About the store
Charlene Tess taught English and creative writing to high school students and adults for over thirty-five years. She was the Secondary Teacher of the Year for Ysleta Independent School District in 1998, and one of the five finalists for Region XIX Teacher of the Year. She is listed in Who's Who in America. Since 1996, she has worked as an educational consultant helping other teachers use her grammar workbook series, Simple Steps to Sentence Sense.
Charlene is a charter member of TpT and opened her store in 2006.
Charlene now devotes her time to writing fiction and teaching fiction writing to adults. She is the author of romantic suspense novels, and the highly acclaimed Simple Steps to Sentence Sense Series, and has published short fiction and numerous articles in magazines and in short story collections.
Visit Charlene's blog to learn more about her and her writing. www.booksbycharlenetess.com. You can find her novels in the Kindle Store at Amazon.com.
Charlene and her husband Jerry spend their free time traveling to promote her books and spending time with their two daughters and their three grandsons.
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Creative Writing
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Show Don't Tell Creative Writing Worksheets | Print | Digital | Easel
One of the most important techniques a writer can master is learning to SHOW action rather than TELL the reader about it. Although many writers are aware of the importance of the technique, they are not sure how to accomplish it. This lesson presents 5 easy ways to show rather than tell and provides students with exercises to practice what they have learned. Your students will have fun learning to show rather than tell and in doing so will greatly improve their writing. Here's what teachers are
9th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing
CCSS
W.9-10.3
, W.9-10.3b
, CCRA.W.3
Also included in: Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
Nursery Rhyme Newspaper Creative Writing and Journalism Group Activity
This creative writing and journalism group activity is a chance for students to do something they will really enjoy while practicing several valuable skills such as: critical reading, creative writing, writing news stories,editing, proofreading, and cooperative learning. How many times have your students wished they could do something different and fun in your room? Probably more often than you know. They will love this activity. Let them work in groups to create newspapers based on nursery rh
7th - 10th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts
CCSS
CCRA.W.4
, CCRA.W.5
, CCRA.W.6
Also included in: Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
Do your students panic when you assign a creative writing project? This Creative Writing Bundle includes ten no-fear Creative Writing Lessons. You will save 20% by purchasing this bundle rather than buying each resource separately. Four of the lessons are Google Drive Digital resources. Your students can do their work online and go paperless. I am an educator with over 35 years of classroom experience. I have taught English, journalism, and creative writing to students in grades 7-12, and I h
9th - 12th
Creative Writing, Short Stories, Writing
CCSS
CCRA.W.9
, CCRA.W.10
, CCRA.L.3
+1
Scenarios to Plot a Mystery Story Creative Writing Activity | Print and Digital
This is a fun, creative writing assignment in which students use their imaginations to create a scenario that could be converted into a mystery story.Nine scenarios and lists of suspects are presented and then students must decide how and why the crime was committed. The tenth scenario is left entirely up to the student to create. SAVE $$ Click here to buy this resource along with several others in the Creative Writing Bundle and save 20% on the individual resources. I am an educator with over 3
9th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing
CCSS
W.11-12.3
, CCRA.W.3
Also included in: Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
Analyzing a Fictional Character Writing Activity | Print| Google| Easel
Your students will love learning to analyze characters in fiction. It will make everything they watch and read more meaningful. Becoming proficient in character analysis will enhance a student's reading experience. The student can apply what they have learned to fictional characters in novels, movies, and TV shows.SAVE $$ Click here to buy this resource along with several others in the Creative Writing Bundle and save 20% on the individual resources. SAVE $$ Click here to buy this resource alon
9th - 12th, Adult Education
English Language Arts, Literature, Short Stories
CCSS
CCRA.W.3
, CCRA.L.1
Also included in: Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
Idioms and Inflated Language Writing Worksheets | Digital and Printable
