles created by your class throughout the year!


Science Riddle Samples
I’m thinking of a substance.  It is not a solid.  This substance can be poured.  You can see through it when it’s refined.  It is thicker, but lighter than water. There are many varieties of this substance.  Some come from plants and animals.  Others come from the earth itself.  Some kinds are used as fuel.  Name my mystery substance!   (answer:  oil)

I’m thinking of a living thing.  It is not a plant.  It can be found on all continents except Antarctica.   My mystery living thing is cold-blooded and has a skeleton. You might be surprised to learn that these living things are carnivorous.  These creatures go through an interesting life cycle. They hatch, as fish-like tadpoles from one of thousands of eggs laid in fresh water.  When grown, the brown species live mostly on land.  Those with greenish skin spend more time in water.   Name my mystery living thing!  (answer: frog)

 

April Newsletter Lesson

The great thing about poetry is that it’s impressionistic.  The poet can use words to evoke images and paint pictures.   Poetry involves the poet’s feelings, wishes, and observations that sometimes can’t be expressed as effectively in prose. 
   
Often we’re put off by poetry because we get caught up in trying to create a rhyming scheme.  This can paralyze the poet and create a stiff, contrived result in which the words are selected by virtue of their “rhyme-ability” rather than their meaning.
   
So, instead, we’ll use productive questioning to generate some poetic images that don’t need to rhyme.                                   

Begin by reading students this poem from: "All The Small Poems" by Valerie Worth (A Sunburst Book – Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

                Stars
                While we
                Know they are
                Enormous suns,
                Gold lashing
                Fire oceans,
                Seas of heavy
                Silver flame,
                They look as
                Though they could
                Be swept
                Down, and heaped,
                Cold crystal
                Sparks, in one
                Cupped palm.

Talk about each line – discuss all of the “word referents” – other ways to refer to stars – ex.  enormous suns, fire oceans, cold crystal sparks, etc.  You can point out that the entire poem is a kind of a fancy, extended sentence that’s been broken into images.  Ask students if this is a rhyming poem or not. 

Now, here’s what you do:
1.) You can have students work individually, or in small collaborative groups.

2.) Establish a theme, for example, ask students to think about springtime, focusing on some particular image –it could be a flower or plant, an animal or insect seen in spring, some aspect of springtime weather or changes in nature.  Have them select their topic.

3.) Explain that there are some questions that can help generate poetic images (below).  Write these on the board.  (You may choose to only present one at a time, several, or all of them, considering the children in your class.)

        •  Where do you see, hear, feel, taste, or smell your springtime topic?
        •  Make a list of word referents you can use in place of your springtime topic.
        •  What happens to your topic during the spring?  How is it different in spring than in winter?
        •  Who or what is affected by your springtime topic? 
        •  Can you personify your springtime topic?
        •  How do you feel about your topic?
        •  Can you add some vivid adjectives?
        •  Can you use alliteration?

4.) As students begin their drafts, using the answers to the productive questions, show them how to move each idea onto a new line.

5.) Show them how to use a thesaurus to experiment with a variety of colorful words.

6.) Eliminate all unnecessary words (words like I, and, on, to).  Try different verb forms - -ing vs. –s.

7.) Keep in mind that there are no correct number of lines.  Allow students to decide what lines they like best and keep those.  Eliminate others.

8.) Here’s a working example to explore – notice the words with strike-throughs – these indicate revisions involving word choice, etc.  (The entire poem will appear after the working draft.)

SPRINGTIME TOPIC: Spring Rain   

notice the bracketed words.

