Creative Teaching » Writing

Write a Letter to President Obama

Jo — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 07:32:14 +0000

My son is going to write a letter to President Obama using a formal letter format (ReadWriteThink: Letter Generator).

He will begin his letter introducing himself (and his age) and continue the letter by writing about one issue that is important to him. The letter will be written in cursive handwriting (very neatly) and will be edited by me before it is mailed.

We may never hear back from the White House, but wouldn’t it be thrilling for a child to receive some kind of response?

Mailing Address:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Email Address:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Phone Numbers:

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

TTY/TDD:

Comments: 202-456-6213
Visitors Office: 202-456-2121

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Winter Writing Ideas

Jo — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:00:28 +0000

My winter vacation was exciting! I….
A big brown bear was sleeping in….
I threw the biggest snowball ever and it landed on….
I looked out the window and saw a penguin squatting on….
My granny sent me the funniest mittens. They….
Here is my recipe for the grossest soup ever. First,….
I pressed my tongue against a freezing _____ and it got stuck just as….
My little brother tried to make ice cream from snow, but he made a huge mistake and….
On New Year’s Eve my family and I….
I love Valentine’s Day because….
On cold winter days I love to….
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a hero because….
The groundhog forgot to wake up on Groundhog Day and….
Jack Frost became a bully and decided that winter would never go away. The only one who could stop him was….
When I was snowed in at a toy store for a week, I….
Write a winter poem. See “Types of Poems“.

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The Writing Process

Jo — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:59:54 +0000

Wow!!! You have got to check out these sites if you teach writing!!

I love love love these sites!!!!

ABC’s of the Writing Process
Learning Transitions
Writing Terrific Paragraphs
Five Paragraph Essay
Learn to Evaluate and Edit
Outline of the Basic Writing Process
Step by Step – the Writing Process

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Types of Writing

Jo — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:01:57 +0000

As part of my homeschooling—and gift-giving—I am going to teach my son that there are different types of writing. We have different types of writing for different reasons. Some are informal—such as friendly letters and silly poems—and some are formal—such as letters from attorneys and nonfiction reports for school.

Anyway, I wanted a list of the different types of writing at my fingertips. I will use this blog entry many times over the years to make sure I am not teaching the same type of writing over and over. Again, I hope these sites help you and yours in your writing adventures!

Kids Konnect: Write Away “Write Away” is one of the best “how to write for kids” that I have seen! A must have!
Kamehameha (Hawaii) Schools Distance Learning: Writing Resources – Types of Writing Good site for the basic kinds of writing.
Write on Reader: Forms of Writing I like this site! Lots of info.
University of Maryland University College: Types of Writing Assignments Gives ideas on assignments for different types of writing.
English Works! (Gallaudet University): Guide to Different Kinds of Essays

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Types of Poems

Jo — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:40:32 +0000

I was trying to figure out what kinds of poems to write for personal Christmas gifts, so I compiled a list of different kinds of poems. I am going to use this blog entry throughout the year as my son writes more poetry.

Hope these sites help you as they have helped me!

Types of Poetry This site gives you poems in ABC order with definitions and examples for each kind of poem!
Mrs. Mitchell’s Virtual School: Different Types of Poems for Kids Poetry for kids with great definitions and super examples!
Poem of Quotes.com: 51 Types of Poetry In ABC order with definitions
Shadow Poetry: Types of Poetry More poems in ABC order and examples
Buzzle.com: Types of Poetry Poems in ABC order with definitions
ReadWriteThink: Student Materials – Diamante Poems I LOVE this site!! It walks you through how to write a diamante poem in a fun way!
Three great sites that show examples of concrete, or shape, poems:
- Oregon State University: Court (Smith)’s Concrete Creation
- Literacy Rules!: Concrete Poems
- ReadWriteThink: Student Materials – Shape Poems This Web site walks you through how to write a shape poem!
Types of Poetry: Ballad Poems Defines ballad poems
Giggle Poetry: How to Write a Limerick Shows you how to write funny limerick poems
ReadWriteThink: Student Materials – Acrostic Poems Walks you through how to write an acrostic poem
Hyperborea: Free-Verse Poems Examples of free-verse poems

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Books to Make with Children

Jo — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 06:02:51 +0000

November includes many special days, including “Children’s Book Week”. There are tons of different types of books you can make with your children. Creating a variety of books with your children makes writing much more interesting and motivational for them!

