It's Not Third Grade Anymore

Write With Your Hand

D.A.R.E. Essay

You Need More Than Spellcheck

Spell Check is a great tool that helps all writers produce cleaner writing. However, writers still need to proofread their own work. The picture below shows . . .

I Have Trouble With What to Write

I had this conversation about poetry with a student:

Student:  I have trouble with what to write.
Me: Really?
Student: Yeah, I don't know what to say.
Me: You like sports a lot, right?
Student: Yeah
Me:  How many sports poems have you been working on?
Student:  Two
Me:  So you have twelve drafts and only two are about sports?
Student:  Yeah
Me:  But you really like sports?
Student: Yeah, a lot.
Me:  Then why don't you write poems about sports?
Student:  I don't know.
Me:  If that's what you are interested in, that's what you should write about. You know, write about what interests you. Write about what you know.
Student:  Oh, OK.

Reading Workshop students, if you are struggling with what to write, maybe you need to give the topic a break and write about something that you find interesting.


Poem written by Shel Silverstein. Image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/331296116310627083/

Revision

Poems are never finished. Eventually though, we just stop working on them.

Naomi Shihab Nye said:

If a teacher told me to revise, I thought that meant my writing was a broken-down car that needed to go to the repair shop. I felt insulted. I didn’t realize the teacher was saying, “Make it shine. It’s worth it.” Now I see revision as a beautiful word of hope. It’s a new vision of something. It means you don’t have to be perfect the first time. What a relief!      

Image from www.teacherspayteachers.com

Poem For A Grade

The Reading Workshop Poetry Rubric

Component	4/A	3/B	2/ C	1/D
Rhythm, Form Structure, Organization	Creatively uses poetic form. A natural rhythm and structure.	Structure and rhythm seem natural to the reader.	Structure and rhythm need revised for better understanding.	Unorganized structure and rhythm.
Content, Impact	The purpose of the poem is evident leading to a natural conclusion. The poem engages the reader.	Poem is developed with content that engages the reader.	Content is basic with only a hint of the author's intent.	Content is basic and undeveloped.
Word Selection, Word Usage	Word choice is exact, colorful, and interesting. Uses sensory details to help the reader see, hear, feel, and/or think.	Word choice is interesting with the use of sensory details.	Vocabulary is basic with a few attempts at improving word choice.	Vocabulary is very basic.
Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation	No errors and mechanics used as needed to fit with the poetic structure.	Minimal errors in spelling and mechanics used as needed for understanding.	A few errors in spelling and mechanics.	Errors in spelling and mechanics that interfere with reading.
Effort	Work shows an understanding of poetry and reflects the effort to create a special piece of writing.	Developed piece of work that is the result of revising and editing.	Basic piece of writing that shows a need of improvement.	Undeveloped without signs of editing and revision.
Created by http://www.thereadingworkshop.com

Why Kids Should Blog

Ten positive benefits of student blogging:

1.  Increased Communication Skills

2.  Develop and Improve Writing Skills

3.  Interact with Different People

4.  Improve Technology Skills

5.  Engage in Social Media

6.  Understand Online Social Responsibility

7.  Explore Hobbies and Special Interests

8.  Self Development

9.  Learn to Deal with Comments

10.Develop Social Skills for Life

Just click on the picture to see it full size.

Image from www.kidslearntoblog.com

Do You Know A Lot?

Let's See, What are Good Poetry Titles?

Weird Students
Mismatched Socks
Riding Vader (My Horse)
I Ate Too Much Chocolate
Cheesy Biscuits and Garlic Breath
Hard Workers
Eli is Not So Shy Any More
Just Plain Megan
Cafeteria Noise
Why Do You Make Me Have to be Mean?
The General aka Mrs. Hardin
Frank the Tank (Kaminsky)
Frank Gets Class
Rainy School Days
Zoom aka Carter
Zoom Thinks He's a Super Hero
The Last Class Was Boring
It Was All My Fault
I was Boring
We Were Still Asleep
Last Night I Had Bad Dreams
Why Does Tacey Work So Hard?
Distracting Class
Off Topic
Writing
World Hunt
I Hate to Lose
My Truck Got Washed Today
I Want to Cry
Not
720 Classes in a Year
My Heart's a Stereo
I Want to Be the Next American Idol
Everybody Now, Slide to the Left
Courage Enough to Write
My Diet Starts Next Monday
Grandma Has Gas
Talk Less, Write More
Afraid of Poetry
Dreams, Desire, Dedication, and Dish Washing
My Chucks Have Blue Shoestrings
Whining Instead of Working
Flo Rider (I Cry)
Music Makes Me Think
Are We Going to Sing Today and Other Questions Students Ask Every Day
Can I Go to the Bathroom?
How Many Topics Should I List?
Is This OK?
Allison Got Her Name on the Sign
Seriously, Aren't you a Little Sick of Cats Because I Am
Alexis, Allison, and Ashton
Earn a Brave Buck
A Little Less Cry and a Lot More Effort
My Sense of Humor is Underappreciated
Nose Pickers
Eddie's Hair
Take a Load Off Fannie
Morning Announcements
It's For not Fur
Red Card
You Can't Have My List
I Wonder What You Don't Know That I Don't Know
A Spot in Time and It's Not a Dalmation
Spaghetti Face
I Hate Sporks

Bring Some "Ing" to Your Poetry

Good poetry is alive, bringing the reader inside and making him think, or wonder, or laugh, or cry. And to bring the reader in nothing works better than action verbs. Thus the need for some "ing."

