Lead Me On - Writing Lively Leads for Book Reviews

The beginning, a very good place to start, is also a very difficult thing to craft. Provide your writers with this handout that identifies, and provides examples of, six different types of narrative leads.

Smart Solutions is the theme of unit comprised of activities designed to challenge minds and stretch writing muscles. Enthusiastic writers create their own comic strip, write a problem-solution essay, an opinion letter, a funny story, a...

Reflect on your reading with a book review form. After finishing a novel or short story, kids choose the correct genre and discuss their favorite part. They also decide which part they would change, and whether or not they would...

Do you have a stack of narrative writing papers that need to be graded? Use this four point rubric that looks at the author's topic, body, conclusion, vocabulary, organization, and grammar. 

All aboard! Pair a reading of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg with a set of literacy activities. The packet of worksheets includes task cards, sorting activities, a synonym match, comparing and contrasting activities, writing...

Having read and discussed Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle, third graders demonstrate their bullfrog expertise by writing informational paragraphs. Building on the note-taking and paragraph planning from the previous lesson, learners create...

After reading "How to write a good book review" and browsing some book reviews, class members generate a list of things they would like to see in a book review. Then young reporters read a book, write a review and post their polished...

After reading a self-selected book, young reviewers plan, draft, revise, edit and polish a book review as their report on the book. Reviewers record and edit their report which is then placed in the digital library for others to enjoy.

Create a full-color, hardbound book on a topic of your choice. Scholars use narrative strategies to draft, revise, edit, illustrate, and publish their stories using a free publishing program for schools. These books are then available...

To encourage their fellow learners to read, third graders write book reviews and post them on Shelfari. They read a new book, review it, and then discuss that book with their peers. This project could be done without the technological...