Writing
Key components of writing instruction
Key components of writing instruction
Purpose - There are 3 main purposes - narrative, opinion/argumentative/persuasive, and informational/research
Topic Development - Careful reading of the writing prompt/expectation, planning response, idea development, research, presenting ideas in a logical manner, essential details, using Better Answers "smart starts", focus on the topic, relevancy, word choice, accurate information
Mechanics - Capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar
Penmanship - Letter formation, line use, margin use, spacing - In the Literacy Lab neat penmanship is expected. Additional 1-minute practices are built in for practicing particularly challenging letters.
Topic Development - Careful reading of the writing prompt/expectation, planning response, idea development, research, presenting ideas in a logical manner, essential details, using Better Answers "smart starts", focus on the topic, relevancy, word choice, accurate information
Mechanics - Capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar
Penmanship - Letter formation, line use, margin use, spacing - In the Literacy Lab neat penmanship is expected. Additional 1-minute practices are built in for practicing particularly challenging letters.
Narrative Samples:
My Life as a beach ball
It all started off in the factory flat, then Tyler bought me and he brought me to the beach and blew me up with an air compressor. After that, Tyler’s buddies, Will, Landon and Lukas threw me around and I got sandy. Also, they hit me in the water and I got all muddy. Then a pelican named Bob came and took me for a ride in the sky. I got popped and landed on the beach. The next morning, the trash people came and picked me up and put me in a dumpster. I was there for 2 weeks and then the trash guy in his trash truck came and picked me up and brought me to the recycling place where then I was remade into another beach ball. -D.
YouTube
The Beach Ball
Hi! Guess who's back? Beach Ball!
So I'm back with my daily review. So far today, I've been hit, I've been in the water, and got all this dirt all over me. But right now I'm in the water floating around. My everyday routine most likely is floating around, getting hit around, and getting sand on me.
Oh, guess what, my brother and I are here and he is just running around in the sand, most likely rolling around.
A few moments later. OMG! Brother nooooo He Got Popped! Nooooooo! I Will get his revenge. I'll destroy every Stick to find that one Stick. I will Get My revenge.
A day Later. Ummm
I'm Not going to get revenge. I can't move, Unless someone hits me or if I get blown away by the wind... Soooo Oh No Oh Bubbles Aaaaaagh!
An hour later... umm So I was in the middle of getting tossed around and I'm just floating around and a fish is biting my butt. Can you stop please. Thank you
Oh yeah I think that's the end of my daily video. Bye. Beach Ball Out
Video made by Beach Ball and Beach Ball brother.
R.I.Bubbles, brother. He will always be missed
-B.J.
Crazy beach ball killer
Hi kids today I'm telling you about my life as a beach ball. Today I'm at my friend's funeral. He was popped by a stick. It's not easy being a beach ball. There are so many predators for the beach ball like rocks, sticks, glass, and children, especially the crazy kid named Brayden! All the beach balls call him crazy killer because he kills so many beach balls with sticks. Pops ‘em with his teeth. I've lost so many good soldiers and friends that way.
My friend got popped because a stick stabbed into him and all his air flew out of him. I will find that stick that killed him and I'll snap him in half if it's the last thing I do. It probably would be the last thing I do because I have to get the stick from the crazy kid’s hand and he has crazy sharp teeth that bites beach balls faces off. The stick laughed when he stabbed into my friend. -R.
My life as a beach ball
It was a hot summer day when I woke up in a weird place. I was here with lots of my family. We didn’t know where we were but it looks cool. When we were talking, we saw a shadow. It was a monster. It was scary. It picked me up and took me to the back of a thing with wheels. It's been 20 minutes and nothing has happened. 10 seconds later we started to move. I rolled around everywhere. I got really dizzy. The thing I was in stopped and I slammed into a wall, which really hurt. A door opened in front of me. It was so bright. The monster picked me up again and took me on a soft rug. I was just sitting there, but then I heard a noise. I turned around and saw a group of monsters!! They were running at me and screaming, I tried to roll out of there but they keep kicking me. One of them kicked me so hard that I flew in a big blue thing. I looked down and it was water. I never seen water before, but I heard people talk about it. I thought I was safe on the water, but no! These monsters are water proof. But they were slow in the water, so that was good. For 10 minutes I sat in the water, but then I moved. I was getting far from shore and now I was in the middle of nowhere. I wish I was back home with my family. – BL
Poetry Sample -
DINOSAURS!
Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs!
Dinosaurs!
Dinosaur creatures are everywhere!
Sea creatures live in the sea
Land creatures live on land.
Also flying creatures live on land too.
Herbivores eat grass, leaves and bark.
Carnivores eat other dinosaurs and fish.
Insectivores eat insects.
Sea dinosaurs eat fish and other sea creatures.
Flying dinosaurs are called pterosaurs.
-IL
Persuasive Samples of How to Make the World a Better Place:
Pick up your trash people please! Let’s make a lava pit and through the trash in the lava pit. Ps. I know were smarter than that people come on!!!Let’s come up with something to help us, animals, life, EARTH, and everything. This is the ONLY and I mean ONLY place we can live we need to take care of our home. Can you help us take care of our home like I said it's the ONLY place we can live can you help us? I mean nobody wants a dirty place to live right? The EARTH is in our hands we have a choice to leave our Earth dirty or very clean!!! So what are we going to do your choice? The OZONEshield which protects us from the sun is breakin as we speak! The cause of the OZONE shield breakin is nuclear waste, radiation, and nuclear power plants. We have 12 years until we can’t fix the EARTHand it goes to total ruin and everything dies
Original writing has an image insert of gentle hands holding the Earth
made by: BL
Today I will be writing about make the world a better place. How I want the world
I want to make this garbage truck that has a rake on the back of the garbage truck. Then I want a wooden door. To put the trash in then the rake comes up with all trash and put it in a dump truck and the dump truck brung all the trash to my work site and makes all the trash into toys for little and big kids. -T
Narrative Samples
The Cave!
By Z.
One day me and Tyler and Lukas found a cave when we were hiking in Maine. It was an underground cave. We went inside the cave. A fat bear was waiting to eat us. Tyler punched him then We tied him up then we saw a boat. we said why is there a boat in here? We went walking through 5 feet of water to get the Boat. then we got in the boat and went across the water! We got out of the boat!! Then we got out on land. Then we saw a bear trap. We set it off and took it with us. Then Lukas step on a mouse trap! Then me and Tyler had to carry Lukas the rest of the way. We were wearing a woolly jacket and woolly pants to. We had rope we already use it. We have 20 feet left. It was cold in the cave that's way we use wool pants and a wool jacket. It was a dead end we turn around and got in the boat and went the other way. So me and Tyler and Lukas set down in the boat then the boat was cracking then it went down on us. Tyler said I guess we're swimming now yep. We build a fire & Lukas dry off first I took the first aid kit out. & fix us up & found anthor Boat. Tyler said not a other one!!!! We got in the boat & start rowing & row to land. It was night time we fall asleep in the cave. we woke up & got the flash light & turn the flashlight on. It did not work!!!!!!!!...
The Man Cave by T.
I am going on a trip to a Red sox’s game. Then I came to a dead end. I pull over and got out. I found a tiny opening in rocks. Then I went to get my heavy duty truck. I got my friends named Landon, Will all of us got our heavy duty truck. We backed in then I hooked up my conveyor belt. All of our stuff went down in the cave then we decorate the cave then we got our dirt bike’s. We rode them for the rest of the night.
Then the next day. We are 21. The cave is 1 year old now we build our house. I got a broken finger. We had fun in the cave the hard part is getting out of the cave. How we get out is my dad got the truck. Hooked the rope onto the truck. Drove out. Now we are out of the cave now we are going to the store. I bought Mountain Dew now I will tell you what kind of tools I had three of everything. Hammers, headlamps, ropes, helmets, heavy boots, pocket knifes, food, water, sack, first aid kit, harness, canibener, that’s all of my tools I had.
