All About

Rene’ Norlie
Kindergarten
Wilson Elementary
 Table of Contents
Six Traits of Writing…....................................................... Page 3

The Writing Process ……………………………………………………… Page 5

Writing Genres ……………………………………………………………… Page 7

Personal Writing …………………………………………………………… Page 8

Descriptive Writing ………………………………………………………… Page 9

Poetry Writing ……………………………………………………………… Page 11

Narrative Writing …………………………………………………………… Page 13

Expository Writing ………………………………………………………… Page 15

Writing Workshop ………………………………………………………… Page 17

Integrating Writing ………………………………………………………. Page 19

Bibliography…................................................................ Page 20
• Ideas—strong topic with lots of detail to make writing interesting and reader friendly.

• Organization—good lead with logical progression and good ending.

• Voice—reflects writer’s personality and keeps in mind the audience.

• Word Choice—use active verbs and eliminate the “little qualifiers” like very, sort of and others that undermine

the writer’s authority.

• Sentence Fluency—combination of short and long sentences that have a flow that keeps the writing moving.

• Conventions—check spelling, correct punctuation and spacing to not distract from the meaning.
The Writing Process
• Planning: Brainstorm ideas to write about, gather information and use graphic organizers to organize ideas about the topic.

• Drafting: Get thoughts and ideas on paper without concern for mistakes.

• Revising: Read the piece out loud. Make changes to clarify ideas. Check word choices for unity throughout the piece and sentence

fluency. Share it. Revise after getting feedback from the teacher and other students.

• Editing: Proofread for spelling and grammar errors.

• Publishing: Copy the piece in best handwriting or with word processor. Share.
Writing Genres
 Personal Writing

Email
Journal Writing

Greeting Cards
And
Invitations

Friendly Letters Reading Logs

• Email—have pen pals from another school. Practice good, interesting writing.

• Letters—have mailboxes so students can write to each other or to the teacher.

• Thank you notes—write to librarians, cafeteria workers, nurse or guest speakers.

• Reading log—use to show text-to-self, text-to-text and text-to-world connections.

• Journals—use for writing across the curriculum.

Descriptive Writing
• Write using the five senses to give sensory details.

• Incorporate similes, metaphors, personification and other

figurative language techniques to make writing interesting.

• Describe attributes of a noun to show the reader a mental

picture and not just tell out right.

Poetry Writing
• Do not have to rhyme.

• Topics can be serious or silly.

• Can follow a formula or be free-form.

• Do not have to follow rules of convention.

• Can be in shapes and anywhere on the page.

• Students can illustrate with digital tools or adding sound.

Narrative Writing
• Contain the elements of a story: characters, setting, plot, beginning, middle, end,

clear and consistent point of view.

• Use narrative devices: comparison, hyperbole, personification, symbolism,

imagery and tone.

• Use dialog.

• Can be sad, serious, silly or scary.

Expository Writing
• Begin with a good lead or hook to draw the audience into the piece.

• Present a clear and focused thesis statement.

• Have an organized body with supporting facts, details and explanations.

• Use language that shows your personality but technical terms only when necessary.

• End with a good conclusion—wrap it all up, but don’t just restate your main points.

• Bring in the human element whenever possible.

Writing Workshop
• Begin with a read aloud mentor text for 10 minutes.

• Next, 10-15 minute mini lesson to teach what students should practice in their

independent writing; only a couple of times a week.

• Status of the class—5 minutes to know what each student is working on.

• Independent writing—20-45 minutes. Students are writing. Teacher is writing or

conferencing with individuals or small groups.

• Sharing—15 minutes. Students share their work and get feedback from others.
Integrating Writing Across
the Curriculum
• Includes writing in math, science and social studies.

• Helps students to process what they have learned.

• Helps identify misconceptions or confusion.

• Helps with retention of information.

• Use reading logs, journals or exit tickets.

• Improves writing skills needed in school and work.

 Bibliography
Peha, Steve. (2003). Welcome to Writer’s Workshop. Retrieved from

http://www.ttms.org/PDFs/05%20Writers%20Workshop%20v001%20(Full).pdf

Tompkins, Gail E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product. Pearson.

Zinsser, William K. (2001). On writing well: The classic guide to writing non-fiction.

New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.