Discovering the Magic of Miniature Writing Pieces

Discovering the Magic of MiniatureWriting Pieces

Microprose

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MicroproseShorter is better

Publish more shorter pieces!

• Allows you to take kids through the writing pro-cess more times during the year.

• Kids are more willing to revise and edit.

• There’s more instruction time available for revi-sion and editing.

• Large numbers of errors don’t accumulate.

• Less time is required to share and conference.

• It’s easier for kids to apply lesson strategies.

• Kids are more willing to try new things.

• It’s easy for kids to get caught up if they fall be-hind.

• There’s a focus on quality not quantity.


MicroproseExamples of “55 Fiction”

SolitaireEncased by the laundry room walls, she stuffed

load after load into the insatiable washer, begrudg-ing every minute lost. Sodden diaper, mismatchedbooties, Batman pajamas, pink leotards, grass-stained soccer shirts, knee-socks, pinafores, jeans,sweaters, skirts, trousers.

Now, finally, she washes one small load a week,and wonders why the days are so long.

Hide & SeekAt last he would really show them. He’d picked

the very best place to hide. They’d all say he couldplay the game better than anyone. When theyfound him, they’d clap their hands.

The dopes. How dumb can they get? Theyshould have looked here first! It’s so obvious!

Here in the abandoned refrigerator.

How the Chicken Got Its Reputation“This suit’s too small,” croaked Buzzard. “My

head sticks out!”“Look at me,” squawked Peahen. “Peaccok got

the colors! I demand new feathers!”All the plain birds agreed, except Chicken, who

was frightened. Angered, the other birds teasedher, and she cowered more. But knowing no cusswords they could only call her a chicken.

Wishful ThinkingBob had all he wanted. And he still had one

wish left.“I can’t decide. Can I use it later?” he asked.“You da boss. I’m just the genie.”“Cool.”As he walked down the street, he searched for a

tune to express his joyous feelings.“...Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener — “

UntitledMuscles rippled under the blue-green scales as

the dragon stretched, then relaxed.Fascinated, I watched the creature freeze to

perfect immobility. I stared until the man noticedme. With a glare, he rolled down his sleeve.

“Nice tattoo,” I said, embarrassed.“What tattoo?” he asked, turning away.Under his sleeve, I saw something move.


MicroproseWriting your own “55 fiction”

Coming HomeHome sweet home. But bittersweet tonight as they sat in

the car wanting not to go in. They’d gotten used to the rustleof paws on the hard wood floor. So they listened as hard asthey could until it got cold. The problem with being afraid ofnothing is that nothing can be done.

• Focus on a moment in time.

• Find the drama.

• Fictionalize real life by turning 1st person into 3rd.

• Try a few opening lines.

• Work with phrases.

• Think of one or two details.

• Move lines around.

• Try out an ending.

• Rely heavily on inference.

• Create different versions.

• Change words to get the length just right.

• Choose a title that doesn’t give it away.


MicroproseExamples of short student pieces

The Daffodil ParadeBoom! The trunk slammed. Bang! The car door

slammed as we got out of the van. Buses lined upon the sidewalk. The screeches of the buses wereannoying. Screech! Screech! We walked andwalked until we found a place to sit for the parade.

I saw a Grease van and someone threw me adaffodil. The petals were soft, it smelled pretty. ATitanic float sailed by. The schools had cheers.One school’s band was Star Wars. A dummy wasshot out of a cannon. It made me jump. We atesnacks at the parade, sandwiches and juice andcarrots. They were good. We sat on a blanket.Things blew everywhere when the floats went by,whew-clunk!

Finally, the parade was done. We put the blanketin the trunk. Boom! It slammed again and wedrove away as I thought how much fun I had.

