Writing Menu

I don't know if that is the right title...Writing Menu. Hmmm? It's more of a guide than a menu. I am hoping that it will be a way for the students to use and understand the 6+1 Traits a little more. Last year I felt like I was talking way above their heads with the Traits because they had nothing concrete to look at or connect to.

After teaching CAFE and Daily 5 for 2 years and loving it, I decided that the "menu" had to be part of writing also. One of the things I love about CAFE is that the visual is always there. It is a way to quickly refresh a students memory of a past lesson or remind them of their next step.

I have read so many writing books this summer: The Art of Teaching Writing by Lucy Calkins, No More I'm Done by Jennifer Jacobson, Razzle Dazzle Writing by Melissa Forney, Craft Lesson by Ralph Fletcher and A Writer's Notebook by Ralph Fletcher. When I sat down to create these, my head was swimming with ideas but I wanted to keep it simple.

So here is the final product. I am hoping to have classroom pictures within the week and I will show you how it looks. The images are from Scrappindoddles...so cute!

Writing Menu

♥Christa