BOOKS GUIDE

Writing Craft Strategies

Deciding Where to Begin

Describing a Character #1

Describing a Character #2

Varying length of sentences

Subject Area: Writing Specific Topic: Prewriting and Planning Grade Band: 5-8

Implementation:

Strategy: Deciding Where to Begin

• Think of a story that you want to tell.
• Draw a timeline and plot the different events of the story in the order that they will occur.
• I showed Alivia a sample timeline of my own story.
• Discuss with the learner where a good starting point would be.
• How would the story sound if it started with the first event?
• Would it make it more interesting to start at the end and use flashback?
• Ask learners to decide where they will start and if there is anything that is extra, or if there is missing information.
• Learners will learn that planning and deliberate choices go into writing a good story.

Description: Mapping out a timeline can help learners decide where their story should begin.

Resources: Your own writing or learner writing Chart or overhead showing time line or story

Alivia's timeline for a personal narrative about re-decorating her bedroom.

Subject Area: Writing Specific Topic: Using Description Grade Band: 5-8

Strategy: Describing a Character #1

Implementation:

• As learners are beginning the first draft, conference with them to provide examples of strong character descriptions.
• Share a relevant text like A Christmas Memory.
• Ask learners to think about one of their own characters and write a scene in which they describe themselves with the character.
• For learners who might not be ready to craft an entire scene, read the poem "Raymond" and ask then to write a description and somethings that they do with the character.

Description: Learners use details to describe the characters that they will write about.

Resources: A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote "Raymond" by Paul Janeczko

Alivia using the examples in "Raymond" to describe her friend.

Subject Area: Writing Specific Topic: Sensory Details Grade Band: 5-8

Strategy: Describing a Character #2

Implementation:

• Tell learners that they will work on creating physical descriptions for their characters using sensory details.
• The teacher will read the excerpt from Yolanda's Genius and ask learners to listen for descriptions of how the character looks, sounds, feels, and smells.
• Ask learners to look at their own writing and find descriptions of their characters. Did you use more than just a description of what you can see?
• Ask learners to describe their character doing something that makes sense to their story.
• Your description should paint a picture in the reader's head!

Description: Learners draw on the five senses to create physical descriptions of characters. Leaners describe the character through actions to bring them to life.

Resources: Excerpt from Yolanda's Genius by Carol Fenner.

Charlotte's character description using sensory details.

Subject Area: Writing Specific Topic: Sentence Structure Grade Band: 5-8

Strategy: Varying Length of Sentences

Implementation:

• Think about the effect that you want your reader to feel.
• Read an example of writing in which the author uses varied sentences to get their point across.
• Ask learners to look back at what they have written so far. Are all of their sentences about the same? If so, is there a good place to add a shorter sentence to break it up?
• Try it out! After adding a shorter sentence, read your work. Does it sound good? Does the shorter sentence make sense where you added it?
• Encourage learners to continue to look at their writing critically and identify other places where the length of the sentences affects the readability of the story.

Description: Keep writing interesting by carefully choosing not only what you say, but HOW you say it! Use short sentences or even fragments for emphasis and excitement!

Resources: Teacher or student example of writing. The Iron Giant by Ted Hughes

Charlotte's nonfiction narrative. The red text is what she added.