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on 2/26/2013
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Continuing with my Wednesday 6 +1 traits of writing lessons to go with my book, Finding My Place, today I’m going to talk about a lesson in sentence fluency, using Finding My Place.
One of the writing skills you teach with sentence fluency is having sentences of different lengths that start with different words when you are writing a section of your story. When you vary your sentences like this, the overall voice sounds more natural and the writing tends to flow better. The point is to study a published work like my book to see how a professional author uses this skill. Then talk to kids about it and show them how they can do this in their own writing also.
Pick any chapter in the book, such as chapter 23, “Missing Ma.” Read a section out loud to children. Next show them the section and ask them to write down the first word of each sentence. Ask them to notice how the first word varies. It can be repeated, but it is not always the same word. Also ask students to count how many words are in each sentence. They will notice that some sentences are long and some are short. (You can also talk to students about how during times of action or excitement, authors tend to use shorter sentences.) Finally talk about the different styles of sentences. Some start with phrases, others are subject/verb, and so on.
Once you’ve studied the book, then talk to students about looking for these types of things in their own writing–if it seems too much for your students, then choose one–such as varying sentence beginnings.
For more information on Finding My Place, please go to http://margodill.com/blog/ .
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on 2/20/2013
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Here’s a simple word choice lesson you can do with kids while reading FINDING MY PLACE: ONE GIRL’S STRENGTH AT VICKSBURG or really any historical fiction book. Word choice is one of the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing.
One thing about the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing that I love is that these are the terms that professional writers use–from voice to word choice. So, when talking to kids about word choice, using a published book, you can say: “Authors have to make decisions about word choice all the time. Here’s this author’s story.”
When I wrote Finding My Place, it was very hard for me to write from a 13-year-old girl’s point of view during THE CIVIL WAR. I remembered being 13, so it was easy for me to get feelings down. But I kept using contemporary words. My critique group would say, “I don’t think people used the word OKAY or STUPID in 1863 like they do today. That doesn’t sound natural.” My word choice was off, and it messed with the authenticity of my book. So, I had to find words that did make sense during 1863, such as Anna calling James, “a loon,” or saying, “all right” instead of “okay.” I also tried to put a little Southern flavor in my dialogue through word choice instead of writing out how they might have talked. For example, Mrs. Franklin uses “y’all” and the kids refer to the Union Soldiers as “Blue Bellies” and “Yankees.”
Another thing that I had trouble with in dealing with word choice is using the words bomb and shell. First of all, I had to find ways not to repeat bomb or shell a million times during the periods in my book when the characters were experiencing being bombed. And people would argue with me that Vicksburg citizens wouldn’t have said, “BOMB!” Luckily, I read a diary from a woman who lived during 1863, and she used the words “shell” and “bomb” in her entries.
What you can do with children to discuss word choice in a mini-lesson is: pick a line or two out of the book–this can be done in any chapter and with any character and even with narrative. CHANGE some of the word choices to inappropriate ones and see how children think and work to improve the word choice. Then share the original lines from the book with them.
As I said, this can be done with any historical fiction book or really any book with strong word choice. Children LOVE to correct you or the author, and will work hard to find words that are unique and specific in this exercise.
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on 2/13/2013
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Speaking to the COSMO group in Columbia, MO
Today, I have a few things to share with you about Finding My Place: One Girl’s Strength at Vicksburg: a story about my recent “book tour” , a story from someone who bought the book, and a quick lesson on VOICE, one of the 6 + 1 traits of writing–so let’s go!
Going On a Book Tour
Last week, my good friend, who is just like a mother-in-law to me (that’s a story for another post!), Pamela Anderson from Columbia, MO invited me to stay at her house with my two-year-old and speak to her COSMO group (diabetes research) and Pachyderms (the first club ever in the U.S.) and then organized a breakfast for me of old friends–all to promote my book. My husband came, too, and the trip was a huge success! I was worried about my talk because I was used to speaking to either groups of writers, teachers, or kids; but I tied the story of taking 11 years for my book to be published (FIVE after I signed the contract) to never giving up and following your dreams. People seemed to really relate to it, even if they weren’t writers because when I finished talking, there was actually a line to buy a copy of my book! I met the most interesting and nice people–one woman was almost 90-years-old and had been researching her family on the Trail of Tears for over 30 years. Her determination and spirit made my trip. The breakfast with old friends was so great, and my two-year-old came to that–I was a little worried about this, as she is not in the “patient” stage. But even she was so good and ATE, too. (You mothers of toddlers know what an accomplishment this is.)
I am so thankful to Pamela Anderson (the retired air traffic controller, not the actress) for organizing AND my husband Rick and my good, good friend Michelle Pfeiffer (I swear–I have a friend named Pamela Anderson and Michelle Pfeiffer–both married last names!) for helping me with KB!
A Cool, Heartwarming Story
My mom’s friend, Bobette, bought a book for her grandson, Gavin. He is in fifth grade. My mom and Bobette have been friends for longer than I’ve been alive (not telling you how long that is!); and I’ve met Gavin before, but he lives in a different state–so I don’t know him well. Anyway, as the sweet kid that he is, he took my book to his fifth grade teacher and said that he HAD to read if for independent reading because this was written by a family friend. The teacher was reluctant–this is understandable because she has NO IDEA who I am–but agreed to read the book to see what she thought. (What an awesome teacher!) After she finished reading it, she agreed Gavin could read it, and even better–she put my book on her reading list. WOW! Thank you!
A Lesson in Voice: 6 + 1 Traits of Writing
This is a quick lesson you can do with ANY book, not just Finding My Place. But it works better with novel length books.
1. Once you and your students have read at least half of the book, they should be familiar with the main characters’ voices. For example, in Finding My Place, students should be able to recognize Anna, Sara, James, Mrs. Franklin, and possibly Dr. Franklin and Stuart, too.
2. Review what VOICE is. This is such a hard concept for children to understand–there is an overall voice to the book, which is Anna’s in FMP, but then each character also has their own voice. Voice is the way the words sound together, and authors have their own distinct voice. For example, you can easily tell the difference between my book and one written by Mark Twain! (HA!)
3. Each student should have a piece of paper, numbered 1-10. You, the teacher (or students can take turns doing it to) or parent, read a line or two from FMP–it could be Anna’s narrative or dialogue OR dialogue from one of the main characters. Then ask students to write down whose VOICE they think that is.
4. After revealing the correct answers, discuss with students how they knew that Mrs. Franklin said what she did or that it was Anna speaking–what is different about the VOICE?
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on 2/11/2013
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This is a book I am EXTREMELY excited to tell you about for several reasons. . .
- I helped to edit this book in its beginning stages in 2009, as part of my Editor 911 business.
- It is a terrific HISTORICAL FICTION book for upper middle grade/tween/younger YA audience by a delightful author.
