Writing Videos

Here are some videos and teaching ideas about writing.

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

Unit of Study: Fiction Writing

This is a link to a great write up about one of Lucy’s units of study:  fiction.  I am always searching for references to Lucy’s units since many of the teachers I work with use the units as a resource. 

http://bestbookihavenotread.wordpress.com/2009/10/27/unit-of-study-fiction-writing-grades-3-5/

Essay Writing Ideas

Many schools are using Lucy Calkins’ materials and Units of Study.  One of her units includes an essay unit.  Jim Trelease has a site that includes a weekly essay.  It is awesome!  http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/essay-of-week.html  

I am always looking for resources.  This is another site of wonderful resources for us.

Lucy Calkins Writing Kits

 

http://literacybytes.com/  A wonderful site as a Grade 3-5 staff implements Lucy Calkins kits in their building.

Getting Ready for Writing Day 1

What will your students write about on day one?

What will you model on day one?

What will your mini-lesson be on day one?

What will you expect your students write on day one?

http://eledblog.com/content/learning-about-units-study-launching-writing-workshop

http://abeaver.wordpress.com/2006/08/01/valentine-for-ernest-mann-by-naomi-shihab-nye/

Stars and Wishes

When conferring with a student, tell what works in the writing.  What did you notice?  What are the “stars“?  These are the positives of the writing!  Then the teacher decides on a teaching point.  I wish you would ….  This is the place where the teacher makes a suggestion to improve the writing.  There should be more writing positives than suggestions.

Personal Narrative Unit by Jessica Meachum

Scroll near the bottom of the page and you will see lessons by Jessica on Personal Narrative, Question / Answer and even Pattern books.   http://www.jmeacham.com/writers.workshop/writing.mini.lessons.htm

Writing about an Object

My mom and a few of her closest friends, painted the nativity many years ago.  The grandchildren and my parents set out the nativity each year on Thanksgiving.  I could write about this tradition of setting up the nativity.  My dad gets the boxes out of the attic.  The little ones are under his feet ‘helping.’

As a new member joins the family they receive a stocking that stays at my parents’ house.  My parents have 4 children who now have married.  We also have stockings at our own houses for our children.  I cross-stitched stockings for my 4 ‘Smith’ family members at our house.  I could write about this.  The grandchildren write notes to the Santa sometimes.  We put candy in the stockings sometimes.  We don’t really have one tradition of what is done with stockings at my parents. 

I could write about decorating the tree on Thanksgiving at my parents.  The grandchildren help Grandpa decorate the tree.  The bottom half that they can reach is well decorated.  I remember the year the tree fell over! 

Writing about an object is an effective writing lesson. I wrote objects in June.  http://writingeverydayworks.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/connections-to-special-object-hats/    I find there are so many objects related to the Christmas holidays that students could write about:  stockings, christmas trees, dinner, etc. 

It is not that Christmas objects is so important, it is just that kids are so excited about Christmas, so how can I help connect what they are excited to to real writing? 

What is helpful to my students is getting to the WHY and HOW.  Why is the object important and special?  Why are you remembering the object?

If you have students who don’t celebrate Christmas or if you are not allowed to discuss Christmas see my link for ideas.  Also, you could discuss FOOD items (objects).  I remember making cookies, cupcakes, special pies with family members for holidays. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cupcakesfrenzy/3159333148/

Crafting Writers, K-6, Elizabeth Hale

Show, not Tell

“Writers need words that create images and emotions for other people in addition to telling a story (Crafting Writers, K-6, Elizabeth Hale, page 43).

 

Often teachers of writing suggest to their students that they need to move away from telling a feeling to showing a feeling.  The leap is too big for many writers.  I suggest we teach all the steps to help the writers, and we don’t demand that they use them.  We are trying to assist our students, not get in their way.  I found it helpful to take the same sentence and write it in all five steps.  However, I am an adult writer.  My experience as a teacher is that moving from step one directly to step five is difficult for children and often unsuccessful. 