Then I went back in the cave and found a deer. I shot the 12 point buck. I found ten bats in the cave now I am getting out for good!. How I get out of the cave is I call my daddy I say we are ready to get out of the cave daddy. My daddy came and got us, but Landon got a broken leg so my daddy drove down in the cave. Me, my daddy , and Will help Landon get in the back of the truck I. got in with him. We went the hospital. The end
See sample Shape Poetry at the bottom of the page by L.
My Life as a beach ball
It all started off in the factory flat, then Tyler bought me and he brought me to the beach and blew me up with an air compressor. After that, Tyler’s buddies, Will, Landon and Lukas threw me around and I got sandy. Also, they hit me in the water and I got all muddy. Then a pelican named Bob came and took me for a ride in the sky. I got popped and landed on the beach. The next morning, the trash people came and picked me up and put me in a dumpster. I was there for 2 weeks and then the trash guy in his trash truck came and picked me up and brought me to the recycling place where then I was remade into another beach ball. -D.
YouTube
The Beach Ball
Hi! Guess who's back? Beach Ball!
So I'm back with my daily review. So far today, I've been hit, I've been in the water, and got all this dirt all over me. But right now I'm in the water floating around. My everyday routine most likely is floating around, getting hit around, and getting sand on me.
Oh, guess what, my brother and I are here and he is just running around in the sand, most likely rolling around.
A few moments later. OMG! Brother nooooo He Got Popped! Nooooooo! I Will get his revenge. I'll destroy every Stick to find that one Stick. I will Get My revenge.
A day Later. Ummm
I'm Not going to get revenge. I can't move, Unless someone hits me or if I get blown away by the wind... Soooo Oh No Oh Bubbles Aaaaaagh!
An hour later... umm So I was in the middle of getting tossed around and I'm just floating around and a fish is biting my butt. Can you stop please. Thank you
Oh yeah I think that's the end of my daily video. Bye. Beach Ball Out
Video made by Beach Ball and Beach Ball brother.
R.I.Bubbles, brother. He will always be missed
-B.J.
Crazy beach ball killer
Hi kids today I'm telling you about my life as a beach ball. Today I'm at my friend's funeral. He was popped by a stick. It's not easy being a beach ball. There are so many predators for the beach ball like rocks, sticks, glass, and children, especially the crazy kid named Brayden! All the beach balls call him crazy killer because he kills so many beach balls with sticks. Pops ‘em with his teeth. I've lost so many good soldiers and friends that way.
My friend got popped because a stick stabbed into him and all his air flew out of him. I will find that stick that killed him and I'll snap him in half if it's the last thing I do. It probably would be the last thing I do because I have to get the stick from the crazy kid’s hand and he has crazy sharp teeth that bites beach balls faces off. The stick laughed when he stabbed into my friend. -R.
My life as a beach ball
It was a hot summer day when I woke up in a weird place. I was here with lots of my family. We didn’t know where we were but it looks cool. When we were talking, we saw a shadow. It was a monster. It was scary. It picked me up and took me to the back of a thing with wheels. It's been 20 minutes and nothing has happened. 10 seconds later we started to move. I rolled around everywhere. I got really dizzy. The thing I was in stopped and I slammed into a wall, which really hurt. A door opened in front of me. It was so bright. The monster picked me up again and took me on a soft rug. I was just sitting there, but then I heard a noise. I turned around and saw a group of monsters!! They were running at me and screaming, I tried to roll out of there but they keep kicking me. One of them kicked me so hard that I flew in a big blue thing. I looked down and it was water. I never seen water before, but I heard people talk about it. I thought I was safe on the water, but no! These monsters are water proof. But they were slow in the water, so that was good. For 10 minutes I sat in the water, but then I moved. I was getting far from shore and now I was in the middle of nowhere. I wish I was back home with my family. – BL
Poetry Sample -
DINOSAURS!
Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs!
Dinosaurs!
Dinosaur creatures are everywhere!
