Writing Workshop Survival Kit, 2nd Edition

About This Book v

How to Use This Book vi

About the Author vii

Acknowledgments viii

Part One:The Dynamics of the Writing Workshop

Section 1: An Overview of the Writing Workshop 3

The Writing Process 4

Your New Role 5

The Teacher’s Role in the Writing Workshop 6

A Model of a Typical Writing Workshop 7

Scheduling Your Writing Workshop 8

Promoting Your Writing Workshop 8

Enlisting Support for Your Writing Workshop 10

Reproducible: Things Parents Can Do to Foster Good

Writing Habits in Their Children

Section 2: Managing Your Writing Workshop 13

Reproducible: Student Responsibilities in the Writing Workshop

Creating and Maintaining a Writing Environment 15

The Writing Environment 17

Reproducible: Student Writers’ Tools of the Trade

Reproducible: Rules for Working in Groups

Planning Your Workshop Lessons 20

Managing Time in the Writing Workshop 21

Keeping Students Motivated 22

Time-Savers 23

When Discipline Is Necessary 24

Evaluation 28

Monitoring the Progress of Your Students 29

Reproducible: Daily Log

Writing Across the Curriculum 32

Reproducible: Skills Analysis Sheet

Reproducible: Checklist for Types of Writing

Part Two:The Stages of the Writing Process

Section 3: Prewriting 37

Prewriting Strategies 37

Freewriting 37

Activity 1: A Freewriting Exercise

Reproducible: Freewriting Sample Clustering 38

Activity 2: Creating Clusters

Reproducible: A Sample Cluster

Idea Listing 41

Activity 3: Making an Idea List

Reproducible: Sample Idea List

Brainstorming 41

Activity 4: Brainstorming for Ideas

Reproducible: Brainstorming Guide

Rehearsing 45

Activity 5: Rehearsing for Ideas

Reproducible: A Prewriting Warm-Up

Role Playing 45

Activity 6: Role Playing to Find Ideas

Reproducible: Choose a Role

Researching 46

Activity 7: Using the Internet for Research

Reproducible: Using Search Engines to Find Information on the Internet

Organizing Writing 50

Reproducible: A Structure Form

Drawing and Diagramming 52

Journals 52

Reproducible: Writing Journal Guidelines for Students

Idea Folders 54

Personal Experience 54

Activity 8: Personal Experience and Ideas

Reproducible: Inventory of Personal Experience

Observation 56

Activity 9: Observation and Ideas

Reproducible: What Do You See?

