Just the Right Amount of SALT Poster
Congratulations on your purchase of this Really Good Stuff®
Just the Right Amount of SALT Poster—a fun way to remind
students of four ways to enrich their writing and make it more
interesting.
This Really Good Stuff® product includes:
• Just the Right Amount of SALT Poster, laminated
• This Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide
Assembling and Displaying the Just the Right Amount of
SALT Poster
Before displaying the Just the Right Amount of SALT Poster,
make copies of this Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide, cut
apart the reproducibles, and file the pages for future use. Or,
download another copy of it from our Web site at
www.reallygoodstuff.com. Hang the Poster in a place where
students can see it easily while they are writing.
Introducing and Using the Just the Right Amount of SALT
Poster
Pointing to the Poster, ask students what it is shaped like,
why we use salt in food, and to describe what food tastes like
if it has too little or too much salt. Explain that writing can be
compared to using salt on food: Without the elements listed
on the Poster, the writing can be bland and boring, but with too
much of any of the elements, the writing can be hard to read
and “too strong.” The trick is to do what the Poster says: To
use just the right amount of each of these four things to make
one’s writing interesting.
Shaking on the Similes
After you explain to students what similes are, write the
following three sentences on the board. Ask students what the
sentences have in common:
• Because Josh was late for school, he ran like the wind to get
to his test on time.
• Klarissa did not want to wake her sister, so she sneaked
down the hall as quietly as a mouse.
• Nicholas polished the car until it shone as bright
as sunshine.
If necessary, point out each simile (ran like the wind, as quietly
as a mouse, as bright as sunshine) and tell students that
similes make writing more vivid by creating pictures in the
reader’s mind. To give students practice in creating similes,
write the following words on the board: Big, small, fast, slow,
hungry, thirsty, tired, and excited. Ask students to write a
simile using as or like with each of these words, then have
students share their similes.
Adding a Pinch of Adjectives and Adverbs
Review that adjectives and adverbs are used to describe nouns
and verbs to help the reader “see” a clearer picture of what the
author is depicting. Help students brainstorm good
descriptors and modifiers for different words. Select a
photograph of an animal or object to show to the entire class.
Ask students to describe what they see in the photograph,
and list the adjectives and adverbs they use on the board. If
any of the words listed are overused, read them aloud and ask
if there are more specific words that can be substituted for
the overused words. Write those down as well. Create a visual
library of the adjectives and adverbs the class brainstormed:
Mount the pictures on sheets of paper and write the
adjectives and adverbs around each one. Bind the sheets
together and keep them in your classroom writing center for
students to refer to as they write.
Sprinkling in Lots and Lots of Details
Tell students that details are what make writing lively and that
it is much more interesting to read something that you can
picture in your mind. To help students realize the importance of
details, create sentence pyramids: Write a very basic, general
sentence on the board, such as The house is on the hill. Ask
students to expand on this sentence with details, starting
with just one detail and working their way to include five
details. Have students write their original sentence at the top
of a sheet of landscape-oriented paper, then write each more
detailed sentence below the original sentence in a pyramid
shape like the one shown below. Urge students to share their
pyramids, noting how the house and the hill become more
detailed in each student’s piece.
The house is on the hill.
The brick house is on the hill.
The brick house is at the top of the hill.
The run-down brick house is at the top of the hill.
The run-down brick house is at the top of the highest hill in town.
Tossing in a Taste of Transition Words
Engaging writing flows easily with ideas that connect well to
each other. Transition words help this flow. Identify transition
words and how they work by conducting a transition word hunt:
Select and distribute a short reading passage that uses
numerous transition words. While students read the passage,
tell them to circle the transition words. Afterward, discuss the
transition words they found and how those words were used in
the passage to show time or order, to compare and contrast,
to clarify, or to add information. To expand on this exercise,
have students select one of their previous writing assignments
and revise it, focusing on the proper use of transition words.
Adding Some S.A.L.T. during Conferences
Copy the Similes, Adjectives and Adverbs, Details, and
Transition Words Reproducibles to give students feedback
about their writing, whether during peer revision and editing
sessions or to attach to an assignment: When a student could
improve a piece by adding any of the S.A.L.T. components,
select the appropriate reproducible, complete it, and attach it
to the front of the piece before you return the assignment to
the student. Tell students to use the reproducible as a
worksheet to list any ideas as they revise the piece.
All activity guides can be found online:
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2009 Really Good Stuff
®
1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in USA #157959
Similes Reproducible
Adjectives and Adverbs Reproducible
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2009 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in USA #157959
Details Reproducible
Transition Words Reproducible
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2009 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in USA #157959