Description
Book SynopsisClassroom-tested methods for boosting secondary students'' writing skills The Writing Teacher''s Activity-a-Day offers teachers, homeschoolers, and parents 180 ready-to-use, reproducible activities that enhance writing skills in secondary students. Based on Ledbetter''s extensive experience consulting to language arts teachers and school districts across the country, the classroom-tested activities included in this book teach students key literary and writing terms like allegory, elaboration, irony, personification, propaganda, voice, and more--and provide them with engaging examples that serve as models for their own Quick Writes.
- Contains writing prompts and sample passages in student-friendly language that connects abstract literary concepts to students'' own lives
- Written by popular workshop presenter and veteran educator Mary Ellen Ledbetter
- Offers a user-friendly, value-packed resource for teaching writing skills
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Table of Contents
What Makes This Book Different v
About the Author xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Action Verbs as a Method of Elaboration 1
Adages 2
Adjectives as a Method of Elaboration 3
Adverbs as a Method of Elaboration: Practice # 1 4
Adverbs as a Method of Elaboration: Practice # 2 6
Allegory 7
Alliteration 8
Allusion 9
Analogy 10
Anecdote 11
Antagonist 12
Application and Synthesis 13
Assessing Prompts: Determining Mode of Writing 14
Assonance 15
Autobiographical Collage 16
Biography 17
Brainstorming 18
Brainstorming: Web 19
Brainstorming: Web Subpoints 20
Business Letter 21
Character Sketch 23
Characterization: Actions 24
Characterization: Contrasting Actions 25
Characterization: Appearance 26
Characterization: Environment 27
Characterization: Inner Thoughts and Feelings (First Person) 28
Characterization: Inner Thoughts and Feelings (Third Person Omniscient) 29
Characterization: Speech 30
Characterization: What Others Say 31
Clichés 32
Climax 33
Choppy Style 34
Commas (Individualized Practice #1) 35
Commas (Individualized Practice #2) 36
Comparison/Contrast Essay (Introduction) 37
Comparison/Contrast Essay (First Body: First Part of Contrast/Comparison of Actions) 38
Comparison/Contrast Essay (First Body: Second Part of Contrast/Comparison of Actions) 39
Comparison/Contrast (Second Body) 40
Comparison/Contrast Essay (Third Body) 41
Comparison/Contrast Essay (Conclusion) 42
Conflict: External 43
Conflict: Internal 44
Connectives 46
Connotation or Denotation 47
Definition as a Method of Elaboration 49
Definitions: Specialized 50
Denouement 51
Description as a Method of Elaboration 52
Descriptive Essay (Introduction) 53
Descriptive Essay (First Body) 54
Descriptive Essay (Second Body) 55
Descriptive Essay (Third Body) 56
Descriptive Essay (Conclusion) 57
Dialect 58
Dialogue as a Method of Elaboration 59
Editing for Grammar Mistakes 60
Elaboration 61
Elaboration: Examples and Explanation as a Method 62
Elaboration: Researchable Fact as a Method 63
Euphemisms 64
Expanded Moment 65
Expository Writing (Introduction) 66
Expository Writing (First Body) 67
Expository Writing (Second Body) 68
Expository Writing (Third Body) 69
Expository Writing (Conclusion) 70
Extended Metaphor (Part #1) 71
Extended Metaphor (Part #2) 72
Famous Quotations Blending into Author’s Own Words 73
Famous Quotations as Methods of Elaboration 74
Famous Quotations (Top Ten) 75
Fantasy 76
Figurative Language Fill-Ins 78
Flashback 79
Foreshadowing 80
Fragments 81
Friendly Letter (Heading, Salutation, Introduction) 82
Friendly Letter (Body, Part #1) 83
Friendly Letter (Body, Part #2) 84
Full-Circle Ending in Narratives and Quick Writes 85
