MLA and APA guideline web sites

Posted on by
Reply

Many parents have asked me where they can get guidelines for MLA and APA formatting. Here are two websites that have easy to follow guide lines for both.

1. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

2. http://www.aresearchguide.com/styleguides.html

There are also books on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble that are easy to follow and would be helpful in understanding formatting. Having a book on formatting with you at all times makes for an easy reference.

I suggest you begin teaching a specified format around 6th grade. I used MLA, but I think that either MLA or ABA is fine, because once a student learns one type of formatting it is easy to switch to another if it is required.

Happy Writing!

Judith

The Book On How To Really Teach Writing

Posted on by
1

Yeah! Yeah! My newest book, The Book on How To Really Teach Writing,  that has taken a year to write and published, is now on the website and on Currclick and doing well. I am certain that it will help teachers and parents do a better job of teaching writing. That is the goal, and everyone that has seen the book agrees that it really does make teaching writing so much easier.

I am also getting comments like, “Wow! Poetry Too!” Yes, there is a poetry section as well as a reading comprehension lesson that can be applied throughout the year at any skill level, as long as the students can read.

Remember we are not charging shipping on any of our products at this time.

Happy Writing!

Judith

New Years Writing Activity – Fun With Resolutions

Posted on by
Reply

Fun with Writing – Writing Activity

This writing assignment should bring a smile to your face and to all who read it.

The tradition of coming up with a New Years resolution each year that will help you be a better person, lose weight, make better grades, be nice to your brother or sister, etc., is usually given up or forgotten within a few days. So how about coming up with a resolution that would be fun, silly, easy to do, and quite possibly, just might be good for you. Or not!

Some examples could be to eat all of your vegetable as long as your parents eat the same ones, or clean your room once a week if you are guaranteed a reward of chocolate each time you accomplish the task. Now doesn’t that seem like a better way to make a resolution?

Pre-writing:

Brainstorm some resolutions. Examples: complete chores, do homework, get up when the alarm goes off, be nice to your siblings, or help mother cook.
Brainstorm ways you could accomplish these resolutions and enjoy doing them. This is where the fun comes in. Examples: You will complete all your chores on time, IF you can have puppy petting time every day. You will do you homework, IF your mom or dad plays a game with you once a week. You will get up when the alarm goes off, IF you don’t have to wash your ears. You will be nicer to your siblings, IF they are nice to you. You will help your mother cook, IF she teaches you how to make chocolate chip cookies.

Rough Draft:
Choose your 2011 resolution and begin writing your rough draft. Be sure to include a good introduction that states what your resolution is and why you chose it. The body of the story should explain how you are going to accomplish sticking to your resolution. Be sure to elaborate on what the resolution means to you and how it can impact your life and the lives of the people around you. In the conclusion you should tell how you think everyone is going to react to your resolution, and whether or not you think you could actually do it.

Edit The Rough Draft:
Have a friend, classmate, or parent help you edit your story.

Write The Final Paper:
Make sure the final paper is your best writing by working to punctuate correctly, check and correct your spelling, capitalize, and elaborate to make it interesting.

Publish:
Share your story with your class, parents, and other family and friends

Finally:
See how long you can really carry out your resolution. Good Luck!

Happy Writing,

Judith

Spring Writing Activity: My Favorite Pair of Shoes

Posted on by
2

I know teachers and parents are breathing a sigh of relief now that spring is here, so I thought it would be a great time to suggest a writing assignment that incorporates art and writing.

My Favorite Pair of Shoes

Have each student pick their favorite pair shoes and draw a picture of one of the shoes. The best view would be from the side, but some students are such good artists that whatever view they pick is fine. I have had students make the picture three dimensional by actually using fabric and leather to make an exact replica of the shoe, but that is the exception rather than the rule, and can be suggested but not expected.

After the picture is drawn, ask the student/students to pick one time or incident that involved the shoes and write a story or a poem about the shoes. Some examples ideas might be: The day my shoes saved me from a bully, or I felt like Cinderella the minute I put the shoe on, or even though these shoes are scruffy, they are still my favorite pair of shoes ever.

Once they have chosen an incident, they may begin brainstorming ideas for the story. When they know what they are going to write, they can break their story into paragraphs. I have included a brainstorming rubric and a paragraphing rubric to help make the whole assignment easier.

It is fun to hang the pictures and essays up for everyone to enjoy when they are completed.

New Book: How to Teach Writing

Posted on by
2

The new book I have been working on is almost finished. It is taking a bit longer because I decided to add a poetry section. It is a genre that children love once they get into it, and is a nice addition. The book discusses the real reasons children hate writing, and why teachers do not like to teach writing. It addresses ways to make teaching writing much easier for parents and teachers, and it provides ideas to make writing fun and challenging for children. We are hoping to get it to the printers soon and have it available by fall.

