Friday, May 12, 2017

Writing Strategies Goal 6: Elaboration



Welcome to our book study of The Writing Strategies Book:  Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Writers by Jennifer Serravallo! I am joining forces with some other fabulous teacher bloggers to discuss the writing strategies we come across in this AMAZING professional text!    

Because this book isn't your typical professional development book filled with individual "chapters" of narrative, each teacher blogger will be giving you a glimpse into the 10 goals that are represented in the text.  Each goal area is filled with many valuable strategies that will help you to support and guide your students as they become better writers.  Keep in mind, we are only highlighting a FEW strategies in each section.  There are over 300 strategies in the whole book!

You can find my posts for previous sections below:










Serravallo defines elaboration as "the specific information a writer uses to develop her writing".  She says it can include things such as details, facts, dialogue, descriptions and more.  She says it is the purposeful detail that brings a piece of writing to life and conveys the author's purpose.



When choosing this as a goal for your students to work on, you may want to consider students who:

* write with very few details.

* need help varying details.

* need support in deciding what details should be included.
Focus Strategy 1: Nudge Paper

I love this strategy!  It is for those students who aren't quite sure about making a change.  You have them take out a strip of scratch paper (or Post-It Note) that they can use to try out the change.  They can later decide if they want to keep that change.




Focus Strategy 2: See the World Like a Poet (Metaphor and Simile)

I love this idea for adding more interesting details to writing. Students think of the features they might want to compare, what else has similar features?  

I love to use the mentor text Crazy Like a Fox A Simile Story to help students understand similes.


Focus Strategy 3: Prove It

This strategy asks students to think of their idea, claim, or thesis, and ask themselves, what reasons they have for thinking that way.  What details prove what they want to say? These reasons become extra details to help convince their reader.


If you would like to purchase the book mentioned above, you can find it here.



This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  


Make sure to visit Kathleen over at  Courage Doesn't Always Roar. She is our official hostess for this week, and she has some more strategies and great ideas for you!

If you would like to link up your own blog posts about this book, feel free to do so in the linky below!  Don't forget to check out the other bloggers' posts as well as they write them for even more ideas!





Monday, May 8, 2017

Weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway May 8, 2017





Our weekly giveaways are one of my favorite parts of the week!  How would you like to win a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card?




GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)




Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 5/15/17 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Saturday, May 6, 2017

Monthly $75 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway - May 2017





If you are on a traditional year round school schedule, you are on the home stretch of the school year!  We get out on May 26th this year! 

But... if you are anything like me, the school brain doesn't turn off just because it's summer - you are likely already thinking about the next school year!

And, lucky for you, you have a chance to win a $75 Teachers pay Teachers gift card to help you get ready!

Once you have entered, be sure to click on my Giveaway tab to enter all of the other giveaways this month!





GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Prize: $75 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher), 






Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog?  Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers!


a Rafflecopter giveaway  




Thursday, May 4, 2017

Writing Strategies: Goal 5: Organization and Structure



Welcome to our book study of The Writing Strategies Book:  Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Writers by Jennifer Serravallo! I am joining forces with some other fabulous teacher bloggers to discuss the writing strategies we come across in this AMAZING professional text!    

Because this book isn't your typical professional development book filled with individual "chapters" of narrative, each teacher blogger will be giving you a glimpse into the 10 goals that are represented in the text.  Each goal area is filled with many valuable strategies that will help you to support and guide your students as they become better writers.  Keep in mind, we are only highlighting a FEW strategies in each section.  There are over 300 strategies in the whole book!

You can find my posts for previous sections below:









The organization and structure of a writing pieces is like the framing of a building.  If a building doesn't have a frame, the walls will fall down.  Likewise, if a writing pieces doesn't have an organized framework, the reader might be confused.


Serravallo says that the strategies in this section aren't just for the planning of the overall piece, but also ways to improve parts of their piece such as the lead and the ending. 





Serravallo provides a progression of what can be expected at various grade levels in terms of structure.  She has a separate one for narrative, opinion, and informational writing.  You can find where your student is at, and look toward the next step to help them improve their writing organization.
Focus Strategy 1: Organize in Sequence

This strategy is good for helping students to organize narratives that move along chronologically.  Serravallo suggests that students make a list of what happened first, next, after that, finally, etc.

You could have students use Post-It notes to help them organize.

Focus Strategy 2: Question, Answer

In this strategy, students think of a list of questions a reader might have about the topic they are writing about.  They then think about how they might answer the question in one to three sentences.

Serravallo suggests they use a new page in a notebook for each question.  They could also use index cards for each question.



Focus Strategy 3: End With Last Words From the Character

This strategy can help students to write stronger endings.  They think about what the character might say at the very end.  What is the last thing they want their reader to hear from the character?

I might use the last paragraph in Number the Stars to illustrate this particular strategy.






If you would like to purchase the book mentioned above, you can find it here.



This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  



Make sure to visit Kelly over at Digging Deep to Soar Beyond the Text.  She is our official hostess for this week, and she has some more strategies and great ideas for you!

If you would like to link up your own blog posts about this book, feel free to do so in the linky below!  Don't forget to check out the other bloggers' posts as well as they write them for even more ideas!





Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Writing Strategies Goal 4: Focus/Meaning




Welcome to our book study of The Writing Strategies Book:  Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Writers by Jennifer Serravallo! I am joining forces with some other fabulous teacher bloggers to discuss the writing strategies we come across in this AMAZING professional text!    

Because this book isn't your typical professional development book filled with individual "chapters" of narrative, each teacher blogger will be giving you a glimpse into the 10 goals that are represented in the text.  Each goal area is filled with many valuable strategies that will help you to support and guide your students as they become better writers.  Keep in mind, we are only highlighting a FEW strategies in each section.  There are over 300 strategies in the whole book!

