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Building Writing Skills South Florida Sun-Sentinel Important: This article was last updated on October 19, 2006. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
Here are activities to support vocabulary and writing practice. Week 21: Sports Lingo Ask students to read one of the sports articles in Teenlink. Point out that there is a "lingo" or special language that often goes with sports writing. As they skim through the story, have them make a list of vocabulary words or phrases that are used in the sport as well as any descriptive language they find. Ask them to explain how the use of sports terms and lingo enhances the writing. LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively. LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts. LA.B.2.4 – The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively. LA.D.1.4 – The student understands the nature of language. LA.D.2.4 – The student understands the power of language. Week 22: Using a Rubric to Analyze an Article Have students select an article from Teenlink to analyze and rate using a rubric. The rubric should include the following categories: Is the article organized? Is the main idea clear? Is it fair or is it biased? Does it have supporting details? Is the opening sentence or paragraph satisfactory? Is there a good closing paragraph? Have students rate the story on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best. Ask them to write down reasons explaining their ratings. Let them compare their results. LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively. LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts. LA.B.2.4 – The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively. Week 23: Adjectives Have students make a list of 10 or more adjectives they find in Teenlink that they think are particularly descriptive. Once they make their list, they can write a poem, short story or rap song using the adjectives. Allow them to take turns reading their creations aloud. LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively. LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts. LA.B.1.4 – The student uses writing processes effectively. LA.B.2.4 – The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively. LA.C.3.4 – The student uses speaking strategies effectively. Week 24: Feature Stories Discuss the differences between Inverted Pyramid-style vs. feature writing, pointing out that feature stories are often organized more like narratives. Have students find some examples of feature stories in Teenlink. Ask them to write down the elements in their article that make it a feature story. (Quick facts about feature stories: feature leads usually do not include the 5 W's. Feature stories can be organized by chronological, narrative or logical patterns. Feature stories may focus more on the subject's character and personality than straight news reporting would. Feature stories may contain many direct quotes and dialogue.) LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively. LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts. LA.B.2.4 – The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively. Week 25: Compare and Contrast Have students compare and contrast Teenlink with another written teen product. They can create a Venn diagram showing the differences and similarities between the two. You can also have them compare the Teenlink website with other online sites geared to students and teens. LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively. LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts. LA.B.1.4 – The student uses writing processes effectively. LA.B.2.4 – The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively. Week 26: Build Vocabulary Ask students to page through Teenlink, selecting at least 5-10 words they don't know. Using context clues, headlines, photos and captions, have them try to guess the meaning of each word. Then ask them to look up the definitions in the dictionary or online. How close did they come to the real meanings? LA.A.1.4 – The student uses the reading process effectively. LA.A.2.4 – The student constructs meaning from a wide range of texts. Week 27: Tell Us What You Think Have your students write a letter to the editor of Teenlink or go online to www.teenlinksouthflorida.com, telling what they like or don't like about the product. Ask them to make sure to suggest topics they would like to see in Teenlink in the future. LA.B.1.4 – The student uses writing processes effectively. LA.B.2.4 – The student writes to communicate ideas and information effectively. LA.D.2.4 – The student understands the power of language. |
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