Literacy Speaks Volumes

You will find expressive writing all around you. You will read it in magazines and newspapers and write it in journals and letters. your writing is expressive when the focus is on you--what you experience, think, and feel. Here are some ways to develop expressive writing. In your journal, write about an event that happened to you because you were in a wheelchair. In an essay for a job application, write about a significant life experience. In a story, describe your grandparents' house to show how you feel about it. In an article for the school's humor magazine, write a funny description of the broccoli served in the lunchroom. In a letter to your cousin, compare your two best friends. In your journal, explore which you enjoy more, tennis or basketball. In an essay, evaluate the water quality in your neighborhood park's drinking fountains. In a letter to a friend, explain why the Dallas Cowboys are the best NFL team. Choosing an Incident to Write About When y...

Next week is the week of Halloween. I like to incorporate some sort of Halloween themed reading and writing lessons into my lessons during this time. There are plenty of creepy and gruesome articles available for reading that go along with this scary theme. Reading about phobias, spiders and graveyards is always a hit with middle schoolers. Students read about the history of Halloween or some of its symbols like Jack o Lanterns or trick or treating. This is also a good time to read about the Day of the Dead. Students enjoy learning about how Frankenstein and Dracula came to be written. Encourage your students to use imagery when describing their favorite Halloween costume. Have students draw an illustration of the costume then describe it in detail. Students write a conversation between two pumpkins on Halloween. Students write their own version of the story of the Headless Horseman. Write a scary poem. Students list twenty words that they associate with Halloween then use thos...

Writing academic compositions in school is not anyone's favorite activity. But most people, whether they are writing essays for school or writing memos or reports for work, find writing to be challenging. As a student, you have probably written several academic compositions. Even with this practice, it might be hard to think of something to write about, and hard to decide exactly how to begin or end a composition. Academic compositions include answering exam questions, email, taking notes, and analyzing an academic audience. Like any other kind of academic writing, answering essay test questions requires hours of practice before it becomes easier for the student. Email is used to communicate in many settings. Efficient use of email requires a real sense of purpose of the writing, as well as a clear statement of the message. Note-taking is an integral part of learning. It is also essential for writing academic essays. The Composition Plan What are doing this weekend? Will ...

Original artwork by Melissa Reese Etheridge The Main Idea Paragraphs that stand alone almost always have a central idea. So do paragraphs that are part of a longer piece of writing. The central idea is the big idea in the paragraph. Teachers also call it the main idea. In the following paragraph, you will find the main idea in the first sentence. It tells you that this paragraph is about how Hopis use Kachina dolls. Because Hopis have not written language, Kachina dolls are used to pass tribal lore and religion down through generations. Given to the young during special dances, Kachina dolls are then hung in the home as constant reminders of Hopi ancestry and heritage. Though too young to understand their meaning, infants are given Kachina paddle dolls as toys, so that from birth they are familiar with Hopi custom. The Topic Sentence Location of the Topic Sentence: The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph. You may find it at the beginning of the paragraph, i...