- Ice Cube Press is a wonderful small publisher that also published DIVORCE GIRL (see my post:http://margodill.com/blog/2012/07/30/the-divorce-girl-blog-tour-and-giveaway-ya-or-adult/ ) which is one of the best books I read last year!
- You can use this book to teach history AND writing lessons such as voice. There are TERRIFIC voices throughout this book.
*Historical fiction, upper-middle grade/tween/younger YA (set during the Orphan Train days)
*Three main characters: a street-smart boy, an older sister, and a younger sister–all three have chapters in their voice
*Rating: Well, is it appropriate to give a rating to a book you helped to edit? For the Love of Pete is a very well-written book with an interesting story/adventure that will appeal to both boys and girls–perfect for the classroom and/or home school setting!
Short, short summary:
The book starts out with a bang! Iris and her sister Rosie have to flee their New York tenement when their mother is murdered. This puts them out on the street, where they meet a “street rat”, Pete (love this character!). The three come to rely on each other and become friends. When they are put on the Orphan Train and taken to Iowa, they hope to stay together–but adults have different ideas about where the children should be and with whom. However, you can’t squash a child’s spirit or determination, and Pete, Iris, and Rosie work hard to get back together again.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. Compare a nonfiction book, such as Orphan Train Rider: One Boy’s True Story by Andrea Warren, to Ethel Barker’s book. What makes For the Love of Pete historical fiction? What true facts can you learn from it about the Orphan Train? Can you tell the author did research to make the characters experience the same things as the actual boys on the Orphan Train? (The back of the book does have a small section on the Orphan Train with a photo of boys living on the street.)
2. As mentioned, this book is told in three different voices–Pete, Rosie, and Iris. Ethel Barker does an amazing job with each voice, and this is a perfect example of voice to use with a six plus one traits lesson. You can read a bit of each chapter to the students, and without looking, they can tell you which character is speaking. Which voice do they hear? What makes that voice unique? Is it word choice? Sentence fluency? Which voice do they like best? Have a discussion about voice using this book as a starting point (since it has such a strong voice!).
3. This is also a great book to study characters, motivation, and feelings. Each character has their own motivation throughout the story (and it changes a bit as the characters develop). For example, ask students what is Pete’s motivation in the beginning of the book for helping the sisters. How does he follow through on this? Why does this motivation fit his character? As for feelings, how does Iris feel toward the end of the book? (Sad and determined) Why?
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on 2/6/2013
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I am currently creating a short guide (PDF or Word) that shows how you can use my book, Finding My Place: One Girl’s Strength at Vicksburg (ages 9 to 12) in 6 + 1 Traits of Writing lessons. The guide will be free for the teachers at any workshops I do at schools and if a teacher/home school parent buys a copy of my book. To give a little preview, I thought I would show an excerpt of each trait on the next few Wednesdays. So, here we go. . .
IDEA is one of the 6 + 1 traits of writing. It is important to start with a good idea when you write because it makes it easier for the words to flow and more interesting for the reader. Usually the first idea we come up with is not our best idea. We need to dig deeper to find a unique idea. You can do this with brainstorming, word webs, free writing, talking to a friend, or even research. For example with my book, I wanted to write about the Civil War for kids, but there are already a ton of books out there about the Civil War. SO, I had to dig deeper, and I did some research. Then, I decided to tell a story from the Confederate viewpoint, make the main character a citizen and a girl instead of a solider/drummer and a boy, and I set it during one specific battle that had extremely interesting elements, such as the citizens living in caves to protect themselves from the Yankees’ bombs.
In Finding My Place: One Girl’s Strength at Vicksburg, Anna, my 13-year-old main character, loves to write. She writes about events that happen in her daily life, poems, fiction stories, and letters. In one section toward the end of the book (page 134, chapter 21), Michael, Anna’s older brother, asks her to tell a story she has written. At first, she doesn’t want to because she doesn’t think it is a very good idea. Then when she does tell it, she realizes she never really ended the story. She started with the premise of a selfish orphan living with an elderly woman, who delivers food to his room. One day the food stops coming, and the orphan gets angry. He must leave his room to investigate.
Michael asks her what happened, and Anna replies, “Yes, she had a heart attack. I never really finished the story.”
Here’s where you can use the IDEA trait with your students and this premise. Give them 10 minutes to brainstorm an ending to Anna’s story. Give them a few questions to think about: What could have happened to the elderly lady? What did the orphan do next? Does the elderly lady necessarily have to be deceased? Could she be teaching the orphan a lesson? And so on.
After the 10-minute brainstorm session, have students discuss their ideas with a partner. Then have a class discussion, where you make a list of the different ideas.
When concluding the lesson, talk to students about a fiction story they have written and ask them to think about their ending. Are they satisfied with it? Could they use these techniques to come up with an alternate (and perhaps better!) ending? Work on these new endings during the next writing period.
For more information on FINDING MY PLACE and to read an excerpt, please go to this link: http://margodill.com/blog/finding-my-place/
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! It’s been a super busy weekend, and so I decided this post was going to tell you about my favorite Martin Luther King Jr. activity! I hope however you are celebrating today that you are doing it with loved ones and remembering what this day is all about–fighting for what we believe in–fighting for equal rights for all people. (Maybe you are even watching President Barack Obama take the oath for the 2nd time!)
Here is a lesson that introduces Martin Luther King, Jr to the kids and also teaches voice, one of the six traits of writing. It also features the book written by Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sister, My Brother Martin. You can find the lesson plan at this link: http://margodill.com/blog/2010/01/13/wacky-wednesday-ideas-for-lesson-plans-for-martin-luther-king-jr-day/
If you have a great resource, link, book, or favorite lesson plan for Martin Luther King, Jr, please share it.
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on 9/3/2012
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This week, my cyber buddy and fellow WOW! team member, Darcy Pattison, is hosting Random Acts of Publiclity 2012. The purpose is to talk about someone else’s book and be a cheerleader for a lesser known author and/or book. This year, she’d also like you to focus on conversations about a book. How do we start a conversation about a book? What do we talk about? SO, in this post, I am going to introduce you to a new and beautiful picture book from an indie press, tell you how you could use it in the classroom, and ask you a question I would love to get some answers to!
Before all of this, though, I need to announce the winner of Chynna Laird’s DARK WATER (YA novel), and it is. .. SueBe. Please email me, Sue, and let me know if you would prefer a print copy or an ecopy.
RANDOM ACTS OF PUBLICITY!