                                                               
(where do you see, hear, smell, feel, taste it?)                thrumming
                                                                        I hear it [humming] on the roof   

   
(what is it?  Word referent)                                gentle                                   
                                                                         [soft] splash of liquid sky     

  
(what happens to it in spring?)                            sipped away by thirsty earth 

            
(who/what does it affect?)                                                           frozen ground                   
                                                                         nectar sweet for [buried bulbs]

                                                                         and sleeping grass 

           
                                                                                        
(another word referent)                                       dewy                      almost  
                                                                          [glistening] drops on [baby] leaves  

 
(personify it – give it a human trait)                                               earth       
(and your feeling about it)                                   tears to make the [me] smile


FINAL VERSION:          Spring Rain
                           Rooftop thrumming.
                           Gentle splash, liquid sky.
                           Sipped away by thirsty earth.
                           Nectar warm for frozen ground
                           And sleeping grass.
                           Dewy drops on almost leaves,
                           Tears that make earth smile.

9.) Point out how they can stagger the margins for a less structured feeling.

10.) Here’s another example (a final draft)
                   
                Crickets
             Chirps at sunset
             in the yard,
             or in a corner of the house.
             Insect fiddler, lucky charm
             Singing after winter silence
             Makes the springtime evening
             Cheerful.   

11.) Illustration!  Have students create an illustration to enhance their poetry!  Display it all together.

Share your efforts!  Email us some student poems and we’ll publish them in a future newsletter!

March Newsletter Lesson

March – the month of Lions and Lambs, where winter meets spring – for students in many parts of the country, state testing takes place in March, producing another pair of opposites – tension and relief!  So, it seemed like a good time to sit back and reflect – a good time to write a March memoir!

    We hear a lot about the value of writing a memoir – unlike a chronological timeline of events, or the historical overview of a life (like an autobiography), the memoir allows the author to hold on to a memory and to make meaning and significance from it.  A memoir allows the audience a glimpse of a meaningful slice of the author’s life, a sensitive depiction of an event, object, person, or relationship that helps define the author and her/his values and beliefs.  Often, as the author writes the memoir, he/she comes to realize, for the first time, something significant about him/herself.  And, the added gift is that a successful memoir evokes something universally human that the reader can relate to.

    So, where to begin our March Memoir? 

1.) First, discuss what a memoir is – here are the defining characteristics:
    •  a reflective piece that reveals the meaning evoked by a person, event, object, or place
    •  a highly descriptive narrative meant for an audience of others (unlike a journal entry which is intended for the author only)
    •  writing this kind of “slice of life” helps the author recognize a deeper significance, meaning, or understanding in their life derived from the person, event, object, or place

2.) Since showing is more powerful than telling, share the following memoir with students:

My grandmother’s garden gloves lie on the bench outside.  I pick one up.  Its stiff and the faded, worn flowered fabric is covered in caked on dirt.  The fingers are crusty and curled as though wrapped around the wooden handle of the spade she uses to loosen the soil out in her garden.  I think of the busy hands that fill these gloves, see the knobby knuckles, the plain gold ring that slips and turns below that knuckle, never to come off again.  Thick blue veins run across the top of her wrinkled hands.  She’ll rub her slender nails and calloused palms with salve to ease the arthritis that makes each movement hard.

I’ve spent many afternoons out in the garden with her, pulling weeds and picking strawberries, planting bulbs and plucking fat, juicy red tomatoes.  If I close my eyes I can still feel the sun on my face, inhale what I think of as my grandmother’s perfume – the spicy geranium smell, the dark mossy scent of the soil.  I can see her moving slowly in her brightly flowered sundress and wide-brimmed straw hat. She lets me do what I like out there in the garden, and, in fact, it’s funny, but I can’t think of anything I don’t like to do when I’m with her.  She looks at me and smiles.  “You’re doing a great job, Honey,” she says.  “Those flowers will be beautiful!”  She takes my face in her hands, the garden gloves scratchy against my cheeks.

My grandmother’s hands make all kinds of things grow.  Everything she touches blossoms into something beautiful.  That’s how I feel whenever I’m with her.  Beautiful.

