About the store
I taught at the elementary level for 18 years. I have officially retired from teaching. I've written 3 children's books and am working on my 4th. I've developed teaching strategies that bring real world writing into the classroom from modeled writing and craft workshops at writing conferences through the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Children left my classroom loving writing. I also ran the Young Author's Fair for my school while I was teaching. I also have a support blog at: https://indiechildrensauthorsconnection.com .
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Diorama Book Report
This is a book report assignment I developed over 15 years. It is a basic write up on what a diorama is, steps to create a diorama, and a plan to write the description to attach to the box of the diorama. This is an amazing type of book report, giving visual learners and ELD learners a way to express what they read. It gives all children a chance to practice visualizing the written word. Combining art and writing skills, it is a project that you can use for any book genre year after year.
-exp
2nd - 5th
English Language Arts, Reading
CCSS
RL.2.2
, RL.2.7
, RL.3.2
 +5
Mystery Genre Writing Unit: Mystery Story Writing Unit and Book Report
UNIT INCLUDES:
Mystery Story Writing Unit (10 days)
Mystery Book Report (5 days)
Graphic Organizers for:
ï‚ŸMystery Clues/Plot Map
ï‚ŸDetective Character Traits Graphic Organizer
ï‚ŸVillain/Sidekick Character Traits Graphic Organizer
ï‚ŸFour writing sample paragraphs
ï‚ŸMystery Book Report Graphic Organizer
ï‚ŸTwo Grading Rubics
ï‚ŸSentence Frame examples with Mystery Book Report
Writing Unit Objective: To create an original story while studying the aspects of character traits, setting, p
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, Creative Writing, Writing
CCSS
RL.3.10
, RL.4.10
, RL.5.10
 +15
Spooky Story and Summary Report October Writing Unit
This is a fun writing unit to help channel all of the hyper, excited energy your students will have the couple weeks before Halloween. The unit has two modules: The Spooky Summary Book Report and The Creative Writing Spooky Story. Over a decade, I taught both of these units the two weeks before Halloween, the last two weeks of October. They both can be extended to two weeks each, starting with the first week of October for the summary book report, and then up to three weeks for the story. It rea
3rd - 5th
Creative Writing, Short Stories
CCSS
RL.3.3
, RL.4.3
, RL.5.3
 +9
Back To School and September Writing Projects- Common Core & Distance Learning
So, you need that writing projects to start off your school year through Distance Learning? Here are six developed writing projects that are aligned to the new Common Core National Standards and can be used for distance learning. They are the writing projects that I’ve developed over the last 18 years of teaching elementary school in California. ***Here is your writing program all set and ready to implement from the beginning of school through the month of September! I served on a Writing Devel
3rd - 5th
Writing-Essays
CCSS
W.3.1
, W.3.2
, W.3.4
 +9
Poetry Collage Book Report Project
This is a project I wrote in the late 90s at the beginning of my teaching career. I have spent years fine tuning and adding to it. I originally wrote this project to meet the requirements of teaching my students poetry and interpreting this unique type of literature. I found it really worked well with my ELD students and visual learners. Students that struggle with written summaries will find this to be a way to express their interpretation of poetic meaning through pictures in magazines, comput
3rd - 5th
Poetry, Writing
CCSS
RL.3.4
, RL.3.5
, RL.3.10
 +9
Opinion Paragraph Individual Packet
Opinion Paragraph Individual Packet is a unit that is taught over a 4 day period/one teaching week to review or introduce the parts of a paragraph while engaging a student's opinion. Review unit includes: Topic Sentences, Supporting Details/Evidence, and Closing Sentences. Sentence Frames are used to support ELD learning. Great for beginning of the year or for reviewing while starting Informational Writing and supporting one's opinion.
