Don't Forget to Write for the Elementary Grades: 50 Enthralling and Effective Writing Lessons

288 Pages·2011·4.04 MB·English

by  826 National

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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
1. Come on in. Have a look around. Check out the Table of Contents to see if any-
thing catches your eye. Bear in mind that most of the lesson plans can be adapted for
other grade levels, so don’t feel obligated to stick strictly to yours.
2. All of our workshops are different, so all of our lesson plans are
too. Generally, there’s an outline of the lesson for you, and sometimes a handout for
the students. We’ve tried to make them as user-friendly as possible.
3. To help you plan your class, we’ve headed each lesson plan with
a time estimate. Th is is how long the class generally runs. In your classroom it
might go slower or faster, but we’ve tried to ballpark it for you.
4. As much as we’ve tried to make things fun, we’ve also tried to
keep things simple. A three-ring writing circus with actual trained animals and
cotton candy machines would be great fun for your students, but a great big headache for
you, so we’ve tried to keep the supplies and prep to a minimum. We’ve headed each
lesson plan and activity with the list of materials it requires. Most of the time this will
consist of things you already have on hand. Fancier fi xings are optional.
5. we encourage you to adapt these lessons to suit you and your
students. Th ese lessons were taught in an after-school environment, with students who were
there by choice, so we expect they’ll need some tweaking to work for you. Make them yours.
6. Sometimes you might have extra time and want to do something
really, really special. When you do, look for the Superteacher bonus activity
icon. It looks like this:
SUPERTEACHER BONUS ACTIVITIES
Superteacher bonus activities are optional additions to the lesson plan that
require a little more eff ort, but are guaranteed to dazzle your students.
7. In the Appendix you’ll find some other tools we hope will make
your life easier: evaluation rubrics to guide grading, a student self-assessment
checklist, and charts to show you which Core Curriculum guidelines each lesson
plan meets.
8. We’d love to hear how it goes. Any suggestions? Comments? You can contact
us at [email protected]. Send us your own favorite lesson plan, or samples of your
students’ fabulous work. We’d love to see it.
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DON’T
FORGET

