THE BIG BOOK OF DETAILS: 46 MOVES FOR TEACHING WRITERS TO ELABORATE, 99,999th edition

Published by Pearson (February 25, 2016) © 2016

Paperback

ISBN-13: 9780325077666
THE BIG BOOK OF DETAILS: 46 MOVES FOR TEACHING WRITERS TO ELABORATE
Published 2016

Title overview

The Big Book of Details: 46 Moves for Teaching Writers to Elaborate

Have you ever told a writer to add more details, only to see their writing get longer not better? That's why Roz Linder wrote The Big Book of Details. “To help our students use details and elaborate effectively,” she writes, “we need to find out what they want their writing to do, and then show them explicit moves to make it happen.”

Roz breaks elaboration into 5 categories and shares 46 lessons based on the moves that professional writers use. With if–then charts that connect student needs to just-right strategies, you'll help writers master details that:
  • Describe: for people, places, and things
  • Dance: for showing action and sequencing events
  • Convince: for questions, persuasion, and arguments
  • Inform: for defining, comparing, and clarifying
  • Speak: for conversation and speech.
The Big Book of Details supports planning and on-the-go teaching for one-on-one conferences, whole-class instruction, or commercial writing programs. Its lessons are organised to help kids understand each move quickly. Roz's strategy lessons include:
  • examples from real-world writers
  • the reason writers use the strategy
  • advice for introducing it to writers
  • ideas for guided practice with writers
  • examples of one of Roz's famous classroom charts
“This is what I want for my students,” writes Roz Linder, “to use details in their writing in a meaningful way that conveys their ideas and their purpose.” If you want that too, then make her Big Book of Details part of your teaching toolkit.

Table of contents

Part I: The Power of Details

Part II: Details that Describe: People, Places, Mood, Emotions, and Things

State the Obvious
Just Like That
Action Clues
Right in the Middle
Zoom In
Repeaters
Pop Culture References
Personify It
Set It Up
Thought Bubbles

Part III: Details that Dance: Showing Action and Sequencing Events

Act & Think
But, Why?
Time Marker
Location Marker
Adverb Comma
INGs Up Front
EDs Up Front
Explain that Sound

Part IV: Details that Convince: Opinions, Persuasion, and Arguments

If . . .Then
Opposite Side
Good Question
Imagine This
Very Complicated
Number Games
Now and Then
We the People
Call to Action

Part V: Details that Elaborate: Defining, Comparing, and Clarifying

Polar Opposites
What's Next?
Sweet and Sour
Big Deals and Famous Firsts
Define It
Name an Example
A.K.A. (Also Known As)
In Other Words
So Important
Share the Love

Part VI: Details that Speak: Conversation, Dialogue, and Speech

Ending Dialogue Tags
Beginning Dialogue Tags
Invisible Tags
Middle Tags
Action & Words
Say, What?
Tell Me About It
Talking and Thinking
Mix it Up

Part VII: Moving Forward with Lesson Clusters and Classroom Ideas

Lesson Clusters: Detail Moves for Targeted Writing Goals
Students' Charts: Fostering Writing Independence
Classroom Ideas: Making Detail Moves “Sticky”
Get Messy! Make Some Mistakes!

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