The Last Day of SchoolI sat in my desk, sweat dripping down my face. I

shut my eyes tight, then opened them. I looked atmy watch: 11:27. Three minutes! Three minutesuntil I heard a sound, a sound that would set mefree for three months of total nothingness. Ms.Smith rambled on about pi and figuring out per-centages. 11:28. I stared at my watch. I looked asthe seconds ticked down to freedom from school.11:29:50. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 BRRRII-INNNGGG! The bell rang. I pulled on my back-pack, tore out of the room, sprinted down thestairs, sped down the hallway, and bounded outthe door. I dashed home and picked up a snack. Ipopped a video into the VCR, turned on the TV,and relaxed. Ah, what a glorious day!

Meeting BeccaWe pulled into the driveway of our new house. At the house next door, a girl

was on her bike, riding up and down the street. I was shy, six years old, andhad only three playmates. Mom turned around from the driver’s seat. “Ellie,how about you go see what that girl’s name is?”

I looked out the window, then shook my head. Mom stopped the car, asignal that if I did not get out, I was dead meat. Reluctantly, I did as I was told.

I stood in front of the girl’s path and waited for her to stop. Mom waswatching me. I stuck out my hand.

“Hi,” I said.She frowned, but shook my hand. “Hi,” she said back.“Name’s Ellie.”“Becca.”“OK.”“I’m free tomorrow.”“OK.”“Bye.”“Bye.”Nothing like a perfect conversation to get a friendship started.


Ashes All OverThe day after Thanksgiving my family had a reunion for my grandmother on

a boat because she died of cancer about a month ago. We were all sitting in acircle, reading letters about her and saying memories. Then from oldest toyoungest we went outside and threw a rose and a cup of grandmother’s ashesout into the water. I asked if I could go alone so I could have a special time withgrandmother.

When it was my turn, I went outside, said a few words, and threw the rose.Then I picked up the cup and filled it with ashes. But I threw the ashes a littlecrooked and they fell on the bumpers and because the wind was very hard theashes blew back all over me and the boat.

Everyone inside was laughing really hard, I was even laughing myself! Ithought it was because of what happened. But then my mom told me that shedid the same thing to my grandfather four years ago. She said that she twistedher hand a little and the ashes flew back all over her and my Aunt Lilly. Thatmade me laugh even harder, and my mom said Grandma always liked a goodlaugh.

A little bit later, I got to have the extra roses to throw outside and say what Iwanted to say. I thought I would be sad but I wasn’t. It was really a wonderfultime.

MicroproseExamples of slightly longer student pieces

Chores!Chores! Chores! Chores! Chores are boring! Scrubbing toilets, cleaning sinks,

and washing bathtubs take up a lot of my time and are not fun at all.Toilets! When you’re scrubbing toilets make sure they’re not stinky. I’ve

scrubbed one before and I was lucky it didn’t stink. I think toilets are one of thehardest things to scrub in the bathroom because it’s hard to get up around therim.

Sinks are one of the easiest things to clean in the bathroom because they haveno rims and they are small. I cleaned one before and it was pretty easy.

Bathtubs, ever washed one? They’re big, they’re deep, and it’s hard to get uparound the sides. The bathtub is the hardest, I think, to wash in the bathroom.

Chores are dull, especially making my bed. Cleaning my room is OK becauseI like organizing. Dusting is the worst: dust, set down, pick up, dust, set down.There are so many things to dust, and it’s no fun.

Chores aren’t the worst but they’re definitely not the best!


Draw-Label-CaptionTM

2. Make sure the caption captures the scene. Work hard to make thesefew words convey the most important information to your readers.

• Good. I’m throwing the Frisbee with my dog.

• Better. As I turn to the throw the Frisbee, a huge gust of wind blows up.

• Best. No matter how windy it is, my dog still loves catching the Frisbee. But asI turn to throw it, a huge gust blows up that almost knocks me over, and Ithink for a minute that it might carry him away when he jumps in the air.

4. Turn sentences into paragraphs. Add new material as it comes to you.

No matter how windy it is, my dog still loves catching the Frisbee. But as I turnto throw it, a huge gust blows up that almost knocks me over, and I think for aminute that it might carry him away when he jumps in the air. His tail is wag-ging and he’s full of energy. But I’m looking at the trees in the distance. They’reflopping all over the place. The birds can hardly fly. Even with all the energy inthe world, I don’t think my little dog has much of a chance.

