Reading to Write

Why do you recall certain book characters vividly? Why do you feel as if you have lived alongside them? A careful look at the books you love will help you understand why you love them. Observe the meaningful and intentional ways that authors bring you into a story and examine your writing in the same way.

BRING: pencil/pen and notebook
GRADE LEVEL: 1-2, 3-5, 6-8
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY: 35 or fewer/LARGE: 35-100
SOURCE: adapted from Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose
OUTCOME: Enrich reading and writing through an understanding
of components.
SIX TRAITS WRITING APPLICATION: word choice, sentence fluency

Memory Bank

What part do memories play in books? A big one! Share your most vivid stories out loud and determine how to use them in a written account.
We’ll use a variety of examples from books by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the
non-fiction work of James Herrriot.

BRING: pencil/pen and notebook
GRADE LEVEL: Grades 1-2, 3-5, 6-8
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY: 35 or fewer/LARGE: 35-60
SOURCE: a variety of fiction and memoir authors
OUTCOME: Spark memories that can be honed and adapted for story
or memoir. Memory will be discussed as story content in this interactive session.
SIX TRAITS OF WRITING APPLICATION: ideas and content, voice

Voices on the Page

Build your writing muscle as you build your library. But why are you drawn to certain books . . . and why do you reread them? Discuss voice in the books you love. Explore your own voice through writing exercises.

BRING: pencil/pen, notebook and a copy of a favorite book
GRADE LEVEL: 1-2, 3-5, 6-8
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY: 35 or fewer/LARGE: 35-100
SOURCE: age-appropriate works including The Giver (Lois Lowry), Wringer (Jerry Spinelli), The Things They Carried (Tim O'Brien)
OUTCOME: Value the role of voice in literature; experiment with voice in writing.
SIX TRAITS WRITING APPLICATION: voice

Grounding Fiction in Fact

When you put the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, you lose your reader’s trust. Ground your story! Research! You will read excerpts from works
of historical fiction.

BRING: pencil/pen and notebook
GRADE LEVEL: 1-2, 3-5,6-8
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY: 35 or fewer/LARGE: 35-100
SOURCE: Linda Sue Park's A Single Shard, Lois Lenski's Strawberry Girl
and others
OUTCOME: Acknowledge the role of research in bringing historical
fiction alive.
SIX TRAITS WRITING APPLICATION: ideas and content; organization

A Writer’s Tools:
The Metaphor and Beyond

A carpenter's tools are strapped on when she or he reports to work. Pack your writing tool belt with devices from alliteration to zeugma. Review devises and learn new ones, and create your own examples to share.

BRING: pencil/pen and notebook
GRADE LEVEL: 1-2, 3-5, 6-8
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY: 35 or fewer/LARGE: 35-100
SOURCE: Word Magic by Cindy Rogers and examples from children's literature
OUTCOMES: Review, identify and create examples of devices that enliven writing.
SIX TRAITS WRITING APPLICATION: conventions
Note: This workshop will be delivered as a half-day lesson or expanded into three, four or five shorter sessions throughout the week.

Action and Dialogue

Encourage your characters to act and speak! Strategies for keeping
your characters’ conversation and exploits integral to the story will be discussed.

BRING: pencil/pen and notebook
GRADE LEVEL: 5-8
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY: 35 or fewer/LARGE: 35-100
SOURCE: The Tale of Desperaux and other works
OUTCOME: Gain awareness of the roles of action and dialogue
in moving story.
SIX TRAITS OF WRITING APPLICATION: ideas and content, organization