debsWritingCraftLessons

Click on Triangle by Month

2008-08-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

My son told me that if you click on the triangle by the Month, all the lessons I wrote that month appear in a list. Many of you already know this. This is a 'duh' statement if you already know. But if you don't know, aren't you glad I told you? I mentioned to my 17 year-old that I wished the lessons didn't disappear. He just shook his head and rolled his eyes and clicked on the triangle. Now I know. Who knew? Click on the triangle. Read the comments. I posted lots of treasures there. Yeah Andrew for teaching his mama new computer tricks!

Strong Emotion Writing Minilesson

2008-08-21T22:16:00.001-07:00

Stacey at Two Writing Teachers wrote an awesome writing minilesson about strong emotions. Here is the link. Do you love the candy Skittles? Stacey combines candy and writing into an awesome lesson.

Stacey's Strong Emotions Minilesson link

Fireflies Dialogue Examples

2008-08-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Adding dialogue to bring characters to life

Connection
Writers, I love the way that you are reliving parts of your life as you write your stories and including vivid verbs that bring the action to life! Today I want to show you how you can use dialogue to bring the characters in your stories to life.

Demonstration
Let’s take another look inside the story of Fireflies and see how the author used dialogue to bring the character’s to life.

The first example of dialogue is when Momma says, “Don’t let your dinner get cold.” I think the author included this line to help us realize that the boy in the story was distracted by the thought of fireflies.

The second example of dialogue in the book Fireflies that the author wrote is included here: We ran like crazy, barefoot in the grass. “Catch them, catch them!” we cried, grasping at the lights. I think the author included this line to help us realize that the children are excited and energetic about catching fireflies.

Another example of dialogue that the author included is when the author wrote: I went to the window, opened the jar, and aimed it at the stars. “Fly!” I think the author included this line to help us realize that the boy is empathic to the fireflies.
What I notice about all three examples of dialogue is that the author is selective about the words that the characters actually say. Each time the character says a vivid verb and I can picture the action. The mood is set by these simple words and it helps us to know about the character.

Active Engagement
To practice, let’s look at a story I wrote yesterday. Discuss with your partner a place where you think I could add a line or two of dialogue to make the characters come alive. Remember, you might not know what was said, but sometimes you can invent or stretch the truth.
Have one or two partners share. Further explain that lines of dialogue usually have a tag line that explains who is talking. Some lines of dialogue have simple tags (they said.), some have action tags (we cried, grasping at the lights.), and some have interrupted tags, (“Holes,” I remembered, “we remembered, “so they can breathe.”) Sometimes, a line of dialogue has no tag at all (“Fly.”)

Link
Writers, today when you go off to writer, I would like you to try to include a line of dialogue in a story you are working on and then, since you are your own job captains, decide what you are going to do next in your writing today.

Books for Memoirs and Narratives

2008-08-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

More Memoir Texts

When I was Little: A Four-Year Old's Memoir of Her Youth by jamie Lee Curtis
When Frank was Four by Alison Lester
When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
My Very Own Room by Amanda Irma Perez
Isla by Arthur Dorros
Shortcut by Donald Crews
The Lemon Drop Jar by Christine Widman
The Upside Down Boy by Juan Felipe Herrera

Mentor Text Suggestions

2008-08-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present by John Burningham
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting
Something Beautiful by Sharon Wyeth
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
The Day Gogo Went to Vote by Elaine Sisilu
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Gooney Bird Greene by Lois Lowry
The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills

Mentor Text Stellaluna lesson

2008-08-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

I love writing lessons to get teachers started. I have 30 copies of Stellaluna. Janell Cannon is incredible. I used her book yearly with my second graders. I hope you will too!

link to the Stellaluna lesson

Mentor Texts

2008-08-03T09:18:00.001-07:00

Two Writing Teachers started the party and added more to the mentor texts party!

http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2008/07/13/rwconnections-conferring/

LOTS of teaching points for Those Shoes! Maybe Stacey will share a couple of these teaching points on this blog? She shares all of her teaching points on her draft. She is so smart! Stacey is generous and always shares her writing and thinking.
http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/the-makings-of-a-true-mentor-text/

Those Shoes is wonderful!
Maribeth Boelts' Website

Abby loved the book!

