R E A D I N G D E V E L O P M E N T

Writing Workbook

Program for 6th- 8th Graders

Student Name: _____________________________________________________________________

Table of Contents Lesson 1 in-Class Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Week 1 At-Home Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Lesson 2 Writing Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Lesson 2 In-Class Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Lesson 2 Sentence Combining Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Week 2 At-Home Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Lesson 3 Writing Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Lesson 3 In-Class Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Lesson 3 Paragraph Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Week 3 At-Home Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Lesson 4 Writing Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Lesson 4 In-Class Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Week 4 At-Home Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Lesson 5 Writing Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Lesson 5 In-Class Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2

Lesson 1 In-Class Activities

Coordinating Conjunctions

ForAndNorButOrYetSo

Sentence Combining Activity Instructions: Combine each pair of sentences into one new sentence. Try to use as many different conjunctions as you can.

1. Elizaʼs soccer team was invited to play in a tournament.They needed to raise money for the trip.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

2. They could have a bake sale.They could have a car wash.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3. They decided to have a car wash.They collected buckets.They collected soap and sponges.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3

4. The day of the car wash was pouring rain.They had no customers.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

5. Standing in the rain was boring.They started playing tag with their soapy sponges.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

6. People were passing by. They thought it looked fun. They paid the team to let them play too.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

7. No one got a car wash.It never stopped raining.The team raised all the money they needed.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

4

Week 1 At-Home Writing Instructions: After you have finished the online module, choose one of the following topics and write at least one paragraph on it.

What is your favorite family story? ORTell the story of a time you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

5

Lesson 2 Writing Workshop Sample paragraph: I went skiing for the first time when I was nine. We had just moved from Florida to Vermont and I had never seen snow before and I missed the beach, but my friend invited me to go skiing with his family. I was really nervous about it. I had never been skiing. I took lessons. I learned pretty fast. I loved everything about it, now I canʼt imagine my life without skiing.

Instructions: Read your partnerʼs paragraph and answer the questions below.

Organization

Is there a beginning that introduces the topic and grabs the readerʼs attention? YES / NO

Does the writing stay on topic? YES / NO

Interest and Style

Does the writing have enough detail to interest the reader? YES / NO

Is the writing choppy? If so, underline an example. YES / NO

Are there any sentences that are way too long? If so, underline an example. YES / NO

Grammar

Are there any grammar errors, like run-on sentences or comma splices? YES / NO

After discussing, choose one edit your partner suggested and fix it below.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

6

Lesson 2 In-Class Activities

1. You donʼt have to study, although you might fail your test if you donʼt.

2. Most scientists believe dinosaurs died out because the climate changed suddenly around 248million years ago.

3. Josiah does his homework while he is on his way to school on the bus.

Using Conjunctions to Show Relationships

because although soas soon as when even though since while until

Contrast Time Cause and Effect

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

I went skiing for the first time when I was nine, and it really pushed me out of my comfort zone. We had just moved from Florida to Vermont, so I had never seen snow before, and I missed the beach. My friend invited me to go skiing with his family. I was really nervous about it, because I had never been skiing. Once I took lessons, I learned pretty fast. I loved everything about it, and now I canʼt imagine my life without skiing.

7

Lesson 2 Sentence Combining Activity Instructions: Combine each sentence pair into a new sentence that shows the relationship listed.

1. Spring vacation started.Callieʼs family went camping. (time)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. They usually had a great trip.This year, everything went wrong. (contrast)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Dad forgot the tent poles.They had to sleep outside. (cause and effect)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. Callie hiked through poison ivy.She had an itchy rash all week. (cause and effect)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. They were out hiking. A bear ate all their food. (time)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

6. They finally got home. They needed a vacation from their vacation! (time)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

8

Week 2 At-Home Writing Instructions: After you have finished the online module, choose one of the following topics and write at least one paragraph on it.

Explain how modern life would be different without computers. ORDescribe what you think life will be like a hundred years from now.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

9

Lesson 3 Writing Workshop Sample paragraph: It would take longer to find information, since people would have to go to the library. Also, you would have to use an old typewriter or write by hand to do school work. I donʼt like writing by hand because it takes too long! Plus, everything in the world is run by computers now, even things like cars, so if they didnʼt exist it would be like living in the past and life would be harder without them.

Instructions: Read your partnerʼs paragraph and answer the questions below.

Organization

Is there a clear topic sentence? YES / NO

Do all of the sentences in the paragraph relate to the topic sentence? YES / NO

Interest and Style

Does the writing have enough detail to interest the reader? YES / NO

Is the writing choppy? If so, underline an example. YES / NO

Are there any sentences that are way too long? If so, underline an example. YES / NO

Grammar

Are there any grammar errors, like run-on sentences or comma splices? YES / NO

After discussing, choose one edit your partner suggested and fix it below.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

10

Lesson 3 In-Class Activities

Paragraph Structure 1. Introduction: Topic sentence that tells you what the paragraph is about

2. Body: Details that explain more about the topic

3. Conclusion: Some paragraphs have a conclusion sentence that wraps things up.

Paragraph #1: Guide dogs help blind people in many ways. They make sure their owners donʼt walk into things. They bark to alert their owners when something is dangerous. Some guide dogs carry medicines and information about their owner in their harness in case something happens. Plus, they give their owners lots of love and comfort. Guide dogs are anything but ordinary pets.

Paragraph #2: Beans are an easy, flexible vegetarian food. Some vegetarians eat fish once in a while. You can use beans instead of meat in a lot of recipes. You can add them to soup or make a stew with beans and vegetables. You can also put beans on a salad. There are many kinds of beans, so most people can find at least one kind they like.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Without computers, modern life would be much more challenging. It would take longer to find information, since people would have to go to the library. Also, you would have to use an old typewriter or write by hand to do school work. Plus, everything in the world is run by computers now, even things like cars. If computers didnʼt exist, it would be like living in the past. Life would be harder without computers.

