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Engage students with writing activities that involve them in writing round-robin stories, "indescribably" excellent descriptions, persuasive alien essays, tabloid news stories, and books about younger students they interview. Included: All the resources you need!

Last month, Education World published five lessons to help teachers help students Make the 'Write' Impression. This week, we offer more of the "write" stuff. See five lesson headlines below. Click any of the lesson headlines to access a complete teaching resource!

The activities below can be adapted for use at many grade levels; the grade levels indicated in parentheses indicate those grades for which each lesson is best suited.

"Indescribably" Excellent Descriptions
Engage students in a lesson that trains their eyes to look more closely at detail and imperfections as they write "indescribably" excellent descriptions of places, people, and things! (Grades K-12)

What a Pair! A Cross-Grade Writing Activity
Older students interview younger students, then use what they learn to write a short storybook that features the youngster as the main character. A special event brings the two groups back together to enjoy the result! (Grades Pre-K-12)

Tabloid Tales
Tabloid news stories -- modern-day tall tales -- make good fodder for a fun writing activity with students in grades 3 and up. Included: Thirty-five actual tabloid headlines to motivate writing! (Grades 3-12)

Write a Round-Robin Story
Students learn about the elements of a story (introduction, plot, climax, resolution, denouement). In groups of five, one student writes an introduction and passes it to the next person, who writes the plot and passes it to the next person, who writes the climax ... and so it goes! (Grades 3-12)

Persuade the Aliens!
Students write a persuasive essay to persuade superiors on their faraway planet to adopt a custom, a behavior, or an item (for example, baseball, shopping, or a vacuum cleaner) they observed on a visit to Earth. (Grades K-12)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM EDUCATION WORLD

Find additional writing lessons in these Education World resources:

• Journal Writing Every Day: Teachers Say It Really Works
• Study of Literary Characters 'Transforms' Student Writing
• Kids Can W.R.I.T.E. (Write, Revise, Inform, Think, and Edit) -- Activities for Every Grade
• Cause-and-Effect Writing Challenges Students
• I Was There When High School Research Papers Came Alive
• New Paperback Spotlights Students' Best Writing
• Student Essays Describe 'Perfect' School
• 'Paper Swap' Strategy Helps Students Learn
• Teacher-Created Web Site Has 'Write' Stuff!
• Wax Museum Biographies Teach and Entertain
• Vocabulary and Spelling: Do Your Students Say 'Boring'?
• 'Every Day' Activities: Language
• A Quotation a Day: A Daily Classroom Thinking-and Writing Activity Book
  
  

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
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