Duration: 2 class periods of 45-55 Minutes
Adaptations: Upper Elementary (4-5), “A Person You Admire” Prompt, Expository Writing
Printable: “Admirable Woman in History” Lesson Plan (PDF)

An Admirable Woman in History Prompt:

Throughout our history, there have been many admirable women who have had an important impact on our lives.  Whether they were great leaders, writers, or individuals who broke new ground and gender barriers, the roles of many women throughout history are to be admired.  What woman in history do you admire most?  What did she contribute to the world or accomplish in her life that earned your admiration? (more…)

Ralph Fletcher, author of many picture books and novels for young readers, provides us with the latest installment in our Author Series. Aside from his works of fiction, Mr. Fletcher has also published a series of instructional writing books including How to Write Your Life Story, A Writer’s Notebook, Live Writing, How Writers Work, and Poetry Matters. Stop by http://www.ralphfletcher.com to learn more about Mr. Fletcher, his books, and more! 

What Should I Write About?

I’m not a big believer in “story starters”. I believe that the best ideas are living inside you. Your challenge is to dig them out. Do the writing only you can do. But every writer gets stuck from time to time so I’ve included a few ideas to jump-start your imagination. (more…)

What made you decide to be an author, and when did you reach that decision?

When I was in eleventh grade, one of my high school English teachers said that I was very creative, and that I should consider being a writer. No one had ever suggested that to me, and it had never occurred to me. I always was a reader, and I would devour armloads of books during my youth, but this was the first time the thought of being a writer was presented to me. Reading has been really, really huge. I think the single most important thing about being a writer is that you must love to read.

What role did writing play in your life before your eleventh grade English teacher suggested it to you?

I started playing electric guitar when I was eleven, and at that point I really started writing a lot of songs. Also, my friend and I would make little, homemade, independent newspapers and magazines. I just always knew that I got great joy from putting words on paper.

A Writer’s Beginnings (2:07)

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Duration: 3 class periods of 45-55 minutes
Adaptations: High School (9-12) “Recommending Literature” Prompt, Persuasive Writing
Printable: “Banning Books” Lesson Plan (PDF)

Banning Books Prompt:

Some members of your school board want to ban certain books from the public library.  They feel that these books contain topics unsuitable for young readers.  Do you agree that some kinds of books should be banned from the library?  Do you disagree? Write a letter to your school board persuading the members that these books should be banned or that these books should not be banned. (more…)

What made you decide to be an author?

I wrote my first book at age 35, Running Loose. It was an evolutionary process, and after finding the guts to write the first one, I realized by the third or fourth one that I was an author with a publisher and a deadline. It may have started in high school with two teachers that motivated me to write, not in the traditional sense, though. For English, I would knock off my essay in 15 minutes for the C-minus. It was my biology/shop teacher and the band teacher that inspired me to write. When I would get in trouble with either one of them, I had a choice – the wooden paddle or a 500 word essay. I chose the essay and would stay up until two o’clock in the morning trying to write something that would make them laugh. I wrote those just like I write now; I’d write it, I’d read it out loud, I’d fix it. I wrote it with the idea that I had something in mind, a purpose behind the writing.
Beginning as a Writer (1:44)

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For your students, that time drain is probably much larger.

What if there was a search engine that knew who you were, and what you were looking for?

Now there is.

http://education.iseek.com

Quietly revolutionizing the way students and educators search, iSEEK™ Education Searchblade™ turns the burdensome task of finding standards-based resources into an exciting and unique experience. It knows that you are student, educator, or parent, and it understands the meaning embedded in the questions you ask. Rather than returning thousands of irrelevant and untrustworthy results, (more…)

Following is the Teaching Tip written by Matt Daneker that was included in the last issue of MY Access!® Newsletter sent to all Home Edition users. As it has generated so much interest, and is applicable to all students, I thought it made sense to post here to make it available to a larger audience.

As I thought about this question, I had to reflect on an experience I shared with my daughter on our recent summer vacation. I am lucky to have a daughter who likes to read for fun. She is by no means a “bookworm,” but I sure don’t have to coax her to read once she has found a book or series that she enjoys. (more…)

Bruce Hale has made the long journey from struggling artist to bestselling author.  He has published over 20 books and spoken to groups across the U.S. and Canada, including the prestigious Maui Writers Conference. His Underwhere series includes Prince of Underwhere and Pirates of Underwhere. His Chet Gecko Mysteries series includes: The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse, The Big Nap, The Malted Falcon, Hiss Me Deadly, and others. Visit http://www.brucehale.com/ to read more about Bruce, his books, his school visits, and have a little fun!

Introduction

We are all storytellers. And story is all around us. After all, what is a TV show or a movie? What is a book? What do you tell your parents when they ask, “How was your day, dear?” You guessed it - a story. (more…)

Previously, we spoke about helping children who have a tough time starting an essay. Now, let’s consider a different sort of problem, namely, plagiarism. A writer commits plagiarism when he or she fails to properly attribute an idea to the person who came up with it in the first place. In its simplest form, plagiarism often involves using a direct quote without identifying the speaker. (more…)

The second installment in our Author Series comes with many thanks to Sue Macy for allowing us to share her 10 Tips for Young Writers.

Sue Macy is an author and editor of books, magazine articles, and writing for the Web. Much of her work is for kids and young adults, and a lot of it is about sports. Her books include Girls Got Game: Sports Stories & Poems, Play Like a Girl: A Celebration of Women in Sports, Freeze Frame, and Swifter, Higher, Stronger, which received starred review from “School Library Journal” and “Booklist.” She is also on the board of directors of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, the group that organizes reunions and educates the public about the league.

You can learn a lot more about Sue, her books, and her interests on her website at http://www.suemacy.com/

It’s one of the oldest jokes in the book. “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” asks a tourist lost in New York City. “Practice!” (more…)