empowering writers through the interactive notebook

Empowering Writers through the Interactive

NotebookBy Jason Galvan & Alma

Sanchez

Objectives & CPQObjective

• Provide teachers with fun activities to helps students generate ideas as they write.

• Provide various writing activities that can be used in an interactive notebook.

• Use various activities to promote effective structure in student writing.

CPQ• How can these

strategies help in writing powerful compositions? (Narrative & Expository)

Narrative Writing Diamond

ENTERTAINING BEGINNING

ELABORATIVE DETAIL-Story Critical Character, Setting,

Object

SUSPENSE-or anticipation leading to the main event

THE MAIN EVENT-Show action in slow motion, frame

by frame, stretch it out! Include description and main

character’s thoughts and feelings?

Action leading to SOLUTION or problem or CONCLUSION

EXTENDED ENDING: Memory, Decision, Feeling,

Wish

Entertaining Beginning-Character, Setting & Theme

Types of beginnings…• AN ACTION: Put your main

character in your setting doing something interesting and relevant to the story.

• DIALOGUE: Have your main character say something.

• A THOUGHT OR QUESTION: Show the main character’s thoughts, or raise a story question.

• A SOUND: Grab the reader’s attention through the use of a sound.

Ask yourself…• What would you do?• What might you say or

exclaim?• What would you

wonder or worry?• What might you hear?

Word Referent1. Read your topic card-person, place or thing2. Write a main idea sentence which includes your

topic word. (Please do not write on your card.)3. Generate a list of alternative nouns and

adjectives to create synonymous words or phrases that can be used in place of your underlined word. (be sure to try out your new word referents in place of your underlined topic word.)

4. Number your word referents from the MOST GENERAL to the MOST SPECIFIC.

Word ReferentTiger

Adjective NounsBig CatWild Animal

Striped CreatureFerocious FelineStealthy Hunter (predator)

grassland dweller

Word ReferentTiger

1. Wild animal2. Big creature3. Stealthy hunter4. Striped cat

Magic of Three1. Provide list of “Red Flag Words and

Phrases”2. Complete Template for “Magic of

Three”

Red Flag Words & Phrases• A moment later…• Before I knew it…• In an instant…• In the blink of an eye…• Just as I realized…• The next thing I

knew…• After that…• A second later…• Suddenly…

• Just then…• All of a sudden…• A moment later…• In the blink of an

eye…• Without warning…• The next thing I

knew…• Instantly…• To my surprise…

Magic of ThreeRed Flag Words & Phrases

Without warning

1st Hint a flock of birds flew from the forest.

No Discovery Startled from it, I looked toward the sky and nothing else seemed out of order.

Reaction So, I ignored the incident and meandered on.

Red Flag Words & Phrases

In an instant

2nd Hint I heard branches breaking under the weight of something heavy behind me.

No Discovery I turned around, but there was nothing there.

Reaction With an uneasy feeling, I continued walking.

Red Flag Words & Phrases

Suddenly

3rd Hint I heard a loud roar behind me.

Revelation or Discovery

I turned around and found myself peering into the eyes of a giant bear!

F.A.D.D.S./Main Event Don’t Summarize! Make a Scene!

Feelings/thoughts: What were you wondering, worrying, feeling?Action: What did you do? (Tell it in slow motion, S-T-R-E-T-C-H I-T O-U-T!)Description: What did you see, hear, feel?Dialogue/Exclamation: What did you say or exclaim?Sound Effect: What did you hear?

F.A.D.D.S./Main EventI went for a ride on a roller coaster...

I went for a ride on a roller coaster. While standing in line waiting, I heard the screams coming from the air. I stepped up on my tippy toes and saw the cars looping on two large curlicue rails. I felt my stomach rise to the top of my throat because this would be my first attempt at riding a roller coaster. I now worried if I was going to make it through without vomiting. “Agh!”, my cousin had just pushed me and told me to stop holding up the line. I sat in the empty cart and heard the slam of the roller coaster restraint as the attendant pressed the button for lift off.

