Synopses & Reviews
This practical resource gives secondary English teachers a new, student-based approach to writing instruction that integrates writing, grammar, and literature assignments and involves students in building and assessing their own individual writing portfolios.
More than 350 pages of writing activities, teacher and student writing models, and writing rubrics or guidelines at each step help students learn at their own pace. These are accompanied by hand "teacher pages" with suggestions ranging from grading assignments to involving students in the evaluation process to creating minilessons for specific units.
For easy use, all materials are printed in a big-spiral-bound format that folds flat for photocopying of any page as many times as needed and are organized into four parts:
Getting Started. Part One gives detailed directions for creating portfolios that not only serve as a record of student growth in writing but also document master of grammar and literature/reading skills. It shows how to interest students in keeping a portfolio assessment. Included are tips on the purpose, use, and grading of student-interactive rubrics and a variety of reproducible checklists, response sheets and more.
Writing. Part Two covers all the steps of the writing process and provides easy-to-follow teacher pages and more than 150 reproducible writing worksheets and models for developing students' skills in six different modes. Here are just a few examples for each mode:
Persuasive: Structure Rubric...Welfare Reform: A Time for Change (student sample)...No Pass, No Play (student essay)...Persuasive Writing Strategies (samples)
Comparison/Contrast: Comparison/Contrast Chart...Hershey vs. Skittles Game...The Advantages of Being a Woman (student essay)
Narrative: Student-Written Story Starters...Rubric for Narrative Vignette...Morning Ritual (teacher model)...Fishing: The Family Ritual (student essay)
Descriptive: My Favorite Place (teacher model)...Rubric for Descriptive Essay...The Boy Warrior (student essay)...My Grandma's House (student essay)
How-To: A Pre-Writing Game for How-To Writing...How to Imagine (student essay)...How to Make a Dragon Cry Diamonds (student essay)...Rubric for How-To Essay
Literary Analysis: Literary Analysis Web with Quoted Support...Excerpt Containing Common Errors...Literary Analysis Rubric..."Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" Analysis
Grammar. Part Three provides an individualized approach to language usage and includes more than 40 reproducibles, such as an easy-to-grade corrections sheet that can be a personalized follow-up to all teacher-graded written assignments, assignment sheets integrating literature and grammar, and portfolio assessment sheets that give students an opportunity to review their own writing progress.
Literature. Part Four presents more than 30 unique reproducibles to spark and guide writing about literature, including generic application tests that can be given for any short story or novel, individual student-interaction reading sheets that allow students to respond to a work as it is being read, and independent assignments such as "Creating a Journal Project for Novels."
In short, Writing Portfolio Activities Kit gives you an individualized, wholistic writing curriculum that involves students in working with real-life models, creating and evaluating their own writing portfolios, and learning to see writing, grammar and literature as inseparable pieces of the language arts!
Synopsis
In this practical resource secondary English teachers will find an individualized, holistic curriculum that involves students in working with real-life models, creating and evaluating their own writing portfolios, and learning to see writing, grammar, and literature as inseparable pieces of the language arts. Over 350 pages of writing activities, teacher and student writing models, and writing guidelines help students learn at their own pace. These are accompanied by handy, easy-to-follow "teacher pages" with suggestions ranging from grading assignments to involving students in the evaluation process to creating mini-lessons for specific units. Covers all steps of the writing process and contains over 150 reproducible worksheets and models for developing students' writing skills in six different modes including Persuasive, Comparison/Contrast, Narrative, Descriptive, How-to, and Literary Analysis.
About the Author
Mary Ellen Ledbetter (B.A. English, Speech, Western Michigan University; M.A. English, Michigan State University) has taught in public schools in Michigan and Texas and at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas. She received Goose Creek CISD'S Board of Trustees' Bell Award for Outstanding Teacher in 1995 and 1997 and is currently a presenter/consultant for the Bureau of Education and Research in Bellevue, Washington.
Table of Contents
Part I: Getting Started. How to Interest Students in Keeping a Portfolio.
How to Keep Up with Portfolios.
Purpose of Portfolio Charts.
Writing Portfolio Chart (sample).
Purpose of Rubrics.
Use of Rubrics.
Grading Rubrics.
How to Use Writing Process "Generic" Sheets.
Organizing Response Groups.
How to Use Group Goals/Assessment Sheet.
Portfolio Assessment.
How to Use Checklist for Publication.
Part 2: Writing.
Section 1: Persuasive Writing.
How to Use the Structure Rubric.
How to Write a Narrative Scenario Introduction Conclusion.
How to Use Rubrics for Persuasive Essay.
Section 2: Comparison/Contrast Writing.
How to Use the Comparison/Contrast Chart.
Hershey's vs. Skittles Game.
Comparison/Contrast Chart (sample).
Ways to Use Model Essays.
Section 3: Narrative Writing.
How to Use Story Starters.
Story Starter Variation.
How to Design the Rubric to Fit the Assignment.
First-Day Impressions.
Rituals.
What's Right About My Life?
Variations on the Drug Essay.
Section 4: Descriptive Writing.
How to Use the Sample Integrated Lesson Plan.
Sample Lesson Plan for Descriptive Unit.
Extended Sense Writing.
Dominant Impression Game.
Dominant Impression of Childhood Supported by Three Places.
Sample Sense Web: Dominant Impression-Security.
Section 5: How-To Writing.
A Prewriting Game for How-To Writing.
Creating Imaginative How-To Essays.
Section 6: Literary Analysis.
Writing Literary Analysis Papers.
Part 3: Grammar.
Purpose of Correction Sheets.
Use of Correction Sheets.
Grading Correction Sheets.
Classroom Posters/Notes.
How to Individualize Grammar Assignments.
Answers to Sentence/Fragment/Run-On Test.
Grammar Integrated into Literature.
Answer Key for Comma Review: A Christmas Carol.
Answers to Avoiding Changes in Verb Tense.
How to Use the Grammar Skills Chart.
Grammar Skills (sample chart).
Words x Five.
Row Game.
Principal Parts of Verbs "Bee."
Verb/Refrain Poems.
Capitalization Poems.
How to Use Poems to Review Grammar Rules.
Answers to Analysis: "What's a Kid to Do?"
If I Were in Charge of the World.
Sentence Combining/Varying Sentence Structure.
Answers to Varying Sentence Structure.
Portfolio Assessment: Proofreading/Revising.
Answers to Proofreading/Revising.
Chapter 4: Literature.
How to Chart Literature/Reading Tests.
Sample Record of Literature/Reading Tests.
Sample Literature/Reading Skills (chart).
Independent Reading (chart).
How to Use Literature/Reading Skills Sheet as Generic Literature Tests.
How to Use Generic Literature Quizzes.
Adapt, Adapt, Adapt!
Creating Vocabulary Application Sheets Involving Higher Level Thinking Skills.
Creating Student-Interaction Reading Sheets.
How to Use Fluency for Short Stories.
Creating a Journal Project for Novels.
How to Design Group Projects for Novels.
How to Integrate Research Skills.
How to Construct Tests that Integrate Research and Literary Analysis.
How to Use Vocabulary Project for Novel.
How to Create Short-Story Activities.
More Practice with Poetic Language.