Writing Workshop Survival Kit

THE AUTHOR Gary Robert Muschla, prolific author and classroom teacher, taught reading and writing for more than twenty-five years in Spotswood, New Jersey. He is the author of many books including Reading Workshop Survival Kit, Ready-to-Use Reading Proficiency Lessons & Activities, and The Writing Teacher's Book of Lists with Ready-to-Use Activities and Worksheets, all from Jossey-Bass.

• About This Book vHow to Use This Book viAbout the Author viiAcknowledgments viiiPart One:The Dynamics of the Writing WorkshopSection 1: An Overview of the Writing Workshop 3The Writing Process 4Your New Role 5The Teacher’s Role in the Writing Workshop 6A Model of a Typical Writing Workshop 7Scheduling Your Writing Workshop 8Promoting Your Writing Workshop 8Enlisting Support for Your Writing Workshop 10Reproducible: Things Parents Can Do to Foster GoodWriting Habits in Their ChildrenSection 2: Managing Your Writing Workshop 13Reproducible: Student Responsibilities in the Writing WorkshopCreating and Maintaining a Writing Environment 15The Writing Environment 17Reproducible: Student Writers’ Tools of the TradeReproducible: Rules for Working in GroupsPlanning Your Workshop Lessons 20Managing Time in the Writing Workshop 21Keeping Students Motivated 22Time-Savers 23When Discipline Is Necessary 24Evaluation 28Monitoring the Progress of Your Students 29Reproducible: Daily LogWriting Across the Curriculum 32Reproducible: Skills Analysis SheetReproducible: Checklist for Types of WritingPart Two:The Stages of the Writing ProcessSection 3: Prewriting 37Prewriting Strategies 37Freewriting 37Activity 1: A Freewriting ExerciseReproducible: Freewriting Sample Clustering 38Activity 2: Creating ClustersReproducible: A Sample ClusterIdea Listing 41Activity 3: Making an Idea ListReproducible: Sample Idea ListBrainstorming 41Activity 4: Brainstorming for IdeasReproducible: Brainstorming GuideRehearsing 45Activity 5: Rehearsing for IdeasReproducible: A Prewriting Warm-UpRole Playing 45Activity 6: Role Playing to Find IdeasReproducible: Choose a RoleResearching 46Activity 7: Using the Internet for ResearchReproducible: Using Search Engines to Find Information on the InternetOrganizing Writing 50Reproducible: A Structure FormDrawing and Diagramming 52Journals 52Reproducible: Writing Journal Guidelines for StudentsIdea Folders 54Personal Experience 54Activity 8: Personal Experience and IdeasReproducible: Inventory of Personal ExperienceObservation 56Activity 9: Observation and IdeasReproducible: What Do You See?Angles and Viewpoints 56Activity 10: Viewing from All Points and AnglesReproducible: Seeing All SidesUsing Questions to Explore Topics 58Activity 11: Focusing TopicsReproducible: Exploring a Writing TopicSection 4: Drafting 63Writing the Draft 63Activity 12: Questions to Ask During DraftingThe Foundations of Good Writing 64Activity 13: The Elements of Good WritingStrategies to Aid Drafting 65Section 5: Revision 69Revision Mechanics 69Teaching Revision 69Revising for Unity 70Revising for Order 70Revising for Conciseness 70Activity 14: Revision StrategiesThe Use of Computers in Revision 72Reproducible: Computers and WritersRevision Pitfalls to Avoid 74Activity 15: A Revision PlanWriting Conferences 75Activity 16: A Role-Played Writing ConferenceReproducible: A Writing Conference Started by the TeacherReproducible: A Writing Conference Started by a StudentSome Conference Strategies 79Peer Conferences 80Reproducible: Peer Conference QuestionsActivity 17: Strategies for Effective Peer ConferencesReproducible: Peer Group GuidelinesReproducible: Revision ChecklistSection 6: Editing 85Strategies for Teaching Editing Skills 85Activity 18: Using a DictionaryReproducible: Editing RemindersActivity 19: Using a ThesaurusActivity 20: Using an Author’s StylebookEditing Partners 89Editing Groups 89Reproducible: Editor’s ChecklistActivity 21: Using Editor’s MarksProofreading 92Section 7: Publishing 93The Author’s Chair 93Peer Group Sharing 94Computers and Publishing in the Writing Workshop 94A Word on Copiers 95E-Mail as a Means of Sharing and Publishing 95Reproducible: A Model Release FormReproducible: E-Mail Etiquette for WritersProducing Class Magazines 98Tips for Producing Class Magazines 100Producing Books Written by Students 101Web Sites for Sharing Writing 101Web Sites That Publish the Writing of Students 102How to Establish a Web Site to Display Student Writing 103Still More Ways to Share 104Submitting Student Writing to Magazines 104Activity 22: Submitting Writing to MagazinesReproducible: Tips for Submitting to MagazinesActivity 23: Writing a Query LetterReproducible: Sample Query LetterReproducible: Print Markets for Student WritersPart Three:Using Mini-Lessons in the Writing WorkshopSection 8: Mini-Lessons for Types of Writing 1131. Writing Personal Narratives 114Reproducible: A Big Splash2. Writing Essays 116Reproducible: Slowing Global Warming by Saving Energy3. Strategies for Answering Essay Test Questions 118Reproducible: Essay Test-Taking Tips4. Writing How-to Articles 120Reproducible: How to Make a Budget5. Writing Straight News Articles 122Reproducible: Bat Attacks Alarm TownReproducible: Taking Apart a Newspaper Article6. Persuasive Writing 125Reproducible: Save Trees and the Environment by RecyclingNewspapersReproducible: