Ralph Fletcher

A writing guide for boys draws on advice by such authors as Jon Scieszka and Robert Lipsyte regarding how to make writing assignments fun while sharing tips for exploring a variety of subjects and capturing key story moments.

Fletcher and Portalupi explain the simple principles that underlie the writing workshop and explore the major components that make it work. Each chapter addresses an essential element, then suggests five or six specific things a teacher can do to implement the idea under discussion. There's also a separate chapter entitled "What About Skills," which shows how to effectively teach skills in the context of writing. The book closes with practical forms...

A tiny little man discovers that sand made from a dragon's scale will send him to dreamland, and begins carrying this magical sand to children each night to give them the gift of sleep.

A collection of poems recall the sights and feelings experienced on a springtime walk--from home, through the woods, and back again.

Discusses the importance of keeping a notebook for writers, looking at how writers use their journals to record selected insights, lines, images, ideas, dreams, and fragments of conversation; and considering the notebook as a source of original writing.

Discusses the various kinds of things to keep in a writer's notebook--seed ideas, mind pictures, lists, memories, samples of other writers' work--and why.

This DVD explores many of the essential teacher-student transactions that support young children as they break into print including teaching skills in context, word work, and conferring with young writers. The camera follows one student, Jesse, from start to finish in a segment that reveals how simple and powerful the publishing event can be for a child.