Use the "Slinky Test" to get students to start thinking about sentence length and variety.
This resource provides a video to explain the strategy and a number of supports to help you teach students when to use sentences of varied length to improve their writing.

This strategy engages readers to look for a specific point that “speaks” to them. “Golden Lines” are Powerful quotes that automatically provide interesting discussion material.
Why
Many student find it much easier to select something the author said than to come up with their own reactions. Therefore, Golden Lines are an easy and effective strategy for student to determine important ideas, make connections, and visualize during reading.

Re-telling an event
Inside Outside Circle Strategy
News Plan Graphic Organizer

Opinion
Reason
Example
Opinion

The Quick Write is a literacy strategy that is designed to give students the opportunity to reflect upon their learning. This writing assignment can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of a lesson and takes only about three to five minutes. Short, open-ended statements are usually given.

This resource includes a video on the SOAPSTone Literature Analysis Strategy, as well as a PDF including the steps and descriptions of SOAPSTone and an exemplar.

Here's how it works:
- Think of a person, place or thing (Noun).
- On the left, think of as many “describing” words about your noun as you can. Be creative and try to include all of your senses when you are describing.
- On the right, include things that you noun “reminds” you of – e.g. Mother – apple pie, dog- burying bones in the garden
- Trade papers with a classmate and see if they can name your noun.

A snapshot is a basic technique, yet a tremendous aid to any piece of fiction when implemented correctly. A snapshot is basically a moment in a story where you take a temporarily stop from the plot to describe something specific in a story. Generally this can be used to create suspense or draw strong emotions out of the reader.

If you feel your story is getting a bit dull, but you need to still build up to the plot, use a snapshot! It can also be used when you want to add more emotion, feeling, and realism to a story.

Take a scene from your story that you feel didn't have enough emotional impact, suspense, or realism. Once you have that sentence, expand on it. Try to get down every sense you can think of.. How it made you feel, how it smelled, etc. It should be picture perfect. Depending on what emotion you want to convey will directly impact how you write your snapshot.

One of the hardest things about writing is—getting started! For many of our students, drawing and talking about their drawings is just what they need to cross the barrier from a blank page to a page filled with their words.

Watch how Jennifer Serravallo works with these young writers in a strategy group to build the bridge between pictures and the language they need to get words on the page.