If you missed our other posts you can find them here:






When we read a book or an article, we assume that the author is writing about a particular topic, and that the author communicates a point.  For example, if you were reading an article about global warning, you wouldn't expect the author to all of the sudden include  a section about why their favorite food is pizza.

Students often struggle with the process of focusing their writing on a particular subject or topic.  Serravallo suggests that we teach students that it's important to have a focal point in mind when they begin writing, but they should also be open to revisions as their writing progresses if they find that it is not going as planned.




When choosing this as a goal for your students to work on, you may want to consider students who:

* have a difficult time articulating their focus.

* have a difficult time matching details to their focus topic.


Serravallo recommends conferencing with a student to help determine if they could use support with this goal.  She suggests asking them, "What do you think your piece is mostly about?"

Does their writing reflect their answer? If not, consider this as a possible goal for the student.
Focus Strategy 1: Ask Questions to Focus

This strategy is a great one for those students who tend to have too big or broad a topic as they write.  This might be a student who is writing about every single detail about their summer vacation when they really want to write about learning to swim. It might also include a student who is writing about how to take care of a dog, but also includes lists of breeds or other types of pets.

This strategy has the writer ask themselves questions to narrow it down such as:

What are you really trying to say?
What is the most important thing about my topic?
What details support this particular topic? Which ones go off course?



Focus Strategy 2: Imagine Your Audience and Consider Your Purpose

My students often struggle with writing with their audience in mind, so I was really drawn to this strategy.  

Serravallo suggests that students think about the purpose of their writing.  Are they writing to entertain, inform, or persuade?  Then, they should think specifically about who the reader will be and what they will want to know about.




Focus Strategy 3: Find a Theme in Your Collection

This strategy is great for students who are working on informative or persuasive pieces.  It works best when the student has collected several pieces of research or writing material.

Students look back at the material they have collected to see if they can find patterns in the details that fit together.  They can ask themselves what main idea or ideas they could focus their informational text on.




If you would like to purchase the book mentioned above, you can find it here.



This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  

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Make sure to visit Tried and True Teaching Tools, our official hostess for this week, for even more ideas!

If you would like to link up your own blog posts about this book, feel free to do so in the linky below!  Don't forget to check out the other bloggers' posts as well as they write them for even more ideas!





Monday, May 1, 2017

Weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers Gift Card Giveaway May 1, 2017





Can you believe it is already May? I don't know about you, but the last few months have flown by! We are finishing up testing, have a few field trips planned, and then this school year will come to an end!

As I was writing this blog post, I bumped into this funny May Meme.



It made me chuckle for a second, but we all know in reality, that it just isn't possible!  As teachers we want to squeeze in every last drop of learning we can into our kiddos before they leave us for the next grade!

To help you with that we are giving away a $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card! 

AND... After you finish entering this giveaway, be sure to check out our Teacher Appreciation Giveaway as well!




GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: $25 Teachers Pay Teachers Gift Card

Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)



Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 5/8/17 and is open worldwide.

Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers! 


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Teacher Appreciation Week Giveaway!



In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, some of my blogging buddies and I have gotten together to give away teaching supplies that we LOVE!  Check out all of our favorites and scroll down to enter to win ALL of them!

AND... After you enter this giveaway, head over to enter our weekly $25 Teachers pay Teachers gift card giveaway for another chance to win!










Mr. Sketch Markers are my absolute favorite for making anchor charts and working with small groups!  I love the bright colors that rarely fade - and the fact that they smell good doesn't hurt either.  My students also love when I use them to grade their papers!  I buy them on Amazon using Subscribe and Save to save money!




Flair pens are another  one of my favorite markers.  I love to use them for grading and I also let students use them to revise their writing.




I do not know how I would live without my laminators.  Yes, that is plural! I have one at home and one at school and it is so convenient!



Even though I love my laminators, there are times when I need something quick and easy.  I love these dry erase pockets for being able to quickly re-use worksheets.  My students get extra practice, and I save time at the copier.


And speaking of dry erase, these are the absolute best dry erase markers out there!  My school buys a cheaper version, so I always stock up on my own, because they last so much longer! Again, I buy these on Amazon using Subscribe and Save.



Something about color makes everything better!  From boring worksheets to letters home, Astrobrights paper makes everything a little more fun!




Just like I don't like to compromise on my dry erase markers, I also don't like to compromise on the pencils we use in class.  Ticonderoga pencils are by far the best.  They sharpen so much easier than any of the others and they hold a point longer.



What teacher can't do without Teachers pay Teachers!? If you win this giveaway, you will  receive a $50 TpT gift card to spend however you like!



I love keeping all of our important dates from birthdays to assemblies on a large wall calendar that both my students and I can see.



Last but not least, sharpies always come in handy for labeling personal items, my class library books and more!

So, onto the giveaway...





GIVEAWAY DETAILS:  

Prize: 10 Teacher "Must Haves" prize pack including: Mr. Sketch Markers, Flair Markers, Personal Laminator, Dry Erase Pockets, Dry Erase Markers, Astrobrights Paper, Sharpies, Ticonderoga Pencils, a Wall Calendar, and a $50 Teachers pay Teachers gift card.

Giveaway Organized by: Kelly Malloy (An Apple for the Teacher)




Rules: Use the Rafflecopter to enter. Giveaway ends 5/8/17 and is open worldwide.


Are you a Teacher Blogger or Teachers pay Teachers seller who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your store and social media?  Click here to find out how you can join our totally awesome group of bloggers!




This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase using one of my links, which helps to support the blog.  All opinions are my own and I only promote brands and products that I have used myself and truly love.  



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