This book is a "best of" collection of tips and exercises to help nurture young writers and strengthen core skills. Since each activity has been tried and tested in thousands of classrooms, you'll find successful methods for turning even the most reluctant students into effective, powerful writers. Writing proficiency is more important than ever, especially with the demands of standardized testing and the rigors of new standards impacting our schools. This classroom-tested manual, created from a combination of the author's extensive in-class experience and acclaimed research in neural science and developmental biology, addresses all facets of writing competency. The content links to common core curriculum elements in state language arts standards for every state. Written by experienced educator and author Kendall Haven, the work features 13 innovative writing tips and 30 engaging activities for helping students become better writers. The first part of the book covers writing hints and techniques, while the second half contains core content activities for coaxing the best writing out of your students. A short introductory section lays out the five steps of effective student writing. Lastly, the text reveals how teachers—even those from non-literary backgrounds—can successfully teach and grade writing.

This book is a "best of" collection of tips and exercises to help nurture young writers and strengthen core skills. Since each activity has been tried and tested in thousands of classrooms, you'll find successful methods for turning even the most reluctant students into effective, powerful writers. Writing proficiency is more important than ever, especially with the demands of standardized testing and the rigors of new standards impacting our schools. This classroom-tested manual, created from a combination of the author's extensive in-class experience and acclaimed research in neural science and developmental biology, addresses all facets of writing competency. The content links to common core curriculum elements in state language arts standards for every state. Written by experienced educator and author Kendall Haven, the work features 13 innovative writing tips and 30 engaging activities for helping students become better writers. The first part of the book covers writing hints and techniques, while the second half contains core content activities for coaxing the best writing out of your students. A short introductory section lays out the five steps of effective student writing. Lastly, the text reveals how teachers—even those from non-literary backgrounds—can successfully teach and grade writing.

This workbook will develop the narrative writing skills described in the Common Core State Standards. It provides the ongoing practice that students need, while being specifically focused on developing the skills listed in the standards. Students will learn how to respond effectively to all types of writing tasks, while developing an understanding of the key features of narrative writing and gaining experience creating stories in many common genres. Section 1: Developing Writing Skills - 12 complete sets of exercises and writing prompts - each set focuses on one key element of narrative writing - each set introduces the skill, guides students through the task, and then builds the skills by allowing independent practice - warm-up exercises are included before many sets to prepare students and introduce key skills - skills covered include sequence, plot, setting, characterization, theme, point of view, dialogue, using concrete words, and using sensory details Section 2: Applying Writing Skills - 10 complete sets of writing prompts - each set focuses on one style or one genre of narrative writing - genres and styles covered include personal narratives, diary entries, letters, science fiction, adventure stories, mystery stories, and more - hints and tips are included to guide students through the tasks - writing prompts include guided planning activities, so students create focused, well-developed, and well-organized stories - prepares students for the types of writing tasks found on assessment tasks and tests About the Common Core Standards The Common Core Standards are a set of standards adopted by most American states. The standards describe what students are expected to be able to do. Student learning is based on these standards throughout the year, and students in many states are tested based on these standards at the end of the school year. This book has been specifically created to develop the skills listed in the Common Core State Standards. It provides full coverage of the narrative writing skills that Grade 4 students are expected to have. The exercises and writing tasks, guidance given, and review and scoring guide have been specifically developed based on the skills listed in the Common Core State Standards.