3. Turn labels into sentences. Any word or phrase becomes a sentence.

• Birds. The birds can hardly fly be-cause the wind is so strong.

• Wind. A huge gust almost knocksme over.

• Trees. They’re flopping all overthe place.

• Dog. His tail is wagging and he’sfull of energy.

1. Draw first; label second; caption third. Work fast. It’s not an art project.Trees

Me

Really strong wind

Mydog

Wagging his tail.He’s really excited.

Paws

BirdsMy hair

Sweater

I’m throwing the Frisbee with my dog.


Chaining

3. You can even chain paragraphs. Make the next paragraph about thebest part of the previous paragraph. Or create a paragraph that answers aquestion your reader might have.

2. In addition to “best part” chains, you can also create “question”chains. Think of a question a reader would ask and answer it.

I had a hard time trainingmy dog to catch a Frisbee.

Why was it hard? At first, when I threw it, hewould just sit there.

SENTENCE #1 LINK (Question) SENTENCE #2

At first, when I threw it, hewould just sit there.

What did you do? [So] I ran with the Frisbeeand a treat in my hand andmade him jump for it.

[So] I ran with the Frisbeeand a treat in my hand andmade him jump for it.

Did it work? A week later, he couldcatch it if I threw it ahead afew feet.

1. Write sentence after sentence like links in a chain. Take the best partof the first sentence and use it to write a second sentence:

My dog can do the mostamazing things.

amazing things If I throw a Frisbee, he cancatch it in his teeth.

SENTENCE #1 LINK (Best Part) SENTENCE #2

If I throw a Frisbee, he cancatch it in his teeth.

catch it in histeeth

He snags it out of the airlike a wild beast attackinghis prey.

He snags it out of the airlike a wild beast attackinghis prey.

like a wild beast It reminds me of thoseshark attack shows I’veseen on TV.


Detailing

2. Use the Idea-Details strategy to add support. Read over what you’vewritten. Pick the best sentence or phrase and add to it.

As I leaned over the cliff, I saw my dog,Gepetto, dangling there, 100 feetabove the rocks below, terrified, andtrying to hold his grip by clawing atthe frail branches of a tiny tree.

The branches were just twigs, hardlymore than a quarter inch thick, crack-ing and tearing each time he struggledto climb up. I couldn’t imagine howthey were supporting his weight.

IDEA DETAILS

3. Use the Tell-Show strategy to add descriptive “showing” detail.Showing is more specific; it helps readers make pictures in their mind.

I was scared. I froze on the spot. I felt my heart raceand my breathing quicken, but Icouldn’t move. I tried to yell for helpbut nothing came out.

TELL SHOW

4. Use the Detail Categories strategy for the widest range of options.Generate details by thinking of categories like the following:

• Questions • Sights • Objects • Explanations

• Actions • Sounds • Descrpitions • Attributes

• Thoughts • Feelings • Examples • Etc.

1. A detail is the answer to a question a reader might have. To add de-tails, think of the questions readers might have about what you’ve written:

As I leaned over the cliff, I saw my dog,Gepetto, dangling there, 100 feetabove the rocks below, terrified, tryingto hold his grip by clawing at the frailbranches of a tiny tree.

How did he get like that?Did he fall to the bottom?What did you do to help him?How did you feel?

WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN QUESTIONS READERS MIGHT HAVE


Idea-Details1. Use the Idea-Details strategy for note taking. Most textbooks are or-ganized into short sections of ideas and supporting details:

Plants, algae, and even some bacteria use a process called photosynthesis toconvert sunlight into energy. Photosynthesis occurs in two stages. In the firststage, light-dependent reactions capture the energy of light and use it tomake high-energy carrier molecules called ATP that are used in the secondstage. During the second stage, the light-independent reactions, sometimescalled dark reactions, use the high-energy ATP molecules to capture carbondioxide and create the beginnings of carbohydrates.

Two stages of photosynthesis. 1. Light-dependent reactions uselight to make molecules of ATP forthe second stage.

