180 Days to Successful Writers

Since earning her MEd from the University of Florida in 2000, Karen Donohue has worked to develop and implement a writing curriculum for elementary students. She has experience with Early Intervention programs with students in first-, third- and fourth-grade classrooms in both Reddick Collier Elementary in Reddick, Florida and Pine Forest Elementary in Marietta, Georgia. With student writing becoming a benchmark for students as young as first grade, Karen has researched, developed, and taught Staff Development courses for K-5 teachers. Her workshops titled "Writing to a Prompt (Grades K-5)," "Write Way to Success (Grade 3-5)," and "Writer’s Workshop – Getting Started" have been implemented schoolwide at Pine Forest Elementary where she was a Grade 1 Team Leader. She is currently a Grade 1 Team Leader at Lockheed Elementary in Marietta, Georgia, where she is a member of the International Reading Association.Nanda Reddy earned her MEd from the University of Florida in 1999 and subsequently worked as a fourth grade teacher in Marion County, Florida. At her school, she served as a team leader and worked to develop a writing curriculum to accommodate the pressures of standardized tests and student writing needs. Nanda taught the curriculum at the school, and for that, she was honored as Rookie Teacher of the Year. She has workshopped this material under the titles "Teaching Reluctant Writers" and "Teaching Kids to Write" in both Florida and Reno, Nevada, where she now resides. Nanda, a member of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), currently works full time raising her family and writing fiction. She hopes to continue conducting writing workshops for teachers.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAbout the Authors1. No-Brainers and Bosses: Laying the FoundationCurriculum OverviewGoalsInstruction FrameworkPreparing to TeachWeek 1 Lesson Plans (Focus: Pretests and Prompt Differentiation)2. Pickle Sandwiches and TCUPSS: Beginning Expository WritingWeek 2 Lesson Plans (Focus: The Expository Writing Process)3. Rainbow Words and Awe-Inspiring Adjectives: Enhancing ExpositoryWeek 3 Lesson Plans (Focus: Author’s Voice)Week 3 Lesson Plans (Focus: Author’s Voice)Week 5 Lesson Plans (Focus: Pace and Independence)4. It all Started With a Tier Cake: Directing Narrative StructureWeek 6 Lesson Plans (Focus: Narrative Story Structure)5. Ask for Likely Similes and Vivacious Verbs: Enhancing NarrativesWeek 7 Lesson Plans (Focus: Syntax)Week 8 Lesson Plans (Focus: Strong Verbs)Week 9 Lesson Plans (Focus: Similes)6. Dressing Things Up: Independent WritingWeek 10 Lesson Plans (Focus: Metaphors)Week 11 Lesson Plans (Focus: Quotations)Week 12 Lesson Plans (Focus: Sensory Details and Skeleton Plans)Week 13 Lesson Plans (Focus: Hooks and Correcting Slang)Week 14 Lesson Plans (Focus: Timed Writing)Week 15 Lesson Plans (Focus: Anecdotes)7. The Improvement Process: Diagnosing and Fixing ProblemsWeek 16 Lesson Plans (Focus: Grammar and Using a Rubric)Week 17 Lesson Plans (Focus: Clarifying Problems)Week 18 Lesson Plans (Focus: Elaboration)Week 19 Lesson Plans (Focus: Conferencing and Self Reflection)Week 20 Lesson Plans (Focus: Organization)Week 21 Lesson Plans (Focus: Planning Difficult Prompts)Week 22 Lesson Plans (Focus: Common Grammar Problems)Week 23 Lesson Plans (Focus: Style, Voice, and Elaboration)8. Timers and Deadlines: Preparing for a TestWeek 24 Lesson Plans (Focus: Reviewing the Basics)Week 25 Lesson Plans (Focus: Writing Papers from Given Plans)Week 26 Lesson Plans (Focus: Cooperative Writing)Week 27 Lesson Plans (Focus: Studying for a Test)9. Beyond Tests and Essays: Applying Expository Writing KnowledgeAn Overview of the ProjectsAdapting the Original FrameworkPlanning the Remaining School YearExpository-Related ProjectsProject #1: Newspaper WritingIntroducing Newspaper JournalismEditorials, Part OneEditorials, Part TwoInterviews and Feature Articles, Part OneInterviews and Feature Articles, Part TwoBreaking News ArticlesA Mini School NewspaperProject #2: Subject ReportsIntroducing Subject ReportsResearchWriting Subject ReportsProject #3: List PoetryPersonal List PoemContrasting Lists PoemObject List Poem10. Beyond Tests and Stories: Applying Narrative Writing KnowledgeNarrative-Related ProjectsProject #1: AutobiographyFirst Few YearsFamily, Home, School, and the FutureProject #2: Chapter BooksCharacter SketchesFrom Outline to Story DraftProject #3: PlaysIntroducing Plays and SketchesThree-Act Plays (Group Lesson)Three-Act Plays (Independent Practice)Project #4: Narrative PoetryOne Sentence Narrative PoemsHumorous Story PoemsReal Life Ballads11. Writing Outside the Lines: Advanced LessonsUsing This ChapterAdvanced Narrative WritingPoint of View: Who Is Telling the Story?Tense: Once Upon a Time in the FutureCharacterization, Part One: Nose Pickers and Football QuarterbacksCharacterization, Part Two: What Color Are Your Socks?Setting: It was a Dark and Stormy NightHooks: Beyond BangsPlot and Pace: And Then What?Plot and Pace: And Then What?Symbols and Themes: What’s Your Drift?Putting it all Together: The Complete Package!Advanced Expository WritingEssay Topics: My Own PromptsNon-Prompted Writing: Organized Free WritingKnowledge-Based Writing: I’m the Expert – Listen to MeContemplations: What’s Your Theory?12. Going School-Wide: Ideas to Create a Spiraling CurriculumSpecific Writing GoalsAdapting the CurriculumKindergartenThe Graphic OrganizerSample LessonsSuggested writing TopicsFirst GradeThe Graphic OrganizerThe Graphic OrganizerSuggested Writing TopicsSecond GradeThe Graphic OrganizerSample LessonsSuggested Writing TopicsResourcesIndex

"This book provides a clear day-by-day instructional plan, including materials, objectives, step-by-step lesson plans, references for students, graphic organizers, prompts, and writing samples."