Sea creatures live in the sea
Land creatures live on land.
Also flying creatures live on land too.
Herbivores eat grass, leaves and bark.
Carnivores eat other dinosaurs and fish.
Insectivores eat insects.
Sea dinosaurs eat fish and other sea creatures.
Flying dinosaurs are called pterosaurs.
-IL
Persuasive Samples of How to Make the World a Better Place:
Pick up your trash people please! Let’s make a lava pit and through the trash in the lava pit. Ps. I know were smarter than that people come on!!!Let’s come up with something to help us, animals, life, EARTH, and everything. This is the ONLY and I mean ONLY place we can live we need to take care of our home. Can you help us take care of our home like I said it's the ONLY place we can live can you help us? I mean nobody wants a dirty place to live right? The EARTH is in our hands we have a choice to leave our Earth dirty or very clean!!! So what are we going to do your choice? The OZONEshield which protects us from the sun is breakin as we speak! The cause of the OZONE shield breakin is nuclear waste, radiation, and nuclear power plants. We have 12 years until we can’t fix the EARTHand it goes to total ruin and everything dies
Original writing has an image insert of gentle hands holding the Earth
made by: BL
Today I will be writing about make the world a better place. How I want the world
I want to make this garbage truck that has a rake on the back of the garbage truck. Then I want a wooden door. To put the trash in then the rake comes up with all trash and put it in a dump truck and the dump truck brung all the trash to my work site and makes all the trash into toys for little and big kids. -T
Narrative Samples
The Cave!
By Z.
One day me and Tyler and Lukas found a cave when we were hiking in Maine. It was an underground cave. We went inside the cave. A fat bear was waiting to eat us. Tyler punched him then We tied him up then we saw a boat. we said why is there a boat in here? We went walking through 5 feet of water to get the Boat. then we got in the boat and went across the water! We got out of the boat!! Then we got out on land. Then we saw a bear trap. We set it off and took it with us. Then Lukas step on a mouse trap! Then me and Tyler had to carry Lukas the rest of the way. We were wearing a woolly jacket and woolly pants to. We had rope we already use it. We have 20 feet left. It was cold in the cave that's way we use wool pants and a wool jacket. It was a dead end we turn around and got in the boat and went the other way. So me and Tyler and Lukas set down in the boat then the boat was cracking then it went down on us. Tyler said I guess we're swimming now yep. We build a fire & Lukas dry off first I took the first aid kit out. & fix us up & found anthor Boat. Tyler said not a other one!!!! We got in the boat & start rowing & row to land. It was night time we fall asleep in the cave. we woke up & got the flash light & turn the flashlight on. It did not work!!!!!!!!...
The Man Cave by T.
I am going on a trip to a Red sox’s game. Then I came to a dead end. I pull over and got out. I found a tiny opening in rocks. Then I went to get my heavy duty truck. I got my friends named Landon, Will all of us got our heavy duty truck. We backed in then I hooked up my conveyor belt. All of our stuff went down in the cave then we decorate the cave then we got our dirt bike’s. We rode them for the rest of the night.
Then the next day. We are 21. The cave is 1 year old now we build our house. I got a broken finger. We had fun in the cave the hard part is getting out of the cave. How we get out is my dad got the truck. Hooked the rope onto the truck. Drove out. Now we are out of the cave now we are going to the store. I bought Mountain Dew now I will tell you what kind of tools I had three of everything. Hammers, headlamps, ropes, helmets, heavy boots, pocket knifes, food, water, sack, first aid kit, harness, canibener, that’s all of my tools I had.
Then I went back in the cave and found a deer. I shot the 12 point buck. I found ten bats in the cave now I am getting out for good!. How I get out of the cave is I call my daddy I say we are ready to get out of the cave daddy. My daddy came and got us, but Landon got a broken leg so my daddy drove down in the cave. Me, my daddy , and Will help Landon get in the back of the truck I. got in with him. We went the hospital. The end
See sample Shape Poetry at the bottom of the page by L.