1 Empowered Fiction Writers : Generating and Organizing Ideas for Story Writing Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: In this three-part lesson, students use timed speedwriting (also called free writing) as a prewriting technique for a narrative. To help introduce this strategy, posters on speedwriting’s purposes, benefits, and rules are available at the website.... 2 Journal Writing with Virginia Hamilton Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 3–5 Professional Commentary: This resource, part of Scholastic's Writing With Writers series, provides strategies to teach descriptive journal writing. Designed for implementation within a writing workshop format, this resource includes a sample journal entry, writing tips, strategies, and challenges to help students develop their own journal writing.... 3 Memories Matter : The Giver and Descriptive Writing Memoirs Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: This lesson provides students with a scaffold for creating meaning from text by having them discuss the importance of preserving a written history of humanity and reflect on the ways in which prior knowledge and life experiences influence others. Students begin by reading and analyzing The Giver by Lois Lowry.... 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.... 5 Weaving the Multigenre Web Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 8–10 Professional Commentary: This lesson combines reading and writing as students work through collaborative, small-group learning experiences. In small groups, students read novels as part of a whole class study, in literature circles, with a partner or individually.... 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.... Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–10 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students explore several radio news formats, styles, and sequences, and then write segments for a student-centered news radio program. After reading an article about news radio programming in Afghanistan, students plan and present a radio news show.... 9 Mystery Writing with Joan Lowery Nixon Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 4–8 Professional Commentary: This promising practice, part of Scholastic's Writing With Writers series, provides strategies for assisting students in writing mysteries. Designed for implementation within writing workshop, this resource includes a sample mystery, writing tips, strategies, and challenges to help students develop their own mysteries.... 10 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.... |