Intentional Teaching:
Mini-Lessons for Teaching Writing
International Reading Association
Chicago, Illinois
May 3, 2006
Megan Sloan
megansloan@msn.com
Megan Sloan
106753634
What Makes Good Writing?
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Teaching Writing

Teach writing everyday.

Share your writing with students.

Use resources to help you teach.

Dowse your students with wonderful
literature, nonfiction, poetry,…

Teach intentionally.

Confer with students.

Give your students choice and help
them realize purpose.

Provide real audiences.

Believe your students are good
writers.
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Six Trait Writing Assessment
Ideas - The writer follows a main idea throughout the paper, including
supporting details. The writer writes from experience and is focused and
clear.
Organization – The writer writes with a clear sense of beginning,
middle, and end. The piece flows smoothly. The piece opens with an
engaging lead, builds to a high point and ends with a satisfying conclusion.
Voice – The writer conveys true feeling.
He/she writes with a clear
sincerity, enthusiasm, and commitment. There is a person behind the words.
Word Choice – The writer uses a variety of fresh, original and
interesting words; language is descriptive and specific.
Sentence Fluency – The writer experiments with sentence variety.
The writing is natural; it has cadence.
Conventions – The writer uses correct spelling, punctuation, and
capitalization. The writer incorporates sound paragraphing.
Adapted from the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory
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Writing Workshop
What does it look like?
Mini
Lesson
Drafting
and Conferring
Sharing/Reflecting/Author’s
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Chair
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Writing Workshop Suggestions
 Set a positive, risk-free tone for your
classroom in which everyone is considered an
author.
 Write everyday.
 Set a specific time for writing so students
can anticipate.
 Do not make a schedule for the process (e.g.
prewrite on Monday, draft on Tuesday…).
Students are at different stages on
different days.
 Do make a structured schedule of your
writing workshop time: minilesson, writing
time & conferring, sharing, reflecting.
 Teacher confers during writing time. Assess
during this time.
 Teach peer conferring.
 Set management rules – it won’t be silent
but should be quiet enough to work. Use
temporary spelling.
 Set up management system: folders, name
and date on papers, journals..
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What Should I Write About?
Finding a Topic
I am often asked by teachers, “What do you do with students who can’t think of
anything to write about?” If your classroom is really focused on teaching students to
become independent writers, you can’t always provide a topic for them. Students have to
learn to decide for themselves what is worthy of their time and energy. So how do
teachers help students settle on a topic time after time again?
I once struggled with this same question. I found my answer when I stopped
trying to create elaborate lessons that focused on fancy topics and began helping students
realize that their everyday experiences are the ideas that are worth writing about.
One book that helps me communicate this to students is Janet S. Wong’s You
Have To Write. Wong explores the problem of coming up with a topic to write about.
Throughout the book she shares the insecurities a student might have about thinking of a
topic. “So you look and look and look awhile for something special to write about, some
magic story. Your eyes dance around the room, out the window, into the hall, as you
look and look and look all around. Boy, how the others shine. She’s got a story. She’s
been to France. And him, with his big house, his mother’s car--” Wong then goes on to
suggest that people have an array of rich topics surrounding them in their everyday life.
She asks, “Who else can say what you’ve seen? Who else can tell your stories?” And
then Wong suggests, “Reach inside. Write about the dark times. Write about the bright
times…Write now. Think now. Remember. Take your mind for a walk back to this
morning, back to yesterday..”
I read You Have To Write to students and we talk about the message. I ask,
“What does the author suggest are the best kind of topics?”
Several students say, “The everyday things.”
“Like what?”
Jessica says, “Like taking out the trash or your dog.”
Emma adds, “Or how you hate to make your bed.”
“I like when she wrote about her library book that got wet,” says Malcolm.
I continue, “Yes, those are all the everyday things in this child’s life. Sometimes
people think they have to go to Disneyland or have a big event in their life in order to
write, but did you know the best topics are the things that happen every day? Like