*Common Core Aligned
*Rubric Grading Sheet
*Handout for us
3rd - 6th
Informational Text, Writing-Expository
CCSS
W.3.1
, W.3.4
, W.3.5
 +12
Novel Study Handouts For Reading Workshop Format Packet
Over the years, I've created my own novel study handouts and graphic organizers. I've put them all together in one packet to easily be used for your novel study. I've used them in the Reading Workshop format in my classroom for several years. I've included: worksheets on theme, character traits and relationshipsvenn diagramwebbing organizer journal entry formsummary graphic organizertheme/message response worksheetessay test on all components of the unitessay grading rubricIt's everything you
3rd - 6th
Balanced Literacy, Reading Strategies, Writing-Essays
CCSS, TEKS, VA SOL
RL.3.1
, RL.3.3
, RL.3.4
 +75
Postcard Writing Project
This beginning of school project is great for practicing the basics in paragraph writing and teaching letter formatting. Easy to follow six step lesson plan walks you through the lesson to create a great way for your students to share their summer activities. Great for all year review of paragraph basics and letter writing. Writing Letter FormatAddress FormatGreeting and Closing of a LetterGreat for Back to School Writing AssignmentsSimple Rubric Grade Sheet
2nd - 5th
Informational Text, Writing
CCSS, TEKS, VA SOL
W.4.3
, W.4.4
, W.5.1a
 +30
Paragraph Parts Individual Packet
Paragraph Parts Individual Packet is a unit that is taught over a 5 day period/one teaching week to review or introduce the parts of a paragraph. Review unit includes: Topic Sentences, Supporting Details/Evidence, and Closing Sentences. Sentence Frames are used to support ELD learning. Great for beginning of the year or for reviewing while starting Informational Writing.
*Common Core Aligned
*Rubric Grading Sheet
*Handouts for use for document camera or worksheet
3rd - 5th
Informational Text, Writing-Expository
CCSS
W.3.2
, W.3.4
, W.3.5
 +12
I Have A Dream Speech Close Reading Activity
This is a reading activity I developed in my early teaching years. It is useful during Literature Circles, Reading Workshop and Close Reading. It has excerpts from Martin Luther King Junior's "I Have A Dream Speech" and 3 questions in regards to the text.
I came up with the activity when I noticed students coming from the lower grades realizing they knew Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream, but didn't know what it was. This lesson helps students look at his own words, connect with the text, thi
3rd - 6th
Close Reading, Informational Text
CCSS
RI.3.1
, RI.3.2
, RI.3.4
 +8
Mystery Genre Book Report
This is a free download of the Mystery Genre Book Report that I've used in my classroom. It is a graphic organizer that can be used to organize their thoughts to write out a three paragraph essay. It can also be used as the actual book report.
***Includes the 5 Ws of a book, Who/What/Where/When/Why/How
***Includes page length, publisher, copyright date so students learn how to look up and read copyright page.
***Can be used during a novel study as a summary page while reading a mystery book.
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, Reading Strategies, Writing-Expository
CCSS
RL.3.3
, RL.3.10
, RL.4.3
 +8
Opinion Real World Book Report: Book Review
I've taught for 18 years, and have kept a book blog for over two. I realized that a wonderful real world application for opinion writing would be a book review. It combines the opinion writing that is emphasized in the new Common Core Writing Standards combined with the new CC reading standards.
Students can be taught the different parts of the book report project as mini lessons in Writer's Workshop. I teach this over a three week period, with the book report as the final project. Each sectio
3rd - 5th
Reading, Reading Strategies, Writing
CCSS
RL.4.1
, RL.4.3
, W.3.1
 +7
Journal Entry Form
Here is a form that I've made up while teaching novel studies. It's a great way for your students to respond while reading a novel or other fictional piece. It includes reading response questions for summarizing, connect to self, and words to know for vocabulary build. You can have your students print out and use at home, or put together as their own journal. Use for Language Arts, Reading and Writing standards. This is a great support download for students doing distance learning.
3rd - 6th
English Language Arts, Literature, Reading
CCSS
RL.4.2
, RL.4.7
, RL.4.10
 +5
Spooky Fiction Book Summary
This is a great book report project to use in October when your students' minds are thinking about nothing but Halloween. Channel that energy into writing. Have them read a spooky/horror fiction book and then summarize their experience.
**Full lesson plan is available in the Spooky/Horror Fiction Writing Unit available in the Making Writing Fun store.
**Enjoy!
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, English Language Arts
CCSS
CCRA.W.1
, CCRA.W.4
, CCRA.W.5
 +1
Showing 1-14 of 14 results
About the store
Experience
I taught at the elementary level for 18 years. I have officially retired from teaching. I've written 3 children's books and am working on my 4th. I've developed teaching strategies that bring real world writing into the classroom from modeled writing and craft workshops at writing conferences through the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Children left my classroom loving writing. I also ran the Young Author's Fair for my school while I was teaching. I also have a support blog at: https://indiechildrensauthorsconnection.com .
Teaching style
Writing Workshop
Focus on Writing
Currently studying PBL strategies
6 Traits
Awards & shining teacher moments
2004 Excellence in Teaching(Vision Teaching District Award)
2013 San Francisco Book Festival Children's Honorary Mention
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