The following are different types of “books” you can make with children:

Pop-up books
Shape books
Accordion books
Envelope books
Peek-a-Boo books
- ThinkQuest: Make Your Own Peek A Boo Book
- education.com: Make Peek-a-Boo Books
Mini books
Flip books
- Robert Truscio: Drawings that Move – Flip Books
Big books
- I use an opaque projector and butcher paper to enlarge the shape I want.
- I color the shape and laminate it.
- Finally, I cut out the shape and use it to trace blank sheets for children to write and draw on.
- Examples of big books that I have made (photos to come!):
  - Big Book of Planets
  - Big Book of Body Parts (trace each child on butcher paper)
Peek-over books
- Simply glue a picture or photo on top of a folded sheet of paper.
Theme books
- These are great for nonfiction and unit studies such as the presidential election and countries.
Journals
- Please see my blog, “Types of Journal Writing“.

Here is a list of useful resources for making books with children:

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“Things to do Instead of Watching TV” Book

Jo — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 06:07:39 +0000

This is a very simple book for a child to make. Just type the phrases below (one per page) and print them out. Ask your child to fill in the blanks and do what he/she wrote on the page. Take pictures of your child being productive, or ask your child to draw a picture.

Cover: Things to do Instead of Watching TV

Arrange _________

Befriend _________

Count _________

Dance to _________

Enjoy _________

Figure out how to _________

Give _________

Have a _________

Imagine _________

Jump for joy because _________

Keep a journal of _________

Listen to _________

Make a _________

Narrate _________

Observe _________

Play _________

Question things that _________

Read _________

Sing a _________

Take a walk _________

Use _________

Visit _________

Write a _________

X out negative _________

Yearn to _________

Zip up your jacket and _________

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Types of Journal Writing

Jo — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 03:03:18 +0000

Here are some types of journals for children to write:

Daily journal: Write down what happened that day.
Food journal: Write down everything you ate during the day.
Homework journal: Write down all homework assignments and keep track of each completed assignment by placing a check mark next to it.
Progress journal: Write down the things that you want to improve about yourself, such as healthy lifestyle choices, sports, and grades.
Creative writing journal: Write down whatever you want to write about. You can clip interesting articles and pictures to keep in your journal. Write down whatever comes to mind. Many times ideas that don’t seem to go anywhere now will inspire you later!
Spending journal: Write down everything you buy and how much each costs. (I know…ouch!)
Clothes journal: Write down everything you have in your closet, what you need to buy and what you need to donate or sell.
TV journal: Write down everything you watch on TV.

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Story Starters and Writing Tips

Jo — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:20:26 +0000

Here are some more story starters….

Write a letter to yourself to be read 10 years from now.
Write about your best/worst day ever.
Make a poster about yourself.
Describe the best present you ever received.
Make a list of things seen, heard, and felt at a particular place.
Draw a picture of your family and write about them.
Create a list of things that make you smile.
Create a recipe for a new dish.
Write a story about a place you’ve never been.
Write a story about your toys coming to life.
Make a thank you card for someone who has been nice to you.
Write a story about a person you know.
Make a list of your best qualities.
Make a poster on how to protect the earth.
Write a story about each of the four seasons.
Write a story about one of the planets.
Make a list of things you do well.
Write about something that scared you.
Write a story about your favorite animal.
Write a different ending to a book you’ve read.
Draw a main character and write three words that describe him/her.
Make a list of things for which you are thankful.
Make a list of your favorite things.
Write a story of what you would do if you were the president.
Write how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Here are some tips to improve your child’s writing ideas:

Use words that involve the five senses, such as “gurgle” for sound, “slippery” for touch, “cloudy” for sight, “musty” for smell, or “peppery” for taste.
Delete words that are overused, such as “very”, “and”, “every”, “good”, “lots”, “got”, “then”, “fun”, “nice”, and “said”.
Use similes, which are direct comparisons utilizing the word “like” or “as”. For example: “He was as busy as a bee.” and “She growled like a bear.”
Use metaphors, which are comparisons that substitute an object or idea for another. For example: “All the world’s a stage.”
Use personifications, which bestow traits upon objects or ideas. For example: “The thunder grabbed my attention.”

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Stickers and Story Starter Webs

Jo — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:26:41 +0000

Usually l let children choose the setting, characters, and the “who, what, where, why, and when” before they begin a creative story. However, this time I decided to try something different—I chose the prewriting “set-up” for the story, but I used a couple of stickers in place of words.

The result was an instant hit! The child writing this story decided immediately that the witch, Susie, was going to be thrown a surprise party by a family of spiders for her 115th birthday. He drafted a story outline (this story is going to be five paragraphs) and he began drafting the first paragraph with gusto! I was so happy to hear him giggling to himself as he began writing the story.

I will share other ways that stickers have helped “jump-start” children’s writings in blogs to come. May you all enjoy reading your children’s creative stories!

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