Tools Students Need To Be Skillful Writers

Build stronger writers one sentence at a time. Imagine a classroom full of enthusiastic student writers, capable of reviewing their own work with a critical eye, then crafting a polished, convincing piece. This is possible, if you take writing instruction down to its basic building block—a solid sentence—and advance from there. Phyllis Hostmeyer can show you how with Tools Students Need to Be Skillful Writers, your blueprint for effective writing instruction and unit development. Packed with lessons across grades 3-12, this indispensable handbook features: A variety of sentence patterns presented in a logical sequence An explanation of each pattern’s structure and conventions Reinforcement activities and sample sentences for each pattern Activities to develop the essential instructional vocabulary. Along the way, all students, including English language learners, will gain the fluency and automaticity they need as we equip them with the college and career-readiness skills so central to the Common Core.

Diagram no more—inspire all your student writers! Imagine leaving behind the drudgery of diagramming sentences. Imagine, instead, joyful writers who are capable of revising their work and writing effectively. By taking writing down to its basic building block—a solid sentence—and advancing from there, students will develop confidence, enjoy creating sentences, and ultimately empower each other as writers. Lessons for Grades 3-12 include: A variety of sentence patterns presented in a logical sequence An explanation of each pattern′s structure and conventions Reinforcement activities and sample sentences for each pattern Activities to develop the necessary instructional vocabulary As students become engaged in the process, they will work toward: Meeting the Common Core State Standards for Language Arts Understanding and using basic sentence structures Recognizing what makes a sentence effective Learning to put sentences together to write effective paragraphs This indispensable handbook serves as a blueprint for instruction and unit development by emphasizing the end goal: preparing students to be effective writers. Along the way, all students, including English language learners, will gain the fluency and automaticity needed for effective daily writing and for success on high-stakes tests. "Hostmeyer provides the tools teachers need to make grammar instruction meaningful and engaging so students build the knowledge they need to craft not only sentences, but strong pieces of writing that meet the demands of the Common Core." —Carol Gallegos, Literacy Coach Hanford Elementary School District, Hanford, CA "The author′s knowledge of how students learn, passion for finding ways to teach sentence patterns, and willingness to share those strategies with the world all combine to make this a book that every writing teacher can use." —Norma Barber, Language Arts Teacher Ukiah School District 80R, Ukiah, OR

Develop fluent writers without the drudgery of diagramming sentences! Here you'll find a variety of sentence patterns, plus activities and sample sentences to build student mastery

Purpose and Audience, Idea Development and Support, Organization and Sentence Structure, Conventions of Language and Correctness These abstract skills can be mastered with concrete tools. Taking middle-school students through the writing process effectively may be challenging, but there are concrete ways to facilitate this journey with rewarding results. The best results include all students grasping writing skills while securing personal style and ownership in their pieces. Fun Concrete Tools for Writing provides teachers with unique step-by-step techniques to use in the classroom. These techniques target 7 specific challenges that teachers face. After reading this book, teachers will be fortified to present simplistic techniques to their students which will foster student voice and style as well as mastery of writing skills. Although this book is primarily meant for middle school level, it can easily be adapted to elementary and high school levels.

"Here's the book that will help you take your writing to the next level"--Page 4 of cover.

Writing is the vehicle for communication. In addition to promoting the need for good communication skills, the teaching of the writing process provides opportunities for students to develop clear thinking skills. Writing is also a developmental process that each student can successfully experience at different levels when approached systematically. Based upon this premise, this Action Tool presents the five stages of writing: prewrite, write, revise, edit, and publish in a manner that allows writing to be taught as a process. Strategies for Teaching Writing: An ASCD Action Tool makes writing in the classroom manageable. The tools provide a step-by-step approach to teaching the writing process. The tools include complete how-to-use instructions, suggestions, classroom examples and cross-curricular activities. Using the tools, teachers can grant students time to write, to process their thoughts and develop a way to analyze their thinking using cognitive reasoning instead of impromptu thought. The Action Tool also provide teachers with assessment strategies to assess students participation and progress at each stage of the writing process.

A simple approach to developing an assessment-based writing process: begin with the end. Discover how to use success criteria to provide descriptive feedback to students as a guide as they set goals and revise, rewrite, or rework their writing.

Presents, in graphic novel format, the story of Alissa Torres, whose husband was killed in the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, and her legal and psychological battles over his death.