Descriptosaurus Grammar Companion Ages 9 To 12

Descriptosaurus Grammar Companion Ages 9 to 12 is a flexible grammar toolkit based on current research about effective strategies for teaching grammar tools and sentence construction (investigation, imitation, combining and expansion). It includes guidelines, exercises, scaffolds and models, and by showing a clear progression route to the acquisition and consolidation of increasingly more complex grammar tools it provides teachers and students with a road map that makes learning about sentence construction and revision visible. This book is a collection of connected resources that can be used as and when required and it provides an easily accessible differentiation resource for each student based on their current stage of development, not the age-related targets and expectations. It enables the learning process for grammar tools to be recursive rather than linear; to be regularly revisited in short bursts to consolidate students’ knowledge and usage, or to correct any misconceptions or problem areas without impeding any writing activities already planned. Chapters focus on four main points: Investigation Imitation Combining Expansion This Grammar Companion supports the main Descriptosaurus book and scaffolds students in their journey through the world of language. This essential resource will strengthen their language muscles and build confidence with sentence manipulation when revising their own texts, thus freeing their minds to think about the important issues of writing: content, audience and purpose, and organisation and structure.

Now in its fully updated fourth edition, the bestselling Descriptosaurus is the first book for creative writing that is a thematic expansion of a dictionary and a thesaurus; it provides students with a language toolkit with which to expand their descriptive vocabulary, experiment with language and sentence structure and build up narratives based around settings, characters and creatures. Descriptosaurus positions the word, zooms in on it to examine the meaning, expands it into phrases, and then provides alternatives in words, phrases and sentences; the model was created and refined over a number of years as a result of feedback from students inside and outside the classroom as to the resources they required to inspire and assist them with their writing. For reluctant writers or those faced with blank page syndrome, it provides essential starting points to encourage putting pen to paper, not only inspiring students, but also building their confidence, encouraging them to use, apply and create using the correct grammatical structures, and adding colour to their writing through evaluation and experimentation. New features for this expanded edition include: - Additional vocabulary, including technical vocabulary for non-fiction topics such as volcanoes, mountains and caves - An additional chapter to cover the popular primary topic of cold climates and polar exploration - How to use word clines to expand vocabulary and explore shades of meaning - Guidelines, resources and models to scaffold learning about grammar - Sentences that have been expanded and reworked to provide modelled sentences for DFI (Detail, Flow and Impact) - Guidelines, resources, exercises and models to support the teaching of sentence construction using imitation, combining and expansion techniques Accompanied by Instructor and Student Resources containing all the games, planning sheets and vocabulary builders from the book, this is an ideal resource to dramatically improve students' creative writing, confidence and facility with sentence construction for all primary and secondary English teachers, literacy coordinators and parents. It would also make an excellent classroom book for PGCE students, particularly Primary PGCE with English specialism.

Reviews of the first edition "This book is a treasure trove of descriptive language... Highly recommended for both teachers and parents. I wish I’d had a copy of this book when I was a full time English teacher! Invest in a copy today; you’ll be glad you did." Sue Cowley, bestselling author, teacher and teacher trainer "Help to banish 'blank page syndrome' for ever, with this innovative book... Created by teacher, Alison Wilcox, this inspirational book will build children's confidence in their writing ability." Literacy Times Plus "A real ‘godsend’ to hard-pressed teachers, parents and pupils." Denis Hayes, author of Foundations of Primary Teaching ? Reviews of the second edition ‘...the addition of the CD is perfect for the modern day classroom... fantastic!’ ?Emma Palastanga, primary deputy head ‘The... book/CD, will be so helpful to teachers who are struggling to think of different ways to say things and will enhance their planning and teaching. As a classroom resource it will be invaluable.’ Elaine Smitheman, primary school teacher ? Now available with a CD-ROM for classroom use, Descriptosaurus is the first book for creative writing that is a thematic expansion of a dictionary and a thesaurus. It provides children with a comprehensive resource with which to expand their descriptive vocabulary, experiment with language and sentence structure and build up narratives based around the following areas: Settings – landscapes, settlements and atmosphere, Characters – appearance, emotions and personality, and Creatures – appearance, abilities and habitats. New features for the second edition include: IWB compatible CD-ROM containing all the main elements of the book New VCOP coverage Expanded coverage of adverbs and connectives New planning sheets to help children organise and structure descriptions Character cards, games and mountain pyramid vocabulary builders The Descriptosaurus model was created and refined over a number of years as a result of feedback from children inside and outside the classroom as to the resources they required to inspire and assist them with their writing. For reluctant writers or those faced with blank page syndrome, it provides essential starting points to encourage putting pen to paper. Using Descriptosaurus will not only inspire children, it will build their confidence and dramatically improve the content of their writing. This is an ideal resource for all KS2 primary and KS3 secondary English teachers, literacy coordinators and parents keen to support their childrens’ creative writing. It would also make an excellent classroom book for PGCE students, particularly Primary PGCE with English specialism.