 3.) Explain that often times an author will use an object as a jumping-off point for a memoir.  Ask students to think of an object that reminds them of a special person.   It might be a tool, a toy, an article of clothing, a book or knick-knack belonging to a special person in their life.  The object should be something that sparks a memory of the person to whom it belongs. (If possible, as a homework assignment, have them bring the object to school.)

4.) List specific questions to help reveal significant detail, such as:

    •  What is the object? What color, size, condition, texture, etc?
    •  Who used this?
    •  How did he/she use it?
    •  What did you hear, see, feel, smell when your special person used it?
    •  How did she/he hold/wear it?
    •  On what occasion do you recall your special person using it?
    •  Where did the person use the object?
    •  How did you feel watching the person use the special object?
    •  What does this scene tell you about how the person affects your life?

5.)  You can model this process by using an object belonging to a student or teacher in your school – the phys. ed teacher’s whistle,  the art teacher’s apron, lunch lady’s spoon, custodian’s mop, etc. 

6.)  After you’ve crafted a modeled sample based on students’ observations and suggestions, highlight language and “sentence starters” that will be helpful.  These might include:

I pick up________________.    

I stare at _______________.  

My eyes gaze at__________.

I remember when________.     

Many times I recall_______.  

I can still see ___________.

If I close my eyes I can____.     

I think of _______________.  

On that day_____________.

This is like______________. 

7.)  Have students draft their memoir.  Circulate and offer feedback.  As students finish, have them create an illustration of their special object.  One idea to create a more impressionistic picture is to use crayons to draw the object and then use a variety of colors of watercolors as a “wash” over their drawing.

8.)  Once finished, students might enjoy presenting their special person with their memoir and illustration – what a precious gift!

 

February Newsletter Lesson

February greetings from Empowering Writers!  There’s nothing like a fun writing lesson to pull you out of the winter doldrums!  Get the entire class excited about a seasonal research project – whether spring turns out to be six or more weeks away, finding out a lot of fun facts about groundhogs will brighten your day!

Depending on the age and experience of your students you can use the collection of facts provided here, assemble some books from your school library, or access the internet to collect the information on groundhogs they’ll need for their expository report.  (Another option is to have some students write an entertaining narrative about a groundhog!)

You can also approach this as a whole group project, with small groups of students working on a particular main idea, or students can work on their own reports – you decide!
Click here

Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Ask children what they know about groundhogs.  Chart everything they know, inspiring and challenging them with questions such as:

•  where do they live? 
•  what do they look like – be specific! 
•  how do they behave?
•  what kind of animal is it?  (mammal, herbivore)
•  customs/traditions?
•  related to?  (squirrels) 
•  other names for groundhogs?  (marmots, woodchucks, whistlepigs)

2. Keep in mind they may not know the answers to all of your questions.  The questions they either cannot answer or are unsure about become their research questions.

3. Now, pick, list, and choose from this list in order to break out a number of main ideas which may include:

•  Appearance  
•  Where they live      
•  Behavior   
•  What they eat/who eats them?   
•  Tradition/folklore   

4.  Explain that they will be researching to find and check information about groundhogs and using this information for a class report.  This report will involve an expository essay and artwork. 

5.  Review the expository pillar – the organizational framework that serves as the foundation for an information piece .  This will be the shape their report will take.

6.  Either have students write main idea sentences or provide them.  Here are some examples to choose from.  Select as many as you need:

•  Have you ever seen a groundhog?  (appearance)
•  Groundhogs live in a wide range of places.  (habitat/range)
•  These small mammals have many interesting behaviors.  (behavior)
•  A groundhog eats a variety of plants and can become a meal for other mammals. (diet/predators)
•  Groundhogs play an interesting role in predicting when spring will arrive. (tradition/customs)

Write each main idea on a piece of construction paper or on a sentence strip.

7.  Divide the class into small groups – one group for each main idea selected and another group for the introduction and/or conclusion.  Give each class a main idea to work with as well as some resources where they can find information relative to their main idea.  Some websites to check out:
http://www.geocities.com/ljacoby_2000/groundfacts.html

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/groundhog.html

(You can also refer to the Empowering Writers resource book The Comprehensive Expository Writing Guide for tips on crafting attention-grabbing introductions and powerful conclusions.)