Angles and Viewpoints 56

Activity 10: Viewing from All Points and Angles

Reproducible: Seeing All Sides

Using Questions to Explore Topics 58

Activity 11: Focusing Topics

Reproducible: Exploring a Writing Topic

Section 4: Drafting 63

Writing the Draft 63

Activity 12: Questions to Ask During Drafting

The Foundations of Good Writing 64

Activity 13: The Elements of Good Writing

Strategies to Aid Drafting 65

Section 5: Revision 69

Revision Mechanics 69

Teaching Revision 69

Revising for Unity 70

Revising for Order 70

Revising for Conciseness 70

Activity 14: Revision Strategies

The Use of Computers in Revision 72

Reproducible: Computers and Writers

Revision Pitfalls to Avoid 74

Activity 15: A Revision Plan

Writing Conferences 75

Activity 16: A Role-Played Writing Conference

Reproducible: A Writing Conference Started by the Teacher

Reproducible: A Writing Conference Started by a Student

Some Conference Strategies 79

Peer Conferences 80

Reproducible: Peer Conference Questions

Activity 17: Strategies for Effective Peer Conferences

Reproducible: Peer Group Guidelines

Reproducible: Revision Checklist

Section 6: Editing 85

Strategies for Teaching Editing Skills 85

Activity 18: Using a Dictionary

Reproducible: Editing Reminders

Activity 19: Using a Thesaurus

Activity 20: Using an Author’s Stylebook

Editing Partners 89

Editing Groups 89

Reproducible: Editor’s Checklist

Activity 21: Using Editor’s Marks

Proofreading 92

Section 7: Publishing 93

The Author’s Chair 93

Peer Group Sharing 94

Computers and Publishing in the Writing Workshop 94

A Word on Copiers 95

E-Mail as a Means of Sharing and Publishing 95

Reproducible: A Model Release Form

Reproducible: E-Mail Etiquette for Writers

Producing Class Magazines 98

Tips for Producing Class Magazines 100

Producing Books Written by Students 101

Web Sites for Sharing Writing 101

Web Sites That Publish the Writing of Students 102

How to Establish a Web Site to Display Student Writing 103

Still More Ways to Share 104

Submitting Student Writing to Magazines 104

Activity 22: Submitting Writing to Magazines

Reproducible: Tips for Submitting to Magazines

Activity 23: Writing a Query Letter

Reproducible: Sample Query Letter

Reproducible: Print Markets for Student Writers

Part Three:Using Mini-Lessons in the Writing Workshop

Section 8: Mini-Lessons for Types of Writing 113

1. Writing Personal Narratives 114

Reproducible: A Big Splash

2. Writing Essays 116

Reproducible: Slowing Global Warming by Saving Energy

3. Strategies for Answering Essay Test Questions 118

Reproducible: Essay Test-Taking Tips

4. Writing How-to Articles 120

Reproducible: How to Make a Budget

5. Writing Straight News Articles 122

Reproducible: Bat Attacks Alarm Town

Reproducible: Taking Apart a Newspaper Article

6. Persuasive Writing 125

Reproducible: Save Trees and the Environment by Recycling

Newspapers

Reproducible: Analyzing a Persuasive Essay

7. Writing Friendly Letters 128

Reproducible: Sample Friendly Letter

8. Writing Business Letters 130

Reproducible: Sample Business Letters

9. Writing Book Reviews 132

Reproducible: A Sample Book Review: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