2. Light-independent or dark reac-tions use ATP molecules to cap-ture carbon dioxide and begin toproduce carbohydrates.

IDEA DETAILS

Even though both armies lost nearly the same number of men, the Uniongained the most from the battle because it kept Lee from invading the Northand kept Britain and France from supporting the South. It also gave Lincolnthe chance to introduce the Emancipation Proclamation.

2. Use the Idea-Details strategy for constructed responses. Here, thewriter is answering the question, “Who won The Battle of Antietam?”

The Union won the Battle of Anti-etam even though both armies lostthe nearly same number of men.

Kept Lee from invading the North.

Kept Britain and France from sup-porting the South.

Gave Lincoln a chance to intro-duce the Emancipation Proclama-tion.

IDEA DETAILS

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Tell-Show1. Use the Tell-Show strategy to make inferences. In this example, fromPresident Truman’s radio speech after the bombing of Hiroshima, whatwould you say about Truman’s knowledge and intentions?

The world will note that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, amilitary base. That was because we wished in this first attack to avoid, insofaras possible, the killing of civilians. But that attack is only a warning of things tocome. If Japan does not surrender, bombs will have to be dropped on her warindustries and, unfortunately, thousands of civilian lives will be lost. I urge Jap-anese civilians to leave industrial cities immediately, and save themselves fromdestruction.

...the first atomic bomb wasdropped on Hiroshima, a militarybase.

I urge Japanese civilians to leaveindustrial cities immediately,...

Either Truman didn’t know it was acity or he didn’t want Americansto know we’d bombed civilians.

Either Truman plans to drop morebombs or he just wants to scarethe Japanese into surrendering.

TELL SHOW

2. Use the Tell-Show strategy to improve the quality of description.Here, we add visual detail to a generic description of a science experiment.

Mystery Powder #4 caused a reac-tion when we put it in the solution.

At first, nothing happened whenwe put the powder in. But afterabout 15 seconds, it started tobubble a little. As it bubbled up,the solution began to slowly turngreen. After about a minute, thebubbles stopped and eventuallythe green color faded until the so-lution was almost totally clearagain.

TELL SHOW

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Action-Feelings-Setting

3. Put it all together. Use your pre-writing to get started. Make changes.Move things around. Leave things out. Add new stuff. Make it sound great.

Christmas morning. Paper all over the livingroom. My family watching meas i unwrap my last present. It’s the game cosole I asked for.

My hands shake as I struggle with the ribbon. My heart is pounding. I ripinto the paper and look frantically for words on the box. Nothing. I start tosweat. It’s a plain white box. Oh no! I can’t believe it! It’s a sweater.

3. Use the Tell-Show strategy to “show” your feelings. To show yourfeelings, instead of telling about them, describe how you looked at the time.

I’m excited. • My hands are shaking.• My heart is pounding.• I start to sweat.

TELL SHOW

2. Improve the action with the Idea-Details strategy. Put the “action” onthe left. On the right, add details in a bullet list.

I’m opening a present. • Struggle with the ribbon.• Rip into the paper.• Look for words on the box.

IDEA DETAILS

1. Start with a picture of yourself doing something. Draw or make apicture in your mind. What are you doing? How do you feel? Where are you?

Action. I’m opening a present. I saved this one for lastbecause I think it’s the one I wanted most.

Feelings. I’m excited bcause it looks like the game con-sole I wanted.

Setting. It’s Christmas morning. There’s torn paper allover the livingroom. My whole family is watching.


Great Beginnings1. Get your readers’ attention and make them want to read more.Work fast. You’ve got ten seconds to hook your readers and reel them in.

• Example. Mr. Simmons didn’tknow that when he got on the busthat morning, he wouldn’t get off.

• Example. The Mariners pulled offa crazy come-from-behind victorylast night to take first place.

2. Base your beginnings on successful models. Look at the kinds of be-ginnings other writers use and try their techniques in your own writing.

• Question. What would happen ifyou ate every meal at McDonald’sfor a month?

• Description. Dust and dirt wereeverywhere. Cobwebs clung to thecorners. But it was home. For now.

