Craft Lessons

Teaching Writing k-8

Ralph FletcherJoAnn Portalupi

By: Danielle Mossoian & Stephanie Lukas

Introduction: Guide for a Clean Outhouse “This pamphlet is your guide to quick and

easy outhouse cleaning. Your sparkling, fresh-smelling outhouse can be the envy of all your neighbors. Guests will remark that your privy is the best that they have ever visited. If you want to hear all sorts of wonderful things about your outhouse, read the following pages carefully and enjoy with the author’s compliments…”

By: Marnie Wells

An Introduction should:

Explain your purpose for writing it State the main ideas that will follow Get your reader interested

You Tube Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=aWZIrS-Y3Mo

Guide for a Clean Outhouse Section one: When Is My Outhouse Dirty?Your outhouse is always dirty, however, the untrained privy-cleaner needs to know what t o look for. Listed below are some signs of a dirty outhouse.

One the ceilings:(insects including) ants, spiders, daddy-long-legs, wasps, hornets, mosquitoes, termites, etc.

(signs of insects including): cobwebs, eggs, nets, excrement, etc.

On the seat area: empty beer/soda cans etc.

On the floor: sticks, pine-needles, hemlock needles, leaves, mouse turds, dead animals, dirt, sand, toe-jam and any of the things listed under “On the ceiling” or “On the seat area.”

Now that you know the signs of a dirty outhouse, let us proceed to the second section…

Add Detail: Be specific Don’t assume Don’t leave anything important out

Craft Lessons: Differences Revised & Updated

New Literature New lessons

Qualities of Writing- index (p.173) Organized more user friendly Table of contents revised Listed by subject vs. alphabetically

Time In order to shoot a basket you practice,

practice, practice Writers need to write

Write on a regular basis Regular sustained time

Helps develop craft

Response-Conferring Tips: Respond first as a reader: content, meaning,

emotional force. Laugh when it’s supposed to be funny Be puzzled when it’s confusing

Be positive Try to understand the writer’s intention-listen Help students solve their own problems

“How might you go about fixing this?” Lower your ambitions: write frequently, and teach

no more than one or two things in each piece

Responsibility All ages have decisions:

Paper Begin with picture or words Who I want to read Topic

*Grow into independent writers*

Writers Notebook Collect ideas, thoughts, artifacts,

fragments of dialogue etc. Blank pages= safe, no judgment zone Experiment with elements of craft Always ‘invite’ never ‘assign’- lose

purpose

Literature Stories, songs, and poems: internalize

language and structure to help craft writing of their own

Home environments: different Serve as their guide for living in that

word with the wide-open eyes of a writer

Using Literature with student writers: Select a wide range of literature Read aloud frequently- helps build community Reread regularly- notice more writers craft Make time for students to talk their way into

an understanding of the text: Start with open ended question: “what do you think” Ask if they have any questions Restate their response, “so you think…” **Students need to understand what’s written before

understanding how the author has used craft**

Using Literature with student writers: Use specific language to talk about craft:

avoid vague language Teach your students to read as writers

Ask, “what is something this writer is doing well?” Connect back to the students writing

Linger longer in selective texts: return to it again and again. Constantly find craft lessons.

Use picture books for all level learners- short to read and re-read. Focus on topic with length of time to write