Editing and Revising Made Easy

Would you like to provide your students with an easy way to edit and revise their writing?  How about a visual reminder of what good writing looks like?  If so, then check out my Editing and Revising Made Easy Packet!

I like to print and laminate all the pages.  I hole-punch them and use binder rings through the holes to hold all the pages together. Another option is to put all the pages in sheet protectors and use the rings to hold them together (see the picture below).  I like to have one Editing-Revising Packet for each student to keep at their desk for reference when they are writing.

The Bold Beginnings piece of the packet is a natural place to start.  This is a sample of my larger Bold Beginnings and Catchy Conclusions packet.  

After students have written a good, solid opening/hook, it's time to think about how to "Show, Don't Tell" with their writing.  In other words, painting a mental picture of their writing topic.  A great way to do this is with adjectives.  I've included adjective lists for the senses: Sound, sight, taste, and touch.

After writing the middle of the piece, it’s on to the catchy conclusion.  I’ve included examples for the following ways to conclude a piece of writing: Summary, simile/metaphor, quotes. 

Once the rough draft has been written, students are asked to edit and revise their work.   I ask my students to edit their own work and at least one of their peer’s.  For this purpose, I’ve included a list of rules for Buddy Editing and an Editing Checklist.

If you'd like to pick up a copy, click here.

Do you have any ways that make editing and revising easier for your students?  I'd love to hear about them!

Virginia Studies and Grammar

Are you looking for some interdisciplinary end of year review activities involving writing and Virginia Studies?  Then this Virginia Studies grammar correction activity may be what you're looking for!

This activity uses the language of the SOLs and turns it into questions.  Each question has several grammar mistakes that need to be corrected.  There are a couple of different options for how to use this:

Option 1:  Have students rewrite the sentence/question correctly for a grammar/writing assessment.

Option 2:  Have students answer the question for a Virginia Studies assessment.

Either way, it gets them practicing and reviewing key concepts in both subjects.

It includes an answer key to make the activity self-checking, which is yet another way to have students practice with the information.

You can pick up a copy by clicking here.




Do you do any activities that help with the integration of Language Arts and Virginia Studies?  I'd love to hear about them!

Bold Beginnings and Catchy Conclusions: Taking the Tears Out of Writing the First and Last Paragraphs

In my teaching and personal experience, I find the first sentence of a piece of writing to be one of the most difficult things to create and perfect.  After all, an author really only has a sentence or two to gain the interest of their readers.  No pressure, right?  What's the next most difficult thing to write?  That would be the final paragraph in which the author has to wrap everything up in a pretty package with a bow on top.  That's no easy task, either.  So, I compiled some of my favorite openings closings to stories that I've either read or written.

Most of my favorite openings include figurative language because it can make any writing piece fun, in my humble opinion.  My top favs are:

Onomatopoeia is a fun word just to say.  Also, describing the way something sounds is appealing to the auditory learner in me.  Plus, students enjoy trying to describe the sounds to each other.

Foreshadowing is fun to use around Halloween.  It adds a creep factor to creative writing and mysteries.

Alliteration is a fabulous element to add to the title of a story.  For example, "Bold Beginnings and Catchy Conclusions" sounds much more interesting than "Opening and Closing Paragraphs".

Similes/Metaphors help your future Mark Twains party like a rock star while they are writing.  See what I did there?

Below is the first page of the model story I created to help students get into their writing.  I challenge you to see how many of my favorite story-starter elements mentioned above are included.  Spoiler alert:  I tell you how many and which ones directly after the photo.

I'll bet you guessed that there were two of my favorite story-starter elements in this part of the story: Onomatopoeia and foreshadowing.  

Below is an example of some of the other Bold Beginnings included in the rest of the story.

Conclusions don't have to be boring and routine.  My favorites are quotes and similes/metaphors.  If a summary is done properly, it can also be a good ending to a story.  However, summaries can be tricky.  If all a summary includes is the same sentences from the story, that can really put a reader out.

I print, laminate, and keep these sheets available for buddy editing and small group writing.  If you'd like to pick up a copy, click here.

How do you inspire your students to open and close their writings?  I'd love to hear how!

Figurative Language with Song Lyrics

Even though I am a 7th Grade Science teacher, I occasionally get to help out in other classrooms and subjects. The other day, I got to plan for one of my favorites: Language Arts. They were working on figurative language, also one of my favorites.  One of my best-loved activities for this uses song lyrics.

And did I mention that music is STILL used in my 7th grade science classroom?  That's because it's so important to me.  It can change the mood of the room in an instant and the students relate to the lyrics.

So, The Beatles, Beyonce, and Blake Shelton in the classroom?  Yes, please!

I created an activity in which students are looking for similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification in various song lyrics.  They sort the lyrics according to what type of figurative language they represent and then draw a representation of their favorite lyric.