A fellow teacher and dear friend came for a visit, and read the book in its entirety. She remarked that the book is so needed because it really addresses the problem of teaching writing for everyone involved. She agreed that the poetry unit would be a great addition, and helped me gather materials and write it. It is certainly nice to have a fellow master teacher give feedback and lend a hand.

New book, new schedule, and a new writing activity

Posted on by
Reply

I am sorry that there haven’t been any new posts on the blog, but I am writing a new book on how to teach writing and I am about three fourths of the way through. I hope to have it ready by fall, so suffice it to say, it is consuming me. I am also setting up my 2010 schedule of home school conferences and workshops. It looks like I am going to have a pretty busy season from April through the first of September. If you are interested in where I will be this year, including a great cruise the end of July that you could go on, check out my schedule on the home page.

I have had wonderful feedback from the parents and teachers that I met and talked to in 2009. They are making good use of our products because they are student directed and find their students and children like being independent learners and writers.

A good writing assignment for students as we head into spring is to ask your students or children to go back over some of the papers that they have written throughout the year or even from previous years, and pick one to totally rewrite. It doesn’t matter which one they pick, let them decide. The objective is that they write. Encourage them to improve on every aspect of the paper including adding new and interesting details to the content and correcting any format and convention errors. Almost always it is surprising how much better the new paper will be.

Holiday Writing Idea

Posted on by
Reply

I am happy to say I survived H1N1 and lived to tell about it. It wasn’t so bad, but the residual cough is driving me crazy! Our daughter and grandsons also had it and it is much more virulent in children. Our five year old grandson ended up with pneumonia and had to take antibiotics and steroids, so if your children are prone to respiratory problems, such as asthma, they should be watched carefully. Our grandson does have asthma.

During my confinement from the flu and while taking care of the boys I was unable to work on my book, so I am steadily falling behind, so I guess I will have to set aside some serious writing time during the holidays to get back on track. Will I do it? That remains to be seen. Anyway, talking about the holidays brings me to why I am writing this post and that is a wonderful, long term writing assignment.

AN ILLUSTRATED FAMILY TRADITION HOLIDAY BOOK

1. Ask your child or children to brainstorm ideas about holiday family traditions that they enjoy.
2. Have them pick their favorite one.
3. Ask them to write the family tradition in story form including the introduction, body, and conclusion.
4. Edit the story and correct, then break the story down into sections so that each section will be a page in the book.
5. Write each section on a separate piece of white paper. Most students choose to write each story section at the bottom of the page so they have room for their illustrations.
6. Once the story is sectioned out onto separate pieces of white paper the student can begin to illustrate their story.
7. When the story is completely written and illustrated make a cover sheet stating the title of the story and be sure to put: Written and Illustrated by. Then illustrate the cover.
8. Bind the pages together by stapling, putting in a binder, or folder or in whatever manner you and your child choose.
9. My students would give this book as a family present which parents and grandparents loved.

Good luck and enjoy the finished product.

Beginning Of The Year Writing Idea

Posted on by
1

Introduce writing on the first day of school, whether it is in a home school classroom or in the public classroom.  Students need to know from the onset that they will be expected to write every day.  A good beginning of the year writing assignment would be for students to write something about themselves.  To make the assignment much easier for parents and teachers, I have attached a pdf. The pdf includes the brainstorming sheet and the paragraph organizer

Give the brainstorm sheet to the student and ask them to fill it out.

Next give the student the paragraph organizer to fill out.

Once the students have filled out the paragraph organizer have them write a rough draft and have a peer or parent edit it.

Next have them write their final paper.

If you are teaching a group or class of children, instruct them to not put their name anywhere on the story.  Once each student has completed their final paper, ask them to draw a picture of themselves in the situation they described.  They could also including some clues about themselves and things they are interested in, in the picture.  Example:  Draw a picture of yourself with a soccer ball or baseball glove and bat, or draw yourself in a mall shopping, or with your favorite musical instrument.  Once everyone has turned in their papers with pictures of themselves, hang them up around the room and instruct parents to find their child’s paper from the story they wrote and the picture they drew.

Even if you are teaching one child, ask them to draw a picture of themselves to go with the story including things they are interested in, and then see if family members can remember the event.

Good luck and let me know if the pdf helped. I know this was a favorite assignment with students and parents alike.

Home Again and Next, School at Sea

Posted on by
Reply

It was nice meeting and talking to so many interesting parents during the 2009 home school conferences.  I enjoyed doing all of the workshops and presentations and hope that those of you that attended were able to take home ideas and information that will help make the 2009/2010 year a good one.

Next I am off on a home school group cruise to the Caribbean, School at Sea.  It is from the 6th to the 13th of September, and I am really looking forward to it.  I am going to do several presentations and a hands on writing workshop, and then spend the rest of the cruise working on the book I am currently writing, on how to teach writing.  Maybe I will see some of you on the cruise.  Check out my schedule on the home page to link to the cruise, if you are interested.