Writer's Notebook Lesson

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Which would you rather be? A shell or a stone?
A green pepper or a mushroom? A word or a letter? A graphic novel or a fantasy? Coming up with choices is a great way to get the writing brain working and a future writing idea seed planted. For a writing mini lesson, read William Steig's Which Would You Rather Be?. In student's writer's notebooks, they will create their own list of questions. To get students started you might want to brainstorm a list as a group and write 3-4 so students can copy them into their notebooks if they are unable to generate ideas of their own. Allow students 10-15 minutes to make their list. Allow for some sharing. Allow for time for students to add 1-2 ideas they heard from someone and want on their list too. Ask students to highlight their favorite "rather be" and have students free write for a 10-20 minute time period on why they would rather be one over the other. This will come in handy as a reference point and idea bank, for persuasive writing throughout the year.