Paper Lightning: Prewriting Activities That Spark Creativity and Help Students Write Effectively [Paperback]

Darcy Pattison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2008 | ISBN-10: 1877673773 | ISBN-13: 978-1877673771

Paper Lightning: Prewriting Activities That Spark Creativity and Help Students Write Effectively, by award-winning children's book author Darcy Pattison, helps students generate ideas, plan, and choose words effectively.

Whether teaching fiction or nonfiction, you will find just the right prewriting activity in this useful book for nearly all modes of writing—descriptive, expository, narrative, informational, persuasive, and more.

The activities go beyond visual organizing and include a greater variety of prewriting exercises, including storytelling, group work, hands-on organizing, and brainstorming.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Darcy Pattison is a teacher of writing and professional teacher development classes and the author of 19 Girls and Me, The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman, Searching for Oliver K. Woodman, and The Wayfinder. She lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Prufrock Press, Inc. (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877673773
• ISBN-13: 978-1877673771
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #815,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Darcy Pattison is an Arkansas children's book author and writing teacher.

WRITING TEACHER:
In 1999, she created the Novel Revision Retreat, which she now teaches across the nation. For more, see http://www.darcypattison.com/speaking/ Books about how-to write include:

NOVEL METAMORPHOSIS: Uncommon Ways to Revise
PAPER LIGHTNING: Prewriting Activities to Spark Creativity and Help
Students Revise Better

CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR:
Translated into eight languages, her four picture books and one middle grade novel, have been recognized for excellence by starred reviews, Book of the Year awards, state award lists and more. She is the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor's Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children's literature. Titles include:

THE JOURNEY OF OLIVER K. WOODMAN
SEARCHING FOR OLIVER K. WOODMAN
19 GIRLS AND ME
THE RIVER DRAGON
THE WAYFINDER (Now in Kindle format!)

2011 TITLES:
THE SCARY SLOPES
PRAIRIE STORMS
11 WAYS TO RUIN A PHOTOGRAPH

2012 TITLES:
WISDOM THE ALBATROSS: SURVIVING THE JAPANESE TSUNAMI
DESERT BATHS

For more see darcypattison.com/about

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paper Lightning, June 23, 2008

By 

K. Helmer (AR, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paper Lightning: Prewriting Activities That Spark Creativity and Help Students Write Effectively (Paperback)

Paper Lightning-Prewriting Activities that Spark Creativity and Help Students Write Effectively lives up to its title. Darcy Pattison's book is jam-packed with creative writing strategies. She begins with oral storytelling and rehearsing - a great strategy for sequencing events and adding details. To encourage students to use specific nouns and active verbs, Darcy has included a Sensory Word Bank Chart. Each chapter has teacher directions, chapter overview, getting started suggestions, discussion and student directions. The book includes a section on how to give life to your characters and how to organize facts for report writing. There's a nice surprise at the end of the book-a list of sample answers. This book should be on every writing teacher's resources shelf. And if you're a writer, you'll want to apply these writing strategies into your own work!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paper Lightning - Excellent Resource for both students and adults, April 22, 2011

By 

Debbie Archer "Debbie Archer - reviewer" (Walnut Ridge, AR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paper Lightning: Prewriting Activities That Spark Creativity and Help Students Write Effectively (Paperback)

Over the years I've purchased dozens of instructional writing books - both for myself and to use in my classroom with my students. Paper Lightning is the first book to ever meet the needs of both the student and the adult. As I was reading Ms. Pattison's text, I realized that the ideas she was sharing were pure gold. The format is clear, concise and to-the-point. No wading through a thirty page chapter to unveil the one nugget of advice that struck a chord. No yawning over filler material. No trudging through material I've already seen. The ideas and activities offered in Paper Lightning are fresh, fun and practical. She goes through every step necessary to teach a student (or an adult) how to write. Each chapter grabs the attention of the reader with quirky headings like Ugly Writing, Thinking Mean, and Fools and Noodleheads. Students can't wait to find out more!

This is one book I plan to use in my curriculum next year, but I won't turn loose of this copy. This one is all mine. It will NEVER be more than a few feet away from me on my own desk at home. The ideas generated from this simple 106 page volume are too precious to part with! This reviewers recommends it for all ages. It should be on every writer's reference desk and every classroom. Thank you, Ms. Pattison. Excellent book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Help for the Writing Teacher, April 6, 2011

By 

DD - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Lightning: Prewriting Activities That Spark Creativity and Help Students Write Effectively (Paperback)

So many practical ideas. Well organized. Will hate to give this copy to our writing teacher; may have to buy her a copy so that I can keep this one.
DD
Librarian