Real-Life Writing Activities for Grades 4-9

This ready-to-use resource provides 40 complete model and writing lessons that capture students’ attention, build their writing skills, and teach them a writing process (motivation, brainstorming, composing, revising, and publishing) that will serve them throughout their lives.<br /> The lessons/activities are designed for young authors in grades 4 through 9 who are just learning the composing process, as well as for advanced writers who are ready to experiment with a variety of writing and speaking genres. They feature a wide range of practical writing tasks students can easily relate to their own lives.<br /> <br /> For easy use, all materials are printed in a big 8 1/4″ x 11″ lay-flat binding that folds flat for photocopying of the writing formats and evaluative checklists that accompany many of the lessons, and are arranged developmentally into five sections. Here’s just a sample of what each section offers:<br /> <br /> 1. Descriptive Compositions for Young Authors: “People/Fact Hunt”…”Consumer Survey”…”Captions”…”Letter of Introduction to My Next Teacher”…:Restaurant Review Checklist”…”Horoscope”<br /> <br /> 2. Directional Compositions for Young Authors: “Advice to Next Year’s Class”…”Treasure Map Directions”…”Friendship Recipe”…”Cheer-Up Checklist”…”Medical Guide”…”Advice Column Solution Letter”<br /> <br /> 3. Persuasive Compositions for Young Authors: “Apology/ApologyNote”…”Travel Brochure”…”Movie.VideoReview”…”Sympathy Message”…”Bill of Rights”…”Letter of Complaint”…”Eulogy”<br /> <br /> 4. Marrative Compositions for Young Authors: “Good News/Bad News Tale”…”Mystery/Whodunit”<br /> <br /> 5. Poems & Songs for Young Authors: “Simple Chant”…”Five-Line Poem”…”Comparison Poem”…”Auto/Bio Poem”…”Modern Nursery Rhymes”<br /> <br /> All lessons provide step-by-step instructions, including alternative motivators, examples of what to say to elicit students’ response and what to write on the chalkboard, and suggestions for responding to students’ writing in a way that will encourage them.<br /> <br /> You’ll also find the lessons are ideally flexible. You may follow the steps in each Real-Life Writing lesson just as described or add, omit, and/or change parts to fit your students’ knowledge, skills, or interests and/or your curriculum needs.