Short, short summary: The book I want to share with you from Crickhollow Books is Didn’t We Have Fun! The illustrations/paintings are by Hilda Robinson, and Hilda also narrated the text to Jeff Kunkel, who actually wrote it down. This is a BEAUTIFUL book, that children and adults will love. I think it fits maybe a first grade through third grade crowd, as some of the pages have several words. Basically, Hilda shared her childhood with Jeff who recorded it and then she illustrated it. From growing up in Philadelphia in a family with six children before the age of television to weekends and school and cuddling with their mom, this book presents a view of what it was like to grow up in a close African-American family, when children loved to play outside and families did not have a lot of money but were full of love. This is a great book for Black History Month, for studying the past, and as an example of VOICE when talking about the 6 +1 traits of writing. I think art teachers could also use this book.
The best page in this book is: “Didn’t We Have Fun!” What a beautiful poem about not having much growing up-no car, no TV, and not much money. “But we had parents who loved us, a good home, plenty to eat, and lots of books, games, and friends. Best of all, we had each other!” What a beautiful sentiment. But what is even more beautiful are the illustrations. Amazing!
Let’s talk about this book!
Since it’s Random Acts of Publicity Week, let’s discuss this book. This is not a typical picture book. I’m glad to see an indie press publish it because it is a beautiful book. But it does not tell a continual story or introduce a concept like many picture books. It also has A LOT OF WORDS–I’m not sure my 22-month-old daughter would let me read it to her, but she would love the bright and colorful paintings of the children in the book. As an adult, I love this book. It is a glimpse into the American past, to a simpler time and kids could play outside with no worries.
So, what do you think is more important for a picture book–to be a funny or short or a concept for children, so they’ll keep asking to see it over and over again?
OR
For the adults to enjoy it and want to share it with their children or students?
OR
Both?
I’m curious about this, and in the meantime, check out the beautiful Didn’t We Have Fun!
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on 6/18/2012
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Today, I welcome author Maggie Lyons who will talk about her new novel, Vin and the Dorky Duet. Here’s a brief summary of the plot from Maggie’s website before we get on to the questions and her insightful answers!
The moment he walks through the door and sees the sharky grin on his older sister’s face, Vin suspects Meg’s hatching a plot. He’s right. Worse still, he’s central to the outcome. Meg tells him that their music teachers, parents—everyone— expects him to play her duet for trumpet and piano at the upcoming student concert. Vin is horrified. Meg insists that his only escape route is to persuade another trumpet player to take his place. She has the hunky Brad Stewart in mind, and she challenges Vin to introduce her to him. Vin doesn’t know Brad any better than Meg does, but Meg points out that Vin takes a couple of classes at school with Brad’s nerdy brother. Eyeballs Stewart is the last person Vin wants to make friends with until Meg’s promise of a David Beckham autographed soccer jersey changes the seventh-grader’s mind. He has five days to accomplish his mission—Operation BS—before the concert practice schedule kicks in. Vin’s game plan, thwarted by exploding fish tanks, magnetic compost heaps, man-eating bubble baths, and other disasters doesn’t work out exactly as he expects.
Margo: Congratulations, Maggie, on the recent publication of the middle-grade novel, Vin and the Dorky Duet. What was your inspiration for this story?
Maggie: Inspiration wafted in from my love of music and my addiction to challenges—which I don’t always meet, I must confess. I was trained as a classical pianist; and throughout my life, music has been my favorite language, my confidant, my religion. As for challenges, anyone who wants to live—as opposed to vegetating—must try to meet them, don’t you think? Vin and the Dorky Duet is about a challenge that a seventh-grader gamely takes on, though with unexpected results. My challenge in writing the story is to encourage reluctant readers to turn a few pages. I’d be thrilled if the book succeeds on that level because enthusiasm for reading as a child is critical to success as an adult.
Margo: So true! I loved to read as a child, and I bet you did, too. Who would you say is the perfect audience for this book?
Maggie: Children ages seven or eight through twelve.
Margo: Thanks! What themes do you address?
Maggie:
1. Life’s challenges: Challenges in life are often unavoidable and a life without challenges is boring, even for a plant.
2. Music: Learning to play a musical instrument can be fun, and little brain cells love it.
3. Judging others: You shouldn’t make up your mind about people you’ve only just met; some people’s wonderful personalities have to be coaxed out of hiding.
4. Sibling relationships, the good and the bad;
5. Children’s names, nicknames, and shortened names;
6. Endangered species: Many whales are endangered species.
7. Sports: Soccer, rowing, swimming
Margo: What a great list–and a great resource for parents and teachers. I like to tell parents and teachers how they can USE books with children. What could parents use your book to teach children? Can you suggest a couple activities or discussion points that go with it?
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Today we are talking about the new, pretty-much WORDLESS, book from Mercer Mayer. But don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Meredith Zeitlin’s YA book Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters and check out her book trailer here.
Now. . .Octopus Soup
*Picture book for preschoolers through third graders (really any level if you see my activities)
*A poor little octopus as the main character
*Rating: I love wordless books for all the opportunities they provide. My 16-month-old daughter sat STILL while I shared these illustrations with her and told her what was going on! Octopus Soup is a winner!
Short, short summary:
Told like a comic book strip with no words, this is the story of a little octopus who goes on an adventure by hitching a ride on a fishing boat. He winds up in a restaurant where the chef starts thinking, OCTOPUS SOUP! This causes a major chase through the streets to the dock, where the chef THINKS he has his octopus. But luckily the little guy has law enforcement on his side! When the octopus gets back into the ocean, his parents are super happy!
So what do I do with this book?
1. VOICE– You can do so many 6 + 1 traits of writing activities with this book. You can do VOICE. Let students write and give the characters a voice. What is the little octopus thinking/saying? How about the chef? What about the parents in the end? How about the lady shopping for melons? And so on. Students can write in paragraph or sentence form depending on their age. They can even write dialogue and practice punctuation.
2. WORD CHOICE–pick a page and tell what is going on. Concentrate on word choice when writing descriptions or even emotions of the characters. The students can use ANY WORDS THEY WANT because the story is there, but Mercer Mayer hasn’t put any words in their head yet (except maybe the ones in the illustrations!) Challenge students to come up with different words to describe the octopus, the soup, the ocean, and so on.
3. SENTENCE FLUENCY–Again, since there are no words, students (in shared writing or on their own) can write the story. Work on telling the story with sentences that start different ways or are varying lengths. This is the PERFECT sentence fluency, 6 + 1 traits lesson!
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on 1/22/2012
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*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*A creative cat as the main character
*Rating: Chester is such a great illustrator and author–who needs that Melanie Watt? If you haven’t read any of the Chester the cat series of books yet (with NO HELP FROM Melanie), then you must check one out. So cute and funny!
Short, short summary: Chester the cat has hidden his owner’s, author and illustrator Melanie Watt’s, supplies and has taken over the creation of the book with his red pen. Chester is trying to write a masterpiece. First he steals from Twas the Night Before Christmas, and then he goes through a series of exercises to break his writer’s block. Once he’s ready, he writes some stories about himself and mouse–always ending unhappily with something tragic happening to mouse! In the end, Melanie finds her art supplies in a terrible hiding spot. . .Kids and adults will get a kick out of this hysterical picture book.