• Action. He raced down the stairs,flew out the door, hopped on hisbike, and hit the road.

• Sound. Beep, beep, beep, beep.The alarm chirped. But I was soundasleep and didn’t hear it.

• Dialog. “What do you mean we’renot going to Disneyworld!” my sis-ter screamed.

• Feelings. I had never been so terri-fied in my life. I still get goose-bumps thinking about it.

• Thoughts. Ooops! I’m in troublenow, I realized, as I surveyed thebroken glass on the kitchen floor.

• List. Sore muscles, mosquito bites,no video games. That’s what camp-ing means to me.

3. Combine strategies for richer beginnings. It’s good to try more thanone beginning for a piece. Sometimes, you can even put them together.

• Thoughts. It’s odd to be so hun-gry, I thought to myself, especiallyafter eating those nine burritos.

• Description. Light flooded thedark kitchen and cool air hit myface as I bent down to peerinside.

• Question. Would I find the tastysnack I was looking for, or hadsomeone cleaned out the fridge?

Three Beginnings CombinedLight flooded the dark kitchen,and cool air hit my face as I bentdown to peerinside. Would I findthe tasty snack I was looking for,or had someone cleaned out thefridge? It’s odd to be so hungry, Ithought to myself, especially aftereating those nine burritos. Buthere I was looking for a tenth.


Happy Endings1. Wrap things up and give your readers something to think about. Tieup loose ends but don’t stop there. Send ‘em off with something to chew on.

• Example. It took a while to con-vince Grandpa that his hearing aidhadn’t been stolen by pirates. Butwe never did figure out what to dowith all that jello.

• Example. As this season of Mari-ner miracles comes to a close,there’s just one question on every-one’s mind: Can they do it againnext year?

2. Base your endings on successful models. Look at the kinds of endingsother writers use and try their techniques in your own writing.

• Question. Why didn’t I think itthrough more carefully? When willI ever learn my lesson?

• Description. Dead quiet. Nobodysaid a word. We just listened to thesound of the rain and wondered.

• Remember. If you’re ever in thatsituation again, just remember: It’sthe green wire not the red wire.

• Future. We don’t know when we’llrun out of oil. But we know we’llrun out some day—and soon.

• Feelings. He was laughing so hardI thought he’d fall over. And every-one else was laughing, too.

• Advice. Flu season is right aroundthe corner. So get your shot beforeit gets you.

• Lesson. The guy who said “Slowand steady makes the grade” prob-ably wasn’t working on deadline.

• Do. Take a few minutes at the endof each day and think of all thegood things in your life.

3. Don’t go back, go beyond. Don’t restate your beginning at the end,your reader already read it! Instead, take your reader just a little bit further.

Ending. I felt then as I do today that Imissed something in my father. Hewas a hard man to understand. And aneven harder man to love. But when Ithink about missing the value of a gifthe gave me, I wonder what other giftsI missed. And how valuable they mightbe if I could find them now.

Beginning. My father never had muchmoney but he loved giving gifts. As aboy, I imagined him spending his lastpennies on treasures just for me. As Igrew up, I realized that the joy he tookin gift giving had little to do with sacri-fice. But my sense of him as a gener-ous man never diminished.


Main Idea

3. Main idea is a powerful tool for revision. Draft a bit, then ask yourself,“What’s the one most important thing I want my reader to know?” Write yourmain idea in a single sentence at the top of the page. Now, reread your draft. Ifyou find things that don’t go with your main idea, consider deleting them.

1. The main idea is the one most important thing you want yourreader to know. If you could boil a piece down to a single sentence thatrepresented what it was all about, that would be your main idea. You knowyou’ve found one when you’ve found something that is:

• A complete sentence. It’s not justthe topic, it’s what you want yourreaders to know about it.

• A message, a moral, a lesson. It’swhat you most want your reader tounderstand and benefit from.

• Important to the writer. This isthe point of the whole piece; youhave to really care about it.

• Important to the reader. Make agood guess about what your read-er really cares about.

