The Writer's Block
Mr. Partin - 7th Language Arts
Contact Info
e-mail: keith.partin@jisd.org
Phone: 903-586-3686
Conference: 2:50-3:30 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)
Tutorials: Thursday 3:45-4:15
Student Expectations
All students are expected to observe the 5 P's of my classroom. They are to be Prepared, Positive, Productive, Prompt, and Polite. If they can master the 5 P's, then they will be very successful in my classroom.
Writing From the Heart
We began our year writing personal narratives. Students generated lists to provide them with topics that were meaningful to them. With our personal narratives, students created a Kernal Essay using a personal narrative text structure. The text structure is outlined below:
- Where I was.
- What happened first.
- What happened next.
- What happened last.
- What I think/thought.
Once the Kernal Essay (5 sentences) were completed, students then completed the supporting details for their narratives.
Sacred Writing Time
As part of our daily classroom procedures, students are expected to write in their composition books for ten minutes. The students have the opportunity to write about a topic of their own choice, or they are given several topics from which to choose. The intent is for students to become accustomed to writing for an extended period of time and get their ideas/thoughts onto paper.
Ba-Da-Bing
One of our sentence revision strategies we are currently working on is called "Ba-Da-Bing." This is a way to create interest in the sentence by giving the reader the ability to be inside the author's head. This type of sentence uses the following structure:
- Where are your feet?
- What are you seeing?
- What are you thinking?
An example would be:
Standing on the beach, watching the waves roll in, I dream of returning here again someday.
Pitchforking Sentences
We are currently working on a revision strategy called "Pitchforking Action." This is also a means to create interest in the author's writing. Students will pitchfork the verbs in the sentence, taking one verb and splitting the action into three.
An example would be:
I walked to the store, singing a my favorite tune, watching the cars zip past me, and wondering if I have enough money for a Coke and candy bar.
Expository Text
We have recently transitioned from writing personal narratives to writing expository texts. Students have been writing "11 Minute Essays" and Kernal Essays using additional text structures. The week of October 16-20, students will choose one of their Kernal Essays to take through the complete writing process.