Practice in using English idioms and understanding their meaning is necessary if a person wants to become proficient at speaking and writing English. Native speakers of a language use hundreds of idioms without even thinking about it. Often, people who are learning a new language find it difficult to understand what the idioms mean. SAVE $$ Click here to buy this resource along with several others in the Proofreading and Revisions Bundle and save 20% on the individual resources. This six-page se
9th - 12th, Adult Education
Creative Writing, English Language Arts
CCSS
CCRA.L.1
, CCRA.L.2
, CCRA.L.3
Also included in: Proofreading and Revision Activities Bundle
Create a Story Plan Creative Writing Activity | Printable | Digital | Easel
A story plan will be a sketch to use for planning purposes when your students prepare to write a short story. This is a graphic organizer for students to use when writing their story plans. They can work the steps in any order. In fact, some people find it easier to write the ending of the story first, and then go back and sketch out the characters and the plot. Your students will enjoy planning out their stories. I often assigned this activity as a group project. Students enjoyed interacting a
9th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing
Also included in: Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
Archetypes in Literature Critical Essay Writing Activity | Print | Google
An archetype, also known as a universal symbol, could be imagery, a character, a theme, a plot, a symbol, or even a setting. This interactive digital resource for Google Drive will help students learn to identify archetypes in literature. This is a skill all AP students must learn. It is also valuable for all college-bound students. ************************************************************************************************************SAVE $$ Click here to buy this resource along with sever
9th - 12th
English Language Arts, Literature, Writing
CCSS, TEKS
RL.11-12.9
, RL.11-12.10
, LA.9-12.E3.6.C
+2
Also included in: Writing Resources Bundle for Secondary ELA Students
Point of View in Fiction Creative Writing Activity | Print and Digital
Determining the best point of view to use when writing a story or a novel is one of the most important decisions a writer can make. This creative writing exercise on Point of View in Fiction will teach your students to recognize and correctly use first-person point of view and third-person limited point of view. Students will read excerpts from published short stories and novels to determine which point of view the author used and then rewrite those excerpts to practice changing the point of vie
9th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing
CCSS
W.11-12.3
, CCRA.W.3
Creating a Character Profile Printable |Digital | Easel
This creative writing assignment gives students practice in creating profiles of characters they will feature in their stories. Students will imagine that a character in a story they plan to write is sitting in a chair across from them. Then, they will fill in a four-page chart while inventing this character’s looks, personality, and actions. Their goal is to make the character real in their own minds and get to know him/her well. *****************************************************************
9th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing
Also included in: Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
Newspaper Novel Project Creative Writing Activity
This creative writing activity is a great idea to substitute for the usual book report students write after reading a novel. My students found this activity fun and challenging. This creative project will be a success whether your students choose their own titles, or you choose a novel for the entire class to read. The newspaper project will work with any novel that your students read. After students study the examples, they will most likely have several ideas of their own. They will learn to w
9th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing
Also included in: Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
Four Fun Holiday Activities | Print and Easel™
The Christmas Holidays are a great time to offer your students short activities they will enjoy doing while at the same time reviewing writing concepts they have learned. You can print these activities or assign them in Easel.™ This resource includes four activities. Christmas Sentence Combining ActivityChristmas Correcting Misplaced Modifiers ActivityChristmas Classifying ActivityHoliday Fun Word SearchAll the answers are included for your convenience SAVE $$ Click here to buy this resource alo
9th - 12th
English Language Arts, Writing
Also included in: Holiday ELA Resources Bundle
Show Don't Tell Tips and Practice Exercises | Print | Digital | Easel
Mastering the Art of “Show, Don’t Tell” in WritingOne of the most valuable skills a writer can develop is the ability to show action and emotion through vivid description, rather than simply tell the reader what’s happening. While many students understand the concept, they often struggle to apply it effectively in their own writing. This lesson is designed to bridge that gap. It offers clear, practical tips and examples to help students transform bland, passive writing into dynamic, engaging p