Full-Circle Ending in Free Verse Poems 86
Hooks (Part #1) 88
Hooks (Part #2) 89
Hooks (Part #3) 90
Hooks (Part #4) 91
How-To Vignette 92
How-To or Process Writing (Introduction) 93
How-To or Process Writing (First Body) 94
How-To or Process Writing (Second Body) 95
How-To or Process Writing (Third Body) 96
How-To or Process Writing (Conclusion) 97
Humor 98
Hyperbole 99
Hyphenated Modifier 100
Idioms 101
Inference 102
Irony of Situation 104
Interview Questions (Get-Acquainted Exercise) 105
Literary Analysis (Introduction) 106
Literary Analysis (First Body) 107
Literary Analysis (Second Body) 108
Literary Analysis (Third Body) 109
Literary Analysis (Conclusion) 110
Magic Three as a Method of Elaboration and Voice 111
Metaphor 112
Metaphor Quick Write 113
Mood (Part #1) 114
Mood Prediction (Part #2) 115
Motif 116
Motivation 117
Name 118
Narrative (Setting, Characters, Conflict) 119
Narrative (Furthering Conflict in Rising Action) 120
Narrative (Introduction of Second Conflict and More Insight into Characters) 121
Narrative (Characters’ Reaction to Conflict) 122
Narrative (Introduction of Minor Character and Continued Conflict) 123
Narrative (Climax and Falling Action) 125
Onomatopoeia 127
Open-Ended Questions 128
Open-Ended Question (‘‘The Physicians of Trinidad’’) 129
Paradox 130
Pathetic Fallacy (Part #1) 131
Pathetic Fallacy (Part #2) 132
Peer Editing 133
Personalizing Current Events: Turning Nonfiction into Fiction 134
Personification 135
Persuasive Writing (Introduction) 136
Persuasive Writing (First Body) 137
Persuasive Writing (Second Body) 138
Persuasive Writing (Third Body) 139
Persuasive Writing (Conclusion) 140
Picture Prompt Writing 141
Picture Prompt Rubric: Student-Interactive (Beginning) 142
Picture Prompt Rubric: Student-Interactive (Details) 143
Picture Prompt Rubric: Student-Interactive (Editing) 144
Play-Doh Writing Game 145
Poem Cut-Ups 147
Poignancy 149
Point of View: Omniscient 150
Prediction (Part #1) 151
Prediction (Part #2) 152
Redundancy 153
Repetition for Effect: One Trick for Voice (From Excerpt of Short Story) 154
Repetition for Effect (Sentence Practice) 155
Run-On Sentences 156
Science Fiction (Setting and Characters) 157
Science Fiction (Unfolding of Plot: Rising Action #2) 158
Science Fiction (Establishing Conflict: Rising Action Introducing Conflict) 159
Science Fiction (Establishing Connection Between Characters) 160
Science Fiction (Plan Purposed: Plan of Action Revealed) 161
Science Fiction (Rising Action Leading to Climax) 162
Science Fiction (Climax and Falling Action) 163
Sensory Images as a Method of Elaboration (Sight) 164
Sensory Images (Sound) 165
Sensory Images (Touch) 166
Sensory Images (Taste) 167
Sensory Images (Smell) 168
Sentence Variety: Sentence Combining (Noun Absolutes) 169
Sentence Variety: Noun Absolutes Practice 170
Sentence Variety: Sentence Combining (Participial Phrase) 171
Sentence Variety: Participial Phrase Practice 172
Sentence Variety: Sentence Combining (Adverb Clause) 173
Sentence Variety: Adverb Clause Practice 174
Sentence Variety: Sentence Combining (Adjective Clause) 175
Sentence Variety: Adjective Clause Practice 176
Similes as Methods of Voice in a Paragraph 177
Similes as Practice in Developing Voice 178
Snapshot Poem 179
Structure Rubric for One-Paragraph Essay 180
Subjunctive Mood of Verbs 182
Summary 183
Symbol 184
Thank-You Note 185
Theme: Building Themes into Essays 186
Themes: Works Built Around a Theme 187
Transitions: More Sophisticated Methods (Persuasive Essay) 188
Transitions: More Sophisticated Methods (Expository Essay) 189
Verb Tense Shift 190
Vocabulary: I Don’t Think So 191
Vocabulary: Which Word? 192
Vocabulary: What If? 193
