Classroom Activities
Strong Verb Selection
In their writer’s notebook, teachers can lead students through an activity of selecting strong verbs in their writing. Begin by reviewing the definition of a verb with students. Remind students that strong verbs can be selected to convey meaning and help readers visualize a passage. Review a mentor text that includes strong verbs, as seen in “The Flight of Icarus” example above. Teachers can utilize either a writing workshop model, or a collaborative protocol, such as “Heads Together” to have students explore the verbs in their own writing from one of the entries in their writer’s notebook. Ask students to circle the verbs they used and highlight the verbs that connect to the senses. Students may find that they selected passive verbs in their first draft. Have students rewrite the sentences so that they use active voice and encourage students to utilize a thesaurus to diversify the verbs they utilize in their writing.
Writing Conferences to Support Individual Students
Teachers can support students who may struggle with sentence imitation by setting up conferences to provide individual feedback to students. Ask students to select a piece from their writer’s notebook that they would like feedback on. Students, rather than the teacher, should be the ones thinking about where they may need additional writing support. Teachers can guide conferences with students by asking guiding questions such as, “What do you think is working well in your writing?” “What craft moves did you notice in your writing?” or “What craft move might make your writing stronger?” Set a timer for each writing conference to be approximately five minutes. Teachers may also consider creating a schedule for the month to ensure that each students receives individual check-ins and teacher feedback periodically. While teachers are conferencing with students, other students can be working on crafting or revising a piece in their writer’s notebook, or on another activity that is primarily independent.
Craft Move Showcase
Teachers can encourage students to select the craft move they are most proud of from their writing workshop. Ask students to turn in their sentences, including both the original and the revised writing, in the assignment. Teachers can ask students to write a short note about the revisions they made. As part of building a community of writers, teachers can post the craft sentence around the room and have students engage in a gallery walk to write down what they noticed. Provide guiding questions for students such as “What is working well in this writing piece?” and “What craft moves did you notice in this writing piece?” Encouraging students to notice craft moves in their own and in their classmate’s writing can help students view themselves as writers. This activity could also be replicated at the end of the unit with students’ culminating assessment, or later in the school year with additional writing pieces.
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