playing baseball, a favorite book you’ve read or sledding down the hill at your house in
the winter. What are some everyday things in your life?”
Taylor shares, “I have to set the table for dinner.”
Raisha says, “I have a cat that sleeps with me.”
Chase adds, “I like to play baseball.”
I ask students to make a list of 5 everyday things from their lives. They may come up
with this list by talking with a partner. I will have students staple these lists to the inside
of their writing folders so they can add to them when they think of new possible topics.
While students make their lists, I also compile a list of everyday things in my own life.
Insert student topic list
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Now I share my list with students.
POSSIBLE WRITING TOPICS
Walking my dog
Doing laundry
Taking out the trash
Driving to school
Reading a book
I then talk through my list, deciding which one I would like to write about. “I could write
about how I got stuck in traffic this morning or maybe I should write about something I
love to do – curl up on my couch and read a book. I know, I’ll write about something I
don’t enjoy doing, but have to every week – taking out the trash!” Students love seeing
me make this ordinary, everyday topic come to life with details that paint vivid pictures.
I keep my list handy so I can model more writing about ordinary topics in days to come.
Students need to see teachers write about everyday things, over and over, before they
believe these topics are worthy of writing about.
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Introducing Leads:
Learning to Recognize Good Opening Lines
The lead is critical because it can determine whether the reader continues to read
or puts down the book. It is that first sentence, or sometimes a whole page that grabs the
reader and makes him or her want to read on. Writing a good lead is difficult. Expecting
students to “grab” their audience with a unique and masterful sentence might be asking
too much. At first, be content to see children begin with a clear, focused statement like
Dogs are interesting pets or There are many reasons to love the snow; first sentences that
clearly let the reader know what the piece is about.
However, there comes a time when students are ready to experiment with
different beginnings. Before this happens, they need to be given many opportunities to
discover good leads in the books they read and Shared Reading and Story Time are good
times to do that. Many picture books and chapter books contain great examples of good
leads.
For the following lesson, I choose The Escape of Marvin the Ape by Carolyn and
Mark Buehner because it has a simple one-sentence lead: “It was feeding time, and when
the zookeeper wasn’t looking, Marvin…” I begin by asking questions about the cover
and the title. After reading the first page, I pause to talk about the lead.
“What do you think? Should we turn the page?”
Many students respond, “Yes.”
“What makes you want to turn the page? What about the picture or the writing
interests you?” I ask.
Emelia raises her hand. “The gorilla is sitting with a suitcase like he’s going
somewhere.”
“Yes, what else.”
Kyle adds, “He looks like he’s twiddling his thumbs and whistling.”
“I think he’s waiting for the zookeeper to leave so he can escape,” says Chase.
Now I direct students to the text. “How about the writing? What makes you want
to turn the page?”
“Dot, dot, dot,” says Serena.
“Dot, dot, dot? What does that mean,” I ask.
Malcolm responds, “It’s called an elipses. It means something’s going to
happen.”
“Yea, more is coming,” adds Alexander.
Emma shares her observation. “It’s like the author is inviting us to turn the page.
She never finished the sentence. We know something is going to happen – like he’s
going to try to get out, but we don’t know how.”
I respond, “Yes. Good authors begin their books with words and pictures to make
us want to turn the page and read on.”
I continue to dialogue about leads over many reading times, using many different
books with different kinds of leads; questions, bold statements, quotes from characters,
and other unfinished statements. When students are ready, I begin using different kinds of
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leads in my modeled writing lessons. For example, as I begin to write about snow, I try
out different opening lines.
I just love the snow!
Snow is my favorite thing about winter. Let me tell you why!
Students help me choose the next line: Swirls of white falling from the sky…It’s snowing.
We decide that statement really paints a picture that will make my readers want to read
on. I am on my way.
Next, I try to involve students in brainstorming possible leads. After studying
about Harriet Tubman, students are getting ready to write about this famous American.