 

Hale suggests that we teach five steps:

1.    Tell a feeling

2.    Tell a feeling, then give a reason

3.    Using so…that

4.    Telling the feeling.  Then showing it!

5.    Showing a feeling instead of telling it.

 

Step one

The first step telling a feeling is very obvious.  Example sentences:  I was mad. I am embarrassed. He is disappointed.  Most beginning writers are accomplished at this first step.  It helps the reader because it tells what the character is feeling. 

 

Step two

The second step is tell a feeling, then give a reason.  An example sentence:  I was embarrassed in the grocery store because I overheard Andrew whispering behind me, “bottom, heels.”  It helps the reader because it connects the feeling directly with a reason.  It gives the reader something to react to. 

 

Step three

The third step is using so feeling…that to describe a feeling.  An example sentence: I was so embarrassed that I wanted to crawl into the grocery cart and cover myself up with Kleenex.   It helps the reader because it builds more emotion.  It describes the emotion for the reader. 

 

Step four

The fourth step is telling the feeling, then describing it.  An example sentence:  I was embarrassed.  My face flushed as red as a strawberry as I quickly moved down the aisle away from the old lady’s judging eyes staring into my bottom.  This type of sentence helps the reader because it states the feeling so there is no doubt what feeling is being stated.  It includes lots of description to build a picture in the reader’s mind. 

 

Step five

The fifth step is Showing a Feeling instead of Telling.  An example sentences:  My cheeks were turning as red as strawberries as I strode the away from the old lady shaking her judgmental head.   My ears continued to burn as I overheard my son mutter, “bottom and heels,” as I reached for a box of cereal to put in the grocery cart.  This type of sentence(s) helps the reader because it describes the feeling without giving it away by stating it.  The sentence depends on the reader to build a mental image using the words to figure out the feeling that the writer is describing. 

 

I strongly recommend that you purchase this book for your writing book collection.  It is awesome!  Crafting Writers, K-6, Elizabeth Hale

Small Moment: Adding Details that Matter

Objective:  Today your job is to remember what your character/person is doing and write down the words of what you see in your mind. 

One of the lessons that my students need is adding details that add to the story instead of boring details.  Typically writers tell us that the sky is blue, the clouds are white, the bike is red.  The writer using adjectives.  We need to move our writers to writing strong verbs that describe the actions of the characters.  I don’t necessarily say (especially to my first and second grade writers), “We are writing strong verbs that describe the actions of the characters.”  Instead I ask my writers,

• “What did you do when you were swinging at the park?” 
• “What did you do when you saw Grandma sitting by the tree with the wrapped present?”
• “What did you do when you were digging a hole at the beach?”

(This is is assuming that the writer is the character.    The question is also suggesting and supporting verb choice.)

The teacher might encourage the child to picture  what he/she was doing at the beach.  “Close your eyes and remember remember digging the hole in the sand.” 

The child talks to the teacher about the memory:  I remember running on the sand that was hot enough to fry an egg.  The sand sticks to you like glue.  I helped my cousin dump buckets of water into the hole I dug with my cousin. 

Teacher says, “You have told me important details that you remember about your day at the beach.” 

Teacher continues by asking, “What does it look like to dig a hole at the beach?”  She helps the writer act out digging, shoveling, patting, dumping as they practice saying the sentences together.  “I am digging a hole.  I am shoveling the sand.”

Teacher continues talking, “Now let’s think about how these details would sound as a story.”

Kid Story: 

On a hot summer day I played in the sand with my cousin.  I scooped the light sand with my shovel first.  “Look out,” I said as the sand fell back in the hole.  We dragged the dry sand away from the hole with our whole arms.  My cousin said, “It worked.”  I thought the sand was sticky like syrup, but I didn’t mind.  We dug deep, poured water and patted the sides.  I dumped a pail of sand into the water every time my cousin and I filled it.  “Let’s stick our feet in it!” I said to my cousin when we finished.  The sand was wet and squishy.  It was great fun.

Teacher says, “Today I was thinking about digging a hole in the sand.  I was describing what it looked like.  Remember whenever you write, you need to think about the person doing something.”