Composing Text Successful Strategies for At Risk Learners Facilitated by Becky Crossfield and holly Cohen

Establishing a Writing Community Warm up We are a community of writers. Everyone has a unique place in our community-Everyone! Who are we as a community of writers? Find some ways individuals are unique and some things in common. People search DO NOW

DO NOW People Search Mingle Collect the names of people who fit the criteria on your sheet. You can only use the same person twice. Have fun!

What works: START SMALL (first sentence) KISS ( memoir in 6 words, cinquan, acrostic, bubbles) PROVIDE SUPPORTS (alphabox, adjectives snowball fight, plain to fancy, swbs, class resource center) REWARD ENGAGEMENT our class book

Humor us Please use the notebook paper provided to do your writing.

Start small-Just the first sentence Choose a picture. Write a first sentence for it. Use a sticky. (See, we’re starting really small!)

Thought and Dialogue Bubbles Choose a picture (same or different) Add some thought and dialogue bubbles! (Fabulous way to teach quotation marks!)

Memoir in 6 words misc/sixwordlife_ shtml misc/sixwordlife_ shtml Make your own- six words about yourself as a writer.

Alphabox Choose a topic to play with. Look on your list of suggested topics. Fill in your alphabox with as many words as you can that relate to your topic! ( My topic is SLW. My “A”s might be ask, assume nothing, awesome etc.)

SWBS Somebodywantedbutso.pdf SWBS2.pdf

SWBS Think of a favorite book or movie Write your swbs Form a group of four, read your swbs to group Group guesses name of book/movie Each group selects one to share with whole group

Making Mini-books 8 page mini book books/minibook/index.htm books/minibook/index.htm So, think-pair-share in small group: How would you use these in your class?

Adjective snowball fight Fast way to get adjectives/synonyms Start with a topic/noun Participants write down an adjective or related statement. Statements are crumbled and tossed in the middle Participants pick up random statements and read. How would you use this in your class?

Haiku…Can you Haiku? Simple poem 5 – 7 – syllables ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ poetry examples Dare to try it!

Acrostic poems ough/Poetry/acrostic.htm ough/Poetry/acrostic.htm Choose a topic and GO!

cinquain What Is It? 5 line poetry (1, 2, 3, 4, 1 words) or (1,2,3,4, 5 word) Chose a topic Write your own!

Plain to Fancy Simply building on simple ideas Writing\hazy to vivid-general to specific.pdf Try your own. Write a simple sentence. Make it fancy! Show, don’t tell. Writing\Copy of appeal to the senses.pdf (Everyone deserves a little help!)

Writing Resource Centers Online? In a notebook? How will you make yours? What will be in it?

Class books Collate and you’re done! Our class book will be available shortly! How can you use class books with your students?

Exit Slip Sum up this experience using one of these: 6 Word Memoir Acrostic Cinquain Haiku

What works? START SMALL KISS –Keep it simple, sweetie. PROVIDE SUPPORTS REWARD ENGAGEMENT (Write on!)