This guided workbook will develop all the skills needed for effective narrative writing and give students practice creating work in a range of styles and genres. The first section contains sets of exercises and writing prompts that will develop the narrative writing skills listed in the Common Core State Standards. The second section gives students practice applying the skills by writing a wide range of narrative texts. Key Features - Focused sets develop key narrative writing skills one by one - Each set introduces the skill, guides students to complete a task, and then provides independent practice - Examples, guided tasks, and hints teach students how to produce effective writing - Additional warm-up exercises prepare students for each set - Covers sequence, plot, setting, characterization, theme, dialogue, and descriptions - Tasks teach students writing techniques like using concrete words, using sensory details, writing first-person stories, and using transition words and phrases Develops the Key Skills of Narrative Writing - Understanding sequence - Developing a focused plot - Introducing and developing characters - Establishing a setting - Using dialogue effectively - Using descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings - Using linking words and phrases to show event order - Writing effective conclusions Includes Practice for a Wide Range of Narratives - Personal narratives - Diary entries - Letters - Science fiction - Adventures stories - Mystery stories

Student Writers Go the Distance with a Strength-Training Approach Good writers don’t wing it—they have a plethora of skills. They list, picture, circle, strategize and revise to make language come alive. They know what to use and when. Like ace athletes, they are highly trained, well-versed in the techniques found in this lively book. Writing Workouts provides a method for instruction that gives students the fun they want and the targeted skill practice they need. Slinky paragraphs, pop-up poems, paint chip plotting, and many other activities get the serious business of teaching critical and creative writing done. Author Rebecca Harper shows you how to go about it systematically, so writing is tied to relevant lessons and writing standards. Help students learn to: Hone skills in persuasive writing, argument, fiction, poetry, memoir and more Toggle between brief and multi-step writing tasks, to build stamina (and not hyperventilate when faced with complex compositions) Tap into auditory, visual, and kinesthetic, and digital components of crafting Think about word, sentence, and paragraph-level techniques Jump the high-jumps of research writing by getting good at each smaller leap Students in middle school and high school often feel they are forever-sprinting toward a high-stakes writing task. With Writing Workouts, you help students crowd out stress with a strength-training approach to success.

Matches the New Next Generation Learning Standards introduced in 2017! This guided workbook will develop all the skills needed for effective narrative writing and give students practice creating a wide range of narrative texts. The first section contains sets of exercises and writing prompts that will develop the narrative writing skills listed in the Common Core Learning Standards. The second section gives students practice applying the skills by writing a wide range of narrative texts. Section 1: Developing Narrative Writing Skills - focused sets develop key narrative writing skills one by one - develops all the narrative writing skills described in the Common Core standards - each set introduces the skill, guides students to complete a task, and then provides independent practice - examples, guided tasks, and hints teach students how to produce effective writing - additional warm-up exercises prepare students for each set - covers sequence, plot, setting, characterization, theme, dialogue, and descriptions - tasks teach students writing techniques like using effective descriptions, writing first-person stories, and using transition words and phrases Section 2: Applying Narrative Writing Skills - 10 sets of writing prompts allow students to apply narrative writing skills - each set focuses on one style or one genre of narrative writing - includes practice writing personal narratives, diary entries, letters, science fiction, adventure stories, mystery stories, and more - hints and tips guide students through the tasks - students are encouraged to edit and revise their completed work - prepares students for the types of writing tasks found on assessment tasks and tests

This guided workbook will develop all the skills needed for effective narrative writing and give students practice creating work in a range of styles and genres. The first section contains sets of exercises and writing prompts that will develop the narrative writing skills listed in the Common Core State Standards. The second section gives students practice applying the skills by writing a wide range of narrative texts. Key Features - Focused sets develop key narrative writing skills one by one - Each set introduces the skill, guides students to complete a task, and then provides independent practice - Examples, guided tasks, and hints teach students how to produce effective writing - Additional warm-up exercises prepare students for each set - Covers sequence, plot, setting, characterization, theme, dialogue, and descriptions - Tasks teach students writing techniques like using concrete words, using sensory details, writing first-person stories, and using transition words and phrases Develops the Key Skills of Narrative Writing - Understanding sequence - Developing a focused plot - Introducing and developing characters - Establishing a setting - Using dialogue effectively - Using descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings - Using concrete words and sensory details - Using linking words and phrases to show event order - Writing effective conclusions Includes Practice for a Wide Range of Narratives - Personal narratives - Diary entries - Letters - Science fiction - Adventures stories - Mystery stories