Volume 3, Issue 5
Special Interest Articles:
• Writing Trick:
• Article: Good Curriculum
Makes Us All Look Good
Individual Highlights:
Article: Good
Curriculum
Makes Us All
Look Good
Workshop
Information
Writing Trick:
Vaunting Verb
Worksheet #1
Writing Trick:
Vaunting Verb
Worksheet #2
Writing Trick:
Vaunting Verb
Worksheet #3
“I Can’t Believe We’re Giving this Away”
Newsletter
Welcome to
CreateBetterWriters.com’s
Free Monthly Newsletter
Writing Trick: Vaunting Verbs
Vaunting Verbs
Writing Trick:
Vaunting Verbs
Explanation
CreateBetterWriters.com
Presents the
1-3
Within these newsletters,
you have been given several
Introductory Phrase, and Phrases in
worksheets that will help build
a List. By giving names to these
your students’ vocabulary skills.
intelligent types of sentences, the
You have also been given
students have a way of
worksheets that will build your
remembering better ways to write
students’ sentence writing skills,
also known as “writing tricks”.
4-5
5
This month’s newsletter is designed
to do a little of both.
The writing trick “Vaunting
6
7
8
tricks include Dialogue, Adjectives,
their sentences. After practicing
writing these sentences, the writing
trick quickly becomes a normal part
of their writing style.
How do you turn a verb into
a writing trick? One of the fastest
Verbs” technically helps build your
ways to improve the quality of your
student’s vocabulary skills.
sentences is to improve the quality
However, because verbs are the
of the verbs you use. Consider
most powerful words in a sentence,
using words like “amble”,
improving the types of verbs used
“meander”, “strut” or “stride”
in a sentence also improves the
instead of “walk”. Each of those
quality of the sentence. Therefore,
words paints a completely different
it is also a “writing trick”.
As stated in last month’s
newsletter, a writing trick is any
intelligent way of writing a
sentence. Examples of writing
picture.
“Vaunting” means bragging.
A boring word like “walk” has
nothing to brag about. However, a
powerful word such as “strut” has
plenty to brag about.
MC Publications Monthly
Page 2 of 8
Writing Trick: Vaunting Verbs (cont.)
Simply using the word “strut” says so
images that these new words create
much without saying anything. What
before the students write. If the
images come to mind when you see a
students have no concept of the new
word like that? For me, images of John
words, the whole lesson is pointless.
Travolta in a white suit with disco
It may be a good idea to have
music come to mind. All of that with
the students make mini-books. The
just one word. Using better verbs can
students can write the boring word on
make such a big difference in a
the cover and fill the pages with
student’s writing.
sentences. Illustrating the sentences
Worksheet #1
would further reinforce the concept of
the vaunting verbs.
Worksheet #2
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Descriptive Writing
Vocabulary Development
Writing Tricks
Research Reports
Letter Writing
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The first worksheet gives
students a list of common verbs that are
over used. The students can use their
With worksheet #2, the students
minds or a thesaurus to help find a
are now in control of the words. The
minimum of four better ways to use
students can select verbs from their
these words.
own writing that they think could be
Once the students have
better. Once again, they will find better
completed this worksheet, make them
words, write sentences, and save the
write sentences using these new words.
worksheet for future reference.
It is very important to talk about the
The goal for worksheets #1 and
Page 3 of 8
MC Publications Monthly
Writing Trick: Vaunting Verbs
#2 is to start creating(cont.)
a word bank that
Worksheet #3 is mainly for the
the students can use as a source for
younger writers who need something
better verbs. Because the worksheet is
visual to help them write their
blank, the teacher can photocopy it
sentences. In most cases, students
back to back. By giving this worksheet
beyond grade four will be able to write
with every writing assignment, the
their sentences on notebook paper after
students build up a wealth of better
completing the first two worksheets.
verbs in no time.
Worksheet #3
Final Thoughts
These worksheets come from The
Complete Writing Program. Writing
Tricks is only one of many writing
skills your students will learn with this
program. If you would like a powerful
writing program that helps build
students’ skills in all aspects of writing,
The Complete Writing Program is a
great resource for you.
THE definitive work on
teaching the
Five-Paragraph Essay!
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Page 4 of 8
“She epitomizes the
old expression about
teachers that we ‘steal
shamelessly from each
other.’ ”
Good Curriculum Makes Us All Look Great
It’s so nice when you find
Good curriculum can make us all
good language arts, social studies, or
look great. However, when the
science curriculum that is rich in
curriculum we are given is
content and easy to teach. It makes
inadequate, what do we do? We
our jobs as teachers so much easier.
rewrite, look for supplements, create
Once in awhile, even the best set of
our own material, or beg other
curriculum comes up with a stinker
teachers for help. This is what our
lesson. I once sat in on a class as a
young teacher
new teacher attempted to teach a
did. After
writing lesson from the district’s
showing this
language art’s book. His lesson
teacher a better
crashed and burned as the students
book, one that focused strictly on
became frustrated. Slowly this young
writing, he was able to report better
teacher lost control of his class as he
success with his students.
tried to force this lesson upon the
students.
of great curriculum is my friend
The failure of the lesson was
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grades 7-8
Home School Edition
Order your copy at:
CreateBetterWriters.com
One of the greatest collectors
Kathy. She is the queen of sniffing
not completely the teacher’s fault. He
out quality lessons and incorporating
was prepared for the lesson, he knew
the ideas into her own classroom. As
his objectives and had a
a matter fact, that is how we met.
clear lesson plan. The
She had heard about my writing
problem was that the
program and made a special trip just
curriculum assumed
that the students had mastered the
previous material in the book. A
more experience teacher may have
clued in to this a little better and
to look inside my classroom. She
copied my bulletin boards, ran copies
of worksheets I had made, and asked
for demonstrations. She epitomizes
adjusted. However, the teacher’s
the old expression about teachers that
guide was very poor in providing the
we “steal shamelessly from each
task analysis needed for that
other.”
particular lesson to be successful.
Kathy is a great teacher because
Page 5 of 8
Good Curriculum Makes Us All Look Great
MC Publications
Monthly
MODELCITIZEN
PUBLICATIONS
CreateBetterWriters.com.
(cont.)
everything she teaches is high
For many months now, teachers have
quality, classroom tested material. If
been receiving free worksheets that
the material provided by the district is
have been highly effective. If you
less than wonderful, you can bet that
know any teachers who could benefit
Kathy has seen a better way to teach
from this free material, please send
it.
them to CreateBetterWriters.com.
It is with this spirit that our
They’ll thank you for it.
free monthly newsletter was created.
E-MAIL:
ContactUs@
createbetterwriters
.com
Workshops Available - Reading / Writing / Grammar
If your school or district is
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Outside of Southern
looking for powerful staff
California, workshops can be
development, David Dye is a teacher /
arranged on weekends and in the
trainer who has written seven books
summer. Summer workshops are
and presented all over the country.
available from late June through late
Workshops can be designed to meet
August.
the specific needs of your staff. His
To arrange a workshop, or for
specialties include writing, reading,
more information, please call (562)
grammar, English language learning,
429-8841 or send email to:
and differentiated instruction.
[email protected]
Writing Tricks
Vaunting Verbs
#1
Directions:
Think of at least four better ways to say the following verbs.
Use a thesaurus if needed.
said
ran
jumped
hit
look
walk
laugh
think
CreateBetterWriters.com
Fill in the empty circle with common verbs then write 4 vaunting
verbs around it.
CreateBetterWriters.com
Writing Tricks
Vaunting Verbs
#2
Below are common verbs. Write two sentences using the
common verb as a vaunting verb.
1. said - __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. ran - __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. jumped - ______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. hit - __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. look - __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. walk - _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
7. laugh - ________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
8. think - ________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
CreateBetterWriters.com