8.)  Each group will collaborate on their respective paragraph.  Provide students with sentence starters for good sentence variety.  Ex:
    Did you know that__________? 
    Most people are unaware that ________.
    Another interesting characteristic of the groundhog is__________.
    These fascinating creatures_____. 
    You might have noticed that_____.
    Besides this, groundhogs_________.

9.)  Brainstorm word referents to use in place of the topic word “groundhog”.  Begin by listing adjectives and synonymous nouns:  Ex. 

small furry creatures   hibernating animals   interesting mammals    burrowing herbivores    non-stop eaters    chubby beasts

10.)  As each group completes their paragraph, have them create illustrations of groundhogs and other charts, graphs, maps to enhance the writing.  Combine all of these into a class report, class book, bulletin board, or PowerPoint presentation! 

Then, share this with younger students on Groundhog Day! 
 

January Newsletter Lesson

 

Everyone is concerned about providing students with opportunities to explore writing for a variety of purposes.  This month we’ll feature a wintry narrative, expository and persuasive lesson that can be tweaked for students at all grade levels!  Let’s call our theme, “Fun with Snow!”

Even if you live in a balmy locale, encourage your students to approach these activities “as if” they lived in a frosty northern exposure!  (Great practice for fiction writers!)  Use books, video, internet sites to introduce them to the fun, frolic, and frustration of winter weather!

Narrative Writing:  Write a descriptive segment – a block of elaborative detail painting a chilly picture of a snowman (or a snowperson!) (purpose: to entertain.)

Expository Writing:  Produce a “How-to” piece – “How to Build a Snow Fort” (purpose: to inform)

Persuasive Writing:  “Kid for Hire”  - Have students write a snappy persuasive paragraph convincing a neighbor to hire them to do some snow shoveling! (purpose: to persuade)

You can use all three lessons with your entire class, assign one genre to each of three groups, or let students self-select. 

Narrative Writing – Describe a Snowperson!
    Explain to students that a lively, vivid description allows the reader to experience something through the five senses of the main character.  An engaging and entertaining descriptive paragraph can make anyone smile, even through a blizzard or ice storm!

    1.) Have them draw or otherwise artistically render a snowperson.  Use markers,crayons, paint, felt, yarn, sticks, buttons – any found objects.

    2.) Use detail-generating questions to yield specific detail.  Here are some you might use: 

•  How big or small is the S.P.  (snow person)? 
•  What’s she/he wearing?
•  What shape(s) are the various parts? 
•  What are the features (eyes, nose, mouth) made of? 
•  Where does the S.P. stand?
•  What kind of expression is on the S.P.’s face?

    3.) Provide sentence startes for good sentence variety:

•  The snowy being had_______
•  I smiled as I gazed at_______
•  The snowperson wore_______
•  She/he had______
•  I was surprised by___       
•  ___________reminded me of______.

    4.) You might model this process first for the entire class, then have students refer to their artistic depictions in order to access specific detail.  Display descriptive paragraphs separate from the artwork and have the class match them up!  The most vivid, specific descriptions will be easiest to match!

Expository Writing – How to Build a Snow fort
    Begin by discussing snow forts – the best places to build them (near drifts or pile of snow), and some of the basics (hollowing out an “igloo”, piling and patting a snow barricade, making huge snow “bricks” with wet snow and stacking them, using a snow saucer for a “roof”, etc).  You can also brainstorm what might be placed or kept in or near a snow fort (shovel, tarp, snowball arsenal, blanket, etc)
    Model an introductory paragraph using kid’s suggestions.  Beginning with an anecdote can be fun (Ex.  I’ll never forget the biggest, most awesome snow fort I ever saw.)  Follow it with a description.
   