She still retells every detail!
Abby retelling THOSE SHOES

Here is the link that Stacey refers to in her comments: http://twowritingteachers.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/those-shoes-draft-using-books-to-teach-craft-v1-shubitz.pdf.

Stellaluna Teaching Point

2008-08-02T12:16:00.001-07:00

Stellaluna is an awesome book filled with craft. This is a link to my other blog.

http://www.debrennersmith.com/2008/07/writing-specific-teaching-points-craft.html

Cynthia Rylant Teaching Points

2008-08-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

Specific Teaching Points with Craft Using Cynthia Rylants book on my other blog

http://www.debrennersmith.com/2008/07/writing-specific-teaching-points-craft_15.html

Compound Sentences

2008-07-27T17:04:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses. Conjunctions are connectors that link equal words, phrases, or clauses. Coordinating conjunctions cue readers in on the relationships. (Jeff Anderson, Mechanically Inclined)

Conjunctions spell out the acronym FANBOYS:
For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So

Do writers need this? Maybe, maybe not! However, on most state tests, students are asked about this rule.

Simile

2008-07-27T14:04:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
A simile is a technique that the author uses to describe the unknown by comparing it to the known. Authors use similes to describe something quickly rather than writing a long description.

Commas in a Series

2008-07-26T20:31:00.001-07:00

Name the Craft
Use commas between items in a series

Vary Sentence Length

2008-07-26T20:27:00.001-07:00

Name the Craft
Notice that the author uses a variety of different lengths of sentences.

Snapshots

2008-07-26T20:25:00.001-07:00

Name the Craft

When the writer wants the reader to picture a moment in time, the writer will describe the sounds, the smells, the specific action. Often the writer will pretend to take a snapshot or a photograph of the setting and visualize it. What do you see in this moment of time? How will you describe this moment for the reader?

Italics

2008-07-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Notice that the author uses a special font for emphasis when writing.

Homophones

2008-07-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Homophones - As writers we have to think about the meanings of words.

Apostrophes in Contractions

2008-07-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Apostrophes
The contraction shows the reader that a letter was left out and two words were put together. We use contractions all the time when we speak. The apostrophe marks the spot where the letters were taken out.

2 word sentence (Jeff Anderson idea)

2008-07-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
A complete thought that tells who and what did you do. A two word sentence tells who and what you did.

Fragment vs. Complete Sentence

2008-07-26T20:04:00.001-07:00

Name the Craft
A fragment is missing a subject or verb. A fragment does not contain a complete thought. Conjunctions link two sentences together instead of starting a new sentence.

"Said" tag substitutions

2008-07-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Notice when the author uses a different word for said.

Tell a Feeling, Give a Reason

2008-07-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Think about the actions that the character did to show instead of tell.

Naming Specific Names

2008-07-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Specific Names

Shrink A Century, Using Transition Words Effectively

2008-07-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Shrink A Century
Using Transition Words Effectively
Skipping Time
Compressing Time
Skipping unimportant information

Explode the Moment

2008-07-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft

-Explode the Moment, Slow the pace, Create suspense

Add Dialogue

2008-07-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Adding Dialogue - Think about what the person actually said.

Binoculars - Zoom In

2008-07-26T19:48:00.001-07:00

Name the Craft

Binoculars (developed by Barry Lane of www.discoverwriting.com) is a wonderful writing strategy of describing visual details. We describe routines and habits.

Strong Verbs

2008-07-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Instead of telling our writers to use strong verbs in their writing, we want to instruct our writers how and why to use these verbs in their writing.

Effective Conclusions

2008-07-26T19:41:00.001-07:00

Name the Craft

Effective conclusions wrap up the story like the ribbon of a birthday present.

Transition Words

2008-07-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
Transition Words

Something I notice that the author uses transitions to move the characters through the story.

Ellipses

2008-07-26T19:28:00.001-07:00

Name the Craft
Ellipses - Notice that the author has used ellipsis in the writing.

Thoughtshots - Internal Monologues

2008-07-26T19:22:00.001-07:00

Name the Craft
Thoughtshots (Internal Monologues, Dialogues, Thoughts, Feelings, Flashback, Flashforward)
Think about what the person actually thought inside their head. Write about was going on inside the character's mind. See if you can include at least two sentences that show what the character was thinking.

Effective Leads

2008-07-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

Name the Craft
I notice that when writing a lead the author includes the character doing a small action while it is obvious the character is somewhere.