We work as a class to come up with three possible leads for their writing (see Figure 2.1).
I invite students to use one of these leads or try something different as they set out to
write. This kind of support continues as we write about common topics. As individual
students seem ready, I challenge them to experiment with opening lines in their selfselected topic writing.
Insert Figure 2.1 (photograph)
(Three class generated leads for students to choose from when writing biographies on
Harriet Tubman)
Good leads from picture books:
“ ‘I’m afraid of the dark,’ said Pip. ‘Even shadows scare me.’ His friends didn’t
know how to help.”
Pip’s Magic
By Ellen Stoll Walsh
“The barefoot didn’t see the eyes watching him as he ran onto the overgrown
pathway. His breath came in great gasps. In the hours since he had run from the
plantation, he had traveled faster and farther than ever in his life. He was fearful of what
lay before him.”
Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad
By Pamela Duncan Edwards
“In the small, small pond…”
In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
“They scared Little Red Riding Hood and the three little pigs. And even though
they are some of the most feared hunters in the world, they are also very loving, loyal,
and playful. WHAT ARE THEY? (Hint: turn the page to find out…)”
Wolves – Know-It-All Books
“Everybody knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. Or at least they think they
do. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows the real story, because nobody
has ever heard my side of the story.”
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The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
By Jon Scieszka
“Once there was a girl called Goldilocks. “What a sweet child,” said somebody
new in town. “That’s what you think,” said a neighbor.”
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
By James Marshall
“Harriet and Winnie were as different as two chickens could possibly be.”
Wings
Retold by James Marshall
“Have you ever wondered about turkeys? Where are wild turkeys found and how
do they live? What do turkeys eat? Where do they sleep? How big can a wild turkey
grow? This book answers these questions about turkeys and more. It is all about
turkeys.”
All About Turkeys
By Jim Arnosky
“Out in the hottest, dustiest part of town is an orphanage run by a female person
nasty enough to scare night into day.”
Saving Sweetness
By Diane Stanley
“It should have been a perfect summer. My dad helped me build a tree house in
our backyard. My sister was at camp for three whole weeks. And I was on the best
baseball team in town. It should have been a perfect summer. But it wasn’t.”
Enemy Pie
By Derek Munson
“One day, my dad looked out at the endless desert and decided then and there to
build a baseball field.”
Baseball Saved Us
By Ken Mochizuki
Good leads from chapter books:
“ ‘Where’s Papa going with that ax,’ said Fern to her mother as they were setting
the table for breakfast. ‘Out to the hoghouse,’ replied her mother. ‘ Some pigs were born
last night.’ ”
Charlottes Web
By E. B. White
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“They say Maniac Magee was born in a dump. They say his stomach was a
cereal box and his heart was a sofa spring. They say he kept an eight-inch cockroach on
a leash and that rats stood guard over him while he slept…They say.”
Maniac Magee
By Jerry Spinelli
“Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and
Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away
from London during the war because of air-raids.”
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
By C. S. Lewis
“ ‘Good morning boys and girls,’ the principal’s voice said over the intercom.
‘Please stop what you’re doing and listen. I have some bad news.’”
Horrible Harry and the Dungeon
By Suzy Kline
“My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent
me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and
I came back with a dog. This is what happened:”
Because of Winn-Dixie
By Kate DiCamillo
“Just let me say right off the bat, it was a bike accident.”
Mick Harte Was Here
By Barbara Park
“Walking back to camp through the swamp, Sam wondered whether to tell his
father what he had seen.”
The Trumpet of the Swan
By E.B. White
“Not every thirteen-year-old girl is accused of murder, brought to trial, and found
guilty. But I was such a girl, and my story is worth relating even if it did happen years
ago.”
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
By Avi
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Picture Books with different organizational structures:
Time:
Circle Story:
Free Fall by David Wiesner
Ocean Tide Pool by Arthur John L’Hommedieu
The Tortilla Factory by Gary Paulsen
One day:
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
Red Wolf Country by Jonathan London
Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl by Kate Waters