2. The main idea may be stated or implied. In expository and persuasivewriting, you’ll probably state your main idea literally, often at the beginning.But in narrative writing, and especially in fiction, the story will serve as anexample of your main idea, and you’ll let the reader figure it out.

Implied Main IdeaA rabbit and a turtle have a race. Therabbit races ahead and takes a nap.The turtle plugs along and catches up.The rabbit races off but gets tired andstops to rest again. The turtle justkeeps going, laying one huge turtlefoot in front of the other, eventuallylumbering his way to victory while therabbit naps near the finish line.

Main Idea: “Slow and steady wins therace.” (Not written in the piece.)

Stated Main IdeaA dog is the perfect pet to take on atrip. Last summer, I took my dog,Gepetto, to the beach. We played to-gether everywhere. We explored therocky shore and chased the seagulls.We even climbed up huge cliffs. Icouldn’t imagine doing any of thesethings with a cat or a bird or a goldfish.Could you?

Main Idea: “A dog is the perfect pet totake on a trip.” (Written in the piece.)


Small WordsWhat if there was a rule that said you had to use smallwords when you wrote? Could you still say what you had tosay? We tend to think big words are worth more than smallones. But this is not true. Small words can do big things.They are clean, they are clear, they are strong, they are true.They help us write like we talk, say what we mean, be whowe are.

Missing in ActionOn a pitch black January night, at an hour most inhabitantsof Bolin Hollow might find unusual for such activity, a stoutman with a small black bag limps slowly out of his yard,down a narrow path, past a row of shops, and into a thickwrap of fog. Unusual as it is, this nocturnal stroll is anythingbut unusual for Mr. Bostwick; his work brings him to manylocations around this small town, and almost always at oddhours. Night is normal for Mr. B; in fact, many in his occu-pation find sunlight distracting—too much watching, toomuch human contact. But only fog follows him now, andthough his gait is awkward—a motion similar to that of aman for whom drinking was a nightly pursuit—nothing willstop him from carrying out his duty.

MicroproseWord choice workouts


Sentence Structuring1. Sentences are made of parts. There are four types of sentence parts:lead-in parts, main parts, in-between parts, and add-on parts.

• Main Parts. These parts usuallycontain the main action of thesentence: “Malcolm Maxwell,…left the quiet country town inwhich he’d been raised,….”

• Intro Parts. These parts intro-duce other parts, especially mainparts: “On a bitter cold wintermorning,….”

• In-Between Parts. These partsgo in between other parts. Theyfeel like a slight interruption: “…ayoung man of simple means butgood intentions,….”

• Add-On Parts. These parts pro-vided added information: “…andset off on the bold errand he’dbeen preparing for all his life.”

On a bitter cold winter morning, Malcolm Maxwell, a young man of simplemeans but good intentions, left the quiet country town in which he’d beenraised, and set off on the bold errand he’d been preparing for all his life.

2. Parts go together to make patterns. Use the patterns by replacing themodel content with your own writing. Here are a few to start with:

• Intro + Main. As class began, Mr. Funston dreamed of Christmas vacation.

• Main + Add-On. He stared at the blank faces of his students, perplexed that hehad nothing whatsoever to teach them today.

• Main + In-Between + Main. The Lesser Antilles, he realized, would be theperfect place for a warm winter hiatus.

• Main + Add-On + Add-On. He saw himself on the beach, baking in the mid-day sun, enjoying tasty snacks and refreshing beverages.

• Intro + In-Between + Main. Ten minutes later, having dismissed his studentsearly to lunch, he sat at his computer hunting and pecking his way to a gooddeal on a two-week trip to the West Indies.

• Main + In-Between + Add-On. Mr. Funston leaned back in his big teacherchair, forgetting about the twelve pounds he’d put on at Thanksgiving, andimmediately tumbled backward into the Halloween bulletin board he’d ne-glected to take down.


Conventions Reading

3. Conventions rules. With a little practice, you can create your own writ-ing rule book. Most rules sound like this: “Use a [name of mark] to/when/for[description of writing situation].” For example, “Use commas to separateitems in a list.” or “Use a capital letter for names, places, the word “I”, thingsthat are one-of-a-kind, and the beginning of a sentence.”