Extended Ending: Memory, Decision, Feeling, Wish

End with…• Learning a lesson• Making a decision• Forming an opinion• Hope for something similar or

different to happen to you in the future.

Expository Writing: Pillar of Writing

Summarizing Frameworks• Narrative Summarizing Framework

– This is a story about ________________.– The problem/adventure/experience was _________________________.– The problem/adventure/experience concluded when

__________________.• Expository Summarizing Framework

– Topic: _________________________.– Main Idea #1: ____________________.– Main Idea #2: ____________________.– Main Idea #3: ____________________.

• Informative Verbs:– Explains, shows, discover, reveal, study, examine, observe, explore

• Example: Come explore the desert and discover the unique landscape, observe the extreme climate, and examine the fascinating wildlife.

Sentence Starters• Sentence Starters for Compare and Contrast– Similar…– However…– On the other hand…– In the same way…– The traits they share…

• Sentence Starters for “how to”– The next step involves…– Be sure to…– In my experience…

Cut and Paste: Identifying Main Idea and Details

• Let’s play cut and paste.• The introduction and conclusion will

be provided. Cut out the main ideas & details, then organize them.

Pick, List & Choose (Expository Writing)

1. Pick a subject.2. Write down words that are related to

your subject. 3. Classify the words into main ideas by

circling them using different colored markers.

4. Have students choose 2 to 3 main ideas and 3 to 4 details for their Expository composition.

Pick, List & ChooseStep 1 & Step 2Dogs

German Sheppard pit-bull boarding Cancer sniffing dogchew collar comfort dog dance drool drug dog fetch fleas

food guard dog hunting dogkenel play dead rescue dog roll over shake hand shed sit smell tics toys vet working dog

Step 3Dogs

pit bullGerman Sheppardfoodtoyscollarvetboardingkennelshedaccidentschewsmelldroolfleastics

sitfetchroll overplay deadshake handdancedrug dogrescue dogcomfort dogworking doghunting dogguard dogCancer sniffing dog

Pick, List & ChooseExpenses

Food Toys

Collar Vet

Tricks

Sit Fetch

Roll Over Play Dead

Negatives

Shed Accidents

Chew Smell

The Missing Main IdeaHow do we create broad, yet distinct, main ideas?

1. Read the paragraphs in your handout. You will notice there are details, but each paragraph is missing a main idea.

2. Generate a main idea sentence for each incomplete paragraph

This requires you to use inductive reasoning: in this case, going from particular to general, or related specific

details to a broad main idea.

Main Idea Blurbs• Take you first main

idea and turn it into a sentence.– Example: Food to

pack-Packing the right picnic foods takes a lot of thought and planning

Main Idea Sentence Starters

“…provide some interesting ‘sentence starters’ to build sentence variety and encourage author’s voice in the writing! Students need alternatives to what they’re comfortable with!”

Detail Generating Question Game

1. Just the facts! 2. What does it look like? 3. Why is it important?

Detail Generating Question Game

1. Just the facts! – Ex. I have a wrench.

2. What does it look like? – Ex. I have an orange gray and green colored

wrench with a made in China inscription on the side.

3. Why is it important? – Ex. I have a wrench. I have an orange gray and

green colored wrench with a made in China inscription on the side. I have a wrench that tightens bolts and pipes.

Detail Generative Questions for Persuasive Writing

• What does that look like?• Why is that important to your

argument? (What does the reader have to gain by agreeing or lose by disagreeing?

• Can you give a specific example?• Did you acknowledge the opposing

view and counter it with a “yes…but” statement?

• Did you ask a rhetorical question?

Introductions and Conclusions

Golden Bricks• More powerful ways of showing rather than

telling! Page 243– Quote

• Words of an authority/expert on the topic– Statistic

• Information presented as a number, ratio, or percentage– Amazing fact

• Unusual, amazing, little-known fact that will surprise your reader

– Anecdote• SHORT explicit story used to illustrate a main idea

– Descriptive Statement • Vivid 2-3 sentence description using the 5 senses

Golden Bricks - Examples• Historian Elizabeth Carrera says, “The golden age of

exploration was dominated by the Portuguese and the Spaniards.”

