Here is hoping that your school year started off well and that you have already had your students writing! I'm attaching a copy of this year's Write To Win Contest guidelines.
One of the most popular genres in the statewide Oklahoma Writing Project writing contest is descriptive paragraph. When I was teaching, I always started the week on Mondays with my students writing in their journals. The first couple of assignments started with the easiest genre for them to do: description. Here is an idea for a fun and easy journal assignment. Read aloud or copy and paste into a handout for your students.
Descriptive Paragraph, "A Place"
Begin with a brainstorm list of at least five places you could describe. Don't make the place too big, or you'll have to generalize, For instance, don't just describe Frontier City. Describe one ride there. Don't just describe your grandma's house. Choose one room. Don't just describe your bedroom. Describe your closet or your walls or what's under your bed.
Now put a star by the one place you could describe the most vivid details. Make a web (cluster) with the name of the place in the middle and five branches for the five senses--smell, taste, hear, see, feel. Remember that "feel" does not mean emotions--but what you feel physically. When your cluster is complete, start writing. The web is there to guide you, not to dictate to you.
Write as fast as you can without worrying about spelling or punctuation. You will think of more things to add as you write, and it's okay if you leave some of the things in your cluster out of your paragraph.
After everyone is finished, share your writing by reading it out loud to one other person in your class. Ask him or her to underline the best line in your writing. Then ask them what you could add or what you need to take out. If you have time, share with one other person. You are then already on your way to revising your paragraph to turn in to your teacher.
Save your very best pieces of writing in your journal, and when it's time for the writing contest in January, you will be able to find your very best writing to enter. Good luck!
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Janis Cramer
2023 Write To Win Contest Coordinator
cell phone 405-250-5400
If you text me, please include your name and your school.