Notes for Feb. 21 writing lesson

Writing Lesson 2- February 21, 2008

Objectives and Goals:
1. for children to write summaries from short stories or articles by using only their own key word outlines.
2. to begin teaching the syllabus in style, starting with “dress-ups.” This will include adverbs and adjectives clauses.
3. for children to become independent in the processes of writing a key word outline, summarizing from their own notes (without copying from the source), and “dressing-up” their summarizes and rewriting a final draft.

Assignments:

1. Keyword outline from the story The Dog and His Shadow. Remember, you can underline your words to begin.
2. Retell content and discuss possible “ly” words.
3. Write your first draft with “ly” word. Remember to underline your dress-up words.
4. Next you will need to read In a Nut Shell and write a keyword outline. Notice the three separate paragraphs, you will use your other roman numerals for this one. Tell mom you can take two days to write this outline because it is longer.
5. Retell content only using outline.
6. Begin writing your first draft. You might even split writing these paragraphs into 2 or 3 days (what a great motivator to do something really fun after this is done). Follow your checklist and underline all dress-up words.


The Dog and His Shadow
It happened that a Dog found a piece of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. On his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a gentle creek. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own reflection in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that meat also. He growled and made a snap at the reflection in the water, but when he opened his mouth, the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more. Greed never pays.

In a Nut Shell
The humming bird is a tiny bird. It is so light, it can sit on a flower. No other bird is so small.

A hummingbird’s nest would fit into one side of a nut shell. It holds two eggs. The eggs are as tiny as bees. Four baby hummingbird’s would fill a teaspoon.

A hummingbird has beautiful, bright feathers. Its wings move so fast, it can seem still in the air. Like a helicopter it can fly straight up. it can fly straight down. Ti can fly to the back, to the front, or to the side. The wings make humming sounds because they move so fast. That is how the hummingbird got its name.