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Writing
Strategies ~ 6+1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham
Raising Dragons
is a wonderful, whimsical tale of a young girl who adopts a
dragon and raises him on her farm, against the better
judgment of her parents. Theirs is a sweet and loving
relationship, and the two become very close. But
eventually, the dragon outgrows his rural home, and they
must find a more suitable place for him to live.
It’s always a good idea to read a story first for
enjoyment. Let your students enjoy the story, giggle at the
dragon’s antics, and ponder what could happen after those
new dragon eggs hatch! Then, when you’re ready to teach a
lesson, ask your students to turn a more critical ear to the
plot and the details. And don’t forget to introduce the
vocabulary before you begin.
Vocabulary that may be tricky…
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perch - a raised seat or position
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sow (sown) - to plant seed for growth especially by
scattering
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varmint - an animal that is considered a pest
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beholden - being indebted for a favor or gift
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medicinal - tending or used to cure disease or relieve
pain
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gout -
a disease marked by a painful inflammation and swelling
of the joints
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ablaze - being on fire
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“eat you out of house and home” - to
eat most of the food that someone has in their house
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Teaching Organization: Herding Cats *
Ruth Culham suggests using Raising Dragons as an
example of the Organization trait. “The book shows all the
steps and stages that a young dragon goes through on his way
to becoming independent,” she says.
There are three components to Organization: writing the
introduction, developing the middle of the paper, and
writing the conclusion. (In her primary 6+1 text, Ms.
Culham calls them bold beginnings, mighty middles, and
excellent endings.) Raising Dragons is a fine
example of all three! Ms. Nolen begins the story with a
quick hook: there’s a dragon on the farm! What a perfect
way to engage the reader! Her “mighty middle” lays out the
problems – and benefits – of adopting a dragon as a pet.
And the conclusion gives us a sense of closure, only to
surprise us with a twist and leave us wondering what will
happen with those other dragon eggs! This book is a great
springboard for a lesson on how to construct a story by
carefully crafting the beginning, middle, and end. The
Organization chapters of Ruth Culham’s 6+1 Traits
books are chock full of ideas for teaching these important
pieces.
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Additional Writing Ideas *
1.
Write a Friendly Letter to Hank!
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For younger students, it may be enough to instruct them
to write a letter to Hank, telling him that the dragon
eggs have hatched, or introducing each of the new
dragons by sharing one characteristic. For example:
“We named the first baby Sarah. She is the silliest one
and she loves to be tickled!”
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For older students, you could give them more structured
R.A.F.T.S. Lesson. Then, they would write the letter to
Hank with the elements that you determine:
Role: The little girl (Hank’s “Cupcake”)
Audience: Hank
Format: Friendly Letter
Topic: The new eggs have hatched and the
dragons are doing fine!
Strong Verb: Reassure
With this example, your students should write a letter to
Hank reassuring him that the young dragons are doing well on
the farm. Of course, he’ll need some details to really
convince him that they’re not causing too much trouble! You
could also change this activity a bit by changing your topic
to “The new eggs have hatched and we need your help!” and
the strong verb to “persuade”. Then your students would
have to persuade Hank to return to the farm to help the
family to care for the new batch of dragons. Again, you’d
better provide some a good description of what’s happening
on the farm if you want Hank to come back!
2.
Can’t I keep them, please???
Have your students write a Persuasive Essay from the point
of view of the little girl. Propose this situation: Ma and
Pa are ready to find new homes for the seven new dragons.
They’ve grown too big to sleep in the barn, they’ve eaten
all the frogs and fish that the creek had to offer, and the
neighbors are complaining about all the noise! (Who knew
dragons could be so loud!) This is the girl’s last chance
to talk them into keeping the dragons. Do your best to
convince your parents to let the dragons stay!
3.
Dragons For Sale!
Hank sent you home with 7 dragon eggs, and now that they’ve
hatched, they’re more than you can handle! Have your
students create an advertisement for the young dragons.
Remember to point out all of the benefits of owning a dragon
– you want convince people that a dragon would make a
wonderful pet! (Click here for an Advertisement Template! -
Teacher Version and
Student Version)
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