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Bright Ideas Lesson Plans

Read to Write

My 4th grade students and I have found the News-Journal to be very teacher-student friendly. The students use the newspaper in the classroom and at home at least 2 to 3 times a week.

Early in the school year, my students were having trouble applying the writing skills that I taught in class, they did not understand how the skills were applied to everyday life or in a professional context.

Fourth grade students in Florida take FCAT Writes, a writing test that is required by the state, the newspaper has become a great tool to use to prepare them for the test. The skills that I teach in the classroom are skills they can apply, as they read the newspaper. This seems to help them apply the skills to their own writing. The students remember the writing skills better when they see how they are used in real life. Now my students apply the skills to their writing, and also have them for use in other circumstances. News Journal employees, watch out! These students may soon be looking for your jobs.

Lesson Plan

Objective: Students will read through newspaper to pull out ideas to become better writers.

Materials: Newspaper and highlighters

Skill: Teacher would need to focus on a specific writing skill

Example: Hook

Teacher´s instruction:
1. Give meaning of skill to students.
2. Illustrate examples of skill to students.
3. Model the skill to students using the newspaper.
4. Allow students to complete activity by using the newspaper to focus on that skill.
*Find that skill (example of it in newspaper) and highlight it.

Focus on one skill or more at a time. As students become familiar with writing skills focus on complete writings.

"Read to Write" Skill
Example
Newspaper pg. #/Section

Hook - a catch to get the readers´ attention

1.
2.
3.

Metaphor - figure of speech that compares two different things without using a word comparison (like or as)

1.
2.
3.

Simile - figure of speech that makes a comparison using either (like or as)

1.
2.
3.

Sensory details - details that help us to see, feel, smell, taste, and hear a subject

1.
2.
3.

Topic/Main Idea - specific subject of a piece of writing

1.
2.
3.

Descriptive Writing - "paint a picture" describes a person, place, a thing or an idea

1.
2.
3.

Narrative Writing - "tell a story" by sharing the details of an experience

1.
2.
3.

Expository Writing - "give information about a topic" {Explain} it may explain ideas, give direction, or show how to do something

1.
2.
3.

Dialogue - talking

1.
2.
3.

Nitosha Bell-Davis
4th Grade
Palm Terrace Elementary

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