So what do I do with this book?
1. This is such a cute book. I love how “Melanie Watt” leaves editorial notes to Chester on “yellow Post-it notes.” Children will LOVE this book, and they will love to leave their own notes to Chester. While reading it, let them have some stickee notes and they can jot a few things down to Chester about his illustrations, his stories, etc.
2. This book has a lot of reading lessons in it. For example, Melanie tells Chester he needs a setting. They both draw a jungle. She asks what type of story he plans to write, and he goes through several genres like humor, action, and romance. They talk about endings, problems, and characters. It is full of things writers need to think about and address when writing a story. You can start a discussion with your class on these topics, using Chester and his masterpiece as a starting point.
3. For fun, let children try to guess where Chester hid Melanie’s art supplies. See if anyone is correct by the end of the book!
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on 1/11/2012
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I had the best of intentions to do a blog post on this book: That’s My Dog before I went out of town. However, I’m still getting my stuff together and now my dear daughter is crying. So, I will do this book justice with three activities on another day, but I want to tell you that if you have never checked it out, you must do so at the link below.
It is a book that will help children understand adjectives, how to make their writing more specific, word choice, superlatives and more. Plus, my daughter as a toddler LOVES DOGS–so even she can appreciate the book because she loves the illustrations and the simple text.
Go to your library, check out this book!
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If you haven’t visited my picture book giveaway yet for Chickens on the GO!, please do so now. You don’t want to miss this SUPER CUTE picture book. Click here.
Now on to this FUNNY, FUNNY picture book that dog owners EVERYWHERE have to check out–this is another one of those picture books that are perfect for any age reader.
*Picture book, preschooler through third grader, fantasy–since the dogs and cats are writing letters
*Loveable dog and not-so-loveable cat as main characters
*Rating: If you love Dear Abby or any of the self-help talk shows, you will love Mr. Mutt. He solves all the dogs’ dilemmas. See if you recognize any of these going on in your home with your poor, mistreated dogs. . . (I love this book!)
Short, short summary:
Mr. Mutt accepts letters from all his dog fans, and they write him with the most common dog dilemmas of the day. For example, there’s “Famished in Florida” whose people have put him on a diet! He is so hungry his stomach is growling louder than he growls, and he also complains that the fat cat gets fancy food from a tiny can, while he gets tasteless gravel from a giant sack! Mr. Mutt sympathizes with Famished and explains to him where he can get some food–on the counter tops, the trash can, the baby’s high chair (MY DOG HAS LEARNED THAT FOR SURE!), and to top off the meal–a drink from the toilet. Then Mr. Mutt reminds Famished he is a top dog and that cats are spoiled rotten. Of course, Mr. Mutt has a cat to deal with himself, the Queen, and she writes her own opinions down.
Help Me, Mr. Mutt continues in this fashion with dogs writing letters full of problems to Mr. Mutt, and he answers them back with the best dog advice, and The Queen cat also gives her two cents. It is so cute and funny, and I really think adults will get a huge kick out of it, too.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. Kids will love writing a letter to Mr. Mutt–especially if Mr. Mutt can answer them back! They can either write as a dog OR write as a human with a pet question. Kids would enjoy getting a letter back from The Queen, too. One huge classroom letter would do.
2. The end of the book is told in mostly illustrations and “newspaper” clippings. The rest of the book is told in letter form with help from the illustrations. This is a form of organization, one of the 6 + 1 traits of writing. What do kids think about the organization? Can they tell the end of the story, even though it is not traditionally told with words? Also discuss with students how picture books have much of the story in illustrations, too, and how it is important to pay attention to both the words and pictures in a picture book. (Another part of the organization is there is an overall problem–the cat/dog dilemma, and then several little problems with the individual letters.)
3. If you have to teach parts of a letter or letter writing, what a great book to do it with. It’s much more fun to learn about letter writing from a humorous picture book like Help Me, Mr. Mutt than it is from a Language Arts textbook.
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*Author: Eve Yohalem *Publisher: Telemachus Press
*Chapter book for readers 6 to 10 (actually it’s a collection of humorous short stories)
*Bird and Grandpa as main characters
*Rating: Kids will LOVE Grandpa Hates the Bird!. The stories have a great voice and are full of humor–a blessing in today’s kids’ lit!
Short, short summary:
“Every February, my family takes a one-week holiday some place warm. Mother and Father, Joseph and Maya pack their bathing suits, sunglasses, and good books and head south. I do not join them because I am the bird.
Instead I go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house where they have an extra cage for me, one with a
particularly jaunty bell I like very much and some braided string and beads I don’t like at all.”
So starts the short story collection. . .Grandpa Hates the Bird The bird goes on to tell the reader that Grandma has a business trip at the same time as the family’s trip some place warm, and so the bird and Grandpa will be left ALONE. And as dear, young Joseph says, “But Mom, Grandpa hates the bird!” See you’re hooked, aren’t you? What’s going to happen when these two are left alone? Will they both survive? You’ll have to read to find out. The short story collection involves the bird and attempts to explain some of the mysteries began in story one!
(only $2.99)
So what do I do with this book?
1. The voice is strong in this book. Use it as a good example of voice when you are teaching the six plus one traits of writing.
2. Write the story from another character’s perspective. Would it be a different story if written from Grandpa’s POV? What about one of the children? It might be too much for one student/ child to write the whole story form a new pov, so divide the work in half.
3. Use this short story collection to teach some character education, too. Does he really hate the bird? How can these two solve their problem with conflict resolution skills.
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on 11/20/2011
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Before I talk about the new TRILINGUAL picture book, My Sister is My Best Friend by Nicole Weaver (Guardian Angel Publishing), I would like to announce the winner of Melissa Goodwin’s book, The Christmas Village. The winner is Beth F.! Thank you, Beth, for your comment, and happy holidays to everyone who left a comment and shared a tradition.
Now on to. . .My Sister is My Best Friend:
*Picture book, contemporary fiction for preschool through 1st graders
*Two twin girls as main characters
*Rating: A sweet book, especially for anyone (young or old!) with sisters. Plus, children can start to learn some Spanish and French while reading the book. It celebrates FAMILY!
Short, short summary:
Nicole Weaver’s book begins with these lines: “I am lucky my sister is my best friend. We do everything together.” And then the Spanish and French are listed neatly underneath the English AND accompanied by super-cute illustrations by Clara Batton Smith. The book goes on (it’s more like a concept book about family/sisters than a story with a problem/solution) to tell the interesting things the sisters like to do together such as playing with their dog, riding the see-saw at the park, and chasing butterflies. Again, each page contains a cute illustration and the text in English, French, and Spanish. A great book for a classroom or for a home library!
So, what do I do with this book?
