2. A Writing Adventure Teachers Page

3. The local weather station needs your help! Their top meteorologist has just suddenly and unexpectedly come down with a bad case of amnesia. In order to continue doing her job effectively, she needs to learn about all the different weather phenomena all over again! The weather station has contacted your class to help! Each class member must research and write about a different weather phenomenon to jog the memory of your poor meteorologist. Thanks so much for your help!

4. The Basics: Hmmm…how will you meet this challenge to help a fellow citizen in need? Think about the weather. What interesting facts do you know about weather? Do you know something surprising about clouds, climates, or severe weather like storms? Write an essay that tells information about something related to weather. Write at least three paragraphs. For each paragraph, include a topic sentence followed by supporting sentences with details. Try to make your ideas flow. Be sure to end your essay with a wrap-up sentence and include the title of your essay.

5. Step-by-step Guide: This adventure will lead you through the steps for creating your article: STEP 1- Research / Planning STEP 2- Prewriting STEP 3- Drafting STEP 4- Revising STEP 5- Proofreading STEP 6- Publishing

6. STEP 1- RESEARCH AND PLANNING Before planning your article, you must decide which weather phenomenon interests you! Are you intrigued by the clouds or the wind, and want to know more about how they work? Have you seen communities affected by severe weather like snow storms, hurricanes, or floods and want to know more about how they occur and their effects? Or maybe tornadoes, earthquakes or tsunamis pique your interest! You decide! Continue About which weather phenomenon would you like to write?

7. STEP 1- RESEARCH AND PLANNING Now you must research this weather-related issue so that you can write about it in your essay.research When doing research, it is important to use keywords and phrases to take notes from a variety of sources.researchkeywordsphrasessources – While doing your research, write (on index cards from your teacher) keywords and phrases that you find in your sources that give more information about the weather issue that you chose. What is research and how do I do it?

8. STEP 1- RESEARCH AND PLANNING It is important to get ideas from many different sources for your essay. While visiting these sources, please write down information about each (type of source, title, author, publisher, date) to include in your bibliography.bibliography CLICK HERE TO BEGIN VISITING SOURCES CLICK HERE TO BEGIN VISITING SOURCES Keep track of your sources…

9. STEP 1- RESEARCH AND PLANNING Visit the library with your teacher. Find one of each of these sources to get information for your article: – A book about weather or the phenomenon that you chose – An encyclopedia article about the phenomenon that you chose CLICK HERE TO visit more sources CLICK HERE TO visit more sources Let the research begin! Dont forget to write ideas that you find on your index cards!

10. STEP 1- RESEARCH AND PLANNING Dont forget to write ideas that you find on your index cards! Lets use the WEB for research! Click the pictures below to visit websites about weather.

11. What is research? To research a topic means to study it in detail so that you can present it accurately.

12. What are keywords? Keywords are the important words in a piece of writing. They contain the most information about the topic. – Example: A state of the art film studio, the largest movie production facility in the state, is coming to Louisiana. See Keywords More Practice

13. Read the paragraph below. Click the keywords. Listen to live jazz in New Orleans. Sample spicy boiled crawfish in Lafayette. Fish Toledo Bend. Go birdwatching in Kisatchie. All the senses reach their potential in Louisiana. So start planning your trip today, and come see, hear, taste, smell and feel Louisiana for yourself.

14. The influence of Louisiana's African- American population cannot be overstated. Get the whole story, beginning in New Orleans and continuing through South and Central Louisiana and up to the friendly towns of North Louisiana. The influence of Louisiana's African- American population cannot be overstated. Get the whole story, beginning in New Orleans and continuing through South and Central Louisiana and up to the friendly towns of North Louisiana. Read the paragraph below. What are the keywords?

15. What are phrases? Phrases are groups of words that make a thought but do not make a complete sentence. Examples: – New film studio in WBR – Creates jobs – Brings money to parish – Good for LA

16. What are sources? Sources are where you get information when doing research. Examples: – Print sources: books, encyclopedias, atlases, newspapers, magazines, brochures, etc. – Electronic sources: Internet, videos, CD-roms, etc. – Other sources: interviews with people

17. What is a bibliography? A bibliography is a list of the sources used to research the topic that you are writing about. (each bibliographic entry is also called a citation) Basic information included in a bibliography: – Title – Author – Publisher – Date Use this citation generator to help you to create your bibliography.citation generator

18. How do you use keywords for an Internet search? Keywords are also used to search about a topic on the Internet. – Example: To find out more about making movies, you might use the keywords movie-making to do an Internet search.

19. STEP 2- PREWRITING Now that you have ideas on index cards, you will need to organize your ideas to help make your writing easier. Draw a graphic organizer like the one below to organize your ideas. Write your topic in the center. Choose three main ideas about your topic. Write those in the large circles. Write supporting details about each main idea around the circle.

20. STEP 3- DRAFTING You are well on your way! Now that you have researched your ideas and organized them in a web, writing your essay should be easy! (Drafting means writing the first copy of your essay.) Use your web to help guide your writing. – Be sure to start with a captivating opening sentence. – Write one paragraph about each main idea about your weather-related issue. – Dont forget to close your essay with a summary sentence. – Dont forget to create a catchy title for your essay.

21. STEP 4- REVISING To revise means to make your writing better. After you have written the first draft of your essay, re-read it to check for incomplete ideas or places to add or take away information. Ask a friend to read your essay and conference with you about any suggested changes. Use this checklist as a guide for revising: http://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/uploads/2071. pdf http://www.doe.state.la.us/lde/uploads/2071. pdf

22. STEP 5- PROOFREADING When your revisions are complete, it is time to proofread your essay, or check for mistakes. Type your essay using the program Microsoft Word. Use the Microsoft Word spelling and grammar checker to check for mistakes. Click here to find out how to use the spelling and grammar checker. Click here to find out how to use the spelling and grammar checker.

23. Using Spelling and Grammar Checker: Spelling After typing the 3 paragraphs of your article, click to begin the spelling and grammar checker. You will see a menu box like the one below. Spelling mistakes are in red; grammar mistakes are in green. After typing the 3 paragraphs of your article, click to begin the spelling and grammar checker. You will see a menu box like the one below. Spelling mistakes are in red; grammar mistakes are in green. If you think the word is spelled correctly, click here. If you want to change the spelling, click the suggestion that is the correct spelling of your word, and click here.

24. Using Spelling and Grammar Checker: Grammar If you think there is no mistake, click here. If you want to change the grammar, click the suggestion that is correct, and click here.

25. STEP 6- PUBLISHING Well done! You have researched, created a graphic organizer, drafted, revised, and proofread your article. It is now time to publish! Print your essay so that it can be compiled by the local meteorologist for study. Dont forget to create your bibliography!bibliography Great work!