11

Lesson 3 Paragraph Activity Instructions: Each of these paragraphs has one sentence that is off-topic and makes the paragraph less coherent. Read the paragraph. Then:

• Underline the topic sentence. • Cross out the sentence that doesnʼt belong.

1. Raising a puppy takes a lot of work. Puppies need a lot of exercise, so you have to take them on lots of walks. You have to spend a lot of time training them to make sure they donʼt get bad habits. Puppies bring so much joy to families. Also, puppies like to chew on things, so itʼs important to give them lots of toys so they donʼt ruin your stuff.

2. Ants communicate with each other mainly by smell. Most of an antʼs smell organs are on their antennae. They touch antennae to pass messages to each other by scent. Ants come in different sizes and colors. Ants also put out a chemical that the other ants smell that tellsthem where to go to find food. This is why you usually see ants moving in trails.

12

Week 3 At-Home Writing Instructions: After you have finished the online module, choose one of the following topics and write at least one paragraph on it.

Smart phones have become a bigger and bigger part of our lives in recent years. However, people disagree about whether this is a good thing or not. What do you think? ORImagine you have been asked to convince students to enroll in your school. Write a paragraph explaining why they should.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

13

Lesson 4 Writing Workshop Instructions: Read your partnerʼs paragraph and answer the questions below.

Organization

Is there a clear, strong thesis? YES / NO

Does the paragraph include enough good evidence to support the thesis? YES / NO

Interest and Style

Does the writing have enough detail to interest the reader? YES / NO

Is the writing choppy? If so, underline an example. YES / NO

Are there any sentences that are way too long? If so, underline an example. YES / NO

Grammar

Are there any grammar errors, like run-on sentences or comma splices? YES / NO

After discussing, choose one edit your partner suggested and fix it below.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

14

Lesson 4 In-Class Activities

Persuasive Paragraph Structure 1. Thesis: Sentence that tells you what the paragraph is arguing

2. Body: Evidence that supports the thesis

3. Conclusion: Some paragraphs have a concluding sentence that wraps things up.

Example 1: Public transportation should be free for everyone. Providing free bus or subway service would make it easier for people who need these services every day, because they wouldnʼt have to pay just to get around. Furthermore, it would encourage more people to take the bus or subway instead of driving. There would be less traffic and accidents caused by too many cars on the roads. Plus, it would be much better for the environment to have fewer people driving.

Example 2: Smart phones are great. Everybody nowadays has a smart phone. You can text your friends so you always know whatʼs going on. It lets you talk to them outside of school even if your parents wonʼt let you hang out because you have homework or whatever. Your social life is way easier when you have a smart phone. Smart phones make life better.

Thesis and Evidence Activity

Instructions: Come up with a thesis and evidence for each of the topics below.

1. TOPIC: Homework

Thesis: ___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Evidence: _________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

15

2. TOPIC: School uniforms

Thesis: ___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Evidence: _________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

3. TOPIC: Parents giving their child an allowance

Thesis: ___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Evidence: _________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

16

Week 4 At-Home Writing Instructions: After you have finished the online module, choose one of the following topics and write at least one paragraph on it.

Should football be banned for children because of the risk of concussions? ORDescribe what makes a teacher great.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

17

Lesson 5 Writing Workshop Instructions: Read your partnerʼs paragraph and answer the questions below.

Organization

If your partner wrote on the persuasive topic (football), answer these questions:

Is there a clear, strong thesis? YES / NO

Does the paragraph include enough good evidence to support the thesis? YES / NO

If your partner wrote on the expository topic (great teacher), answer these questions:

Is there a clear topic sentence? YES / NO

Do all of the sentences in the paragraph relate to the topic sentence? YES / NO

Interest and Style

Does the writing have enough detail to interest the reader? YES / NO

Is the writing choppy? If so, underline an example. YES / NO

Are there any sentences that are way too long? If so, underline an example. YES / NO

Grammar

Are there any grammar errors, like run-on sentences or comma splices? YES / NO

After discussing, choose one edit your partner suggested and fix it below.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

18

Lesson 5 In-Class Activities Directions: Read each paragraph and mark any problems you see. Then, correct the problems in the space provided.

Common ProblemsGrammar and Style Organization• Run-on sentences• Comma splices• Choppiness• Sentences that are too long

• Missing thesis or topic sentence• Weak or vague thesis or topic sentence• Not enough evidence to support thesis• Off-topic sentences

1. A scary time for me was when I had to sing a solo. It was for my chorus concert. The theater was full. My whole family was there. A lot of my friends came. It was different from practice, there were so many people watching. I just tried to forget about everyone. I just sang. I think I did really well. I was really proud.________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2. If you visit Washington, DC, you can learn a lot about American history for free. You can take free tours of the White House, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court. The White House has 132 rooms. The city also has a lot of free museums for science, art, and history, and all of the monuments are free, so you can see the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Washington Monument.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

19

3. Straws in restaurants are not a good idea. Thereʼs so much plastic in our world already, which is bad for the environment. Getting rid of straws is a good first step. Itʼs hard for people to give up plastic bags and water bottles, but straws are different. Most people donʼt use straws at home why do they need them in a restaurant? People should send back their straws when the waiter brings them.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

2120

21

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

22

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

23

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

24

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

25

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

26

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

27

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

28

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2018 Institute of Reading Development, Inc. All rights reserved. 18WRITINGICAP-6