1. There’s an automatic lesson built into this book, which is always great for any parent, teacher, or librarian. Children can see how English translates into French and Spanish. They can try to pick out the important words like sister and friend. If you know someone who can speak Spanish/French, invite them in to read the book with a proper accent!
2. Your students/child can make a similar book about their sister, brother, mom, dad, cousin, and so on. For example, one child could create: My Mother is My Best Friend; another could write My Cousin is My Best Friend. After children write a few pages (or just illustrate if they are preschoolers), they can share their pages/books with classmates.
3. Nicole Weaver has included some wonderful details and word choice in her picture book. For example, take this page (in English): “Sometimes just for fun, we shriek and run as fast as we can …pretending to be orangutans.” The six plus one traits of writing, Word Choice, celebrates words such as “shriek” or the choice of pretending to be orangutans, instead of just monkeys. Both of these words present clear images in the readers’ mind. What other examples of good word choice can readers find in the book?
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on 11/16/2011
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Today, I am very excited to welcome middle-grade novelist, Melissa Goodwin, who is on a WOW! blog tour with her book, The Christmas Village. AND EVEN MORE EXCITING–I HAVE A PAPERBACK COPY TO GIVEAWAY. One lucky reader who leaves a comment or question for Melissa OR who shares their favorite holiday decoration/tradition in a comment by Sunday, November 20 at 8:00 p.m. CST has a chance to win this book. (United States and Canada mailing addresses only please.)
Quick book summary: In this heartwarming story, Jamie wishes he could live in his grandma’s miniature Christmas Village, where everything seems so perfect. Magically, he gets his wish! But, things are not always what they seem–can Jamie help his friends and still get home in time for Christmas?
What an honor–I have Melissa here today with her guest post: “Every Town Tells a Story.” You can use her ideas here with the 6 + 1 traits of writing, the IDEAS trait.
Every Town has a Story – Ways to Encourage Kids (and Grown-ups! ) to Write
Melissa Ann Goodwin
On April 14, 1755, four-year-old Lucy Keyes tagged along behind her older sisters as they trudged through the woods of Princeton, Massachusetts. Lucy never came home. The townsfolk searched everywhere, but no trace of her was ever found. Lucy’s mother, Martha, searched the woods daily, calling for her missing child. More than 250 years later, people in Princeton swore they’d seen Martha’s ghost and heard her cries echoing through the woods.
In 2005, writer-director John Stimpson lived on land that was once part of the Keyes’ property. He’d heard the Lucy Keyes story thousands of times – it was the stuff of legend in such a small town. The mystery called to him so strongly that he made a movie, The Legend of Lucy Keyes, starring Hollywood actors and using Princeton locals as extras.
We can all take a lesson from Stimpson, who saw the potential for great storytelling literally in his own back yard. Like Princeton, every town has stories, and discovering them is a great way to get kids excited about writing – which is really just the art of storytelling. There are hundreds – even thousands of tales a town might tell; we just have to go looking for them.
So where do we start? Here are some suggestions:
Street names: Streets are often named for people who played a significant role in a town’s history. Why did the town name a street after this person? There’s a story there! Sometimes street names reflect something specific about the area. For example, you’d expect Apple Orchard Lane to be near an apple orchard. But what if it’s not? Was there once an orchard there? What happened to it? There’s a story there, too.
Rivers and other landmarks: The names of rivers and geographic landmarks often reflect whatever the person who named them experienced there. A dry riverbed named “Buzzard’s Roost Wash,” creates a vivid image of vultures perched on bare tree branches, waiting to pounce. Whenever I see a name like that, I think, there’s gotta be a reason!
Statues and monuments: In my book, The Christmas Village, there is a statue in the village square that you wouldn’t expect to find in a Vermont town. The idea for this small detail in my story came from the real town of York, Maine. The town ordered a statue, but the wrong one was delivered. The frugal York townspeople didn’t want to pay to send it back, so they kept the statue and put it in the center of town. What stories do the monuments in your town tell?
Cemeteries:
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*Picture book for preschool through adult
*The THINKS you can THINK as main characters
*Rating: My one-year-old daughter carries Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! around with her and looks at this book all the time. I’m sure it’s the pictures, but I’d love to think it’s the whole concept that she gets.
Short, short summary:
Every now and again, I like to blog about a Dr. Seuss book. I know kids love to read them still and I know many teachers/home school parents/librarians who use them with kids. In this one, Dr. Seuss is celebrating all the excellent ideas our brains can come up with. He is writing about how wonderful imagination is and the sense of wonder that some kids have. Dr. Seuss does it in his special way with made-up creatures and silly rhymes, but that’s what makes this book even more special–it has that Dr. Seuss charm. Example:
You can think about red. You can think about pink. You can think up a horse. Oh, the thinks you can think!
So, what do I do with this book?
1. Ask students, “What are the THINKS you can THINK?” Ask them to make a list or draw a picture showing some things they are thinking about. They can be real (like soccer practice or a way to fix a problem with a friend) or make-believe (a new creature that people can have as a pet).
2. Read and discuss each page of the book during a second read through. What does it mean “you can think up a horse”? Why does Seuss want you to “think and wonder”? And so on. With students and children, you want to really talk up creativity and imagination!
3. It’s fun to discuss Dr. Seuss’s word choice and his made-up creatures. You can tie the word choice to a 6 + 1 traits lesson on word choice and discuss why the word choice works in this book (or maybe some students think it doesn’t). You can also discuss what some of the words mean such as: Da-Dake, Schlopp, and Guff.
I am absolutely thrilled that Julia Platt Leonard wrote to me this summer and asked me if I would like to review her new middle-grade book, Cold Case. Not only is this a well-written book for middle graders, but it is exciting and entertaining and will keep adults intrigued, too. It’s like those cop shows I love to watch, but instead of Jane Rizzoli (Rizzoli and Isles) or Brenda Lee Johnson (The Closer), our hero is 13-year-old Oz Keiller. So, if you like crime dramas or mystery/thrillers by authors like James Patterson, you will love Cold Case and want to share it with a child in your life.
