Writing Done Right

I'm excited to announce my writing curriculum is now on Amazon.  The book is available in paperback or on Kindle.

Writing Done Right is suited for teachers, parents, homeschoolers, or anybody that would like a comprehensive writing curriculum that teaches students to meet the rigor of current writing standards with flair and style.

Show Me Follow Up in Google Docs

The class has been using the Chrome Books every week.   They are getting used to fonts, spacing, shift keys, spell check, deleting, using the tool bar, sharing documents and building stamina.  My students seem to enjoy their Chrome Book time.

These are some student Show Me writing examples that they transferred from their rough drafts into Google Docs. I posted some other Show Me rough drafts a few days ago.

Do you use Show Me writing in your class?  I'd like to hear how you teach descriptive writing.

Show Me Writing

I was introduced to Show Me writing several years ago and I have been hooked ever since that day. Who was the clever person to come up with this idea?  I use Show Me writing in my class every year.

Show Me writing is a way to incorporate the five senses into writing.   We add feeling/emotion as well.  The students start with descriptive sentences and gradually move onto paragraphs.

The anchor chart shows what should be added into the writing.  Students do not have to use everything from the chart.  They have the option to pick and choose which concepts will be used in their writing such as hooks, figurative language, detail and that "showing" feeling.

New skills are added to the anchor chart as concepts are taught.

Show Me Writing Anchor Chart

Today, I am going to share some rough drafts of their writing.

I will share student examples written in Google Docs in my next post.

Student A

Student B

Student C 

Student D- Part 1

Student D- Part 2

If you have made it to the bottom of this post, I thank you!  Here is a freebie for you!

Area Lesson Follow Up

I have posted some recent math lessons that have been quite helpful for my class.   I'm trying to keep the students engaged in all things mathematics. The students seem to understand the math concepts through multiple approaches such as exciting math games, CGI strategies, Number Talks, mental math questions, exploring number patterns, higher level thinking questions and the use of tool kits. I truly believe we are on our way to a deeper level of understanding.

A student who showed multiple ways of solving a problem.

One of my favorite things to teach is writing.  Well... it is part of my Blog name.  Every year I try to develop the best writers any teacher could ask for in his/her class. Teaching writing takes time and a lot of patience, especially at the third grade level.  Students have so many unique ways of saying things orally, but if you ask them to write it down, it doesn't always translate into what they really mean.   Believe it or not, this is the part of the job that I enjoy the most!  

There is a bulletin board section in my room reserved for writing.  Each student has writing pieces that are pinned monthly. By the end of the year, you can see the growth within each student. The writing samples are placed from most recent to beginning of the year.

I hope you visit my blog from time to time because I am going to offer a plethora of writing strategies that have benefited my students for years. I try my best to create students who develop a lifelong passion for writing.  

I am always open to feedback and comments.  If you have lessons that have been effective in your own class, then I would love to hear about them.

PS- As a follow up to yesterday's area lesson I asked students to play the game (with the deck of cards or dice) with someone at home.  Here is a picture of what one student did with his dad.

My Writing Curriculum

Hello out there,

One of my favorites parts of the day is writing time.  Personally, I teach writing as a systematic approach.  In fact, I enjoy writing so much that I created my own writing curriculum which I use every day.

My curriculum is an up-to-date, comprehensive writing manual designed to help elementary school teachers implement effective writing in grades three through five.  The book contains a ten-month pacing plan (optional) for a 180-day school calendar.  The beginning of this book shares my own writing theory and gives an explanation of why I do the things I do.  The main purpose is to assist you in teaching your students to write well using a step-by-step process, beginning in September and ending in June.  (Alternate schedule if you are year-round).  I'll share some anonymous writing samples throughout the year as well.

This book teaches various areas of writing, independent of each other, and educates students to synthesize information and create writing pieces with style and flare.  Nonfiction and fiction can both be addressed in several of the topics that are covered in this manual.

Students will be writing for the rest of their lives.  If you build a strong writing foundation early on, students can only improve year after year.  In today's technological society, communication via email may be the norm, but good writing is still crucial.

Please be sure to follow my blog, as I will introduce sections of my book.  In addition, I'll post free resources as well.

Thank you,

Sean