Riverview School District
Core 3-5 Writing Curriculum
Teaching the Qualities of Writing
by JoAnn Portalupi and Ralph Fletcher
According to Donald Graves, “If students are not engaged in writing at least 4 days out of five, and for a period
of thirty-five to forty minutes, beginning in first grade, they will have little opportunity to learn to think through
the medium of writing.” (A Fresh Look at Writing, pg 104)
The lessons marked with an X are core, which are mandatory to be taught at each grade level. If there is not
an X the teacher may choose to teach the lesson depending on the needs of their students.
Lessons For the Writer’s Notebook: These lessons are for students to begin using a writer’s
notebook and can be used along with the first writing cycle. After the first four, teachers should select
a few of the additional lessons to get their student’s immersed in their notebooks. Lesson 19 is
selected because it is the first opportunity for students to use prewriting.
N-1
N-2
N-3
N-4
N-5
N-6
N-7
N-8
N-9
N-10
N-11
N-12
N-13
N-14
N-15
N-16
N-17
N-18
N-19
N-20
Writer’s Notebook
Introducing the Writer’s Notebook
Introducing the Writer’s Notebook (alternate version)
Preparing for the Notebook (homework)
Launching the notebook
Collecting Mind Pictures and Sensory Observations
Wondering About the World
Writing From the Heart
Capturing Bits of Conversation
Experimenting with Goofing Around Writing
Reacting to the World
Starting a Seed Idea
Gathering Artifacts
Capturing Memories
Reflecting on Yourself as a Writer
Saving Writing You Admire
Writing off of a Text
Trying Some “Stretch Writing”
Thinking About Genre
Making a Plan
Crafting a Finished Piece
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Cycle 1
I-4
I-1
I-12
D-30
I-17
D-15
D-16
L-23
L-22
L-21
P-10
P-8
P-11
Launch
Dig Up Buried Stories
Create an Authority List
Free-Write for Specifics
Find Your Focus
Use Supporting Details
Use a Thematic Focus
Use a Time Focus
Use Verbs That Describe Action
Use Precise Nouns
Use Choice Adjectives
Edit with a Checklist
Be Aware of Words You Commonly Misspell (Optional)
Fix Spelling Errors
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4
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5
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Cycle 2 (Third Grade)
I-8
I-22
I-25
I-23
I-24
I-27
D-3
D-21
D-22
D-23
I-15
L-9
P-5
D-29
L-19
P-14
L-13
P-15
P-16
Narrative 1
Use Plot, Place and Character in a Story
Bring Your Characters to Life
Develop Your Characters
Describe What Your Characters Look Like
Develop the Inner Story
Use Details to Bring the Setting Alive
Organize Your Writing
Write a Lively Lead
Write a Waterfall Lead
Come Up with the Right Ending
Use General Information and Specific Details
Use Fresh Language
Use Parentheses to Add Information
Develop a Scene
Write a Believable Dialogue
Break a Text into Paragraphs
Vary Sentence Beginnings
Stop the Run-on Sentence
Use Consistent Tense
3
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4
5
Cycle 2 (Fourth and Fifth Grade)
I-8
D-13
D-31
D-4
D-33
D-7
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L-17
I-13
I-16
L-12
L-7
P-3
P-6
P-1
P-2
L-2
L-1
P-9
Narrative 2
Use Plot, Place, and Character in a Story
Use a Double Focus in a Narrative
Use Details to Alter the Pace of Time
Use a Recurring Detail
Use a Symmetrical Design
Use 2-3-1 Format for Organization
Choose one of the lessons on Leads
D-17 (New)
Cut to Your Lead
D-18 (Review) Lead with a Question
D-19 (New)
Lead with the Big Picture
D-20 (Review) Open with a Scene
D-21 (Review) Write a Lively Lead
D-22 (Review) Write a Waterfall Lead
Choose one of the lessons on Endings
D-23 (Review) Come Up with the Write Ending
D-24 (New)
End with a Question
D-25 (New)
End with Humor
D-26 (New)
End with Your Strongest Line
Tighten Dialogue
Invent Specifics to Fill In Memory Gaps (If Needed)
Use Inference to Let Readers Fill In the Gap
Move From Simple to Complex Sentences
Try Repetition in Narrative Writing
Use Commas to Add an Aside
Use the Dash to Spotlight Part of a Sentence (Optional)
Use a Colon to Introduce a List or Idea
Use a Semicolon to Pull Together Related Sentences
Avoid Redundant Words
Avoid Confusing Pronouns
Edit for Passive Voice
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5
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Cycle 3
L-18
D-10
D-11
D-1
D-9
I-14
D-6
D-20
D-18
L-24
D-5
I-19
P-4
P-7
L-16
Nonfiction
Using a Natural Voice
Find the Right Distance by Pulling in Close
Find the Right Distance by Pulling Back
Anticipate What the Audience Expects
Capture the Power of One
Use Authentic Details
Use Subtitles to Organize Your Writing
Open with a Scene (Intro in 3rd)
Lead with a Question
Use Vocabulary Specific to a Subject
Use a Transition Between Ideas (Intro in 3rd)
Make a Comparison (Intro in 3rd)
Use Commas to List Ideas
Use the Ellipsis (Intro in 5th)
Avoid Passive Verbs
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4
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5
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Cycle 4
I-8
I-11
I-28
I-29
I-18
I-26
I-30
I-31
I-32
D-28
D-27
D-34
D-32
D-35
D-17
D-19
*
L-4
L-11
L-14
Fiction
Use Plot, Place, and Character in a Story
Embellish an Idea
Work with an External Conflict
Work with an Internal Conflict
Value Your Experience
Make Your Story Believable (Optional)
Write in the First Person
Write in Second Person
Write in Third Person
Create Suspense in Fiction
Control How Time Moves
Use a Triangular Structure (Intro in 3rd)
Use a Snapshot Structure
Write a Circular Story or Poem (Optional)
Cut to Your Lead (Intro in 4th)
Lead with the Big Picture
Choose one of the lessons on Endings
D-23 (Review) Come Up with the Write Ending
D-24 (Review)
End with a Question
D-25 (Review)
End with Humor
D-26 (Review)
End with Your Strongest Line
Remove Those Annoying Little Qualifiers
Combine Short Sentence
Vary the Length of Sentences
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Cycle 5
I-3
I-2
I-20
D-14
L-6
L-10
L-8
L-5
L-20
D-26
D-8
I-21
P-17
L-3
L-15
Poetry
Create a Poem with Imager, Emotion, and Music
Create a Poem from a Story (Intro in 3rd)
Use a Metaphor
Use a Double Focus in a Poem
Create Line Breaks in a Poem
Use Repetition in Poetry
Use Alliteration
Choose Words That Sound Like What They Mean
Use a Thesaurus to Find Just the Right Word
End with Your Strongest Line
Use White Space in a Poem
Use Personification
Use Fragments When You Write a Poem
Delete the Weak Parts (Intro in 4th)
Avoid Clichés
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*NOTE: Between each cycle, students complete a publishing cycle.
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