Journey/Passage within life: (day, week, rainstorm, hour, weeks, season, year)
A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams
Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad by Pamela Duncan Edwards
A North American Rain Forest Scrapbook by Virginia Wright Frieson
In November by Cynthia Rylant
Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting
Life’s Journey:
George Washington: A Picture Book Biography by James Cross Giblin
Into the Sea by Brenda Z. Guiberson
A Picture Book Biography of Helen Keller by David Adler
Diaries:
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French
Look to the North : A Wolf Pup’s Diary by Jean Craighead George
Space:
All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan
Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming
One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson Mannis
Time and Space
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch by Trinka Hakes Noble
Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young
The Sun, the Wind and the Rain by Lisa Westberg Peters
Content:
All About Turkeys by Jim Arnosky
Amazing Beetles by John Still
Does It Always Rain in the Rainforest? By Melvin and Gilda Berger
A Fresh Water Pond by Adam Hibber
Life in the Polar Lands by Monica Byles
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Fun-o-nyms:
Alternatives to Ordinary Words
One of the things I come across year after year is the overuse of
certain words. She is nice. I had fun. It was good. In an effort to retire
ordinary words and encourage the use of more original ones, I share my own
piece of writing about a weekend experience.
This weekend I went to a Mariner baseball
game. We had a fun time. We saw four
homeruns and two stolen bases. The
crowd cheered really loud when the centerfielder made a great catch. It would have
been a homerun for the other team but he
saved the day. We ate lots of peanuts and
popcorn. It was fun.
I then reflect out loud about my piece. “I think I had a good opening
line. I included many details, but the word fun isn’t very lively. I could use
a more interesting word in that place. Can anyone help brainstorm some
other words for fun? Students come up with the following list.
brilliant
fascinating
fantastic
incredible
great
terrific
perfect
wonderful
amazing
delightful
awesome
magnificent
lovely
stupendous
I define the word synonym, as well as give a couple of examples, like
funny and hilarious or ran and sped. We then place our synonyms for fun on
a chart labeled FUN-O-NYMS, an idea inspired by my colleague, Connie
Roepke.
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Insert Figure 4.8
I revise my piece, replacing the two words “fun” with delightful and
amazing.
I then ask students to write about something fun they have done
recently, such as going on a camping trip, to a movie, or to a party. My only
requirement: They cannot use the word fun in their piece. Instead, they
have to use synonyms from the chart or their own. I allow students time to
share ideas.
On subsequent days students nominate other words to retire, such as
nice, said, and went and make synonym charts for them. These charts are
added to our resources to use when writing on any subject.
Insert Figure 4.9
Follow Up:
During a writing task, if I notice a student struggling with choosing more
interesting words, I may ask her to share her paper with the group to help her flush out
ordinary words and replace them. With permission, I make an overhead transparency of
the student’s paper and ask her to circle two or three words she would like help with.
As a group, we go through the words and make suggestions of
synonyms that might liven up the piece. The writer makes the changes,
when she hears a word she likes.
I then encourage students to ask each other for word help on a regular
basis. I remind them that they can be wonderful resources for each other and
that good writers often rely on help from other writers to make their work
better.
Another Lesson Option:
Copy page 149 from 6+1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham, for each
student. Read the fourth grade sample paper and discuss the student’s word
choice. Then have students revise the piece, by changing the words fun and
nice to more interesting words.
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Color Poems:
Sentence Building
To help students move from simple to more complex sentences, I start with a
controlled exercise called “Color Poems”. Once they’ve mastered it, I encourage them to
apply the thinking behind it in their own writing.
I start by writing “Red” on the top of an overhead transparency, and add the stem,
Red looks like…I tell students I want to think of something that reminds me of the color
red. I settle on Red looks like a fire engine. My next line is Red sounds like…I ask for
students to help me think of something that seems like a red sound. Ben offers “Red