*****Even better news–I have a copy to giveaway! Please leave a comment below with your email address by Sunday, September 25 at 8:00 pm CST. You can say whatever you want in your comment, but I would love to hear if you like to read or watch crime dramas, and if so, which ones? (U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only please.)*******
**Middle-grade book, contemporary fiction
**13-year-old boy as main character
**Rating: Cold Case is a great, action-filled book with an interesting mystery and two likeable young teen sleuths.
Short, short summary: Thirteen-year-old Oz finds a dead body in his family’s restaurant one morning, and the suspected murderer is his older brother Dave. Why is Dave in the hot seat? Turns out, the dead man is a journalist who wrote an article about Oz’s father fourteen years ago and the headline? “Traitor Without a Cause: Leading U.S. Physicist Caught Stealing Nuclear Secrets.” Oz never knew his father had been suspected of being a spy; his mom and brother had kept it from him. Oz is creeped out when finding the dead body; but more than that, he is mad that the truth had been kept from him for so long. And he’s worried that his family’s restaurant will never recover from someone being murdered there. But even more than all of this, he wants to find out what really happened with his father all those years ago and to clear Dave of the murder. There’s no way his brother could have killed that reporter, right? Oz asks his best friend, Randy (a girl), for help; and together, they have quite an adventure in Cold Case by Julia Platt Leonard.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. Ask students to write in their reading response journals how they would have felt when they saw the headline on the article about Oz’s father. If they were Oz, would they have felt the same way? Do they think his mom and brother did the right thing by not telling him the truth? Ask students to write their opinion and support it. Then ask students with varying viewpoints to debate the issue.
2. While you are reading the book with your child or with students, write down any clues that Oz finds or any guesses he has as to whom actually murdered the reporter. Can students figure it out before Leonard reveals whodunit in the book?
3. One of the 6 +1 traits of writing is Organization, and this includes writing an interesting beginning and a satisfying ending. The beginning of a piece of writing is supposed to introduce you to the story and draw you in. (Cold Case has an AWESOME beginning. ) Ask students if the beginning of this novel does its job. Also, ask them if they felt the ending was satisfying and to support their answer. Finally, talk about how the book was organized besides the beginning and ending.
**Don’t forget your comment for a chance to win this hardcover book!
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*Picture book, fantasy for preschoolers through second graders
*Bats (the animal) as main characters
*Rating: The strength in Bats at the Ballgame is definitely the illustrative talent of Brian Lies–cute concept and some clever text, like Cricket Jacks!
Short, short summary:
Told in rhymed verse,
Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies is the story of the bats’ baseball game against a tough opponent.
How could any bat forget?/In all the countless years we’ve met,/it seems the team we’ll play tonight/has beaten us in every fight./ With beautiful illustrations, the reader is treated to the bats preparing the playing field and the spectators buying Cricket Jack, mothdogs, and infield flies–all snacks suitable for bats. When the game begins, the narrator’s team is off to a slow start once again through the 6th inning. In the 7th inning, there’s finally some action, but it’s for the other team. So the rest of the story is about whether or not the bat ballplayers can overcome this action and win the game.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. This is a great book to share during summer school, in those warm spring months before school is out (or your home school children are ready to have a break), or even in the fall around World Series time. There is quite a bit of “baseball lingo” in here, which your boy and girl baseball players will appreciate. Ask students to make personal connections with the text, as they have all probably at least played baseball/softball in P.E. or at recess. Ask them to write a paragraph about what this book makes them think about in their own lives. (It could be any sporting event, actually.)
2. You can teach word choice and sentence fluency, two of the 6 + 1 traits of writing, with this book. Word choice is an obvious lesson since Lies has written descriptive text, and it rhymes. Don’t you love the way he chose to write Cricket Jacks instead of Cracker Jacks? Even that one simple word makes an entirely different book–this is word choice at its finest. As for sentence fluency, when you read a rhyming book like this out loud, your students can really hear how the text flows. Look at the punctuation, too, and/or transition words to see how these keep the text flowing.
3. Brian Lies has beautiful illustrations. Give your students a chance to study them. What do they notice? How do the illustrations and the text work together to tell the story? If your students really love his work, then share (and compare and contrast) one of his other books such as Bats in the Library.
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My good cyber buddy, Clara Gillow Clark, is having her second annual Spilling Ink writing contest for children in grades 4 to 8! Spilling Ink by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter is a great resource book for your classroom or your home–it’s a young writer’s handbook. On her blog, Clara says, “Spilling Ink is a humorous and inspiring book of advice, questions, and writing prompts for young writers.”
Basically,the contest goes like this: Write 200-300 words on one of these writing prompts:
Writing Prompts from Spilling Ink, the Book:
Writing Prompt #1: I DARE YOU Rewrite a scene from your life. Think of something that happened today. Something that wasn’t perfect–maybe something that was even downright mortifying–and rewrite it as you would have wanted it to happen. (Tip from Clara: Remember that scenes have a beginning, middle, and end!)
Writing Prompt #2: I DARE YOU Think of two people you admire. Now think of the thing you admire most about each of them. Combine those two qualities into one person and write about that person in the following situation: She or he is walking down the street and a strange man hands your character a small sealed carton and says, “Don’t let anything happen to this!” Then the man sprints away. What does your character do next?
Writing Prompt #3 from Wendy Townsend and Clara Gillow Clark: Is there a pet you wish you could have? Is it a wild animal? Maybe a goldfish, cat, dog, white mouse, a lizard or a snake? Perhaps, your pet is imaginary? You really really want this pet. Write about all the ways you might go about getting this pet. Now write a scene where you put that plan into action.
After you (students/kids) write your piece, you e-mail it to: [email protected] by May 1. You can win cash prizes, books, and a publication opportunity on Clara’s blog. For all the details, check out the post here.
If you are interested in Spilling Ink, click on the link below:
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on 3/24/2011
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Hello Readers! I am holding a book giveaway contest for this super cute picture book, Pelly and Mr. Harrison Visit the Moon from Kane Miller Publishing. Please leave a comment below for your chance to win–it’s a perfect book for any kid who loves space or wants to explore. (Only U.S. or Canada mailing addresses, please.) Contest goes until Sunday, March 27 6:00 p.m. CST. Winner will be announced on Monday, March 28.
I also wanted to let you know who won the contest last week for WOW!’s blanket tour. Here’s the scoop from WOW!:
Kim G. who commented on A Ponderance of Things, http://rcponders.wordpress.com, won the Everybody’s Talking About Surprises Grand Prize! Her prize includes a personalized copy of Letters from Home by Kristina McMorris, a Big Band CD, Victory Garden seeds, and a few surprises (of course!).
Our Surprise blogger winner was Mason Canyon who wrote about her favorite surprise: envelopes of books being delivered to her mailbox at Thoughts in Progress. (http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.com/)
We hope you’ll join us for our next mass blogging event and tell your readers about a chance to win The Literary Ladies Guide to the Writing Life by Nava Atlas on our latest WOW Blog Tour.
Now on to Pelly and Mr. Harrison Visit the Moon by Lindsay Ward.
*Picture book, science fiction for preschoolers through second graders
*Young girl as main character
*Rating: Every child will be looking at her/his bathtub differently after reading this book! It’ll spark imaginations for sure.
Short, short summary: Pelly is brushing her teeth, and she notices a rocket engine on her bathtub. So, her dog, Mr. Harrison, jumps into the tub, and they take off for the moon. When they land on the moon, they meet an alien who is very friendly. She takes them to her house, where another alien is making none other than–moon pies! They learn about gravity and about making s’moons. When they get back home, it’s like no time has passed at all–Mom wonders if Pelly is almost done brushing her teeth.
