Long Term Lesson Plan on Writing for the Elementary School Grades.

The process of writing should take the students in to many different directions and subjects, and should not be limited isolated writing exercises and book reports in the language arts classes.

To have each student write a novel that takes place during a particular incident in history. Students will learn about history while working on their writing, research, and editing skills. Students are also encouraged to use their creativity while gaining sensitivity on the novel writing process.

Two months.

5th and 6th Grade.

The motivation should be the teachings and class discussions on a novel that takes place and shows a particular incident in history. Treat the motivation like a literature response group, with loges for the students to write their notes in. Tell students that they will be writing a novel on the historical incident that is its focus, so their notes should be abundant.

1. After finishing the book, students should be encouraged to read other books on the historical incident that is the focus of the class at this time. These books could be novels or non-fiction.

2. Students should discuss books they are reading in this group. Notes should be written down.

3. During the motivation, students should have been given basic information on the historical incident as a backdrop for the novel that they will be writing. So, they should have enough information to help them on their research for the historical background on their novels. Class should discuss research.

4. Go further with the research, like what clothes were worn at the time, etc. Class should discuss research.

5. Teach the students about the novel-writing process. Discuss this process with the students, and have them take lots of notes.

6. Students should start working on their stories. Work on plot, setting, characters, etc,. Class should review the writing process as they go along with this project. Students might start with brainstorming on ideas first while seeking and offering advice to and from fellow students. The teacher, of course, should oversee all of this.

7. When the students are finished with their books, have them read their books to the class. Students can compare and contrast each others' works. Also, it's a good idea to have students discuss the whole writing process by comparing notes.

Plan a field trip where the students could go to a cultural organization where they could present their works to an audience. This could be a whole cultural event.