Spring_2012_Craft_Lessons


 * [[image:readshare/Craft_Lessons.jpg]] || ==__ CRAFT LESSONS __==

Spring 2012
|| =Book Summary=

Time is continuously an issue for teachers, especially in the department of writing. The authors of Craft Lessons believe “A short, pithy, practical text will be useful for harried writing teachers”. Made up of 95 mini-lessons, the text is organized simply by grade. The first section is geared for lessons that are of use during the primary grades (K-2), next for teachers of 3 rd  and 4 th  graders, and lastly a section for teachers of the middle school grades (5-8). Topics covered throughout the text include, but are not limited to; Character descriptions, important details, focusing strategies, imagery, pacing, and organization of written works, new ways to think of fresh ideas, story structure and using voice. Each mini lesson is organized in an easy to follow 3-step format: *Taken from page 5 in Craft Lessons, 2007 Throughout the activities and mini lessons that this text provides, students will be given fresh challenges and new ways of finding ideas to improve their writing skills. Teachers have been found to interact with students mainly during the beginning stages of their writing and the final stage; this text aims to encourage teachers to focus more on the middle stages of writing- the “craft” stage with their students. Crafting is the most crucial part of the writing process, where the most decisions are made regarding the piece. Crafting matters, and this book provides numerous tips and ideas to help teachers of all stages in their careers to better their involvement in the writing process with their students.
 * **Discussion **- A brief look at the context for a particular craft lesson and the reasons for teaching it
 * **How to Teach It**- Concrete language showing exactly how a teacher might bring this craft element to students. This is typically set up using language that a teacher might use during the mini-lesson instruction. These lessons can be focused individually, in a small group or a classroom setting
 * **Resource Material**- Listings of books or texts referred to in the craft lesson are available here. Some of the additional texts are provided in the Appendixes of Craft Lessons (includes some passages, poems, or a piece of student writing)

Author Biography
 Ralph Fletcher At an early age Ralph was immersed into the reading world. He grew up “swimming” in stories. He started out by reading sports stories and branched out to everything else. Through his stories he learned the power of words and with encouragement from his teachers he began to write in notebooks just for himself. Ralph’s first novel which is called Fig Pudding comes from the impact his brothers sudden death brought upon him and his family. Poetry was his outlet for all his emotions, he began writing and sharing these poems. He earned a master’s degree in fiction writing from Columbia University. Ralph has experience working in classrooms as part of the Teachers College Writing Project. This was a way to help teachers develop better ways of teaching writing. Coming from a large family, Ralph knew there was hardly time for much. Craft Lessons was a way to help teachers find time, providing short mini-lessons to help with the writing process. Other works: Novels, poetry collections, nonfiction, books for teachers and picture books. “ I love to write. I love getting up every morning and mucking around in sentences, playing with stories, trying to build my city of words.” –

==== ==== JoAnn Portalupi JoAnn started her education career as a fourth-grade teacher in New Hampshire. She has since then worked as a staff developer at the Teachers College Writing Project, as a professor and most recently as an independent consultant. While raising four sons, she has had to refine her thinking about teaching writing. With four up-close different personalities she gets a constant reminder of the diversity of each and every learner. She currently serves on a school board which allows her to work closely with administrators, principals, and teachers. JoAnn has taking a liking to and decided to learn to paint, her new classroom is now her art studio. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Standing in front of a blank canvas reminds me of all the excitement and frustration of being a novice and has ushered in new insights about what it means to be a learner”

Digital Presentation
Link to Google Slideshow