So what do I do with this book?
1. Pelly and Mr. Harrison Visit the Moon can really spark children’s imagination. Ask them, “What could you travel in to the moon from your house?” or “What could you attach a rocket engine to and take off?” Younger students can illustrate their response. Older students can write about it. This is a great home activity for parents and children, too.
2. Use this book to discuss the 6 + 1 traits of writing trait, word choice. Ask students what special words they notice while you read the book and make a class list. Encourage kids to use this list when they are writing.
3. Use this book to open up a science discussion about the moon. What do children know about the moon? Could this story really happen? For fun, bring in some moon pies!
Okay, leave a comment below for a chance to win this book. If you want, tell us what you would travel to space in (a bathtub?) and where you would go.
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*Picture book, realistic fiction for preschoolers through second graders
*Young girl as main character
*Rating: I absolutely love this sweet book In Grandma’s Arms. You can use it for so many lessons, too.
Short, short summary:
In this story, a young girl is sitting on her grandma’s lap in the Storybook Chair, and she says, “We can do anything–, We can go anywhere.” Then she and her grandma have several magical adventures through the pages of a book, including flying on clouds of pink cotton, leaping on a comet, and visiting with a dragon. In the end, she grows drowsy and has sweet dreams.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. This is a wonderful book to read to students before teaching or talking about the six plus one traits of writing, IDEAS. Where do authors get their ideas? What kind of ideas do they have? Where is the little girl getting all of these wonderful adventures she is having? Why are these potato ideas (ideas you have to dig for)? This is a perfect book to use with young writers in kindergarten and first grade when teaching a six plus one traits of writing lesson on IDEAS.
2. Children will want to share their favorite stories–books and grandparent stories. Allow children to draw pictures of their grandparents and share stories about them. Take a poll of students’ favorite fairy tales or books.
3. This is also a terrific book to talk about verbs or action words with students or your children if you homeschool. In Grandma’s Arms has several strong verbs such as: fly, float, leap, and zoom.
I would also like to draw your attention to another WONDERFUL blog that I hope you will all check out and subscribe to. It is about using picture books in the classroom; and recently, he did a huge post on Civil War picture books and using picture books in high school classrooms. You don’ t want to miss this site if you love picture books. Here’s the link: http://teachwithpicturebooks.blogspot.com/
If you looked in my office, you might start dialing the number for the show Hoarders. Disorganized as it may appear, everything in there relates directly to a writing project.
A quick inventory would include: Gibson Girl prints, three nun dolls, turn-of-the-century textbooks, s 16 Magazines 1963-68, The Searchlight Cookbook, copyright 1931 ("Spring Beauty Salad, anyone?), a 1940 edition of Hymnal for Christian Worship, a WWII vintage volume, Song and Service Book for Ship and Field; Army Navy (did the Marines and Coast Guard have their own editions? reproductions of old Sears & Roebuck catalogs, an actual mostly intact copy of the Sears Fall 1941 catalog, a Sherwin-Williams store display book, Colors and Rooms for Your Jet Age Home (very Mad Men!), floor plans for 1920's homes...and that's just the top layer. BTW, the source for 99% of this stuff was the online Goodwill auction site (www.shopgoodwill.com) I got most of this for under five dollars.
In case you couldn't guess, I was once a librarian. I am now an ex-librarian who writes historical fiction. I also live in an area where library funds are nil, the collections meager, and interlibrary loan fees astronomical. So I maintain my own research library. I always have three books in my head; the one I am writing, and the next two I have planned. The WWII stuff was for Jimmy's Stars, the nun dolls and hymnals for my current project, and the 60's items for a possible sequel to Yankee Girl. (I said possible!)
I am something of a chicken in writing historical fiction. So far, I haven't written anything that takes place before the 1880's because I can't find primary sources that old on Shop Goodwill, and previous to that, my family was an illiterate crew so there are no family letters or documents to rely on. (Hence, Karen Cushman will have no competition from me...chuckle, chuckle.)
It takes me a year minimum to research my books. Step one is to find a calendar for the year(s) of the story. (You can find these on line using the search term "perpetual calendar" That calendar is taped to the lid of my laptop, so I can instantly see which day of the week was Christmas, or any other holiday or historical event.
So once I have my calendar, I start researching and writing in the dates that are important to my story. My calendar for Jimmy's Stars, in addition to marking off the usual holidays as the dates for certain battles and the day in which they became news in the United States. There was usually quite a gap, due to time zones and wartime censorship. What day did the movie The Sullivans open? (For anything you need to know about every movie ever made, www.imdb.com is a life saver. It's also good for settling movie arguments!) What days did certain items become rationed? Filling out my calendar is always step one.
I also need maps. I usually fictionalize a real neighborhood, in a real town. The Macken Street Hill neighborhood of Jimmy's Stars
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*Fiction picture book for preschool to third graders
*3 boys as main characters
*Rating: Edgar, Allan, and Poe and the Tell-Tale Beets is a cute take on Edgar Allan Poe’s scary story, “Tell-Tale Heart.”
Short, short summary:
Edgar, Allan, and Poe are brothers who aren’t crazy about their mom’s cooking. Well, who would be when she serves things like beets and liver? But they do love her dessert. The problem is they can’t get any dessert until they finish all their dinner, and that’s impossible until. . .they discover the loose floorboard. The brothers decide to cause a distraction and then put the disgusting food in the floorboard. The plan works perfectly, and they get to eat all kinds of delicious dessert until . . .they start hearing
Beet. Beet. Liver. Liver. And the smell! The food stinks under the floor board, and finally, they confess everything they’ve been doing right before a huge explosion occurs.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. You can use this book when also studying nutrition. Talk to students and children about why the boys’ mother was making and serving this food. Discuss alternative healthy foods she could serve. For example, what could she serve instead of liver or beets that have the same vitamins but are tastier? Ask students to write a letter to the mother and suggest these alternative foods.
2. Natalie Rompella does a great job with word choice in this book. There are tons of description words and strong action verbs. Make a list of the strong word choices in this book and post it on the wall. Point it out to students when they are busy writing.
3. Older primary students would be able to learn about Edgar Allan Poe and some of his work. Then talk to students about how this version is similar and different from “Tell-Tale Heart.”
This is the second January our TeachingAuthors posts address 6 + 1 Trait Writing.
Last January we focused on the
first trait, Ideas, each of us sharing the generation of a particular work.
This January we focus on Organization.
Brainstorming this post, though, I wondered, “Are all of our readers familiar with 6 + 1 Trait Writing?”
Many of our readers are classroom teachers, reading our posts to help them grow writers; many, however, are first-and-foremost writers, specifically children’s book writers.
6 + 1 Trait Writing – or Six Traits Writing as it’s often called - may mean little, if anything.