4. Edit Passes. When you edit your writing, focus on one problem at a timein this order: words (left out, repeated, wrong, etc.), sentences, commas,capitalization, paragraphs, spelling, dialog, and “the little stuff.”

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2. Conventions inquiry. What do you know? What do you want to know?

December Name of a month What about days? Andwritten out numbers?

EXAMPLE RULE QUESTIONS/COMMENTS

George Washington Name of a person Any person? Or just famouspeople?

General A title Sometimes titles are notcapitalized. Why?

“Ox” A nickname It’s still a name even if it’snot his real name.

1. Conventions reading. Saying the punctuation along with the words isno way to read. But it’s a fun and easy first step in learning to punctuate.

On a dark December night in 1776, as he led a barefoot brigade of ragged revo-lutionaries across the icy Delaware River, George Washington said, “Shift your fatbehind, Harry. But slowly or you’ll swamp the darn boat.”

[NEW PARAGRAPH] [INDENT] [CAPITAL] on a dark [CAPITAL] december night in 1776 [COMMA] ashe led a barefoot brigade of ragged rev [HYPHEN] olutionaries across the icy [CAPITAL]delaware [CAPITAL] river [COMMA] [CAPITAL] george [CAPITAL] washington said [COMMA][QUOTE] [CAPITAL] shift your fat behind [COMMA] [CAPITAL] har ry [PERIOD] [CAPITAL] but slow-ly or you [APOSTROPHE] ll swamp the darn boat [PERIOD] [QUOTE] [END OF PARAGRAPH]

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Model TeachingYou can’t trust anyone who doesn’t have chalk on theirhands. Teaching doesn’t happen in workshops; it hap-pens in classrooms. And that’s where we like to be. Wewalk our talk. And we’ll be happy to walk into yourroom so you can see the strategies we talk about firsthand with your own students. And we’re not talkingabout well-rehearsed, pre-scripted lessons with onlythe “good” kids in attendance. We’ll teach any class,any subject, any grade, any time. And we’ll stickaround to talk with you about it after we’re done.

Leadership CoachingEver tried to lose weight? Quit smoking? Give up yourfavorite TV show because they moved it to the nightyou have your bowling league? Change is hard. Andchange in our schools is even harder. That’s why wethink no one should go it alone. If you’re struggling tolead people who don’t want to go anywhere, if you’restriving for results but ruining relationships, if you’restuck between what you know is right and a systemthat sometimes seems wrong, we can help you get theclarity and confidence you need to move forward.

Follow-Up SupportTraining without follow-up is like buying a plane tick-et and skipping the flight: you make plans, block time,and spend money, but don’t go anywhere. Most train-ing produces no result. Why? Because most peopledon’t feel comfortable checking in with their col-leagues to see who’s using new ideas. We do. We sendmaterials. We keep you up to date on the best resourc-es. We connect you with other professionals. We answeryour e-mails and return your calls. And we do it forfree so you never have to worry about your budget.

For more information, contact us at [email protected]





The best way to teach is the way that makes sensefor you, your kids, and your community.

Model TeachingDemonstrating the Practices We Use in Your Classrooms with Your Students

Seeing is BelievingMost new techniques don’t work very well. And eventhe best ideas can be hard to implement when the onlyexposure we get to them is a few minutes in a work-shop. To know that something new is worth trying, youhave to know that it works. And that means seeing itwork in your own classroom with your own kids.

Any Class, Any Grade, Any SubjectWe love to teach. So invite us into your room to seehow we do it. We’ll work with kids of all abilities in allgrade levels and subject areas. In many cases, we caneven step into your current plans and help you withspecific lessons. Just tell us what you’d like to see andwe’ll do our best to demonstrate it for you.

Observe and DebriefYou’re welcome to bring in as many observers as youlike. And after you’re seen the demonstration, we’ll behappy to meet privately with you to answer any ques-tions you may have about what we did and why we didit. Bring in your entire grade level team or department.Ask administrators and parents to join the discussion.

