Writing Workshop

Writing Expectations

http://www.trintuition.com/msedwards/msedwards

What will we do in writing class?

"Writing is hard fun."   Donald Murray

Writing is hard: To write well, a person must write. Write a lot. Dig into ideas, stir them smooth, add interest and action as well as description and dialogue with personal voice, organize the whole shebang so the flow of words form a themed mind movie for the reader.  It's not easy, but together, as a class of authors, we will help each other grow and develop as writers.

Writing is fun: It's true.  You'll beam with the fantastic feeling of success when you slice up your words and spice up your original written thoughts so they sparkle with images and slip easily off the tongue. We'll celebrate your wordsmith style.  A job well done feels great; that's fun.

So, how will we work?

We'll write a lot.

We'll share our work.

We'll discover the best in our daring drafts and tell each other.

We'll look for leaks, the holes where more elaboration, experiences, explanations, examples, or evidence would fill the void and form a fluid flow of ideas for the reader.

We'll proofread for the conventions, so that what we write, will be read as we meant it to be read:

I attended a different school last year. I have been writing. As an author like we had practiced I wrote nothing. That, I did not take pride in. I am sure it will be the same when I come to class here.

 

or did you mean:

 

I attended a different school last year.  I have been writing as an author like we practiced. I wrote nothing that I did not take pride in. I am sure it will be the same when I come to class here.^[1]

See the difference punctuation makes?

 

We'll turn in all drafts and prewriting.

We'll publish much of our work.

What's expected of a final draft?

The final draft must include:

• Complete Ideas (lost of specific details)
• Logical Organization (beginning, middle, end; written in paragraphs)
• Wonderful Word Choice (specific words--nifty nouns, vivid verbs; figurative language)
• Super Sentence Fluency (complete sentences with some short and some long; sentences start in different ways)
• Vibrant Voice (the writing shows you are committed to and care about the topic; no one else would write this because your personality shines through)
• Correct Conventions (correct spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, capitalization, grammar, margins, legibility)

 

If completed online on a wiki page, remember to follow wiki / internet rules and (to show all your thinking, from prewriting, draft, to final text):

Create new page with appropriate heading.

Do prewriting.

Write a draft.

Copy draft.

Paste above draft, then revise the draft.

Edit.

Email page link to teacher.

Alternative Credit Lessons

If I need make up writing, what can I do?

 See Writing Expectations above to receive credit.

1. Story Ideas

How to Write a Scary Story

R. L. Stine How to

Make a story cube: your own or for a book you are reading.

Story Cube

Planning Sheet: Download on the site above (it's underlined)

 

Create a story map of your characters, setting, problem, resolution.

Story Map

2. Poetry

Want to write poetry?  Check out Scholastic's Poetry Writing Page.  Hear and learn from poets.

Here's the link to the main page: http://teacher.scholastic.com/Writewit/poetry/index.htm

Here's the link to Jack Prelutsky's page:  http://teacher.scholastic.com/Writewit/poetry/jack_home.htm

3.  Write with Writers

Check out Scholastic's Writing Page.  Hear and learn from writers.

Here's the index page:  http://teacher.scholastic.com/Writewit/index.htm