1 Creative Writing Through Wordless Picture Books Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grade 6 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students use wordless picture books to provide ideas and topics for creative writing. Wordless picture book, You Can't Take a Balloon into the National Gallery, is used for teacher modeling.... 2 A Directed Listening–Thinking Activity for "The Tell-Tale Heart" Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grade 8 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students listen to a read aloud of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Telltale Heart while recording their answers to prediction questions using a Directed Listening-Thinking Activity (DLTA). Following a discussion of the story, they respond by using online interactives to create either a comic strip or an acrostic poem that summarizes the story.... Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 8–10 Professional Commentary: The aim of this lesson is to help students develop their persuasive writing and information gathering skills using various forms of information and communication technology. Using the context of issues common to teenagers, this lesson provides an authentic and personally relevant purpose.... Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: Often students give feedback on each other's written drafts without providing useful information. This lesson describes the Praise-Question-Polish technique in which students work in small writing response groups.... 5 Writing Free Verse in the "Voice" of Cesar Chavez Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: Using biographical information about the labor activist Cesar Chavez students read several examples of free verse poems and then write a free verse poem. The procedures outlined in this lesson may be customized to study historical figures or authors that fit a teacher's curriculum.... 6 Alphabiography Project: Totally You Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: In this lesson plan, the traditional autobiography writing project is given a twist as students write alphabiographies—recording an event, person, object, or feeling associated with each letter of the alphabet. Students are introduced to the idea of the alphabiography through passages from a sensitive book about gender issues, James Howe's Joe!?... 7 Tell It Like It Isn't: Exploring Creative Ways to Revise Well-Known Stories Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students consider favorite stories and the common elements that make them interesting and entertaining. Next, students read and discuss an article in The New York Times about two performances and one historic tour based on creative retellings of well known stories.... 8 Persuasive Essay: Environmental Issues Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–10 Professional Commentary: Critical stance and development of a strong argument are key strategies when writing to convince someone to agree with your position. In this lesson, students explore environmental issues that are relevant to their own lives, select topics, and gather information to write persuasive essays.... 9 Collaborating to Write Dialogue Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–10 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students are paired to write dialogue for two speakers. A list of 22 possible combinations are included (e.g., player and coach).... 10 6+1 Trait Writing Scoring Guide Resource Type: Professional Resources Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 1–12 Professional Commentary: Developed by a group of teachers during the early 1980's, this assessment resource provides a thorough, yet practical, way to evaluate student writing. The analytic rubric allows teachers to collect data about groups of students and identify the strengths and weaknesses of individual students.... |