9th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing
CCSS
W.9-10.3
, W.9-10.3b
, CCRA.W.3
Also included in: Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
Gratitude Booklet Creative Writing Project
A Gratitude Booklet makes a heartfelt gift for Christmas, birthdays, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, or any occasion. This creative writing activity encourages students to research one of their own family members or significant friends and write biographical sketches. They will enjoy learning more about their family history and will experience the joy of giving a truly unique and special gift. The recipient of the Gratitude Booklet will learn how loved and valued they are by those w
9th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing
Also included in: Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
End of Year Writing Activity | Printable | Google Drive | Easel
This FREE writing activity includes questions that students can answer to brainstorm writing a letter to themselves and has a template on which they can compose their letter. “Writing a Letter to Myself” is a fun activity to do at the end of a calendar year or the school year. When students are in school, it’s hard to believe that they won’t remember everything about their lives when they are older. The truth is they will forget many interesting things. The human brain is wired to forget unuse
9th - 12th
English Language Arts, Writing
CCSS
CCRA.L.1
, CCRA.L.2
Using 3X5 Cards to Set Up Scenes Creative Writing Activity
This is a free exercise Charlene Tess used with her creative writing students to practice arranging the sequence of events in a plot.Following the plot of the familiar fairy tale, Cinderella, is an excellent way to arrange plot points in the proper order. Students will learn to recognize the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement of this familiar story and will then be able to do the same with other literary works they read and with the stories they may write. The e
9th - 12th
Creative Writing, English Language Arts, Writing-Essays
Also included in: Creative Writing Exercises and Activities Bundle | Print | Digital
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About the store
Experience
Charlene Tess taught English and creative writing to high school students and adults for over thirty-five years. She was the Secondary Teacher of the Year for Ysleta Independent School District in 1998, and one of the five finalists for Region XIX Teacher of the Year. She is listed in Who's Who in America. Since 1996, she has worked as an educational consultant helping other teachers use her grammar workbook series, Simple Steps to Sentence Sense.
Charlene is a charter member of TpT and opened her store in 2006.
Charlene now devotes her time to writing fiction and teaching fiction writing to adults. She is the author of romantic suspense novels, and the highly acclaimed Simple Steps to Sentence Sense Series, and has published short fiction and numerous articles in magazines and in short story collections.
Visit Charlene's blog to learn more about her and her writing. www.booksbycharlenetess.com. You can find her novels in the Kindle Store at Amazon.com.
Charlene and her husband Jerry spend their free time traveling to promote her books and spending time with their two daughters and their three grandsons.
Teaching style
I believe that the key to learning grammar and language skills is the sequence in which each concept is presented to the students. The grammar books our school used were hard to use and confusing, so I wrote my own lessons.
My students worked in groups and used teacher and peer prepared study sheets. I combined those sheets into grammar workbooks that are used in school districts all over the country.
Awards & shining teacher moments
The National Council of Teachers of English named the creative writing magazine my classes produced as one of the top 25 in the United States.
The Ysleta District in El Paso, Texas, named me Teacher of the Year in 1998, and I was one of the five finalists for Region XIX teacher of the year.
I am the author of romantic suspense novels (that can be found on Amazon.com), grammar workbooks, and numerous short stories, articles, and educational resources.
Visit my blog to learn more about my writing, www.booksbycharlenetess.com.
Interact with my on my Facebook Page. www.facebook.com/booksbycharlenetess
My own education history
I attended elementary school, high school, and college in El Paso, Texas. I have a Bachelor of Science in English and history.
I worked as a consultant for a publishing company and traveled throughout Texas and surrounding states doing workshops and showing teachers how to use my grammar book: Simple Steps to Sentence Sense. I also worked for one year after my retirement as an educational consultant for the Ysleta Independent School District.
Additional biographical information
I am married to Jerry Tess who is the love of my life and have two amazing daughters and three wonderful grandsons.
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