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One initial lesson for writer's notebooks is to Read Ralph Fletcher's opening story in Keeping a Writer's Notebook. It's about digging a ditch and catching all kinds of critters. He compares writer's notebooks to that ditch -- a space we dig in our busy lives to catch stuff. After reading the story, my students and I brainstorm the different kinds of things we could catch in our writer's notebooks. Then I typed the chart in a format that made it easy for students to tape it to the inside cover of their notebooks. Here's what we came up with:

Interactive Writer's Models Analyze the elements of good writing with these interactive writer's models. Each model includes annotations and tips to help you be a good writer yourself. Middle School Grade 6 Grade 8 * Comparison-Contrast Essay * Descriptive Essay * How-to Explanation * Informative Report * Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay * Personal Narrative * Problem-Solution Essay * Short Story * Supporting a Position Grade 7 * Business Letter * Comparison-Contrast Essay * Complex Process Essay with Word Processing Features * Descriptive Essay * Informative Report * Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay * Personal Narrative * Persuasive Essay * Problem-Solution Essay * Short Story * Supporting an Interpretation * Business Letter * Character Analysis * Comparison-Contrast Essay * Informative Report * Instructions for Operating a Tool * Literary Comparison-Contrast Essay * Personal Narrative * Problem-Solution Essay * Review of a Novel * Short Story * Supporting a Position High School Grade 9 Grade 11 * Analysis of a Poem * Analysis of a Short Story * Autobiographical Narrative * Comparison of a Play and a Film * Comparison of Media Coverage * Description of a Place * Nonfiction Analysis * Persuasive Cause-and-Effect Essay * Persuasive Essay * Research Paper * Short Story Grade 10 * Analysis of a Short Story * Autobiographical Narrative * Biographical Narrative * Comparison of a Play and a Film * Comparison of Media Genres * Description of a Person * Persuasive Essay * Problem-Solution Analysis * Research Paper * Short Story * Analysis of a Novel * Editorial * Historical Research Report * Reflective Essay * Short Story Grade 12 * Analysis of Literature * Comparison-Contrast of Literature * Descriptive Essay

Personal Narrative Unit of Study: Launching Writer's Workshop

In this lesson, students analyze a writer's use of sensory details and descriptive language in a New York Times article reviewing the Apple iPhone. Then, students are asked to write original product reviews which incorporate some of the descriptive writing techniques identified and evaluated in class.

Young Writer's Project

"Books for Units of Study in Writer's Workshop: Poetry"

"The Writing Workshop, similar to the Reading Workshop, is a method of teaching writing using a workshop method. Students are given opportunities to write in a variety of genres and helps foster a love of writing. The Writing Workshop allows teachers to meet the needs of their students by differentiating their instruction and gearing instruction based on information gathered throughout the workshop."

The Writing Workshop, similar to the Reading Workshop, is a method of teaching writing using a workshop method. Students are given opportunities to write in a variety of genres and helps foster a love of writing. The Writing Workshop allows teachers to meet the needs of their students by differentiating their instruction and gearing instruction based on information gathered throughout the workshop. This page gives a basic overview of the Writing Workshop.

A unique aspect of children's memoir writing is that their collection of memories, wisdom and value is limited. That is not to say these memories do not exist. Children should be given the opportunity to develop an understanding of who they are and where they come from, and how this is connected to the past & future, the near & far away. A memoir study focusing on location as a theme can provide this opportunity.

Activity 1: Introduction to the Genre of Memoir: Writing a Comparison/Contrast Essay, ONCE I WAS; NOW I AM (adapted from BEAT NOT THE POOR DESK, by Marie Ponsot and Rosemary Deen, Boynton/Cook Publishers, Portmouth, N.H., 1981).

Memoir article and lessonSee how Gabriel Garcia Marquez transforms memories of his grandparents into an unforgettable memoir. (PDF)

Memoir article and lesson: See how Gabriel Garcia Marquez transforms memories of his grandparents into an unforgettable memoir. (PDF)

You will be writing about yourself, about something that happened to you. It doesn't have to be about something big. Often the most interesting stories are about little things-fishing one afternoon with your cousin, getting ready for your first dance, meeting your new stepfather for the first time, meeting your best friend, making a little mistake but learning a big lesson. Everyone has little moments that stick out in his or her mind. You will be writing about one of those moments and learning how to make your writing interesting.

These sites have tips and examples for writing strong leads for paragraphs and structuring personal narrative writing. Students can learn how to capture and hold their readers' attention. There are classroom activities, online quizzes and exercises, and ideas to help writers develop their skills. Includes links to eThemes on grammar and interactive writing activities.

In this unit, students will explore the genre of memoir. They will see that writers write about the ordinary happenings of their lives and that their own lives are packed with meaningful experiences and memories that can form the basis of their own writing. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon the significance of remembered events and to keep a notebook of their thoughts and feelings.

Read Memoir Click on a column heading to sort by student name, state or title. Click a title to read the selection.

Memoir search on Scholastic.

G8 example of a personal narrative

Interactive writing model of a personal narrative