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Tried and Tested Writing StrategiesEmma Le Marquand ~ Lithgow High School

Directed Writing

• Sentence by sentence instructions• Leading to paragraph by paragraph• Teacher example on board• Not the most exciting activity

1. Charlotte scraped her long, tangled hair into a bun.

2. She glanced outside at the pouring rain and wondered where she’s last left her new umbrella.

3. Racing out the door she called a goodbye to her mum and avoided tripping over the dog.

4. Rachel sat waiting impatiently, wrapped in over-sized parka.

5.In the ten years the two had been friends, Charlotte had never seen Rachel wear anything that fitted her.

6.‘So what’s your excuse this time? Time travel?’, asked Rachel sarcastically.

1. Name, action, one feature with two adjectives.

2. Notice the weather, describe it, make her think 1 thing

3. Leave where she is, interesting verb, do two things on the way out.

4. Name new character, doing 1 thing, describe 1 item of clothing

5. How long friends, 1 thing they know about each other

6. New character speaks, describe tone of voice.

Die, baby, die

• Stages die – planning, oral story telling

• 26 sided die – allocate a number, add a sentence each

• Scattergories die – start the sentence with the letter, give an adjective starting with the letter.

Captivate themWrite two sentences explaining why the dog is lying on the lounge

Submit answer

Maybe he was up all night chasing rabbits.

Objects and Artefacts

• Collect various random and curious objects.• Students write a paragraph describing the

object. (Focus on details)• Share (Teacher participates and shares)• Students use an object as a stimulus for story/

creative work.

Cut Ups 1

• Cut up adjectives, nouns, verbs and phrases• Put in a container (magic hat)• Pull out at random and use to make a

creative• Often doesn’t make sense• Idea is to make students play with words

and break free from habits with word chaos.

Cut Ups 2

• Cut up newspapers for pictures, captions and headlines.

• Use as a stimulus for writing tasks.

Cut Up 3

• Cut up a variety of song lyrics across all genres.

• Pull song lyrics out of hat for creative.• OR Use one song lyric to start or stimulate

creative.

Using organisation charts, such as the hamburger, is a novel way to help students with their writing. They are engaged by the hamburger which you can either give as a worksheet or use as an overhead or on a IWB and students can draw it for themselves. And yes, they will want to draw it and colour it! Even year 11 students have used it in their books. I find it is a good visual reminder too. With lower ability classes we come up with the points for each sentence together and then they write it in full sentences to make their own paragraphs. It can be used for any type of writing with extra scaffolding supplied.

Putting a paragraph together

Sandwich charthttp://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/sandwich.pdf

How do I start, Miss??? I don’t know what to write!

I can’t think of anything

• Students often become stuck when it comes to beginning their creative writing. Rather than giving them the usual scaffolds, or ‘who, what, where, when, why,’ try ‘Techniques that will hook your readers’ from www.learnnc.org

Techniques That Will Hook Your Readers1. Dialogue“ Hurry or you’ll be late!” called my mother from the bottom of the stairs. “Today of all days you want to be on time.” If I had only know what that day would bring, I would have stayed in bed.2. A QuestionHave you ever had a day when you wished you had stayed in bed? As I rushed to catch the bus on what seemed to be a perfectly normal day I had no idea what was ahead of me. 3. A Vivid DescriptionThe sun was warm on my back as I raced toward the waiting yellow school bus. As I nestled into the worn leather seat I was greeted by the friendly voices of other excited children. The look on my face was one of confidence and contentment. With a jerk the bus rumbled down the road and I was on my way into one of the worst days of my life.4. An Interesting FactShock has been known to kill ten year olds. It can cause their brains to explode and their heart to stop dead still. These facts raced through my mind as I stood dumbfounded in front of my fourth grade classmates. I wish I had stayed in bed!5. Sound Effects“Buzzzzzz!” The sound of my alarm clock droned in my ears as I struggled to come awake. With a start I sat straight up in my bed. This was my big day and I had to be on time.

Adapted from - http://www.craftelf.com/Coloring%20Pages/Craft_elf_Coloring_Page_Puffer_Fish.htm

What about poetry?

• The Red Room Company is an independent company who work with schools and students on units of poetry. They are here at the conference presenting if you are interested in learning more.

INSTRUCTIONS

EXAMPL

E

http://

www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/pdf/sandwich.pdf

http://www.kerpoof.com/http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/

https://creately.com/app/?tempID=gc7qvpsj1#

http://www.comicmaster.org.uk/

http://superherosquad.marvel.com/create_your_own_comic

http://www.pikistrips.com/http://www.pikistrips.com/