Screaming, shouting, racing, zinging, glistening, clinging, spinning, howling, catching, hooting, buzzing, violating, falling, sprinting, vaulting, pouncing, scaling, attacking, lunging, foraging, galloping, whipping, creating, gambling, whaling, slashing, wondering, listing, faking, destroying, escaping, dreaming, visualizing, imagining, bouncing, scraping, flailing, editing, revising, writing . . .

Make Your Words Count in Poetry

Cut out all those words.  This is poetry so you don't need them.  In fact, if the word doesn't do something to clarify meaning, or help make your point, just delete it.

Get rid of all those annoying little words and leave only the ones that matter.  You really don't need all those "it's" and "is's."  Nor do you need those are's and were's. Trim the fat and excess words.  Make your poem meaningful and exciting.

The best thing about poetry is that the author makes the rules.  You can choose whether or not to use capital letters, sentences, and punctuation.  The only rule is write in the best way to make your poem meaningful and understandable.  Just write so your reader relates to your message.

Author's note:  There are divided thoughts about using apostrophes in certain circumstances to show plural.  The general thinking is that it is allowable in a few instances if it helps considerably with making text more easily understood and more readable.

Image from http://kerileebeasley.com/

Make a Poem

Take this poem and rewrite it. Make it yours. Use your imagination. Be creative. You can read other student's poems HERE.

A boy
walked down
the path

He thought
about kids
at his school

He wished
they were
a little nicer

He didn't know
how to make
it happen

He tried
smiling at them
and it worked.

What Makes You Awesome?

So Reading Workshop students, what makes you awesome? What one thing sets you apart? What one trait defines you? When you think about your best quality, what comes to mind? What is the one thing that you do best? What makes you awesome?

Tell me about it.

Image from @bethhouf

Using Details to Support Your Position

This year we have focused on supporting your writing with details from the text. Recently on the Question of the Week Board, students wrote about a Must Read Book for All Sixth Graders. If you were the teacher, which post would you use as an example? Which post does the best job using information/details from the book to back up their claim as the must read book? 

Keep in mind the writer must have a reason of what makes the book great and the details should support that specific reason. This is not about which book you like best. This is not about which post you like best. This is a selection of one writer/post that best uses details from the book to support their point.

Do You Value Punctuation?

Yes, punctuation does matter.

Do You Want to Test Your Grammar?

Thanks to grammarly.com/grammar-check for this quiz.

Year-round School Essay

Don't let this be you!

Image from grammarly.com

Are You a Good Writer?

The Grammarly Blog has an article that might help answer that question.  It starts:

Have you ever wondered if your writing is any good? It’s a common question most writers have, especially early in their careers. It’s natural to have moments of doubt; you wouldn’t be human otherwise! Here are six signs your writing is on the right track.

You can read the article HERE.

A Good Argument

Students recently completed an Argumentative Essay Project. The following essay was written by Emma A. She did an excellent job of organization and supporting her opinion.

I think parents should limit social media use. I think they should because too much time on social media can put teen’s mental health in jeopardy. Social media can be addictive. Studies show that 63% of people log on to Facebook daily, and about 40% log on multiple times a day.

Social media also leads to a higher risk for cyberbullying. Sixty-seven percent of cyberbullying comes from instant messaging. Peer pressure is another thing that cyberbullying leads to. That affects our mental health because too much pressure can cause teens and people of any age to make bad decisions such as smoking, doing drugs, and drinking alcohol.

Using social media can also lead to low self-esteem. This can cause depression and anxiety.  The University of Michigan collected data about Facebook users and how it changed their moods. It showed that people who use Facebook daily have shown lower satisfaction for their life and Facebook as they use it more and more. It can also lead to fear of missing out, or FOMO. It is a form of social anxiety.

Social media is sometimes a good idea, but it can be very bad in some ways. The good things about using social media, such as Facebook, Instagram and many more improves your heart rate because it relaxes you,  and increases productivity. Just a 10 minute break can make employees happier and they will get more work done. They are many more ways that social media can be good, but not bad.

In conclusion, I think that social media use should be limited not only for teens, but for everyone. Too much time on social media can cause mental disorders, social anxiety, and peer pressure, and many more. Social media can be good as well, but for the most part it is bad for teens, especially. So I think social media use should be limited not only for teens but for everyone.