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TEKS ELA Standard: 4.11.B

develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing by:

Any Shape With Just One Cut
Mechanical Dinosaur Costume
from a single piece of paper
Apple Harvesting Machine
Backdraft in Slow Motion
hot coffee as ice cubes are added
creating faux-shadows on street
one piece of rolled-up paper
working Lego car
toss leftover tea in -40°C
Wood Bending Machine
Hair Dryer Kinetic Art
Making a Chain Link From a Red-Hot Rod
Writing Compound Sentences
Writing Compound Sentences
Students work with subjects, predicates, and conjunctions to write compound sentences.
Gr 2-3
Change A Story’s Genre
Change A Story’s Genre
What if we rewrote a story’s climax into a totally different genre?
Gr 2-8
Super Specific Similes: Quick Baby
Super Specific Similes: Quick Baby
Let’s make this simile about a quick baby even more specific.
Gr 2-8
Holiday Writing: Packing Crates
Holiday Writing: Packing Crates
An old photograph. A holiday scene. Pick one object in the picture and write from its point of view.
Gr 2-8
Writing Technique: Triple Anadiplosis!
Writing Technique: Triple Anadiplosis!
Have students mastered the art of anadiplosis: ending one sentence with the beginning of the next? Now it’s time to take it to the next level!
Gr 2-8
Doubling Up Writing: Anadiplosis
Doubling Up Writing: Anadiplosis
Repeating words can be what you want, if what you want is an interesting effect. (Psst, that’s an example of anadiplosis!)
Gr 2-8
Paragraphs: Systems of Sentences
Paragraphs: Systems of Sentences
Blow up a paragraph into individual sentences. Now reassemble it. The clues hiding in each sentence will surprise you.
Gr 1-8
Pronouns With Too Many Antecedents
Pronouns With Too Many Antecedents
What happens when a pronoun could refer to more than one noun? Big problems!
Gr 2-8
Upgrading Compare and Contrast Writing
Upgrading Compare and Contrast Writing
Upgrade compare and contrast writing with just a couple of key words.
Gr 2-8
Improving Presentations 3: The Storyboard and Slides
Improving Presentations 3: The Storyboard and Slides
It’s time to turn that outline into a storyboard and then some actual slides.
Gr 2-8
Using Creativity Tools To Develop A Learning Exploration: Step Four
Using Creativity Tools To Develop A Learning Exploration: Step Four
How do you turn “go research something” into a structured, creative learning exploration? Kathryn Haydon walks through it step by step.
Gr 1-8
Ways to Start a Sentence – Level 2
Ways to Start a Sentence – Level 2
We’ll show students how to add more variety to their writing by starting sentences with a reason, a prepositional phrase, and a simile.
Gr 2-8
Creating A Classroom Motto
Creating A Classroom Motto
Starting with specific examples of fantastic classroom behavior, your class will end up with one sentence summing up their expectations. It’s a classroom motto!
Gr 2-8
Writing Clear Directions
Writing Clear Directions
Can you write directions so clear that a group of kids can put a toy together with no illustrations?
Gr 2-8
Better Stories Part 5: Plot Structure
Better Stories Part 5: Plot Structure
Ever read a student’s story that was just event after event after event and then a very sudden ending? They lack an understanding of a plot’s structure. With the help of Finding Nemo, I break down how to set up a well-structured plot.
Gr 2-8