Analyzing a Persuasive Essay7. Writing Friendly Letters 128Reproducible: Sample Friendly Letter8. Writing Business Letters 130Reproducible: Sample Business Letters9. Writing Book Reviews 132Reproducible: A Sample Book Review: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle10. Writing Movie Reviews 134Reproducible: A Sample Movie Review: The Babe11. Writing Fiction 136Reproducible: The Valentine’s Day Dance12. Writing Advertising 138Reproducible: Advertising FundamentalsReproducible: Advertisement Review13. Writing Nonrhyming Poems 141Reproducible: Nonrhyming Poems14. Writing Rhyming Poems 143Reproducible: “Eldorado” by Edgar Allan Poe15. Writing Plays 145Reproducible: The Parts of a PlayReproducible: Ghost Hunt16. Writing Screenplays 148Reproducible: The TestReproducible: Screenplay VocabularySection 9: Mini-Lessons for the Art of Writing 15117. Writing Effective Leads 152Reproducible: LeadsReproducible: Sample Leads18. Organization for Nonfiction Writing 155Reproducible: Vanishing Rain Forests19. Writing Conclusions for Nonfiction Pieces 15720. Conciseness 158Reproducible: Cutting Clutter21. Avoiding Intensifiers and Qualifiers 16022. Active and Passive Constructions 16123. Choosing Strong Verbs for Writing 16224. Writing Effective Transitions 163Reproducible: Nonverbal Communication25. Developing Imagery 165Reproducible: Returning to the BeachReproducible: Sense and Image26. Tone 168Reproducible: How You Say It27. Comparing and Contrasting 170Reproducible: Comparing and Contrasting—NonfictionReproducible: Comparing and Contrasting—Fiction28. Avoiding Clichés 173Reproducible: Clichés29. Conducting Interviews 175Reproducible: Guide to Great Interviews30. Using Figures of Speech: Similes, Metaphors, and Personification 177Reproducible: Figures of Speech31. Using Onomatopoeia 179Reproducible: Onomatopoeic Words32. Using Alliteration 181Reproducible: A Sample of Alliteration33. Conflict 183Reproducible: The Runaway34. Characterization 185Reproducible: Revealing CharacterReproducible: Character Chart35. Writing Dialogue 189Reproducible: Dialogue Samples36. Developing Settings 191Reproducible: Setting Samples37. Using Flashbacks 193Reproducible: The Party38. Foreshadowing 195Reproducible: The Ranch39. Constructing Effective Climaxes 19740. The First-Person Point of View 198Reproducible: First-Person Point of View Fact Sheet41. The Third-Person Point of View 200Reproducible: Third-Person Point of View Fact Sheet42. The Limited Point of View 202Reproducible: Example of Limited Point of View: Final Batter43. Multiple Point of View 204Reproducible: Example of Multiple Points of View: Final Batter44. Avoiding Plagiarism 206Reproducible: Citing Sources45. Choosing Titles 208Reproducible: TitlesSection 10: Mini-Lessons for the Mechanics of Writing 21146. Types of Sentences 212Reproducible: Sentences47. Sentence Patterns 214Reproducible: Examples of Sentence Patterns48. Subject and Verb Agreement 21649. Compound Subject and Verb Agreement 21750. Subject and Verb Agreement with Intervening Phrases 21851. Subject and Verb Agreement: Doesn’t or Don’t 21952. Subject and Verb Agreement: There’s, Here’s, and Where’s 22053. Subject and Verb Agreement: Indefinite Pronouns 22154. Subject (Pronoun) and Verb Agreement 22255. Agreement of Pronouns and Antecedents 22356. Possessive Nouns 22457. Paragraphing 225Reproducible: Developing Paragraphs, Sample 1Reproducible: Developing Paragraphs, Sample 258. Varying Sentences to Make Writing Interesting 22859. Combining Sentences for Variation 229Reproducible: Example of Combining Sentences60. Sentence Fragments 231Reproducible: Find the Fragments61. Run-On Sentences 233Reproducible: Finding and Fixing Run-Ons62. Avoiding Misplaced Modifiers 23563. Tenses: Choosing the Present or the Past 23664. The Past Perfect Tense: Showing Previous Past Action 23765. Using Did or Done Correctly 23866. Writing with Sounds That Are Not Words 23967. Avoiding Double Negatives 24068. Using Italics for Titles and Names 24169. Using Italics for Emphasis 24270. Using Quotation Marks for Titles 24371. Using Quotation Marks for Emphasis 24472. Using Parentheses 24573. Using the Dash 24674. Using Hyphens with Compound Words and Numbers 24775. Writing Lists with Colons and Commas 24876. Spelling Strategy 1: Dictionaries and Spell Checkers 24977. Spelling Strategy 2: Proper Pronunciation 25078. Spelling Strategy 3: Spelling Confusions 251Reproducible: Spelling Confusions79. Spelling Strategy 4: Personal Spelling Lists 25380. Overusing So and Then 25481. Using Affect and Effect Correctly 25582. Using All Right and (Not) Alright 25683. Using Among and Between Correctly 25784. Using Bad and Badly Correctly 25885. Avoiding Could Of and Similar Constructions 25986. Using Farther and Further Correctly 26087. Using Fewer and Less Correctly 26188. Using Good and Well Correctly 26289. Using In and Into Correctly 26390. Using It’s and Its Correctly 26491. Using There, Their, and They’re Correctly 26592. Using Who’s and Whose Correctly 26693. Using Your and You’re Correctly 26794. Using Lay and Lie Correctly 26895. Using Lose and Loose Correctly 26996. Using Off Rather Than Off Of 27097. Using Sit and Set Correctly 27198. Using Than and Then Correctly 27299. Using To, Too, and Two Correctly 273100. Using Who and Whom Correctly 274Resources 275