SchedulingDepending on your schedule, we can usually see asmany as six classes a day. Ideally, we like to have atleast 45 minutes to teach and 10-15 minutes betweenclasses so that we can make notes about what hap-pened or answer quick questions from observers. For-mal debriefing sessions typically last 20-30 minutes.

Class SizeWhile we typically work with 20-30 students at a time,we are happy to accommodate larger groups. We caneven take double-size classes if students can crowdcomfortably into the room and still have space towork. If doubling up will allow more teachers to ob-serve, we’re happy to make the necessary adjustments.

VideotapingYou are welcome to videotape any of our model teach-ing sessions. In fact, we encourage it. If you like, wecan even sit down with you to review the tape after thefact. The combination of workshop training, class-room observation, and videotape review is a great wayto support teachers who are implementing new ideas.





Description of ServicesTeaching That Makes Sense offers a wide variety of services to meet the needs of education-related organi-zations large and small, assisting schools and their teachers, students and their parents, and business andcommunity members as well. We focus on practical solutions to common problems delivered with uncom-promising value.

Professional Development WorkshopsWe offer professional development workshops specializing in reading, writing, math, as-sessment, and test preparation for teachers for both in-service and pre-service teachers atgrades K-12. The content of our workshops focuses on research-based best practice tech-niques and proven practical strategies that can be implemented effectively with a mini-mum of preparation or materials.

Model Teaching in ClassroomsFor most people, the best way to learn about new teaching techniques is to watch someoneuse them in their own classroom with their own kids. We are excited to work in any class-room at any grade level and in any subject area to demonstrate the strategies and tech-niques we present in our workshops.

Test PreparationWe have specific tools and techniques that can be used to improve student performance onhigh stakes testing. Test preparation typically involves a combination of professional devel-opment workshops and a specific course of classroom visits where we take students througha multi-day program of test taking strategies.

Curriculum DevelopmentWe are happy to assist you in the development of high quality standards-based curriculum.We can create original materials for you or, in many cases, simply supply you with curric-ulum we have already created.

Program EvaluationIn the face of increased accountability and pressure for results, every school faces toughdecisions when it comes to evaluating the success of existing programs and the potential ofnew adoptions. Let us help you with responsible recommendations and independent in-sights that will guide you toward increased student achievement and fiscal efficiency.



Services, cont.Administrative CoachingWhenever change is called for, leadership is required. The leader’s role is to guide otherstoward the goal. But who guides the leader? Leaders need support, too, just like everyoneelse. We provide effective individualized and small group coaching for successful organiza-tional change.

Technology Planning and ImplementationWe offer a complete array of enterprise and desktop technology services including softwaredevelopment, website design, database systems, content management, and Internet host-ing. We pride ourselves on a responsible and cost-effective approach tailored to the uniquetechnological needs of educational organizations.

Summer InstitutesFor schools and districts seeking a comprehensive approach to professional developmenttraining, we offer Teaching That Makes Sense Summer Professional Development Insti-tutes. These 1-4 week institutes provide teachers with a variety of workshop offerings tai-lored specifically to their needs at an affordable per participant price.

Parent EducationWe have a short program of workshops for parents in the areas of reading, writing, math,and assessment. The goal of these offerings is to promote better understanding betweenparents and teachers, and to help parents support their children more effectively at home.

Our StandardsIt seems there are standards for everything in education today, so we thought we’d share ours with you, too.

• Quality: We use the best models and strategies. We always do good work and constantly seek to dobetter. We are thorough; we know that how we do one thing is how we do everything; we attend tothe little details that make a big difference.

• Professionalism: We are well studied and well practiced; we know what we’re doing and won’ttake on projects outside of our areas of expertise. We provide consistent and reliable performanceon demand regardless of the situation or external circumstances.

• Accountability: We take full ownership for our work; the buck stops with us. We strive for mea-surable results and we don’t give up until we get them. When something goes wrong, we don’tmake excuses, we just make things right.

Documents

Discovering the Magic of Miniature Writing Pieces