THE STEPS FOR A CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAY TRADITION OR MEMORY

1. Brainstorm some favorite family holiday traditions or memories.

   Examples:  Christmas morning ritual, decorating the tree, making cookies, something that happened at Christmas dinner, favorite grandparent moment, a special gift, how the family celebrates Christmas Eve, etc.

2. Pick a favorite one and discuss how to lay the story out with an interesting introduction that will hook the reader, a good descriptive body of the story that lets the reader feel, see, and relate to the story, and a conclusion that wraps up the story and gives a good ending.
3. Write rough draft of story.
4. Peer or self edit the story using a critical eye in looking for good sentence structure, interesting story and correct mechanics including punctuation, grammar, parts of speech, and spelling.
5. Write the second draft (I suggest this with older students, it may be too much for younger writers).
6. Peer or self edit the second draft.
7. Write the final paper.
8. Illustrate the story with a picture or pictures of the tradition or memory.
9. Mount or bind the story and illustrations so it can displayed or given as a treasured gift.

1. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

2. http://www.aresearchguide.com/styleguides.html

There are also books on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble that are easy to follow and would be helpful in understanding formatting. Having a book on formatting with you at all times makes for an easy reference.

I suggest you begin teaching a specified format around 6th grade. I used MLA, but I think that either MLA or ABA is fine, because once a student learns one type of formatting it is easy to switch to another if it is required.

I am also getting comments like, “Wow! Poetry Too!” Yes, there is a poetry section as well as a reading comprehension lesson that can be applied throughout the year at any skill level, as long as the student can read.

Remember we are not charging shipping on any of our products at this time.

This writing assignment should bring a smile to your face and to all who read it.

The tradition of coming up with a New Years resolution each year that will help you be a better person, lose weight, make better grades, be nice to your brother or sister, etc., is usually given up or forgotten within a few days. So how about coming up with a resolution that would be fun, silly, easy to do, and quite possibly, just might be good for you. Or not!

Some examples could be to eat all of your vegetable as long as your parents eat the same ones, or clean your room once a week if you are guaranteed a reward of chocolate each time you accomplish the task. Now doesn’t that seem like a better way to make a resolution?

Pre-writing:

Brainstorm some resolutions. Examples: complete chores, do homework, get up when the alarm goes off, be nice to your siblings, or help mother cook.
Brainstorm ways you could accomplish these resolutions and enjoy doing them. This is where the fun comes in. Examples: You will complete all your chores on time, IF you can have puppy petting time every day. You will do you homework, IF your mom or dad plays a game with you once a week. You will get up when the alarm goes off, IF you don’t have to wash your ears. You will be nicer to your siblings, IF they are nice to you. You will help your mother cook, IF she teaches you how to make chocolate chip cookies.

Rough Draft:
Choose your 2011 resolution and begin writing your rough draft. Be sure to include a good introduction that states what your resolution is and why you chose it. The body of the story should explain how you are going to accomplish sticking to your resolution. Be sure to elaborate on what the resolution means to you and how it can impact your life and the lives of the people around you. In the conclusion you should tell how you think everyone is going to react to your resolution, and whether or not you think you could actually do it.

Edit The Rough Draft:
Have a friend, classmate, or parent help you edit your story.

Write The Final Paper:
Make sure the final paper is your best writing by working to punctuate correctly, check and correct your spelling, capitalize, and elaborate to make it interesting.

Publish:
Share your story with your class, parents, and other family and friends

Finally:
See how long you can really carry out your resolution. Good Luck!

I have to tell you that it is heartwarming to get positive feedback about our products. I hear it all the time from parents and teachers as I travel around the country, but it is especially nice when someone takes the time to write me.

My Favorite Pair of Shoes

Have each student pick their favorite pair shoes and draw a picture of one of the shoes. The best view would be from the side, but some students are such good artists that whatever view they pick is fine. I have had students make the picture three dimensional by actually using fabric and leather to make an exact replica of the shoe, but that is the exception rather than the rule, and can be suggested but not expected.

After the picture is drawn, ask the student/students to pick one time or incident that involved the shoes and write a story or a poem about the shoes. Some examples ideas might be: The day my shoes saved me from a bully, or I felt like Cinderella the minute I put the shoe on, or even though these shoes are scruffy, they are still my favorite pair of shoes ever.

Once they have chosen an incident, they may begin brainstorming ideas for the story. When they know what they are going to write, they can break their story into paragraphs. I have included a brainstorming rubric and a paragraphing rubric to help make the whole assignment easier.

It is fun to hang the pictures and essays up for everyone to enjoy when they are completed.

A fellow teacher and dear friend came for a visit, and read the book in its entirety. She remarked that the book is so needed because it really addresses the problem of teaching writing for everyone involved. She agreed that the poetry unit would be a great addition, and helped me gather materials and write it. It is certainly nice to have a fellow master teacher give feedback and lend a hand.

I have had wonderful feedback from the parents and teachers that I met and talked to in 2009. They are making good use of our products because they are student directed and find their students and children like being independent learners and writers.

A good writing assignment for students as we head into spring is to ask your students or children to go back over some of the papers that they have written throughout the year or even from previous years, and pick one to totally rewrite. It doesn’t matter which one they pick, let them decide. The objective is that they write. Encourage them to improve on every aspect of the paper including adding new and interesting details to the content and correcting any format and convention errors. Almost always it is surprising how much better the new paper will be.

During my confinement from the flu and while taking care of the boys I was unable to work on my book, so I am steadily falling behind, so I guess I will have to set aside some serious writing time during the holidays to get back on track. Will I do it? That remains to be seen. Anyway, talking about the holidays brings me to why I am writing this post and that is a wonderful, long term writing assignment.

AN ILLUSTRATED FAMILY TRADITION HOLIDAY BOOK

1. Ask your child or children to brainstorm ideas about holiday family traditions that they enjoy.
2. Have them pick their favorite one.
3. Ask them to write the family tradition in story form including the introduction, body, and conclusion.
4. Edit the story and correct, then break the story down into sections so that each section will be a page in the book.
5. Write each section on a separate piece of white paper. Most students choose to write each story section at the bottom of the page so they have room for their illustrations.
6. Once the story is sectioned out onto separate pieces of white paper the student can begin to illustrate their story.
7. When the story is completely written and illustrated make a cover sheet stating the title of the story and be sure to put: Written and Illustrated by. Then illustrate the cover.
8. Bind the pages together by stapling, putting in a binder, or folder or in whatever manner you and your child choose.
9. My students would give this book as a family present which parents and grandparents loved.

Good luck and enjoy the finished product.