• While at NASA, space exploration advocate and administrator Goldin increased productivity by 40%.

• Last summer my family was vacationing in Missouri where we visited the Lewis and Clark Boat House and Nature Center. We sow realistic displays of the Missouri River habitat and dioramas that tell the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Native American tribes they met.

• Look at the basic eight stud LEGO brick. If you have six of these, you can combine them in 102,981,500 different ways. In other words, LEGO collectors have millions of choices.

Golden Bricks - Posters• Great Assignment!• Find published examples of

GOLDEN BRICKS and/or transitional phrases.

• Make Posters with examples that you cut out from magazines, newspapers, or other sources!

Golden Bricks - Posters

What your expository introduction paragraph needs:

• A Lead– Catch the reader’s attention!

• A Topic Sentence– Briefly, clearly tell the reader what the

piece will be about!– (Sometimes known as “thesis

statement”)

Types of Leads• Amazing or unusual fact• Descriptive segment• Quote• Question (kids gravitate to this one!)• Statistic• Anecdote

Types of Persuasive Leads• Descriptive segment• Quote or Testimonial• Statistic• Anecdote• Rhetorical Question• Bandwagon Statement

How to Write an Introduction

• (Easy to teach once they’ve learned the Golden Bricks)

• Leads and topic sentences• Write an attention grabbing lead• Effective topic sentences

Expository Conclusion Paragraph

• “Sums Up” the Main Idea• Should NOT be totally redundant,

restating the main idea.• Example:– So now you know what frogs look like,

where they live and how they grow and change. THE END.

• Let’s look at: (specific alternatives to “I hope you enjoyed reading my report”)


• Restate each main idea as a question–Would you enjoy a nature walk by the

marsh or pond? Are you entertained by the flopping about of tadpoles and the leaping of long-legged green frogs? If so, you should get to know the common, yet fascinating frog!


• Hypothetical Anecdote– If you ever stroll along the banks of a

pond, or take a kayak or canoe out on a small lake, be on the lookout for these interesting creatures. From egg to tadpole, from tadpole to frog, these long-legged, green hopping amphibians will definitely catch your eye. Without a doubt, these comical croakers are fascinating!


• Word Referent–Would you enjoy a nature walk by the

marsh or pond? Are you entertained by the flopping about of tadpoles and the leaping of long-legged green amphibians? If so, you should get to know the common, yet fascinating frog!


• Use a definitive word or phrase–Would you enjoy a nature walk by the

marsh or pond? Are you entertained by the flopping about of tadpoles and the leaping of long-legged green frogs? If so, you should certainly get to know the common, yet fascinating frog!


• Informative verbs– If you ever stroll along the banks of a

pond, or take a kayak or canoe out on a small lake, be on the lookout for these interesting creatures. You can explore their habitat and observe them from egg to tadpole, tadpole to frog. These long-legged, green hopping amphibians will certainly catch your eye. Without a doubt, these comical croakers are fascinating!


• Restate the general topic sentence–Would you enjoy a nature walk by the

marsh or pond? Are you entertained by the flopping about of tadpoles and the leaping of long-legged green frogs? If so, you should certainly get to know the amazing, fascinating frog!

Persuasive Conclusion Paragraphs

• Use vivid language• “Now or Never” statement• Highlight the most important

argument• Use a definitive word or phrase• Call to action

Flip the SentenceStudents recognize redundant sentence variety (the “broken record”) and learn how to “flip the sentence subject.”

Flip the Sentence1. She had long black curly hair. – Long black curly hair fell over her shoulders.

2. She had sparkling green eyes.– Sparkling green eyes twinkled at me.

3. She had a white fur coat.– A white fur coat draped over her small frame.

4. She had black shiny boots.– Black shiny boots covered her feet.

5. She had a big black poodle on a leash.– A big black poodle on a leash led the way.

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