This packet includes:
~A teacher direction page
~A student direction page
~A lyric sorting page
~5 pages of lyrics
~A color-coded answer key

If you'd like to pick up a copy, click here.

Constitution Day Activities

Our district requires us to celebrate Constitution Day and do activities related to it.  I actually enjoy it.  For one thing, The Constitution is one of the most important documents our country has ever written.  For another, we will be discussing this document in depth in Virginia Studies.  If I take the time to front load the vocabulary and basic understanding of the Preamble, it makes studying the document's history go much more smoothly.

First, we read We the Kids: The Preamble to The Constitution of the United States by David Catrow.  It's a really cool book that uses kid-friendly images and language to explain the Preamble.

There's also a video with the same title as the book that can be used as a refresher later in the year.  It has the exact information and language in it that the book uses, but it's just a nice visual reminder for the students.

We use a graphic organizer to break down the robust vocabulary of the Preamble.

We also do a writing activity that incorporates the vocabulary and talks about the students' personal freedoms.

I have an extension activity set up for students needing a challenge.  These students work in small groups to take a sentence or phrase, rewrite it in their own words and illustrate the main idea.

My complete lesson plans for Constitution Day include:
~The Virginia Reading and Writing Standards and objectives associated with the activity
~Mentor text/video suggestion
~Prewriting activity suggestions (anchor chart, graphic organizer)
~Graphic organizer of robust vocabulary from the Preamble
~Journal prompt
~Challenge/Extension activity

If you'd like to pick up a full copy, you can do so by clicking here.

Building a Classroom Community Using Author's Purpose

I have always used author's purpose (PIE) when teaching reading and writing. We talk about the "slices of pie" (persuade, inform, entertain) that authors use, depending on what they want their readers to take away from the text.  We practice these same techniques in our own writing, carefully choosing our words to fit our purpose.  I have posters displayed around the room and in reference guides at group tables.

There are a ton of great visuals and practice activities out there, but here are just a few of my favorites:

 

This is a great board game for practicing identifying author's purpose, not to mention it's FREE!



Then there's my favorite visual of Author's Purpose from Mrs. Gilchrist:

 

 

 

I do these things every year but THIS year, I'm turning the lesson around for the students to take charge.  After teaching the basic pieces of the P.I.E., I am going to open up the journaling to my student authors.

 

 

 

 

 In order to build the classroom community aspect of the journal, I will be including story starters and examples that support social problem solving in school and the classroom.

 

 

 

 

If you teach author's purpose AND you want to work on student journaling AND building your classroom community, then check out this packet on my TpT store. 

This editable PowerPoint includes:

~Teacher's directions on how to use the product
~Student directions on how to use the product
~Persuasive story starters and examples
~Informative story starters and examples
~Entertaining story starters and examples
~The examples for each section are geared toward building your classroom community and fostering deeper thinking


Do you have any other ways to use P.I.E.?  I'd love to hear about them!
 

End of Year Letter to Next Year's Students

At the end of each school year, I have the students write a letter summarizing their experiences.  I put them out on the desks for next year's students on Back to School Night.  It's a fun project for this year's kiddos, and I always like seeing the looks on the faces of next year's kiddos as they read about what's in store for them.

First, I print several copies of the outline (see the first page example below).  I make sure there's at least one copy for every two students to share.  Students do NOT write on these.  Instead, they will copy the sentences on notebook paper to make the letter.  I will allow students to write on the outline if they need that differentiation, but most do just fine with copying it onto paper.

For those students needing a challenge, I included the following activity.  They love drawing their favorite parts of our room!

I also included a rubric because I find that students need clear expectations of how to complete the assignment and it helps with self-editing.

You can pick up a copy by clicking here.

 This customizable PowerPoint includes:
-A letter outline with fill in the blanks. This can be used as an organizer or as the letter itself. I have students copy the outline onto notebook paper unless they need differentiation.

-A rubric for students to use for self-editing and teacher grading

-A challenge assignment for early finishers           

Do you do an end of year letter?  If so, I'd love to hear what you include!

Winter Haikus

I love haikus.  They're one of my most favorite forms of poetry.  They're also like a shot in the arm for our waning excitement for writing during those dreary days of winter.  Thus, the winter haiku idea was born.  Write a haiku with a winter theme, attach it to a snowflake on a piece of construction paper.  What could be easier or more fun?

Another thing I love is making paper snowflakes.  Except, I don't like having to explain how to cut a rectangular piece of paper into a circle over and over again.  Enter the coffee filter snowflake.

There's even a YouTube video with a stinking cute boy named Ethan making them step-by-step:

I'm loving the way the haikus and snowflakes are turning out so far in the classroom!  I'll have to share more when I have the finished products.

Veteran's Day

For our upcoming writing unit on Veteran's Day, we read some great mentor texts to collect character traits for our nation's heroes.  Some of our favorites:

Another great anticipatory set that gives us great ideas for showing our thanks:

I get a bit emotional while it's playing, but I'm unapologetic about that :)

Then we write at least two paragraphs for the students to read aloud to the veterans that come to our Veteran's Day assembly.

