Writing & Language Arts

1. Writing & Language Arts Unit 1 Week 1

2. Words • Lists of words you find interesting; definitions of unfamiliar words; brainstormed lists, such as rhyming words or words related to a specific topic.

3. Ideas • Thoughts about a specific writing topic; comments or anecdotes; memorable quotations from books, television, or movies; inspirational writing examples; photos and pictures from magazines and other publications

4. Drafts • First drafts of writing projects and other works-in-progress

5. Reflections • Ideas about writing; tips and suggestions to follow when writing; thoughts about other writers’ styles and works

6. Writing Traits • Ideas • Organization • Word Choice • Voice • Sentence Fluency • Conventions • Presentation

7. Introduction to Ideas • My trip to Florida • Everything I want to know about ants • How to build a tree house

8. Independent Writing • Jot down interesting writing topic ideas in your writer’s notebook • Choose one idea and write down as many interesting details as you can about that topic.

9. Organization • Important to understand that ideas in writing should follow a clear & effective order. • If not organized well, the reader can become easily confused.

10. Sequence • This is used to help organize ideas when we write about an event that happened in our lives. • In what other types of writing can sequence be used?

11. Main Ideas & Supporting Detail • This type of organization is appropriate when writing a research report. • What is another kind of writing you could organize this way?

12. My Trip to Florida • Went to the beach • Packed my suitcase for the trip home • Arrived at the hotel

13. Your Assignment • Decide which organization works best with the topic you chose. • Appropriately organize the details you brainstormed for this topic.

14. Day 2 Word Choice • Makes our writing STRONG. • Uses rich, colorful, and exact language to communicate ideas

15. Well-chosen words are: • Precise- Choosing the correct word helps the reader know exactly what you’re talking about. Example: horse or pony? • Fresh- Look for words that are new to you and your audience. Example: exciting could be changed to thrilling or exhilarating. • Varied- Repeating the same words can be boring. Example: Cold could be frosty, chilly, numbing, icy, or frigid. • Vivid- Help readers create a picture in their minds. Example: shadowy, musty, or freezing.

16. Writer’s Notebook • You can use the Words section to jot down interesting words or phrases at any time. • For example, if I read about an art auction, I could write about words from the text that I found new or interesting: bidder, offer, abstract, geometric, silhouette.

17. Description 1 • The picnic was fun. Many people were there. I saw young kids in strollers and older kids on bicycles. Teens were talking and grandparents talked too. It was a successful picnic.

18. Description 2 • The community picnic was a blast! Everyone in our neighborhood was there. Parents pushed babies in strollers, and kids were following along on their bicycles. Teenagers gabbed on cell phones, and grandparents gossiped on lawn chairs. It was such a successful event that we’re planning to do it again next year.

19. What do you think? • Which description do you prefer? Why? • Which description uses words more effectively? Why?

20. Your turn… • Copy this sentence: My dog ran down the stairs to greet me. Rewrite this sentence by using more precise words and adding descriptive words to make the sentence more interesting.

21. Voice • Gives writing personality. • Every writer has a unique voice. • Sometimes the voice depends on the genre of writing. For example, you might use a formal voice for a science report, and an informal voice for a personal story.

22. Description 1 • I was very nervous the first time I volunteered at the nursing home. I barely said anything. But Mrs. Watson took me by the hand and introduced me to everyone there. That was six months ago. Now some of my best friends live there. I’m really glad I got over my fears.

23. Description 2 • What was it like to visit the nursing home? Well, my first visit was a total disaster. I just stood there like a rock, a very quiet rock. Luckily, Mrs. Watson came to my rescue. She took me around. What a relief! Now we’re all best buddies. Six months makes all the difference in the world.

24. What do you think? • Which model appeals to you the most? Why? • How are the voices different?

25. Your turn… • Turn to the drafts section of your writer’s notebook. The topic is gym class. Write a few sentences about the topic. You choose the voice. Will it be serious and formal? Or, light and conversational?

26. Sentence Fluency • It is important to use sentences of different lengths in your writing. Using both long and short sentences will create an interesting rhythm.

27. Give it a try… • Sunflowers are huge. They grow quickly. They grow during the summer. They can be twelve feet tall. • How can you change the lengths of these sentences to create a more interesting rhythm?

28. Different kinds of sentences… • There are more than 20,000 species of bony fish. • Have you ever seen a goldfish moving the flaps on the sides of its body? • That’s one amazing fish!

29. More variety… • Start sentences in different ways, rather than always beginning with the subject. • It was an exciting morning for Jane. “Now, where did I leave my book?” she thought to herself.

30. More variety… • Include simple sentences with one subject and verb as well as compound or complex sentences with more than one clause. • Since Jake was late, he ran for the bus. The driver did not see him, and the but pulled away from the curb. Jake was left behind!

31. Conventions • Spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. • Following conventions makes your writing easier to read. • Ryan and I is good partners, he has a lot of energy. And great ideas. I’m very good organizing. My handwriteing is more better than his is. So my notes for the team. Ryan can’t not read his own writing. Sometimes.

32. Practice Companion • Work on page 39, Kinds of Sentences, to review declarative and interrogative sentences.

33. Presentation (day 4) • When writers share their work, they think about how best to present it. • They work on the visual parts of the presentation and the verbal parts of the presentation.

34. Visual Planning • Text Format: Will your final piece be handwritten or typed? • Images: Will you add images? (illustrations, photographs, graphs, charts, maps, diagrams) Which one clearly represents my subject? How will it affect my readers? • Titles and Bylines: Your title should capture the audience’s attention and give a brief description of what they will be reading. A byline appears under the title and gives the author’s name.

36. Verbal Planning (oral presentations) • Rehearse you speech with a partner ahead of time. • Make eye contact with the audience. • Use note cards or an outline as you speak. • Speak clearly and at an appropriate pace. • Ask the audience if they have any questions. • Answer the audience’s questions.

37. How will I be graded? • Look at page 38 in your Practice Companion. The Evaluation Rubric will help you as you work on a writing piece.

38. Types of Sentences • Turn to page 40 in your Practice Companion. Now you will add imperative and exclamatory to the types of sentences.