Writing Workshop 101 (FLEX)

Students will learn about key writing concepts crucial for being successful writers in and out of school! This course is a great introduction, refresher, or for students who just need some extra instruction. 

The topics we will cover are: the writing process, revising and editing, sentence creation, stretching a sentence, transition words, description words, word choice, character traits, and theme vs. plot. 

The structure of the course will run something like this -

Week #1: the writing process, editing and revising - Students will complete a writing process graphic organizer as well as a graphic organizer regarding the ARMS (revising method) and CUPS (editing method) strategies. I will present these concepts using visual aids, instructional videos, and examples. Learners will also engage in collaborative activities to practice their knowledge. I will present a variety of poorly written paragraphs on an interactive google slides presentation where the entire class will edit and revise the paragraphs. Students will test their skills on the writing process using provided writing mats. 

Week #2: create a sentence, stretch a sentence - I will outline the process of structuring a coherent sentence that expresses detail and isn't boring. Again, I will use a classroom interactive google slides presentation to allow students to practice expanding a sentence. They will be shown short sentences on the slides and instructed to add details to them as a class. Students will receive an "expand the sentence" worksheet to practice at home. I will also randomly present sentence fragments to the students throughout the week that they will have to use to create their own sentence. Students will test their skills with provided writing mats. 

Week #3: word choice, description words, transition words/phrases - I will present the students with a transition words poster that includes many examples. They will receive a simple version of this poster for reference. Students will also receive a transition words flip book they can print out and assemble. This will be a great reference for them to use in the future when writing. I will also show students a poster that shows a "retired" word list and a "better choice" word list. Students will conduct a small craft in order to save these words for future reference. The activity this week will be a "fill in the blank" assignment. I will post a couple sentences randomly throughout the week, leaving spaces blank for students to add transition words and description words. I will provide the students with writing mats for at home practice. 

Week #4: character traits - Students will see a few posters that describe what a character looks like on the inside and the outside. I will present description words (like the ones we learned about last week) that can be used to describe a character. I will present the students with a few different read-aloud videos that they may choose from. They will need to pick one and analyze the characters in that book. I will provide worksheets for them to write down character traits and an all about me character portfolio. Students will complete a fun, collaborative activity with their classmates this week. They will either (a) draw a picture of a character and ask their classmates to write a few descriptive sentences or, (b) write a description for a character and ask their classmates to draw a picture. For homework, students will have a choice of two different assignments. (1) a roll a character activity or, (2) a character trait selfie. 

Week #5: theme v. plot - I will present the students with a chart the shows the differences between the plot and the theme of a story. As a class, students will work on a describing the theme and plot of the same story which I will present a read-aloud video for. Students will do this through the use of an interactive google slides presentation. For homework, students will complete a plot graphic organizer and describe the theme for any story of their choice. 

Books:
Another Squiggly Story By: Andrew Larsen Illustrated by: Mike Lowery
A Squiggly Story By: Andrew Larsen Illustrated by: Mike Lowery
Writing a How-To By: Cecilia Minden, Kate Roth
The Ant and the Grasshopper
Tiny Fox and Great Boar
The Case of the Incapacitated Capitals By: Robin Pulver Illustrated by: Lynn Rowe Reed
Punctuation By: Ann Heinrichs Illustrated by: Dan McGeehan, David Moore
End Punctuation By: Kate Riggs
The Day Punctuation Came to Town By: Kimberlee Gard
Illustrated by: Sandie Sonke
Super Comma Saves The Day! By: Nadia Higgins
Illustrated by: Mernie Gallagher-Cole
Super Question Mark Saves The Day! By: Nadia Higgins
Illustrated by: Mernie Gallagher-Cole
Super Exclamation Point Saves The Day! By: Nadia Higgins
Illustrated by: Mernie Gallagher-Cole
Super Quotation Marks Saves The Day! By: Nadia Higgins
Illustrated by: Mernie Gallagher-Cole
Super Apostrophe Saves The Day! By: Nadia Higgins
Illustrated by: Mernie Gallagher-Cole

Videos:
The Sentence Song
Editing Your Writing for Kids
Plot Moutain! The Plot Diagram by Scratch Garden
Punctuation Explained by Scratch Garden

- Throughout this class, students will engage with their peers through the use of Kahoots! and class wide games like Jeopardy! and BINGO. Nearpod will also be utilized to demonstrate what students have learned, engage in virtual field trips, and allow for classmate interaction. 

- Students will also post their completed crafts and assignments for their classmates to comment on. Students will follow along with various crafts such as coloring pages, multimedia crafts, informative diagrams, cut and paste crafts, and so much more! We will engage in activities such as interactive google presentations, mini info books, and super exciting experiments! 

- Also shared in the classroom will be exciting videos for students to watch and learn from, guided questions will be attached to each video. 

- Anchor charts will be used as visuals.