Practical handbook for the teacher to assist students in improving their independent writing skills. Includes reproducible forms.

This book takes readers through a series of guided writing exercises that help them explore their feelings about difficult experiences. Each chapter begins with an introduction that explains how to proceed with journal exercises and what they are structured to help accomplish. The exercises leave readers with a strong sense of their value in the world.

"A charming and informative story about a pipistrelle bat. . . . Offers vivid descriptions of the animal's flight, its navigational skills, and the hunt for food." – School Library Journal Features an audio read-along! Night has fallen, and Bat awakens to find her evening meal. Follow her as she swoops into the shadows, shouting and flying, the echoes of her voice creating a sound picture of the world around her. When morning light creeps into the sky, Bat returns to the roost to feed her baby . . . and to rest until nighttime comes again. Bat loves the night! Back matter includes an index. A Common Core Text Exemplar

"I'm done. What should I do now?" If you hear this question all too often during the independent work portion of writing workshop, Leah Mermelstein has a solution for making this time more productive for both students and teachers. Mermelstein argues that the "third essential element," creating self-directed writers, is key to the success of writing workshops. Using a wealth of classroom anecdotes, student samples, and specific teaching language, Mermelstein illustrates how even the youngest students can become self-directed learners. Her strategies include: creating an appropriate physical environment along with daily rituals and routines, scaffolding instruction with write-alouds and interactive writing; and planning unites, focus lessons, conferences, and shares that are aimed at helping kids become self-directed.

"The writing lessons in this book are organized to quickly unpack the detail move, explain when and why the strategy works well, share how I have taught it to my students, and offer ways to make it your own." -Rozlyn Linder Have you ever told a writer to add more details, only to see their writing get longer not better? That's why Roz Linder wrote The Big Book of Details. "To help our students use details and elaborate effectively," she writes, "we need to find out what they want their writing to do, and then show them explicit moves to make it happen." Roz breaks elaboration into 5 categories and shares 46 lessons based on the moves that professional writers use. With if-then charts that connect student needs to just-right strategies, you'll help writers master details that: Describe: for people, places, and things Dance: for showing action and sequencing events Convince: for questions, persuasion, and arguments Inform: for defining, comparing, and clarifying Speak: for conversation and speech. The Big Book of Details supports planning and on-the-go teaching for one-on-one conferences, whole-class instruction, or commercial writing programs. Its lessons are organized to help kids understand each move quickly. Roz's strategy lessons include: examples from real-world writers the reason writers use the strategy advice for introducing it to writers ideas for guided practice with writers examples of one of Roz's famous classroom charts "This is what I want for my students," writes Roz Linder, "to use details in their writing in a meaningful way that conveys their ideas and their purpose." If you want that too, then make her Big Book of Details part of your teaching toolkit.

Interactive Writing is specifically focused on the early phases of writing, and has special relevance to prekindergarten, kindergarten, grade 1 and 2 teachers.

To motivate students to practice writing every day, this book explains how teachers can guide students to write daily news reports that will then be "published" in the classroom and read by other students. Two other daily writing lessons are also explained: daily journals and "experience stories." All the guided writing activities begin with the teacher modeling the writing process while getting student input for the contents of the writing; gradually, as the weeks go by, students take more and more ownership of the writing, which eventually becomes less formulaic (based at first on reproducible handouts) and more personal and creative. Grades K-2. Illustrated. Good Year Books. 91 pages.

Fountas and Pinnell support teachers on the next leg of the literacy journey, addressing the unique challenges of teaching upper elementary students.