Descriptosaurus Story Writing provides a resource for younger pupils that will not only expand their descriptive vocabulary but also provide them with models that demonstrate ‘language in action,’ in a genre that is popular and familiar to children aged 5–9. Providing the essential building blocks to create a narrative text, alongside contexualised banks of vocabulary, phrases and sentence types, this book is designed to provide young pupils with the opportunity to see how a text is constructed using words, phrases and sentences. This exciting new resource: Provides vocabulary for setting, character, ‘show not tell’ and sensory descriptions with clearly defined progression Demonstrates how to use this vocabulary in different contexts using set sentence structures Offers four model narratives written in different styles and level of difficulty Presents modelled sentences with exercises so that pupils can expand their vocabulary Enables young pupils to develop their understanding of how sentences are constructed and become more confident about using these skills in their own story writing This is an ideal resource to dramatically improve children’s knowledge and understanding of language, grammar and punctuation for all KS1 and KS2 primary English teachers, literacy coordinators and parents. This easily accessible guide will also be helpful for teachers to use in preparation for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG) alongside a creative writing task.

Descriptosaurus is the first book for creative writing that is a thematic expansion of a dictionary and a thesaurus; it provides children with a language toolkit with which to expand their descriptive vocabulary, experiment with language and sentence structure and build up narratives based around settings, characters and creatures.

Descriptosaurus: Fantasy builds on the vocabulary and descriptive phrases introduced in the original bestselling Descriptosaurus and within the context of fantasy develops the structure and use of the words and phrases to promote colourful, cinematic writing. This essential guide will enable children to take their writing to the next level. It incorporates the essential skills and creative devices that are used in other genres while extending to themes of battle, sieges, magic and mystery to unleash children’s imaginations. This new system also provides a contextualised alternative to textbook grammar and will assist children in acquiring, understanding and applying the grammar required to improve their writing, both creative and technical.

Twenty-three stimulating papers, includ­ing essays by Peter Elbow, Donald Murray, and William Strong, selected from the more than sixty presented at the Second Miami University Confer­ence on Sentence Combining and the Teaching of Writing. Sentence combining has not only sur­vived the paradigm shift in the teaching of writing but continues to stimulate provocative, creative thinking about the writing process itself. No longer an end in itself, but a tool, sentence combining has become a method of teaching about ways of thinking, of perceiving, and of organizing reality.

Shortlisted for Educational Book of the Year at the Education Resources Awards 2021. Everything you need to teach grammar in the primary classroom. What is the subjunctive mood? And when do you use a semi-colon? Are these questions that you, as a teacher, are afraid to ask? Cue this book! Written by two experienced teachers, The Grammar Book provides everything you need to teach grammar at primary level. Covering what you need to know as well as practical ideas to enliven your teaching, this book will make grammar fun and engaging – for both the pupils and for you too! Written in Zoë and Timothy Paramour's funny, frank and reassuring style, this definitive guide is all about the importance of teaching grammar as a tool for writing, not as an 'extra' and certainly not as a boring lesson. Instead, the ideas presented are linked to a range of National Curriculum units, with original short texts through which the teaching of grammar is used to support the delivery of the wider English curriculum and prepare children for Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) assessments. All teaching resources can also be downloaded from the companion website. Each chapter covers a different element of grammar and provides you with everything you need to know as well as teaching ideas, cross-curricular links and resources, making The Grammar Book a must-have resource for teaching primary grammar effectively in the classroom or as part of homeschooling.

Descriptosaurus Personal Writing provides young writers with an opportunity to link their personal lives and school experiences and gives writing a meaningful and personal context. It is a resource that will guide students to produce powerful and meaningful personal text and will dramatically improve the their writing.

The bestselling Emotion Thesaurus, often hailed as “the gold standard for writers” and credited with transforming how writers craft emotion, has now been expanded to include 56 new entries! One of the biggest struggles for writers is how to convey emotion to readers in a unique and compelling way. When showing our characters’ feelings, we often use the first idea that comes to mind, and they end up smiling, nodding, and frowning too much. If you need inspiration for creating characters’ emotional responses that are personalized and evocative, this ultimate show-don’t-tell guide for emotion can help. It includes: • Body language cues, thoughts, and visceral responses for over 130 emotions that cover a range of intensity from mild to severe, providing innumerable options for individualizing a character’s reactions • A breakdown of the biggest emotion-related writing problems and how to overcome them • Advice on what should be done before drafting to make sure your characters’ emotions will be realistic and consistent • Instruction for how to show hidden feelings and emotional subtext through dialogue and nonverbal cues • And much more! The Emotion Thesaurus, in its easy-to-navigate list format, will inspire you to create stronger, fresher character expressions and engage readers from your first page to your last.