Writing Strategies

In The Secret Shortcut, Wendell and Floyd take us on a wild adventure as they search for the quickest way to get to school.  After three days of arriving late, their teacher demands that they start getting to school on time…”or else”  Thus begins Wendell and Floyd’s journey, through the thicket to the jungle and then to the swamp, desperately trying to get to school before the last morning bell. 

Before you begin reading The Secret Shortcut, make sure to preview these words and their meanings with your students…

• preposterous - making little or no sense

• plague - a large number of destructive pests

• culvert - a drain or waterway crossing under a road or railroad

• thicket - a thick usually small patch of shrubbery, small trees, or underbrush

• meander - to follow a winding or complicated course

• gorge - a narrow passage, ravine, or steep-walled canyon

* Teaching Organization *
Herding Cats 

As we travel along with Wendell and Floyd, it’s the ORGANIZATION of their story that carries us along on their incredible journey.  Ruth Culham explains that a piece of writing “with strong organization begins with a clear purpose that creates anticipation in the reader.”  And that is certainly the case in The Secret Shortcut.  We quickly realize Wendell and Floyd’s dilemma, and anxiously follow along as they make their way to school that Thursday morning.

Lesson Idea for Organization:  “On the Map”

In this idea, adapted from a Focus Lesson in Scholastic’s Using Picture Books to Teach Writing with the Traits, students will create a map to use as a graphic organizer that will guide the organization of their own story. 

1. Read The Secret Shortcut aloud.
2. After reading, work with the class to create a list of all the things that happen to Wendell and Floyd on the way to school. 
3. Either on their own, or with a partner, have students create a NEW map that plots out a new secret shortcut for the main characters.  Encourage them to be creative about the obstacles they might encounter along the way by pointing out different things they could face – volcanoes, traffic lights, stray dogs, quicksand, etc.  Allow them to use construction paper and crayons or markers, and to add detail to the maps so that this prewriting activity can be engaging and motivating.
4. Next, have students share their maps and verbally explain the route of their own secret shortcut.  They may even need to number each of their obstacles to help them get organized for the writing portion of the activity.  (Note:  You may stop here for younger students who are not ready to write their own stories yet.  You may also have younger students create a list of the obstacles on their map, if they’re not ready to write complete sentences yet.)
5. Finally, have students write their own “Secret Shortcut” stories to accompany their maps.   You might ask students to write at least 3 sentences per event to encourage details in their story. 

Additional Ideas

·      Use this story as an opportunity to teach your students about Sequencing and Transition Words, like first, second, before, finally, soon, at the same time, etc.  The use of those types of words will improve the flow of the story.

·      In an effort to teach students about paragraphs, ask them to begin a new paragraph each time they use a Sequencing or Transition word.  This will help to move the story along nicely, and will connect each event to the next.

·      Geography Connection:  Connect your shortcuts to a geographical area that you’re studying at the time.  Pull in geographical terms or items you would find in a rainforest, the desert, the ocean, or a continent like Australia!  Then instruct your students to create maps that lead Wendell and Floyd through your particular geographic region. 

(See the Organization chapter of 6+1 Traits for more teaching ideas!)

6+1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham