Basketball is big in my classroom. Really big. And some of my most reluctant writers were given tickets to the CAA tournament this weekend. I knew what they would want to write about today and I was ready. I immersed myself in the sports pages this Sunday and it didn’t take me long to see that the the sports section is rich with opportunities for mini-lessons.
I read For the Love of the Game by Eloise Greenfield. I shared sentences from the sports pages and from Sports Illustrated. I demonstrated that sports writers often add energy to their writing by starting a sentence with a verb. After several examples, I encouraged my students to try it in their own writing and it worked. One of my struggling writers wrote:
“Dashing down the court, I was ready to take my shot.”
He shared it with me and I gave him a quick hug.
“You ARE ready”, I said.
“Yup,” he smiled. “I am.”
3 comments:
How motivating--what a great reason to pump some verbs into their writing. What a great mini-lesson.
Annie, I love this glimpse into your teaching life. You are such a good role model for knowing your kids and preparing to meet them at their points of need within a minilesson. You rock!
Happy writing, Ruth
Do you know "Foul Shot"? My 9th graders loved that one. As much as I don't care about sports, you need to play the game with so many fans around you.
Great share,
Bonnie
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