So, I’ll organize my post as most writers would organize their work – i.e. structure its movement forward and create its shape, then begin by grounding my readers in this singular Language Arts approach.
Essentially, the Six Traits approach offers an analytical model for assessing and teaching writing based on six identifiable key qualities of strong writing:
• IDEAS, the main message;
• ORGANIZATION, the internal structure of the piece;
• VOICE, the personal tone and flavor of the author's message;
• WORD CHOICE, the vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning;
• SENTENCE FLUENCY, the rhythm and flow of the language;
• CONVENTIONS, the mechanical correctness;
• PRESENTATION, how the writing actually looks on the page.
I like the Six Traits connection children’s book author and teacher Anastasia Suen shares on her
website:“I like to teach with the six traits because this is how I write! I start with ideas, and then I organize them. Once I have a plan, I begin to write. I say things the way I want to say them, with my voice. I choose words and make the sentences flow. Then I clean it up by focusing on the conventions (grammar, punctuation and spelling). I work in this order, so that ideas come first and conventions are last.”I’ll be sitting at her feet soon, learning-learning-learning, at the upcoming February CCIRA Conference (Colorado Council International Reading Association) in Denver – and – March Illinois Reading Council Conference in Springfield.
Dr. Culham was formerly the Unit Manager of the Assessment Program at Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in Portland, Oregon.
1 Comments on 6 + 1 Trait Writing: Organization, last added: 1/19/2011
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*Picture book, fiction, for preschoolers through 2nd graders
*Two superhero boys as main characters
*Rating: Boys will L-O-V-E Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug, which teaches the importance of recycling without preaching. Great idea!
Short, short summary:
A clean, little town has a big problem–Litterbug Doug, his rotten trash, and his rat friends. Litterbug Doug doesn’t care about his neighbors or the earth until Michael Recycle shows him the error of his ways. Once Litterbug Doug changes his habits, he becomes the litter police. Told with rhyme and bright illustrations, children will love listening to and looking at
Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug. The end of the book provides “green” tips for kids and facts about trash.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. After reading about Michael Recycle, allow students to create their own “green” superhero. Students should write about the superhero and draw a picture. Children should also make up a new name.
2. In so many classrooms and even at home, we talk a lot about recycling around Earth Day–but we shouldn’t wait until April to talk about this important subject. Children can take the green tips from the back of the book and create posters for the classroom. Then whenever a child or adult “catches someone being green,” shout it out. For example, you could shout out, “I just caught Alissa being green. She remembered to turn off our light switch on our way out of the classroom. Thanks, Alissa!”
3. Michael Recycle Meets Litterbug Doug is a great example of a picture book you can use to teach word choice, one of the six plus one traits of writing. Ellie Bethel’s word choice really sets the scene and shows readers just how gross Litterbug Doug is.
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This was really helpful! I normally write contemporary fiction (and I do my homework) but the 2 books I'm planning to write are currently screaming "historical!" Thanks for sharing your process.
Amanda, I'm glad to be of help. I can go on for hours on this topic (don't worry, I won't right here...but I forgot Newspapers (back in the day) wereTHE best for radio schedules, local prices,etc.
At your ervice,
Mary Ann
Thanks for describing your process and for all the information. I've found websites such as the Yiddish Dictionary Online, which is great because I don't speak Yiddish, but my characters do. It helped me write in context rather than using long phrases and/or sentences. And I found websites for Cheyenne with pictures from the early 1900s, the Pendelton Rodeo, weather records and lots more. You're right about getting wrapped up in research and enjoying the process, but at some pointt you have to start writing. I have plastic acordian file holders to organize information for each story..I never did like 3x5 cards! Alan Gratz suggested using a spiral notebook to outline each chapter and listing the facts that would go in each chapter. I love legal pads.
Excellent information Mary Ann! I can't believe I never thought to have a physical calendar before!Thanks for a tip I KNOW I will use along with other great ideas.
Barker--The calendar also serves as a sort of an outline
for me. I never outline per se, but I do know the time frame of my book before I start. So it keeps me balanced. My current book is weird since the majority of the action takes place over one week....and the last third over six weeks. It's a visual juggling act that reminds me if I am spending too much time in places I didn't intend.
Thanks for weighing in...MA
BJ---Thanks for the shout out. I forgot to mention that I am not that organized person who always keeps a little notebook in her person or pocket to quickly scribble ideas. I have, however, written on napkins, church bulletins (I do some of my best work there), ice skating schedules. and once even (an unused) air sickness bag, I have a nifty container from the Container Store (cloth, has handles, zips, and is just the right size to take a project on vacation) that I dump all of my "ideas" into it as soon as I get home. I switched to carrying a much smaller persons (I could have carried a toddler in some of my old ones) I then transfer all the thoughts from the Walgreen's receipts, etc. to my favorite form of organization...the spiral bound notebook (I lose 3 by 5 cards).
As for the physical research (pictures, Xerox copies of documents, and those rare primary sources, such as a collection of WWII letters, I put those in archive sleeves, and keep THEM in a three ring binder.
My current project (I'm embarrassed to tell you how long I've researched this one) has SO many primary
sources, and so many "lightbulb at the stoplight moments" I have forced myself to "keep it together."
We all have to find what works for us..my husband assumes that any legal pad, no matter what is already on it (like a chapter) is free for him to write over, saying (later) "That wasn't important was it?"
Nice talking to you and all the other followers.
OK BJ and Barbara I got your replies mixed up (some organizing hunh?)
BJ (again) What did we do before the Internet? There is so much out there...when I was writing Jimmy's Stars, in which Pittsburgh streetcars plays a big part) I found there was actually a Pittsburgh Streetcar Museum, with pictures of every model ever used AND all of the routes.
My mother had a nearly photographic memory, but asking her to remember the order of streetcar stops in1943 was a little much even for her. Also, the Pittsburgh Carnegie Library (where I all but lived for an entire summer) have the world's best local history reference desk that you can call--I found the number online.
Before I dig into a website, I always check the last time the site was updated (says the woman who hasnt updated her own website in four years!) and the authority of the group running it. (There are a lot of fruitcakes out there) I also stopped using WIkipedia the day I discovered I had a Wikipedia entry (75% in accurate!)
But I so addicted to my primary sources (one of my favorites, a pamphlet titled :"Win the War with Vegetables". Also, wherever I go, I check the local history section of the indie bookstore. I've found some wonderful self-published full of details I wouldn't find anywhere else. Also, the publisher Arcadia Books specializes in local histories that are essentially historical picture albums. I think every sort of historical society in this country has published with them (believe it or not, the volume for Matteson, Illinois had a picture of my kindergarden room, just the way I remember it.
The writer Ellen Gilchrist says that researching is always her favorite part of historical fiction because it forestalls that "writing part." I know what she means