Grade 6 and 7 Writers

I am teaching narrative writing to students in grade six and seven, and it has been really exciting!   The world is spinning so quickly in my corner of the world right now that I haven't posted very much (skiing hard every weekend, teaching lots of programs, and being a Mom to The Boys has kept me on my toes!) but I will get back to posting regularly.

 I have focused our four days together around writing concepts:

1.  developing a strong character and focusing our writing around the character
2.  developing a strong setting
3.  using story diagrams or story maps to focus on where the story is going
4.  having a main problem the character has to solve
5.  refining our writing by de-cluttering, and using the active voice.

I used the book, Seize the Story written by Victoria Hanley to focus the lessons and guide the writers.

The four days have been focused around writing, sharing, and mini lessons.  The most important thing that I have tried to emphasize is that students need to write and write and write!

I also used another great book to help guide the students:  Writing Magic 
by Gail Carson Levine.  I enjoyed her enthusiasm and rules for writing. 

Beyond writing, we discussed novels and books and stories.  I encouraged these amazing writers to read as much as possible and write all the time.

It has been a great four days together. Thank you grade six and seven students.  Keep with your craft and finish your amazing stories!