1. By Mrs. Jacki Scholze

2. Hi, I’m Perky Pencil! I work in this school to help kids like you be better writers.

3. My big job is to help you think like a writer. Today I will help you think about Organization.

4. Organization means to keep your ideas in order or sequence.

5. Some writers start to plan with a picture… and others use a graphic organizer.

6. Your picture or graphic organizer should help you plan the order of your story.

7. After making a plan, writers start a sloppy copy. They must keep thinking about using special words to keep their ideas in order.

8. These words are called transition words. They are words like first, next, and last.

9. As you write, keep reading your story and ask yourself these questions...

10. Does my story have a beginning? Is the middle of my story in order? Does my story have an ending?

11. Good writers are always looking for interesting ways to organize their ideas. Keep a list of beginnings, transition words, and endings in your notebook.

12. That’s all for now, friends. Remember… you become more organized by writing every day.