sounds like a crackling fire.” We continue with the other senses and end up with the
following poem.
Red looks like a fire engine.
Red sounds like a crackling fire.
Red smells like a rose.
Red tastes like red-hot candy.
Red feels like velvet.
We reread the poem and I reflect aloud that the sentences seem short and I think
we can add something to each. I read the first sentence again and ask “Where is the fire
engine going?”
Jenny answers, “zooming down the street.” We add this to the poem.
I then read the second line and say, “Tell me more about this fire.”
Jason offers, “Red sounds like a crackling fire on a crisp fall evening.” We
continue through each line and end up with the poem below.
Red looks like a fire engine zooming down the street.
Red sounds like a crackling fire on a crisp fall evening.
Red smells like a beautiful rose in my garden.
Red tastes like red-hot candy burning on my tongue.
Red feels like the velvet on my lovely Christmas dress.
I invite students to pick a color and follow this pattern to write a poem. I tell
them they are working on expanding sentences. During this process students help others
who are stumped for an idea. For example, while Jason worked on his sentence for
“smell” he wanted to think of a flower that was blue. Another child suggested lupines
after reading about the Texas blue bonnets. I find that students really support each other
in writing more fluent sentences when encouraged to do so.
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Megan Sloan – Snohomish School District, Snohomish, WA
megansloan@msn.com
Intentional Teaching: Mini-Lessons for Teaching Writing
International Reading Association Conference – Chicago, IL 2006
(Go to IRA Website for Complete Handout)
Picture Books for Teaching Writing
All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan
Antics by Cathi Hepworth
Aunt Isobel Tells a Good One by Kate Duke
Autumblings by Douglas Florian
Baby Whale’s Journey by Jonathon London
Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad by Pamela Duncan
Edwards
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
Cloud Dance by Thomas Locker
Color Me a Rhyme by Jane Yolen
Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French
Enemy Pie by Derek Munson
Flip’s Fantastic Journal by
Giraffe’s Can’t Dance by Giles Andrede
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose
Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems by Eloise Greenfield
In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
It’s an Ant’s Life: My Story of Life in the Nest by Steve Parker
Look to the North – A Wolf Pup Diary by Jean Craighead George
My Ol’ Man by Patricia Polacco
Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
Saving Sweetness by Diane Stanley
Thesaurus Rex by Laya Steinberg
The Tortilla Factory by Gary Paulson
Tough Boris by Mem Fox
Where Once There Was a Wood by Denise Fleming
Willy the Wimp by Anthony Browne
Wintereyes by Douglas Florian
Wolf Country by Jonathan London
Yo! Yes! By Chris Raschka
You Have to Write by Janet Wong
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Professional Resources
Calkins, Lucy. 1994. The Art of Teaching Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Culham, Ruth. 2004. 6+1 Traits of Writing – The Complete Guide for the Primary
Grades. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Culham, Ruth. 2002. 6+ 1 Traits of Writing – The Complete Guide for Grades 3 and
Up. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Culinan, Ruth. Three Voices.
Fletcher, Ralph. Poetry Matters. New York, NY: Scholastic
Fletcher, Ralph & Poralupi, Joann. 1998. Craft Lessons – Teaching Writing K-8. York,
Maine: Stenhouse.
Fletcher, Ralph & Portalupi, Joann. 2001. Writing Workshop – The Essential Guide.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Graves, Donald. A Fresh Look at Writing.
Heard, Georgia. Awakening the Heart. 1999. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Heard, Georgia. For the Good of the Earth and the Sun: Teaching Poetry. 1989.
Ray, Katie Wood. 2004. About the Authors – Writing Workshop With Our Youngest
Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Ray, Katie Wood. 1999. Wondrous Words. NCTE.
Routman, Regie. 2000. Kids Poems – Teaching ______ Graders to Love Writing Poetry.
New York, NY: Scholastic
Routman, Regie. 2004. Writing Essentials. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Sloan, Megan. 2005. Trait-Based Mini-Lessons for Teaching Writing in Grades 2-4.
New York, NY: Scholastic.
Spandel, Vicki. 2005. The 9 Rights of a Writer. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Stead, Tony. 2002. Is That A Fact? Teaching Nonfiction Writing K-3. Portland, ME:
Stenhouse.
Tannenbaum, Judith. Teeth, Wiggly as Earthquakes. 2000. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse.
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