Primary Grades (Organization-sequence beginning, middle, end)
Literature: Any short book that contains a clear beginning, middle and end
Materials: large sheet of drawing paper
Directions: Read the story to the students and then have a discussion about what happened at the beginning of the story, what happened in the middle and what happened at the end. Give each child a large sheet (9x14) of drawing paper. Now here is the tough part! Ask them to fold it like a hot dog (meaning lengthwise!). Then, with the paper still folded, they will need to fold it into thirds (trust me, they’ll need help with this!). Now they can unfold the paper and they should have six squares. Along the top three squares, ask them to draw a scene from the beginning of the story in the first box (top left), a scene from the middle in the second box, and a scene from the end of the story in the top right box. Finally, ask the students to write about what happened in each scene in the box under the drawing. For students who have previously created their own written stories, ask them to do the same with a story that they have written.

Intermediate Grades (Ideas and Voice)
Literature: No, David by David Shannon
Materials: drawing paper, pencils, writing paper
Directions: Read the book to the students. Stop at each page and ask the students, “If David could talk in this picture, what would he say?” Have them explain why they think as they do. Make sure the students focus on facial features in each illustration. The eyes and mouth are always fascinating in these illustrations.

Then, ask the students to make a list of times an adult has told them to stop doing something or not to do something. Orally, have the students share the lists. Ask each student to select the one event they have the clearest memory. Ask them to circle that event and then draw a picture of their face at the moment the adult told them to stop doing whatever they were doing. Next, ask them to tell the story of what happened to their partner. Ask a few students to tell their story to the class and make sure you tell your story as well.

Finally, ask the students to write the story of what happened during that event.

Middle School (ideas and word choice)
Literature: Coldwater Creek catalogs (enough for one copy for every two students)
Materials: paper and pencil
Directions: Direct students to work in pairs looking through Coldwater Creek catalogs and notice which descriptions catch their interest. Discuss with the students how professionals use language and details to craft emotions and images that sell! To what extent do the writers rely on adjectives versus verbs? Ask your students in write an ad, using 50 words exactly, to sell their brother or sister! Or perhaps write something that will convince someone to buy their teacher! Write one yourself as well! When they are finished, ask them to go through and eliminate five words (revision without the students realizing they’re revising for word choice). Have the students read their pieces in groups of 4-5 students and then ask each group to select one that will be read to the entire class.

High School (organization-writing leads) 
Literature: variety of fiction and nonfiction books selected by the students 
Materials: 3x5 cards
Directions: This activity is designed to give students a chance to practice writing leads. Ask 6-8 students to each select a book from your classroom library and read the first few lines of the first chapter. Lead a discussion with the class as to their impressions of the lead and what made it engaging or lifeless. They will find that strong leads do a few things from this list: raise questions in the reader’s mind, enable the reader to make a personal connection, include strong details, contain strong language that creates visual images, uses emotions, creates laughter. To provide students with a chance to practice writing leads, give each student a 3x5 card, ask them to develop a basic story idea, and then write the opening one or two lines for their story. No more than two sentences! They cannot tell anyone about their topic or their line/s. Collect all the cards, select three of the better ones and put those with a card on which you have written the lead from a published book (select a mediocre lead). Inform the students that you are going to read four leads; three will be written by students in the class and one is a published book. Their task will be to identify the published lead. Read all four leads twice. Designate four areas of the room (perhaps the four walls!) as 1, 2, 3, and 4. Ask the students to go to the area that corresponds to the lead they think was the published lead. Finally, go from group to group (leaving the published lead group for last) and ask them why they think the lead they chose was the published lead.

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