Lynne Dozier: Author, Educator, ELA Specialist ​
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Parents and Educators:  
​       Let's visit. I love to talk with parents and educator  groups   about ways to improve writing instruction, including the role  of assessment, and how to encourage  students to  "read like writers, and write like readers"  with lessons from  THE WRITER'S   VOICE: LESSONS IN COMPOSITION. 
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  •                     Lynne Dozier, a state and national award-winning writing teacher, has created THE WRITER'S                     VOICE: LESSONS IN COMPOSITION, a complete manual for student writers, including English                     
  •     language  learners.
  •                      A guide to creating personal, technical  and  academic compositions, prose and poetry, this unique,          "easy-to-follow and kid-friendly" book also provides ways to improve vocabulary, strategies for       
  •     taking standardized tests, and a brief history of the English language.  As students move from
  •     "Keeping a Writer's Notebook" to "Building a Portfolio," they will discover the writing process,  the
  •      role of criticism, research and self-evaluation in developing a writing style, and the importance of
  •     "reading  like a writer and writing like a reader."  
​                       The  second edition, released in July 2014, contains an additional section, "Writing Across the   Curriculum--The Voice of  College Readiness."  The 165  "Your Turn" writing assignments included in lessons correlate with  AP Language and Composition/College Readiness  learning objectives and provide opportunities to practice writing skills.   THE WRITER'S VOICE: LESSONS IN COMPOSITION contains models and examples from the author and students in her creative and practical writing classes and AP English Language and Composition course. The “Lessons in Composition” grew organically from real classrooms of   students who learned that even though they might not earn a living as writers, they would have to write to earn a living. ​

Sample lesson: the writer's voice, 18.

                     How  Do I “Show Not Tell?”  
           ​Immature writers often “pad” their prose with empty adjectives like “pretty,” “nice” and “big” and adverbs like “usually,” “quickly” and “really.”  They often emphasize their own personal responses—feelings and emotions—instead of focusing on the characteristics of an object, person, or place that make it special.   
           To write well, writers have to do more than tell that something is great, exciting, or scary; they have to show the special characteristics that create interesting, exciting, or scary pictures for their readers.                                       
              Action verbs, direct words and concrete details--the facts that writers gather through their powers of observation—help readers imagine the  subject of the description and see ideas more clearly.
 How to put “flesh” on “bare bones”of a sentence  that "Tells"--The dog was mean. 
 Use Action Verbs.
The dog bared his teeth and growled—a low rumble in his throat.
 Insert  Conversation and Quotations.   “Don’t open that gate,” my neighbor warned, “that dog will bite.”
 Provide  Concrete Details.
A small river of saliva formed at the corner of the dog’s mouth, now drawn into a tight, red line.
 Put Them  All Together in a paragraph--
A small river of saliva formed at the corner of the dog’s mouth, now drawn into a tight, red line. The dog bared his teeth and growled—a low rumble in his throat. “Don’t open that gate,” my neighbor warned, “that dog will bite.”
 Note:  You can change position of sentences in a paragraph, but the picture remains clear, correct and concise.
 Your Turn:
Use action verbs, conversation and quotations, and concrete details to “show,” or   create pictures for your readers, for each of these “telling” sentences below.  Avoid the use of the pronoun, “I” as you write to keep the focus on your topic.    
         1. The kid was a brat.
         2. He’s always showing off.
         3. He had terrible table manners.
         4. The old house looked scary.   
         5.  The teacher was old and crabby.  
Find a paragraph that “tells” in your Writer’s Notebook, and add action verbs, details, and direct thoughts and words so that it “shows,” instead of “tells.”
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

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