Criswell - Writer's Workshop (Section Thur 5)

Instructor: Mrs. Meridith Criswell
Department: Language Arts
Terms: 2019-2020 School Year

Assignment Calendar

Course Description

Class Title:	Writer’s Workshop	Code:	E325
Text:	Various Resources	Rating:	3
Prerequisite:	None	Grade:	5-6
Fees:	None	Max:	15
Can be repeated? Yes

Description: Students will have fun using language to paint a picture with their own words. Students will engage in activities that will help them access their own creativity. This class will take a progressive approach to effective writing, in which students will start with sentence structure, word choice, and basic grammar, and then move into elaboration techniques, figurative language, and paragraph writing. Possible projects may include personal narratives, journaling, expository writing, fiction and poetry.

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Writer's Workshop Homework

Use the plan from class for your "Trapped in a Snow Globe" story to write the story. Remember, each box on the planning sheet should equal approximately one paragraph in your story. Skip lines, and remember to use all those great writing techniques we learned earlier this year (dialogue, show don't tell, sensory detail, etc.).

If you write for about 2 hours (and I mean really work hard) and your story is not done, that's ok. Just have a parent sign or initial it that you really spent the time, and you can finish it at a later time.

Writer's Workshop Homework

Finish the planning sheet from class for your "Trapped in a Snow Globe" story.

ALSO, If you did not turn in the second draft of your final personal narrative today in class, complete it for homework.

Here is a copy of LAST WEEK'S homework if you need it:

"Using the Personal Narrative Writing Rubric as a checklist, continue making the revisions you started in class on your personal narrative. Have an adult help you edit your story for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, etc. (again, use the rubric as a checklist). Then, write a second draft of your story, making sure to include all of your revisions and edits. I HIGHLY recommend typing this; you will conference with me one more time after break and I may have some additional feedback before you turn in a final draft. If you type it now, you can simply make changes to your second draft instead of completely rewriting the story for a third time.

Please bring BOTH your first AND second drafts to class next time we meet!"

Personal Narrative Writing Rubric

Using the Personal Narrative Writing Rubric as a checklist, continue making the revisions you started in class on your personal narrative. Have an adult help you edit your story for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, etc. (again, use the rubric as a checklist). Then, write a second draft of your story, making sure to include all of your revisions and edits. I HIGHLY recommend typing this; you will conference with me one more time after break and I may have some additional feedback before you turn in a final draft. If you type it now, you can simply make changes to your second draft instead of completely rewriting the story for a third time.

Please bring BOTH your first AND second drafts to class next time we meet!

Revision Homework

Continue the revisions you started to make to your personal narrative in class this week. Focus on revising the introduction/first paragraph. Remember to bring it back next week so we can continue working through our revision stations to make our stories even better.

For the personal narrative you chose in class to take through the writing process, write two possible new interesting introductions for your story on the green sticky notes from class. Make sure to bring both the story and sticky notes back to class next week as we continue revisions.

This week in Writer's Workshop, we worked on some Halloween-themed fictional writing. No homework this week, unless you did not turn in your completed personal narrative in class.

Homework

Use the graphic organizer from class today to finish planning your last personal narrative, then write the story. Remember to skip lines and include all of the elements of personal narratives we have been working on:

~ Small moment

~Clear beginning, middle, and end (at least three paragraphs, 5+ sentences per paragraph)

~Show, don't tell emotions

~Sensory details

~Thought shots (what would your brain say if it could talk during that moment)

~Pick the most important part to tell in detailed SLOW MOTION (explode the moment)

If you didn't already, finish your "Explode the Moment" paragraph from class. Use the directions on the green sheet from class as a guide and make sure to write as if the moment is in slow motion (sensory details, show don't tell, thought shots, etc). You should write a minimum of ten detailed sentences.

Homework

If you did not finish you "Explode the Moment" story organizer in class, finish it for homework. We will use these for writing in class next week, so be sure to brainstorm LOTS of details you could use.

Homework - Use the sensory images graphic organizer from class to write a paragraph (at least 5 sentences) describing a story setting. In class, we brainstormed ideas to write about a cool, rainy day, then wrote a paragraph to describe it. For homework, do the same thing for a DIFFERENT setting.

Be sure to use at least 4 of the senses to describe the setting, and try to write in a way that doesn't sound like you are just listing things (I saw ____. I heard ____.) Here's my example for the first few sentences:

As I arrived at Apex and got out of my car, I was met with a cool mist on my face. The sky was gray and gloomy, and I was surprised by how dark it was this late in the morning. Students hurried into the building, and the sound of their wet, squeaking shoes filled the air....