to
WRITE
E L E M E N T A R Y G R A D E S
for the
50
ENTHRALLING and
EFFECTIVE WRITING LESSONS
5 12
AGES TO
826 National Edited by Jennifer Traig
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Copyright © 2011 by 826 National. All rights reserved.
Published by Jossey-Bass
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Don't forget to write for the elementary grades : 50 enthralling and eff ective writing lessons
(ages 5 to 12) / 826 National. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-118-02431-7 (pbk.)
1. English language – Composition and exercises – Study and teaching (Elementary) – United States.
2. Education, Elementary – Activity programs – United States. I. 826 National (Organization)
LB1576.D6345 2011
372.60973--dc23
2011025956
Printed in the United States of America
first edition
PB Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD XV
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS XVII
THE AUTHORS XIX
THE CONTRIBUTORS XXIII
LESSON PLANS
1 TRAGIC LOVE TALES (BY 6-YEAR-OLDS) . . . . . . 1
by Joan Kim and Roberto Carabeo
Just what it sounds like.
2 WRITING FOR PETS . . . . . . . . . . 6
by Jennifer Traig
Students gain confi dence in their language skills by writing a short story
for a pet, then reading it to a pet audience. Ideal for very young writers,
kindergarten through fourth grade.
3 FORT PARTY! . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
by Maggie Hanks
In this workshop, students build forts using tables, couches, sheets,
clamps, whatever you have around. Th ey then go into the forts and do
writing exercises. Best for grades two and up.
4 MAKE-BELIEVE SCIENCE . . . . . . . . . 14
by Amie Nenninger
Facts take a backseat to fi ction in this incredibly inventive workshop.
Students compose their own wacky faux-science journal. A great way to
get more science-minded students interested in creative writing. Ideal
for students fi fth grade and younger.
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5 OH, YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE, REALLY . . . (OR, HOW TO
WRITE A JON SCIESZKA PICTURE BOOK) . . . . . . 22
by Jon Scieszka
Students learn how a master children’s book author gets his ideas, and
are invited to create their own. Great for grades two through four.
6 SPACE EXPLORATION FOR BEGINNERS: WHAT TO DO
WHEN YOU MEET AN ALIEN . . . . . . . . . 29
by Moira Cassidy
Junior Space Explorers get the opportunity to “travel” to other worlds, record
their experiences in their personal Space Exploration Logs, and make a scale
model of one of the alien creatures they meet on their journey. NO SPACE
TRAVEL EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. Ideal for grades two through four.
7 MAGIC REALISM . . . . . . . . . . . 34
by Aimee Bender
What if sneezes brought good luck? What if you wrote about it? Our
favorite magic realist invites students to imagine a world that’s just
slightly off . Ideal for older writers, fi fth grade and up.
8 RECYCLED ELVES: FAIRY TALE DO-OVERS . . . . . . 36
by Lucas Gonzalez and Chris Molnar
Rewriting fairy tales. Good for grades three to six.
9 CREATING A GUIDE TO MODERN GIRLHOOD . . . . . 40
by Meghan Adler
Learn how to write your autobiography, using a variety of techniques
and styles popular in best-selling books for girls. We will do numerous
drawing and writing activities. Best for grades fi ve and up.
10 HOW TO WRITE A HOW-TO . . . . . . . . . 47
by Jory John
Author Jory John teaches students how to write incredibly useful how-
tos, like “How to Avoid a Bath or Shower for as Long as Possible, and
Maybe Even Longer.” Ideal for grades four and up.
vi Table of Contents
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11 TALKING TRASH! . . . . . . . . . . . 51
by Holly M. Dunsworth
and Juliet Weller Dunsworth
Students learn the basics of artifact/trash interpretation and create their
own fascinating descriptions of found objects and “trash” artifacts.
Neanderthals welcome. Ideal for grades three to six.
12 WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE LESSON PLAN?
WRITING JOKES AND RIDDLES . . . . . . . . 59
by Marcy Zipke
Th is introduction to writing jokes and puns encourages language play.
Ideal for the very youngest writers—third grade and younger.
13 SPY SCHOOL . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
by Kate Pavao and Jennifer Traig
Th is intensive spy-training program encourages descriptive writing,
code wordplay, and imaginative reporting. Best for slightly older writers,
fourth grade through sixth.
14 LITERARY MASH-UPS . . . . . . . . . . 72
by Susan Voelker and Susan Meyer
Kids write genre mash-ups (like a romantic horror story). Best for grades
fi ve and up.
15 BRAIN SPELUNKING . . . . . . . . . . 76
by Scott Beal
Using Rorschach blots, picture prompts, and automatic writing
techniques, we will plumb the inner depths of our minds and see what
comes of it. Best for grades fi ve and up.
16 PJ PARTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
by Amy Sumerton, Jason DePasquale,
and Chloe Durkee
Students learn to craft expert bedtime stories. Trust us: wearing pajamas
helps. Good for grades two through fi ve.
Table of Contents vii
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17 ANY WHICH WAY: CHOOSING YOUR OWN ADVENTURE . . . 82
by Lindsey Plait Jones
Students learn about the basic elements of telling a story, then create
their own multichoice adventures. For grades two through six.
18 LIFE-SIZE BOARD GAME! . . . . . . . . . 89
by Katherine Fisher and Jessica Morton
In this workshop, we use a life-size game board—where we are the moving
pieces. We start off by creating the writing-inspired rules together. Once
we’ve collectively thought up the most amazing board game that will soon
sweep the nation, we play it together. Best for grades three and up.
19 BRAINS! OR, WRITING WITH ZOMBIES . . . . . . 91
by Brad Brubaker
Students interview a real-life zombie, then use what they learn to write
their own zombie stories. BRAINS! Good for grades two through fi ve.
20 HOW TO WRITE A COMIC . . . . . . . . . 95
by Todd Pound and Jennifer Traig
Students learn to tell stories in both written and visual media. Ideal for
students who think they don’t like to write. Th is class is designed for
students in fourth grade and higher.
21 THE MEANING OF LIFE (THE SHORT ANSWER):
WRITING BIG, LARGE, AND SMALL! . . . . . . 105
by Elizabeth Alexander and Kathleen Goldfarb
In this workshop, we bravely identify our own big questions and explore
them in stories that are both goofy and serious. Best for grades three and up.
22 HOW TO SURVIVE ANYTHING . . . . . . . 108
by Rebecca Wasley
What do you tell your teacher when you forgot your homework? How can
you get out of doing your chores? How do you stop aliens from taking over
the planet? It’s about time someone put together a book of how to survive
absolutely anything—and that someone is you! Good for grades three and up.
viii Table of Contents