The Write Stuff

We finished a short genre study of expository writing in December.  Expository writing is when the writer writes to explain.  The format we use is a 5 paragrpah repsonse.  The first paragraph introduces the topic, provides the answer to the prompt, and three reasons to support that answer. 
The next 3 paragraphs are about each answer.  The writer uses 3 details to describe and support each answer. 
The final paragraph restates the prompt, the answer, and the 3 reasons.
Expository writing follows a particular format.  It is the child's voice, the vocabulary, the writing crafts like similes and personification, and the descriptive details that will enhance an expository piece.  The more specific and detailed the better.

A narrative piece is a story.  This week we are diving into characters.  It is important to use dialogue, action, and narrative text when developing a character.  Of course a story also has a clear beginning, middle, and end.  A descriptive setting and probably a problem or a very exciting event.  Narratives lend themselves beautifully to all the crafts we have learned in our poetry genre. 

We are going to begin this week spending about 5 minutes to "think and jot."  I will give them a topic, for example, "The Zoo."  They will write on their dry erase board everything they can see, touch, smell, feel, taste, and hear at the zoo.  Thinking quickly and using sensory details will strengthen their writing skills.
Below are some websites that have practive prompts and writing ideas to try at home:
http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
http://www.storyaday.org/
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/