Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Suggestions for Writing Memoirs: Memoirs With Strong Word Choices
Editor Amy Ehrlich compelled ten well-known children's authors to write narratives, and she compiled these memoirs in her book, When I Was Your Age. The collection of narratives varies, but an underlying theme is the way in which...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Suggestions for Writing a Memoir: Memoirs About Moving Away
The book Leaving Home with a Pickle Jar by Barbara Dugan relives the story of moving from one state to another through the life of Ernest P. and his sister, Ella Jean. They take with them their most prized possessions; Ernest's being his...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Bear, Bear, Bear
After reading The Three Bears by Paul Galdone, students look at letters written from the point of view of each of the bears to learn how word choice effects voice. Then students practice writing in different voices.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: I Wanna What?
This lesson is centered on word choice and vocabulary and the book, I Wanna Iguana, by Karen Kaufman Orloff. Young learners learn to grasp the difference between begging and persuading and apply this knowledge to their own persuasive texts.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: I Caught It!
In this lesson, students read the book I Was Walking Down The Road by Sarah E. Barchas and Jack Kent and study the predictable rhythm and rhyme pattern. Then, students write their own sentences to mimic those patterns.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Writing Rainbows
Students begin this lesson by reading several books about colors such as Cat's Colors by Jane Cabrera, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Suess, Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O'Neil, and A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni. After discussing...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Antonyms & Onomatopoeia
After reading the book I Stink! by Kate McMullan, students look at the structure of this "guess who I am" book as well as some similar stories. Then students complete a graphic organizer and write their own guess-who stories.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Oh, Messy Cheetos!
In this instructional activity, sentence fluency is the focus. The mentor text entitled Mrs. Wishy Washy is used to help students explore how using repetition techniques can enhance the meaning of a story. After reading the text,...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Rain Drop Shape Poem
This lesson plan uses the mentor text by Wendy Cheyette Lewison entitled Raindrop, Plop! This lesson plan, which has a focus on word choice, engages students in brainstorming descriptive words and phrases about raindrops. At the end of...
Writing Fix
Writingfix: Alliteration Potluck
In this lesson plan, Potluck by Anne Shelby, is used as a mentor text for word choice. The content focus of the lesson is to highlight alliteration. Each student will use alliteration in a sentence as the student include his/her name, a...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: The Colorful Desert
In this lesson plan, The Colorful Desert, written by Audrey Wood, is used as a mentor text for sentence fluency. The content focus of the lesson is about how sentences build through a "building on" book. Students will use sentence frames...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: If You Give a Student an Animal
For this lesson plan, the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin, written by Laura Numeroff, is used as a mentor text for word choice. The content focus of the lesson is to teach the students to take ownership of scientific and descriptive...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: The Noun Game for Kids
Students use this noun game to generate three interesting nouns to use as they write an original story.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: The Verb Game for Kids
An interactive verb generator for students to use while gathering ideas for their writing.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: The Crazy Animal Game for Kids
Students use this writing topic generator to choose an animal and a crazy action the animal is able to do in order to give them something fun and creative to write about.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Unique Imaginary Friends
The writer will first create an original imaginary friend, inspired by Ted from Tony DiTerlizzi's wonderful picture book. The writer will then think of an ordinary activity done on a daily basis, like feeding the family dog. The writer...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: What Got Stolen?
After reading Grandpa's Teeth by Rod Clement, the writer will plan a scene from a story where a character confronts another character about something that has been stolen. Descriptive details need to take precedence in this scene, as...
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Writing Fix: Caught Up in the Moment
Students read The Summer My Father Was Ten by Pat Brisson and discuss the father's actions and the consequences that followed. In small groups, students make and share text-to-self connections of when they were caught up in the moment...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Scheming Against an Adversary
Enemy Pie by Derek Munson makes readers think seriously about this question: "What if I had to spend an entire day with someone with whom I had a conflict?" This question presents young writers with a great launching pad for developing...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Fairy Tales in New Settings
After reading Bubba, The Cowboy Prince by Helen Ketteman, the writer will first choose a fairy tale that he/she is very familiar with. Next, he/she will choose a completely different setting (time and place) for their story. The writer...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Scary Somethings
Dick Gackenbach's classic picture book, Harry and The Terrible Whatzit, is a wonderful story about a child and his fear of the Whatzit that he is sure lives in his cellar. The story shows how through determination and the desire to save...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Other Bad Cases to Write About
After reading A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon the writer will plan an original story where an unusual affliction affects a character and is eventually solved. The students will use strong and memorable details as they convey their...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Showing How to Deal With Anger
Molly Bang's book, When Sophie Get's Angry-Really, Really Angry, provides learners with positive ways of dealing with anger. When students explore their own methods of dealing with anger and then talk and write about new ways of...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Organizing a Story With Purposeful Paragraphs
In this lesson, students organize and design a narrative based on three developing ideas.