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So Much Depends Upon...Sixteen-Word Imagery Poems Inspired by Love that Dog by Sharon Creech

For Teachers 6th - 7th
After reading Love That Dog by Sharon Creech (and possibly shedding a few tears), middle schoolers work on their own sixteen-word poems with a Six Trait writing activity. They focus on word choice in this activity to capture an...
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Effective Writing is More Than a Five Paragraph Essay

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Groups become experts in one aspect of the six traits of writing, prepare a PowerPoint presentation, jigsaw, and teach others about their trait. Writers then focus on these traits as they compose a persuasive essay about a person they...
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Jeffrey and Sloth

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students listen to the story Jeffrey and Sloth and explore the six traits of writing. In this six traits of writing activity, students practice doodling as a method of brainstorming ideas. Students then discover the importance of...
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Lesson Plan
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Delicious Words

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders work together to make simple menus more interesting by adding descriptive words. This plan works well with the Six Traits of Writing as it covers the trait of word choice. This is a really fun way for students to practice...
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Lesson Plan
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Painting Places with Words Using John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

For Teachers 8th - 9th Standards
Useful in an Of Mice and Men unit, or in a unit that focuses on descriptive writing, this instructional activity prompts young authors to impersonate John Steinbeck's writing style in the opening passages of the novel. A Six Trait...
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Lesson Plan
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"Lawd! Lawd! Lawd!"

For Teachers 7th - 10th
From British accents to Texan drawls, a character's dialect can be an important part of the reading experience. A Six-Trait writing activity guides learners through the analysis of a character's dialect (Daniel Keyes's Flowers for...
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Lesson Plan
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Episodic Writing Using Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Help your middle-schoolers expand their writing skills with this lesson on episodic writing, which focuses on story details, idea development, and organization. After reading "The Eighth Picture: End of Summer" from Patricia Reilly...
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Curated OER

Same Setting, Different Moods: Voice and Word Choice Using Lord of the Flies

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Whether it's dark, delightful, or somber, set the mood with William Golding's Lord of the Flies. High-schoolers practice descriptive writing by creating the appropriate mood for an original scene, starring one of the book's main characters.
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Curated OER

Hoot: Persuasive Writing Assignment

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Can your class convince the townspeople to support the rally in Carl Hiaasen's Hoot? Have your young writers exercise their persuasive writing skills in a lesson that prompts them to write a letter or a speech based on Chapter 18 from...
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Lesson Plan
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Do Heroes Have to Wear a Cape?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Young writers choose a person from American history, their community, or their family to use as the subject of a persuasive essay. The process begins with a discussion of the characteristics of a hero, the completion of a prewriting web,...
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Lesson Plan
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Boogie Woogie with a B: Using Alliteration while Exploring Patriotic Tunes

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Are you looking for a way to bring writing into your history lesson - or history into your writing lesson? This cross-curricular activity is helpful and fun, no matter what class you're teaching! Using "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by the...
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Lesson Plan
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Borrowing Narrative Skills from Mr. Fletcher: Using a "Prompts in Reverse" Technique to Inspire Your Writers

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Help your class find their writing voices with this instructional activity which uses the work of Ralph Fletcher to guide a "Prompt in Reverse" activity. Using the chapter "First Pen" from Fletcher's Marshfield Dreams, learners decipher...
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Lesson Plan
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Using Each Trait to Improve Student Writing

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine examples of the qualities of good writing skills and discuss how each of the traits add to the process of good writing. A variety of excerpts from literature provide samples for the exploration.
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Lesson Plan
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Strong Descriptive Writing: James and the Giant Peach

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Support your writers! Clear procedures and appropriate support make this a superb resource for elementary writing instruction. Ready your class to compose original descriptive paragraphs inspired by the episode in Roald Dahl's James and...
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Lesson Plan
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Counting Up/Down Stories

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Mirroring Jerry Spinelli's style in Wringer, chapter 5, pupils use the "counting up/down technique" to recall an important moment in their lives. In the book, the character is being punched, and between blows he remembers details that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Monster of a Metaphor

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What do Jeep advertisements and Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath have in common? They both employ the art of the extended metaphor! Using the Six-Trait Writing model, learners begin to work on their own extended metaphors. Development...
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Lesson Plan
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"Voicing" - A Believable Account with "The Glory Fields" by Walter Dean Myers

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Dr. Seuss and Walter Dean Myers team up to cover the topic of prejudice. Using The Sneeches (about the culture clash between star-bellied and bare-bellied Sneetches) and The Glory Fields (about a boy coming to America on a slave ship),...
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Curated OER

"Knot" the Whole Truth: Writing a Modern-Day Story with a Tall Tale's Voice

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Beyond Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, tall tales can be a great way to teach young writers about word choice and voice in their writing. Using Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee  and the Six-Trait Writing process, they begin to write their own...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"I Never Knew That!"

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Incorporating To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, narrative writing, and friendly letters, this lesson is ideal for any number of units in your classroom. First, read chapter 10 of the novel, noting Scout and Jem's reactions to their...
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Unit Plan
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Nonfiction Genre Mini-Unit: Persuasive Writing

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Should primary graders have their own computers? Should animals be kept in captivity? Young writers learn how to develop and support a claim in this short unit on persuasive writing.
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Unit Plan
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Reading and Writing Program Using Core Knowledge Literature

For Teachers 4th
Students improve their reading and writing skills using Step Up to Writing and Six Traits of Writing techniques. Students complete a Robinson Crusoe vocabulary crossword, a Treasure Island character analysis web, reading comprehension...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Want a Job in Agriculture

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Upper graders explore agriculture careers. They brainstorm possible careers in the agricultural field and choose a career of interest to them.  Everyone writes a paper about different aspects of this career using the six traits of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Grab Your Reader: Great Leads

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Get your readers' attention with this Six Traits of Writing lesson plan. First, young writers draft ideas in an organized manner utilizing words, sentences, and multiple paragraphs. They also use voice to fit the purpose and audience and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Voice - 6 + 1 Traits of Writing

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders combine listening and writing skills in this lesson. After listening to Up North at the Cabin, Students are asked to write a piece from a specific viewpoint about a place that they like to visit.

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