10 Easy Writing Lessons That Get Kids Ready for Writing Assessments

10 Easy Writing Lessons That Get Kids Ready for Writing Assessments
Mary Rose
ISBN 0-439-05010-3
Scholastic Professional Books
Copyright 1999

I have used this book in my classroom for several years now. I find it to be very helpful in preparing my students for the multi-step process of the state writing assessments. This book had actually belonged to our now-retired Speech/Language Pathologist. I was lucky to have had it passed on.

Each chapter consists of a different lesson that will focus on a different skill, mode, and/or genre for the students to work through. The lessons are easy to use and easy to modify for different grade levels and abilities. Each lesson takes about one week to complete. The lessons are fun and engaging and provide the students with topics that they can relate to and take ownership of. The activities also lend for great finished products for Authors nights, open houses, or bulletin board displays.

The lessons also come with model essays for you to demonstrate what you are wanting from your students, blackline masters for reproducing activities, and examples of completed student work. At the end of the book is a survey you can give your students to have them assess their writing over the course of the year.

The chapters are as follows:

Lesson 1: Introducing the Five-Paragraph Essay

Lesson 2: Using a Graphic Organizer to Plan for Writing

Lesson 3: Writing in a Circle for Effective Endings

Lesson 4: Introducing the ìHow-toî Writing

Lesson 5: Adding Expository Elaborations

Lesson 6: Writing Dialogue

Lesson 7: Introducing the Persuasive Writing

Lesson 8: Adding Elaboration to Familiar Stories

Lesson 9: Recognizing the Elements of Good Writing

Lesson 10: Writing Across the Curriculum

Bonus Lesson: Recognizing Prompts

Although the chapter headings sound boring and mundane, the activities for those areas are anything but. Some of the activities included are:

a) Tell interesting things about yourself

b) Tell about a time you got a haircut

c) Tell how to eat an Oreo cookie

d) Decide which is a better pet, a dog or a cat and convince the dog owner to like cats and vice versa.

Each activity has been very successful with my students and I have found that my students will produce very creative and fun finished products. I would highly recommend this book to intermediate teachers ñ especially those teaching 3^rd and 4^th grades. You will not be disappointed.