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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
* 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.
* 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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