10. Writing Movie Reviews 134

Reproducible: A Sample Movie Review: The Babe

11. Writing Fiction 136

Reproducible: The Valentine’s Day Dance

12. Writing Advertising 138

Reproducible: Advertising Fundamentals

Reproducible: Advertisement Review

13. Writing Nonrhyming Poems 141

Reproducible: Nonrhyming Poems

14. Writing Rhyming Poems 143

Reproducible: “Eldorado” by Edgar Allan Poe

15. Writing Plays 145

Reproducible: The Parts of a Play

Reproducible: Ghost Hunt

16. Writing Screenplays 148

Reproducible: The Test

Reproducible: Screenplay Vocabulary

Section 9: Mini-Lessons for the Art of Writing 151

17. Writing Effective Leads 152

Reproducible: Leads

Reproducible: Sample Leads

18. Organization for Nonfiction Writing 155

Reproducible: Vanishing Rain Forests

19. Writing Conclusions for Nonfiction Pieces 157

20. Conciseness 158

Reproducible: Cutting Clutter

21. Avoiding Intensifiers and Qualifiers 160

22. Active and Passive Constructions 161

23. Choosing Strong Verbs for Writing 162

24. Writing Effective Transitions 163

Reproducible: Nonverbal Communication

25. Developing Imagery 165

Reproducible: Returning to the Beach

Reproducible: Sense and Image

26. Tone 168

Reproducible: How You Say It

27. Comparing and Contrasting 170

Reproducible: Comparing and Contrasting—Nonfiction

Reproducible: Comparing and Contrasting—Fiction

28. Avoiding Clichés 173

Reproducible: Clichés

29. Conducting Interviews 175

Reproducible: Guide to Great Interviews

30. Using Figures of Speech: Similes, Metaphors, and Personification 177

Reproducible: Figures of Speech

31. Using Onomatopoeia 179

Reproducible: Onomatopoeic Words

32. Using Alliteration 181

Reproducible: A Sample of Alliteration

33. Conflict 183

Reproducible: The Runaway

34. Characterization 185

Reproducible: Revealing Character

Reproducible: Character Chart

35. Writing Dialogue 189

Reproducible: Dialogue Samples

36. Developing Settings 191

Reproducible: Setting Samples

37. Using Flashbacks 193

Reproducible: The Party

38. Foreshadowing 195

Reproducible: The Ranch

39. Constructing Effective Climaxes 197

40. The First-Person Point of View 198

Reproducible: First-Person Point of View Fact Sheet

41. The Third-Person Point of View 200

Reproducible: Third-Person Point of View Fact Sheet

42. The Limited Point of View 202

Reproducible: Example of Limited Point of View: Final Batter

43. Multiple Point of View 204

Reproducible: Example of Multiple Points of View: Final Batter

44. Avoiding Plagiarism 206

Reproducible: Citing Sources

45. Choosing Titles 208

Reproducible: Titles

Section 10: Mini-Lessons for the Mechanics of Writing 211

46. Types of Sentences 212

Reproducible: Sentences

47. Sentence Patterns 214

Reproducible: Examples of Sentence Patterns

48. Subject and Verb Agreement 216

49. Compound Subject and Verb Agreement 217

50. Subject and Verb Agreement with Intervening Phrases 218

51. Subject and Verb Agreement: Doesn’t or Don’t 219

52. Subject and Verb Agreement: There’s, Here’s, and Where’s 220

53. Subject and Verb Agreement: Indefinite Pronouns 221

54. Subject (Pronoun) and Verb Agreement 222

55. Agreement of Pronouns and Antecedents 223

56. Possessive Nouns 224

57. Paragraphing 225

Reproducible: Developing Paragraphs, Sample 1

Reproducible: Developing Paragraphs, Sample 2

58. Varying Sentences to Make Writing Interesting 228

59. Combining Sentences for Variation 229

Reproducible: Example of Combining Sentences

60. Sentence Fragments 231

Reproducible: Find the Fragments

61. Run-On Sentences 233

Reproducible: Finding and Fixing Run-Ons

62. Avoiding Misplaced Modifiers 235

63. Tenses: Choosing the Present or the Past 236

64. The Past Perfect Tense: Showing Previous Past Action 237

65. Using Did or Done Correctly 238

66. Writing with Sounds That Are Not Words 239

67. Avoiding Double Negatives 240

68. Using Italics for Titles and Names 241

69. Using Italics for Emphasis 242

70. Using Quotation Marks for Titles 243

71. Using Quotation Marks for Emphasis 244

72. Using Parentheses 245

73. Using the Dash 246

74. Using Hyphens with Compound Words and Numbers 247

75. Writing Lists with Colons and Commas 248

76. Spelling Strategy 1: Dictionaries and Spell Checkers 249

77. Spelling Strategy 2: Proper Pronunciation 250

78. Spelling Strategy 3: Spelling Confusions 251

Reproducible: Spelling Confusions

79. Spelling Strategy 4: Personal Spelling Lists 253

80. Overusing So and Then 254

81. Using Affect and Effect Correctly 255

82. Using All Right and (Not) Alright 256

83. Using Among and Between Correctly 257

84. Using Bad and Badly Correctly 258

85. Avoiding Could Of and Similar Constructions 259

86. Using Farther and Further Correctly 260

87. Using Fewer and Less Correctly 261

88. Using Good and Well Correctly 262

89. Using In and Into Correctly 263

90. Using It’s and Its Correctly 264

91. Using There, Their, and They’re Correctly 265

92. Using Who’s and Whose Correctly 266

93. Using Your and You’re Correctly 267

94. Using Lay and Lie Correctly 268

95. Using Lose and Loose Correctly 269

96. Using Off Rather Than Off Of 270

97. Using Sit and Set Correctly 271

98. Using Than and Then Correctly 272

99. Using To, Too, and Two Correctly 273

100. Using Who and Whom Correctly 274

Resources 275