Writing: Special People

Writing Mini-LessonThinking about Special People and Reading Literature Helps To Generate Topics
Saturday Belongs to Sara by Cathy Warren ISBN: 0027924912Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Read Owl Moon and Saturday Belongs to Sara or other books about parents to the class during read aloud time of day.
DiscussionSpending time one on one with a parent is very [...]

Safe Topic Sentences

Expository writing is about information or ideas and is characterized by supporting details. A writer introduces a subject or idea and delivers the implicitly promised information or support for the idea. For example, the writer starts with, How important do you think you teeth are? The reader expects to hear why teeth are important. Teach [...]

Safe Topic Sentence and Scholastic News Magazines

Writing a Paragraph with Safe Topic SentenceRead informational article provided in scholastic news or weekly reader.Partner one tells everything he knows about what was read.Switch.Partner two tells everything she knows about what was read.Pick a Safe Topic sentence.Write at least three details from the article that was read.

Memoir Mondays 5: Beach

The cousins spent time together at the beach this week. Hanging out at the beach really breaks down age barriers. There is no teasing among this group of cousins who adore each other. 17 year-old teen easily interacts by building a drip castle on fourth grade, Grant’s, hand. The girls dug deep three separate [...]

Name Ideas: Plate Sail

Plate Sail (tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It)
If your name is on the plate pick it up.If your name is on the plate pick it up.If your name is on the plate,Then you’re really doing great.If your name is on the plate pick it up.~ Author Unknown
Before starting this lesson the teacher writes [...]

Journal Quick Write

JoAnn Portalupi who wrote Teaching Qualities of Writing with Ralph Fletcher suggests thatone of the best ways to encourage writing and develop fluencyis to invite students to write regularly in a writer’snotebook.
Here are a few ways to get yourself and yourstudents started. Try to set aside thirty minutes a day fornotebook writing and sharing. Don’t [...]

Book of the Month 2: Koala Lou

Read to YouMem Fox will read the book to you: http://www.memfox.net/audio/koala_lou.html
SummaryMem Fox will tell you about Koala Lou at her site too. http://www.memfox.net/koala-lou.html
Retelling Koala Lou after the students have heard or read the story:
-Everyone loved Koala Lou especially her mom.-Koala’s Lou mom was too busy to say “I Love You”-Koala Lou entered the Olympics so [...]

Photo Fridays 1

Loving Disney is starting young with our family of 4. We have a 50 year time share at Disney! David and Deb honeymooned at Disney. Deb’s family visited in the 1970’s practically the year that Magic Kingdom opened. Deb’s brother even married his sweetheart there! People just don’t understand it. “There are [...]

Favorite Picture Books

The Best Story by Eileen Spineli is an awesome picture book that discusses a writer struggling with writing the perfect, best, most wonderful story. The best line in the book is, “I think the best story is one that comes from the heart. Your own heart.” Don’t we tell our writers to write what [...]

Book of the Month 1: Ticky Tacky Doll By Cynthia Rylant

Many schools have a Book of the Month. I am going to write up several books for this concept, along with lessons for reading and writing. Hopefully this will fit into your lessons too. Please post if it does in the comment section. Maybe your school already does this concept of having a shared [...]