Brighten Up Boring Beginnings and Other Quick Writing Lessons (Grades 4 and up) [Paperback]

Laura Robb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2003

10 to 15-Minute Mini-Lessons and Reproducible Activities That Sharpen Students' Writing Skills
One-page mini lessons—perfect for chart paper or overhead lessons—and companion reproducible writing activities, zero in on improving key writing skills. Covers sentence combining, improving leads, using strong verbs, getting rid of clutter, and more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author, teacher, coach, and speaker, LAURA ROBB has completed 43 years of teaching in grades 4-8. She presently coaches teachers in reading/ writing workshop at Powhatan School in Virginia and coaches teachers in grades K-8 in Staunton, Virginia, Long Island, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and West Nyack, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Professional Books; 1st edition (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439073510
• ISBN-13: 978-0439073516
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #968,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book looks to have possibilities, January 1, 2001

By 

Steven H. Shapero (Columbia, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brighten Up Boring Beginnings and Other Quick Writing Lessons (Grades 4 and up) (Paperback)

As a 4th grade teacher, I've been looking for a book with exercises that will help my students with their writing - something with short, easy to digest information, and something that will allow them to write just a paragraph (as opposed to 1-2 pages). I think this book looks to be the ticket. I've not used it yet, but the components are all there. There are 18 lessons, each containing tips for the teacher, 2 paragraph rewrite challenges, and a "before" and "after" example, which I really like. The "before" shows what students typically write before employing the recommendations of the tips, and the "after" example shows how the example could be written when using the tips. Some of the lessons include: repairing run-on sentences, giving specific information, beginning with unusual facts, and using active verbs.

4.0 out of 5 stars begin at the beginning, September 21, 2008

By 

Deborah L. Shepherd "queen of writing" (terre haute, indiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brighten Up Boring Beginnings and Other Quick Writing Lessons (Grades 4 and up) (Paperback)

This is a rather dry book but is packed with information and ideas. As a writing teacher for lower elementary grades, I found I used the ideas but made modifications to the lesson suggestions. This would be a good resource book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Writing Resource, September 18, 2008

By 

B. Keating (Norton, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Brighten Up Boring Beginnings and Other Quick Writing Lessons (Grades 4 and up) (Paperback)

I have used this for tutoring as well as within my classroom. It is an excellent resource to utilize to aid in writing instruction. Students are motivated to write and assisted in formulating their writing. Good discussion of transitions and process.