    Instead of a series of steps in paragraph form, make a numerical list of steps.  Sequence words such as: 

 

First        After that    Continue    Next        Then     Proceed    Begin        Finally        Conclude by

 

    Write a conclusion paragraph that includes a “hypothetical anecdote” – a “what if” for the reader regarding a snow fort.  Sum up the main ideas (the fun involved, series of steps, and why they’d enjoy it.)
    The result will be a class “How-to” – for more independent work have students write their own, creatively nuanced piece!

Persuasive Writing – Hire Me to Shovel that Sidewalk!
    Discuss with students that in any northern locale snowy sidewalks can be treacherous – and profitable!  Everyone needs their sidewalks shoveled, but not everyone wants to strain their back doing the work!  So…ask your students to persuade their neighbors to hire them to clear their snowy sidewalks!
    Brainstorm the following:

•  Positive attributes and qualities that make them good for the job
•  Any prior experience that has prepared them for the task
•  All the reasons people need their sidewalks shoveled
•  All the reasons you’d be a better investment than someone else
•  How you would use the money earned
•  Why people might not hire you, and how you’d address these excuses.

    Begin by having students make a bold, appealing poster advertising KID FOR HIRE!  On the poster include bullet points of their positive qualities and prior experience.  Then write a persuasive paragraph that includes the reasons the walks need shoveling, what could happen if the walk isn’t shoveled promptly, how you’d be the best solution to their snow problem, refute any reasons they might have using a “yes, but” statement, and explain how you would use the pay for a positive purpose.  Think about TV commercials and the ways in which these convince the viewer to act!  End with a “call to action” explaining how to reach and hire you!
    The following sentence starters will be helpful:

•Another compelling reason_____   
•Who wouldn’t want______?  
•Why not_______?
•Everybody needs_____   
•Nobody wants_____   
•Have you considered that____ ?
•While you might_________, wouldn’t it be easier to_____? 

    Display these paragraphs with the convincing poster – or, if you live in a snowy area, challenge kids to test the persuasiveness of their work by approaching a neighbor with poster and paragraph in hand!   Combine earnings toward a class party!

 

December Newsletter Lesson

            Holiday time approaches and excitement builds!  What better time to channel all this energy into some motivating writing activities!

            With the holidays, kids begin to think of presents, gifts, and surprises.  This is the perfect time to introduce the concept of suspense and anticipation.  I wonder what Santa will bring, how many days until Hanukah, I think I can guess what’s in that big bag Mom hid in the basement…

            Building suspense in writing is the art of making the reader wait.  When the reader waits, the reader wonders, anticipates, makes predictions – all activities that keep them engaged and excited.  Our thematic lesson this month will build on the idea of using word referents - a technique in which we describe but don’t name a story critical element, in this case a special something inside a gift box!

            First, let’s focus on giving rather than receiving!  Ask children to pick out a fantasy gift for someone they love.  Provide magazines and store circulars and have them cut out an amazing fantasy gift.  Then, have students fold a piece of construction paper in half (the hamburger way).  (This will become their gift box – lift the flap to “open the box” and reveal the gift!)  They can decorate the outside with markers, ribbon, or even glue gift wrap and place a bow on it!  On the inside have them paste their picture of their fantasy gift. 

            Then have them make a gift card – on the cover write….

            To _______________,  

                         If I could buy you anything I wanted, I’d buy you… 

On the inside of the gift card have them write a suspenseful descriptive riddle describing the gift without naming it! 

            Ex.  something you could wear when you’re all dressed up!  It would sparkle in the light and make you look like a queen, or maybe a movie star!  The diamond in the center would be large and bright sitting in a cluster of rubies and pearls.  The gold band would glint and shine and wrap around your finger perfectly!  Each gemstone would represent something beautiful about you.  It would remind me that you are a treasure in my life! 

            (Of course, the photo inside the lift-the-flap “gift box” would be a ring!)

