Think Then Write Workbook: Volume 2 - Paragraph Writing, Descriptive Writing and Recounts

Think, Then Write Workbook, Volume 2: an Explicit Writing Program teaching Paragraph Writing, Descriptive Writing and Recounts.

With over 240 pages, this no-prep workbook is designed to support students of all years/grades to learn how to:

1. craft effective paragraphs;
2. use semantic feature analysis to plan and write descriptive paragraphs about things in the real world (with paragraph models); and
3. write recounts.

1. Paragraphs

The Workbook features fully scripted modules including:

• Module 1: Topic sentence identification
• Module 2: Writing supporting details
• Module 3: Writing strong topic sentences
• Module 4: Writing concluding sentences
• Module 5: Pulling it together: writing strong paragraphs

We then provide model paragraphs and examples to help students to practice writing paragraphs.

2. Semantic Features Analysis (describing objects by key attributes)

The Workbook is also designed to help students use semantic feature analysis to help them plan and write descriptive paragraphs about objects in the real world. In designing the scaffold, we selected two sets of attributes that we have found clinically to be of the greatest use in describing, defining and understanding common objects, namely:

• key relational and perceptual features, including function (what you do with it, or what it does), category, location, parts, materials, colours, shapes, and size; and
• sensory attributes, including what objects look, sound, smell, feel and taste like.

3. Recounts

This resource is also designed to support students to write recounts. First, we provide a simple scaffold or template that students can use to plan their recounts. We then provide some models of elementary, simple and intermediate recounts. Finally, we provide ten recount cues supported by GIF-based-visuals and our recount planner to support students to plan then write their recounts.

To support people with additional language and learning needs, the modules feature topics that require a minimal amount of background knowledge, and include examples and scaffolds to help model and support students of all abilities.