Word-Choice and Sentence-Building    2nd Quarter, Nov-Jan

Lessons for Week 1:
Lesson 1: Dumping the Three Weakest Words:
The Really Bad Words  (Atwell, Lesson #20 )
"Don't be kind of bold.  Be bold." William Zinsser, On Writing Well (1998)

We will hold a Word Funeral for "got" "lot" and "stuff."  This is the end of these three words in student writing. 

Lesson 2: Dumping Weak Verbs:
What's the difference between a weak verb and a strong verb?  How does using strong verbs improve writing?  Watch this PowerPoint presentation to learn. 

Assignments for Week 1: Dumping Weak Words
Character Description Students write a 1-2 page description of a character.  After writing their drafts, students should:
1 Hunt and kill all instances of Got, Lots, and Stuff
2 Hunt all instances of weak verbs and transform them into strong verbs. 
Use this PowerPoint to complete the assignment. 

Ideas are taken from Noden, Harry R.  Image Grammar: Using Grammatical Structures to Teach Writing.  Portsmouth, NH: Hienemann, 1999.  Passive vs. active: Pgs 9-11; artist's palate: 13-15, and 29-30.

Lessons for Week 2:
Lesson 1: Warning Words: "Really" "Very" & "Totally"
Many times when a writer uses a word that is too weak, he or she wants tack on a word such as "Really" "Very" or "Totally".  The writer knew the word was too weak, and that's why he or she thought they needed something more.
Example: "The Really Bad Words" (Atwell, Lesson #20 )

Lesson 2: Shift F7--Microsoft Word's onboard Thesaurus
Instead of adding this extra word, learn to Shift F7 the word!  Microsoft Word: Cntrl-H:

Assignment for Week 2: Dumping Weak Verbs
Students will write a second story, 2-3-pages.  Find inspiration by clicking on the Gallery at right.  After writing their drafts, students should:
1 Hunt and kill all instances of Got, Lots, and Stuff
2 Hunt all instances of weak verbs and transform them into strong verbs. 
3 Hunt all instances of warning words such as really, totally, and very; change the word that follows to something stronger.