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The Northern Nevada Writing Project: Our Mini Lesson of the Month Network

Quick on-line resources for writing teachers: daily journal prompts : picture book prompts : chapter book prompts : poetry prompts

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College of Education
Mailstop 288
Univ. of Nevada-Reno
Reno, Nevada 89557

Phone: 775-784-1161
Fax: 775-784-4758

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The National Writing Project


The University of Nevada-Reno

Northern Nevada Writing Project: Our Mini-Lesson of the Month Club

Sign up today to start receiving lessons on June 1st, 2008.

Have you missed any of our past month's mini-lessons? If so, don't worry. Links to all the lessons are archived below. Click here to see the archive.

The Northern Nevada Writing Project sponsors WritingFix, a resource-based website for teachers. Hundreds of ideas and lessons for a classroom of writers are stored at this site and are free to use. Since January 2007, we have been sending out a high-quality monthly lesson and prompt from the WritingFix website to teachers who sign up for this service.

How do I sign up for this free service? Sign up by e-mailing Corbett Harrison at: charrison@washoe.k12.nv.us Simply write: "Sign me up!" in your e-mail's subject field. That's all it takes! Sign up today and start receiving your first lessons on the first of every month!

Hey, Members of the Mini-Lesson of the Month "Club"
Have your name entered in a monthly drawing for a free book!

This is a new feature! Use any of the lessons featured on this page with your students. Visit that lesson's "blog" after teaching the lesson. To find the "blog," go to the on-line lesson, look in the left-hand column for the link that says "Teachers: Discuss how you used this on-line lesson," and click on that link.

Share how you taught the lesson, how you adapted it to work with your students, and any other thoughts you had that you think other teachers might like to hear. Type your thoughts into the "Leave a comment" box at the bottom of the blog page.

Teachers who participate in this new blog will have their names entered into a monthly drawing. Winners will be allowed to choose any picture book or chapter book featured at WritingFix, and that book will be sent to them. Enter multiple times by sharing how you've used multiple lessons.

April 2008's free book winner: Barbara Farber-Brooks! Congratulations!
May 2008's Featured Lesson & Prompt:
(Click on the image to access the entire lesson on-line.)

Lesson Title:
Writing Like an Artist Paints

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Sentence Fluency

Prompt Title:
Emotion & Colorful Day Poems

Focus Trait: Voice
Skill Focus: Creative Verb Use

Mini-Lesson of the Month Archive:

April 2008's Mini-Lesson and Prompt of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
Pros, Cons, and Hooks

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Sentence Fluency
Prompt Title:
Scientific Recipes

Focus Trait: Voice
Skill Focus: Creative Verb Use
March 2008's Mini-Lesson and Prompt of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
So Much Depends Upon...

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Word Choice
Prompt Title:
Serendipitous Personification for Poetry

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Skill Focus: Strong Details
February 2008's Mini-Lesson and Prompt of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
Start with What ISN'T There

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Idea Development
Prompt Title:
Serendipitous Setting Descriptions

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Skill Focus: Strong Details
January 2008's Mini-Lesson and Prompt of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
You're on a Gigantic Roll

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Word Choice
Prompt Title:
Story-Starters...Intriguing Titles

Focus Trait: Organization
Skill Focus: Strong Titles
December 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
Adventurous Magic

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Organization
Lesson Title:
Four Metaphor Poetry

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Word Choice
November 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
Silly Animal Problems

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Organization
Lesson Title:
Historical Journals

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Voice
October 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
Floating Down a River

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Idea Development
Lesson Title:
The J. Peterman Experience

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Word Choice
September 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)

Lesson Title:
Using 90th Street's Advice

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Word Choice

Lesson Title:
"Knot" the Whole Truth

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Word Choice

August 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)

Lesson Title:
I Wanna [Something]...

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Word Choice

July 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)

Lesson Title:
Fairy Tales in New Settings

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Organization
June 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
Animals not to [verb] with...

Focus Trait: Sentence Fluency
Support Trait: Word Choice
Lesson Title:
Three-Meal Weather

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Word Choice
May 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
A Scientific Mishap

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Idea Development
Lesson Title:
Unusual Friendly Letters

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Word Choice
April 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
Unusual Diary Keepers

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Voice
Lesson Title:
Top Secret Rule Reasons!

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Voice
March 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
Powerful First Paragraphs

Focus Trait: Organization
Support Trait: Idea Development
Lesson Title:
The Important Thing about Good Writing: Details

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Organization
February 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
Scheming against an Adversary

Focus Trait: Idea Development
Support Trait: Organization
Lesson Title:
Haiku Riddles

Focus Trait: Word Choice
Support Trait: Idea Development
January 2007's Mini-Lessons of the Month
(Click on the picture to access the entire lesson on-line.)
Lesson Title:
The Emotional Recipe

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Word Choice
Lesson Title:
Interjected Emotions!

Focus Trait: Voice
Support Trait: Conventions
   
   

 

Our Mini-Lesson
of the Month Club

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Northern Nevada Writing Project:
 
We're teachers teaching fellow teachers how to use writing as a powerful learning tool in all our classrooms.
  

Our Mission

The Northern Nevada Writing Project is committed to improving student writing by promoting the teaching of writing, recognizing teacher expertise and leadership, building a foundation of research, and encouraging teachers as writers.

 

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