Do you have any great mentor texts or videos to get the ideas flowing for Veteran's Day?

Winter Creative Writing Unit

Anytime I can get the kids writing and enjoying it, I feel a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.  I have found that kids really like writing about food, especially if I ask them to use their five senses to do so.  This is the third year I've used this writing unit, and it's been a hit each time.

This PowerPoint guides students to fill in an organizer with sensory details in a bakery setting and the foods within. Suggested mentor texts are included in the rest of the PowerPoint so that students can collect good sensory words as they listen.

You can pick up a free copy at my TpT store by clicking here.

Do you use food to motivate students to write?  I'd love to hear how.

Electricity, Magnetism, and Inventors, Oh, My!

We've been researching the contributions of Benjamin Franklin, Michael Faraday, and Thomas Edison to electricity.  We started with some books and print articles.

• Now & Ben: the modern inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Baretta (also a short video)
• Michael Faraday: apprentice to science by Sam and Beryl Epstein
• Thomas Edison by Paul Joseph
• Thomas Edison: a brilliant inventor by Time for Kids
• Thomas Edison: a photo-illustrated biography by Greg Linder
• I had to supplement the book on Michael Faraday with several kid friendly articles because the book isn't exactly an easy read.

The goal is to find the following information and turn it into a newspaper article:

            Inventor Name

            Contribution to Electricity

            3 Interesting Facts About Their Life

            Illustration of Contribution and/or Inventor

 

After students get all the information they can from the books, students go to the computer lab to further research using websites.  The ones we use are:
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin

Once the draft is written on notebook paper, students input information into a newspaper generator template.

 

What alternatives to the basic research report do you use?

I've already taught the majority of what I plan to teach for figurative language through my poetry unit.  This year, I plan to do things a little differently.  I plan to read "reminder" mentor texts and then have students write a paragraph using the figurative language concept from the mentor text. 

For example, I plan to read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day to reiterate hyperbole.

Students will then write a paragraph (4-5 sentences) about a bad day they've had, but over exaggerate it until it becomes hyperbole.  I have a "cheat sheet" with examples they may use, but they must write it on their own.  I want to see if they can:
A) Answer a prompt 
B) Complete a thought in paragraph form 
C) Apply the figurative language concepts I've taught them

Some other examples I plan to use:

 

Do you have any great mentor texts for teaching figurative language?  How do you use them?

Writing Hooks: Bold Beginnings Freebie

The state writing predictor test is almost upon us.  With that in mind, I happened upon this post at Two Writing Teachers blog.  They do what is called "Slice of Life" posts. 

If you are a writing teacher or you just need some kind words of encouragement, you need to stop by this blog.  
You can pick up a FREE copy of my PowerPoint on my TpT store that was inspired by that post.

Do you have any activities or tools to teach bold beginnings?

Peer/Buddy Conference Posters for Writing

I made some posters to display during writing time because my students seem to zip through the editing/revising stage of writing without giving it much thought.

Here's one for the student who is getting edited (the writer):

It's available in my TPT store for free: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Buddy-Writing-Conference-Rules-Poster-for-the-Writer

Here's the one for the student who is the editor:

It's also in my TPT store for free: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Buddy-Writing-Conference-Rules-Poster-for-the-Editor

Show, Don't Tell

This is one of the hardest concepts for my students to "get."  We've talked about using adjectives and adverbs instead of making statements.  We've made anchor charts of adjectives.  Still, they need plenty of practice.  So, I created an activity that I plan to put in my literacy center.

You can pick up a copy for FREE at my TPT store:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Show-Dont-Tell

Editing and Revising

Some of the hardest parts of the writing process for my students are editing and revising.  They often confuse what each of those steps entail.  So, I created a color-coded checklist for each.  You can download each of them for FREE at my TPT store:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Elementary-Color-Coded-Writing-Editing-Checklist

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Elementary-Color-Coded-Revising-Checklist

Winter Writing Prompts

Well, our fourth grade writing predictor test is coming up, and this is a tough one for most fourth graders.  It tells who is ready for the big state standardized test next year, and who isn't quite there yet.

I've been trying to make my students more independent during their writing time.  Several students have been quite clingy, wanting to "conference" with me after every line or two they write.  So I made up a new rule:  You have to follow the "order of writing"  according to the poster.  Check it out at TPT: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Order-Mini-Poster.  I uploaded this at Vistaprint and had it made into a slightly larger poster.  By the way, if you haven't been to vistaprint, you should!  http://www.vistaprint.com/

Students also only get to conference with the teacher ONCE.  I know this sounds tough, but they need to be confident in their own writing and show their own thoughts.

Here are two of the writing units I'll be doing over the next month or so:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Creative-Writing-Prompts-Part-2
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Winter-Creative-Writing