Synopses & Reviews
English Workshop Activities for Grades 6-12
180 Daily Lessons Integrating Literature, Writing & Grammar Skills
Mary Ellen Ledbetter
This unique resource gives middle and secondary school English teachers 180 high-interest activities that build students' proficiency in the three major areas of the English curriculumreading/literature, writing, and grammar. All the activities have been classroom tested, can be used with students of varying ability, and are effective as individual, group, or whole-class activities.
For quick access and easy use, the activities are organized into 36 weekly packetseach packet including five "Dailies"and printed in a big 81/4" x 11" lay-flat format for easy photocopying.
Each "Dailies" activity begins with a well-written student passage followed by prompts that encourage students to examine the passage in terms of usage, stylistic devices, grammatical concepts, punctuation, and reading/literature skills. The activities require students to learn the rules that apply and to use the examples as springboards for their own writing.
You'll find that these integrated "Dailies" activities are ideally flexible. They can be completed as "warm-ups" at the beginning of class, as mini-reviews for more advanced students, or serve as walk-through activities or homework assignments for students who need reinforcement. Each activity will lead to inquiry and lively discussion as students analyze the model passage and learn to write effectively based on:
- Genres Required on Standardized Writing Tests including descriptive writing, narrative writing, expository writing, and persuasive writing as well as vignettes, character sketches, comparison/contrast, how-to directions, and poetry
- Reading Skills and Literary Elements such as sequencing, inference, summarizing, author's style, plot, setting, characterization, theme, mood/tone, and irony
- Stylistic Writing Devices such as vivid verbs, hyphenated modifiers, figurative languagesimiles, metaphors, and personificationrepetition for effect, imagery, the unique "magic three," full-circle endings, interrupters, the narrative "hook," and humor
- Rules of Grammar, Usage, Mechanics, and Structure including capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb agreement, fragments, run-ons, adjective/adverb usage, pronoun usage, sentence combining, parallel structure, varying sentence structure, phrases, and clauses
A handy "Glossary of Terms" and the author's unique "Smiley-Face Tricks" can be reproduced for students' convenient reference as they complete the 180 "Dailies" and other writing assignments.
In short, English Workshop Activities for Grades 6-12 gives you an effective and proven way to develop each student's writing competency regardless of grade or ability level. Once you guide students through the first few activities, they will gain confidence and begin to change ordinary writing into powerful writing.
"Mary Ellen Ledbetter has done it again! This book is full of fun and creative ideas that will take students to that higher cognitive level all teachers strive to provide. Using her own unique style, she has once again created activities teachers will enjoy using everyday."
Dr. Janet Coleman, executive director of instructional services, Castleberry ISD
Review
“Mary Ellen Ledbetter has done it again! This book is full of fun and creative ideas that will take students to that higher cognitive level all teachers strive to provide. Using her own unique style, she has once again created activities teachers will enjoy using everyday.”--Dr. Janet Coleman, executive director of instructional services, Castleberry ISD
Synopsis
This unique resource gives middle and secondary school English teachers 180 high-interest activities that build students’ proficiency in the three major areas of the English curriculum—reading/literature, writing, and grammar. All the activities have been classroom tested, can be used with students of varying ability, and are effective as individual, group, or whole-class activities. For quick access and easy use, the activities are organized into 36 weekly packets—each packet including five “Dailies”—and printed in a big 8-1/4” x 11” lay-flat format for easy photocopying. Each “Dailies” activity begins with a well-written student passage followed by prompts that encourage students to examine the passage in terms of usage, stylistic devices, grammatical concepts, punctuation, and reading/literature skills. The activities require students to learn the rules that apply and to use the examples as springboards for their own writing. You’ll find that these integrated “Dailies” activities are ideally flexible. They can be completed as “warm-ups” at the beginning of class, as mini-reviews for more advanced students, or serve as walk-through activities or homework assignments for students who need reinforcement. Each activity will lead to inquiry and lively discussion as students analyze the model passage and learn to write effectively.
About the Author
Mary Ellen Ledbetter 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, 1997, and 1998 and is currently a presenter and consultant for the Bureau of Education and Research in Bellevue, Washington. She also received their award for Distinguished Teaching and Outstanding Contribution to the Education Profession (2001). Ledbetter is the author of Writing Portfolio Activities Kit and Writing Research Projects Activities Kit from Jossey-Bass.
Table of Contents
ABOUT THIS RESOURCE.
Philosophy of Daily Integration.
How to Use the Dailies.
How to Use the Glossary and Smiley-Face Tricks.
How to Grade the Dailies.
SMILEY-FACE TRICKS.
Magic 3.
Figurative Language.
Specific Details for Effect.
Repetition for Effect.
Expanded Moment.
Humor.
Hyphenated Modifiers.
Full-Circle Ending.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS.
Literature Terms.
Grammar Terms.
Writing Terms.
ACTIVITIES & SKILLS.
Dailies.
Answer Keys.