Here are some questions that might help generate good details/hints:

            •  What is it made out of?

            •  What is the texture?

            •  What color(s) is it?

            •  How would the recipient use this gift?

            •  What does it remind you of?

            •  When, how, where would the recipient use this gift?

            •  What will others think when they see it?

            •  How does this gift reveal the way you feel about the recipient?

 

 

NOVEMBER - GET EMPOWERED!

 

November is the time of year when we pause to reflect on the many gifts we’ve received in all aspects of our lives – and the perfect time to nurture a grateful heart through writing!  And while the idea of a Thanksgiving writing activity is nothing new, try this “What I’m Thankful For…” lesson, with a twist!

Walk through any school in November and you’ll likely see bulletin boards decked out with the heading:  What I’m Thankful For…  Typically, each piece of student writing will begin with I’m thankful for_____________________.  This might be followed by a list of people, places, and things.  The sentiment is fine, but the writing can be dull, redundant, and predictable.  How can we instill that sense of a gratitude and tie this to some authentic writing skills for just about any grade level?   

So, what are the writing skills we want to emphasize through this lesson?  Let’s focus on sentence variety and word choice!

Begin by initiating a conversation about gifts and gratitude.  Discuss gifts of time, service, affection, material gifts, gifts of nature.  With younger students you can chart  the gifts they’ve received in their lives.  (Extending the idea of gifts beyond material gifts is a valuable awareness in a culture that sometimes overlooks the more lasting gifts.  It also validates children who have fewer  “things” in their lives.)

Next, demonstrate the way in which the “broken record” or redundant word choice bores the reader.  Do this through the inflection of your voice, emphasizing the repetition:    I’m thankful for my mom and dad. 

                        I’m thankful for my cat Smokey. 

                        I’m thankful for chocolate chip cookies. 

                        I’m thankful for Disney World. 

                        I’m thankful for sunny days. 

                        I’m thankful for hugs and smiles.. etc. 

When they begin rolling their eyes and groaning, stop and ask them what’s wrong.  Then, lead them in coming up with some alternative ways to say the same thing. Chart these.  Here are some examples/alternatives: 

            I feel grateful for_______.            My life is better because of______. 

            I smile whenever I think of____ .  My heart sings when______ 

            Happiness is ___________.           Every day I thank my lucky stars for_____. 

            Whenever I think of____my heart spills over.   

            I couldn’t live without_____.               Who isn’t grateful for______? 

            My day isn’t complete without_____.   Another thing I’m thankful for___ _.

            Most of all, I’m grateful for_______.    I’m glad I have the chance to ____. 

Have students use a variety of “sentence starters” to build in sentence variety.  For more mature students, extend this by following each item on their “grateful list” with a description, or a “why” statement.  You might provide them with an *optional introduction sentence.  Here’s an example:  

*Once in awhile it’s good to pause and think about the many things I’m thankful for.  I feel grateful for sunny, warm days when I can play outside.  I thank my lucky stars for my cat Smokey, curled up next to me in my favorite chair.  Another thing I’m thankful for is the time I spend with my Aunt Rachel.  She makes me feel special because when I talk she really listens. Whenever I think of her my heart spills over. 

 

 

 

OCTOBER  -  GET EMPOWERED!

Fall activities are terrific vehicles for launching some interesting and fun seasonal writing lessons!  This October issue will feature side by side expository/narrative whole class writing lessons that can be adapted for grades K – 6!  Our fall theme – scarecrows!

How to Make s Scarecrow and A Crow’s Perspective!  

Your students will love working together to make a classroom scarecrow!  Planning, executing, and displaying the full-size result will lay the groundwork for an excellent “how-to” expository piece, and an imaginative descriptive narrative from the point of view of the scarecrow’s rival – the crow!

• Here’s how to begin – explain to the class that, together, they’ll be planning and making a class scarecrow – and then writing a “how-to” expository piece to be shared with other classrooms!  Begin by charting the following three broad steps that will be followed.  (These steps will become the MAIN IDEAS for each paragraph in the body of the class “how-to” piece.)

