Everyday Editing

Playing with Conventions matters.  Jeff Anderson writes about it in his book, Everyday Editing.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BOO26W/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1571107096&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=14SPNGHPVXGWA462QNZY 

I have it on my Kindle E-Reader.  Amy writes a poem honoring Jeff’s ideas:  http://poemfarm.blogspot.com/2010/08/nolan-colon-mypowriye-134.html

Writing Videos

Here are some videos and teaching ideas about writing.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3749217

Conventions Do Matter

I wrote extensively about dialogue

http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/writing-and-reading-dialogue-week-1/

http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/writing-and-reading-dialogue-week-3/

http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/06/02/dialogue-writing-lessons/

 

 Jeff Anderson is the author I use extensively for editing and conventions. He wrote Mechanically Inclined. He wrote Everyday Editing:  Inviting Students to Develop Skill and Craft in Writer’s Workshop.  I have written about his work numerous times here at Writing Every Day Works.

Hair Lesson by Jeff Anderson
http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/hair-lesson-by-jeff-anderson/

Great Sentences Blog
http://greatsentences.blogspot.com/

http://www.ohiorc.org/adlit/InPerspective/Issue/2007-05/Article/feature.aspx

Books that Help Teach Punctuation
Anastasia Suen posts a lesson daily. Some of the lessons are about punctuation. Here are a few examples. The blog has better examples.
Footprints in the Snow. Mei Matsuoka. “Wolf is reading stories.” This story has dialogue.
Ella Sets Sail. Carmela & Steve D’amico. “The lucky hat is lost.” This story has dialogue.

http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2009/01/27/touchstone-text-or-mentor-text-activity/

More Punctuation Books
Jan Carr. 2007. Greedy Apostrophe: A Cautionary Tale
Robin Pulvir. 2008. Silent Letters Loud and Clear
Speed Shaskan. 2008. If You Were a Contraction
Loewen. 2007. If You Were a Pronoun
Loewen. 2006. If You Were a Conjunction
Moira Rose Donohue. 2006. Alfie the Apostrophe
Moira Rose Donohue. 2008. Penny and the Punctuation Bee
Robin Pulver. Punctuation Takes a Vacation
Chris Raschka. 2000. Ring! Yo?
Chris Raschka. 1993. Yo! Yes?
Lynne Truss. 2006. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!
Lynne Truss. 2007. The Girl’s Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can’t Manage without Apostrophes!
Lynne Truss. 2008. Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why, every punctuation mark counts!

Schoolhouse Rock! DVD Collection Available through Amazon and also I have seen them through Target recently.

Professional Books
Jeff Anderson.  2005.  Mechanically Inclined
Jeff Anderson. 2007.  Everyday Editing:  Inviting Students to Develop Skill and Craft in Writer’s Workshop
Jeff Anderson.  2008.  Teaching Apostrophes. DVD. 
Jeff Anderson. 2008. Editing Invitations. DVD.
Jeff Anderson. 2007.  The Craft of Grammar. DVD. http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2007/03/teaching-grammar-and-conventions.html 
Linda Hoyt and Teresa Therriault. 2008.  Mastering the Mechanics:  Grades 4-5:  Ready-to-Use Lessons for Modeled, Guided and Independent Editing 
Linda Hoyt and Teresa Therriault. 2008.  Mastering the Mechanics:  Grades 2-3:  Ready-to-Use Lessons for Modeled, Guided and Independent Editing 
Linda Hoyt and Teresa Therriault. 2008.  Mastering the Mechanics:  Grades k-1:  Ready-to-Use Lessons for Modeled, Guided and Independent Editing  http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/mastering-the-mechanics-k-1-2-3-4-5/ 
Carl Anderson. Assessing Writing. 2005.

Two Writing Teachers posted recently about studying about punctuation and conventions. http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/thinking-about-punctuation-in-texts/

Stellaluna Mentor Text

Mentor texts using picture books are effective and one of my favorite ways to approach teaching.  I label the teaching strategy simply first in one-three words, then find it in the picture book.  I explain the teaching strategy in simple, general terms.  Finally, I explain the writing strategy specifically combining the picture book and the writing strategy.  It sounds complicated when I write about it, but actually it is very simple for students and the teachers I train to understand.  I have numerous books done now.  This is one of the teachers’ favorite trainings that I offer now. 

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon is wonderful for a Mentor Text to use with grades 2 and 3.  I use Jeff Anderson’s book,  Mechanically Inclined and his book, Everyday Editing as resources. 

I hope you find this resource useful.  Many other teachers have found it useful.  I bought 25 copies of Stellaluna to model this lesson with teachers and students. 

View this document on Scribd

 

Stacey wrote about The Pencil on her site:  http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/draft-of-a-new-craft-table-about-ahlbergs-the-pencil-a-work-in-progress/

I wrote about mentor texts and gave lots of examples of craft lessons on my other blog here:  http://debwritingcraftlessons.blogspot.com/

Hair Lesson by Jeff Anderson

You tube is awesome! I just found Jeff’s grammar lesson, “Hair Lesson.”

Hair Lesson by Jeff Anderson on You Tube

Jeff encourages us to ask effective questions:

- What do you notice?
- What else?
- How does it sound when we read it?
- What would change if we removed this or that?
- Which do you prefer? Why?

These questions help editing to become inquiry based. (Everyday Editing, page 15, Jeff Anderson) He is wonderful. His book is full of awesome advice!

Jeff Anderson is Awesome!

Jeff Anderson encourages students to study sentences that are correct instead of D.O.L. which is studying error. He is awesome! I have his DVD’s and have read all his books. If you ever get a chance to hear him at a workshop, GO!

http://greatsentences.blogspot.com/ This website supports Jeff’s work.

Compound Sentences

Name the Craft
Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses. Conjunctions are connectors that link equal words, phrases, or clauses. Coordinating conjunctions cue readers in on the relationships. (Jeff Anderson, Mechanically Inclined)

Conjunctions spell out the acronym FANBOYS:
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So

Do writers need this? Maybe, maybe not! However, on most state tests, students are asked about this rule.

Simile

Name the Craft
A simile is a technique that the author uses to describe the unknown by comparing it to the known. Authors use similes to describe something quickly rather than writing a long description.

Commas in a Series

Name the Craft
Use commas between items in a series

Vary Sentence Length

Name the Craft
Notice that the author uses a variety of different lengths of sentences.