Inventive activities give teachers details they need to present engaging lesson on writing an entertaining beginning, building suspense, adding detail, developing story endings and using dialogue effectively. Wake kids up to good writing skills. Illustrations throughout.
The best story is one that comes from the heart. The library is having a contest for the best story, and the quirky narrator of this book just has to win that rollercoaster ride with her favorite author! But what makes a story the best? Her brother Tim says the best stories have lots of action. Her father thinks the best stories are the funniest. And Aunt Jane tells her that the best stories have to make people cry. A story that does all these things doesn't seem quite right, though, and the one thing the whole family can agree on is that the best story has to be your own. Anne Wilsdorf's hilarious illustrations perfectly capture this colorful family and their outrageous stories in Eileen Spinelli's heartfelt tale about creativity and finding your own voice.
Teachers can bring out the artist and writer in every student with projects such as Alphabet Alliterations, Textures Tell Tales, and Whirly Kite Legends! In this easy-to-use book a classroom teacher describes 20 of her favourite art projects with prompts that inspire children to write poems, short storie, descriptions, and more. Children will build skills in writting and enjoy the creative process; families will treasure the results.
Best-selling novelist David Morrell provides insights and advice learned during thirty years of writing and selling novels-insider secrets that are sure to help writers achieve the next level of literary success, whether they're just beginning or already published!With captivating anecdotes and thoughtful discussion, Morrell explores the basics of the writing craft, from structure and character to dialogue and style, allowing readers to look into the mind of an internationally known best-selling novelist. He also examines how to get published, the business of writing and the steps for getting fiction translated into film.
How do we make writing meaningful to students? A leading educator and a popular novelist present a refreshing exploration of how the challenges of professional writers can give students new insights into writing. The Write Genre presents a balanced approach to writing workshops in grades 3–9. It provides hands-on activities that focus on all stages of the writing process, with teacher-directed assignments and self-selected writing lessons that emphasize writing to learn. These unique lessons are designed to help students write with a concrete purpose and audience in mind and complete assignments that are more focused and authentic. Organized around six writing genres, more than fifty mini-lessons deal with specific skills that help students write effective fiction and nonfiction in such genres as: personal memoir— from techniques involving a personal memoir timeline and organizer to great ways to start, create powerful paragraphs, and cut the clutter; fictional narrative— from character, plot, and dialogue to point of view and conflict resolution; informational report— from strategies for reading nonfiction and K-W-L-S organizers to adding voice and style; opinion piece— from loaded words and other persuasive writing techniques to business letters and topical issues; procedural writing —from incorporating visuals and interviewing experts to techniques for writing imperative sentences; poetry – from teaching the "tools" and specific forms of poetry to creating a poetry anthology. For easy classroom implementation, the key elements of many mini-lessons are also presented in reproducible pages, including frameworks, organizers, prompts, checklists, and grids. The book offers chapters devoted to the writing process, writing workshop, and using rubrics for instruction and assessment. The concluding chapter pulls all the threads together with a multi-genre project that involves students in using the skills they have learned throughout the school year.