1.)  Materials Needed                        2.)  Assembly                        3.)  Displaying the scarecrow

• Have students brainstorm everything they’ll need to make a scarecrow.  Chart their responses.  Ex.  long-sleeved shirt, pants, belt, hat, boots, work gloves, round something for a head, markers, straw, newspaper, bandana, needle and thread, pins, etc.
• Assign each student a particular material, clothing item, or prop needed for the scarecrow that needs to be brought in from home.  Be sure each student has an assigned contribution.  (Get more mileage by only assigning one glove, shoe, sock, etc and expanding your list of props – garden tools, jewelry, etc.)
• Set aside a good hour to assemble the class scarecrow.  With younger children you might want to invite some parent volunteers for help in stuffing and securing the body parts of the scarecrow.  Remind students to notice the steps taken, and any special directions or reminders.
• Decide where you’ll display your scarecrow – a chair is easiest.  Have the class name their creation.
• On another day, gather the class around some chart paper and begin collaborating on the class “how-to”.  (Crafting this whole-class piece can be stretched over several days.) Begin with this introduction paragraph, pointing out the key elements:

(Lead)  If you were a hungry crow flying over a cornfield, what in the world might keep you from stealing all of the corn you could get your pointy beak around?

(Topic sentence)  Of course!  A scarecrow flapping its arms around in the wind is enough to scare off any hungry flying threat!  Let’s find out how to create a scarecrow, for a farmer’s friend or a terrific fall decoration!

(Also point out the word referents for “scarecrow” – farmer’s friend, terrific fall decoration.)

• Next, begin the body of the piece.  Ask for a MAIN IDEA SENTENCE about materials needed.  A directive is helpful, along with a sequence word.  Ex.  First, you’ll need to collect your materials.

Avoid a grocery list by applying detail generating questions:  What does it look like?  Why is that important?   Use only one detail per sentence.  Also, some “reminder” statements such as, Don’t forget that…

Keep in mind, that this paragraph is all about materials, NOT about assembly.

• Next paragraph – MAIN IDEA – assembly.  Begin with a MAIN IDEA sentence such as:  Assembling it is the best part!

Avoid a list of and thens…..Instead, use the following sentence starters to build in sentence variety:

            •  Begin by….   •  Then….  •  Another important step is…. •  Continue by….

            •  Be careful to    •  Pay attention to….   •  Next, try….   •  It’s important to…

            •  You’ll want to…    •  Notice how…    •  After that,….

• On to the last body paragraph – Ex. MAIN IDEA SENTENCE:  Perhaps the best part is deciding how and where to display your fall creation!

Again, use the detail generating questions, What does it look like?  Why is that important?  Ex.  A nice, roomy rocking chair provides an eye-catching spot for your class scarecrow.

Include people’s reactions to it, what it makes you think of, how the name fits this new class visitor, and other props to help set the scene (pumpkins, gourds, etc.)

• Conclude with this paragraph or one of your own:  The next time you need a little harvest décor in your classroom, why not construct a scarecrow?  The materials are easy to find, it’s fun to put together, and creates an entertaining display. (Notice how each main idea is referenced!)  Making a scarecrow is an experience you (and the neighborhood crows) won’t forget!
• For the narrative counterpart to this lesson,  discuss point of view.  They can assume the point of view of a crow – how would the crow see the scarecrow?  A bird’s eye view?  Then, use detail generating questions to uncover specific details about the scarecrow.  The more specific the questions, the more powerful the detail.

For complete instructions for this elaborative detail lesson, see the following products:

•  Easy Art Activities that Spark Super Writing – p. 32 – 33

•   The Comprehensive Narrative Writing Guide – p. 94-99

Want to learn more about expository writing and the “how-to” piece?  Try our Comprehensive Expository Writing Guide for everything you’ll need!