empowering young writers online

Common Core Writing Guides

lizard looking leftLeap into the Common Core Writing Standards with No Ordinary Lizard

Fulfill all 10 Writing Standards for Grades 3, 4, and 5

These grade-specific guides help you fulfill the Common Core by combining examples and activities generated from my middle-grade novel No Ordinary Lizard with the instruction and opportunities available here at All Write with Me.

Inside the Guides

  • Thought-provoking questions to facilitate opinion writing
  • Research topics to generate informative writing
  • Examples from the book No Ordinary Lizard to foster narrative writing
  • A list of the standards addressed by each activity
  • Links to relevant instructional pages on allwritewithme.com

Writing Instruction You Can Trust

  • Strategies and techniques used by acclaimed authors and industry professionals
  • Adheres to the 6+1 Trait Writing Model
  • Addresses Common Core Standards for specific grades

Opportunities Your Students Need

  • Guidance and support from peers and adults
    (CCSS ELA-Literacy W.3.5, W.4.5, W.5.5)
  • Produce and publish writing on the Internet
    (CCSS ELA-Literacy W.3.6, W.4.6, W.5.6)
  • Interact and collaborate with others on the Internet
     (CCSS ELA-Literacy W.3.6, W.4.6, W.5.6)

No Ordinary Lizard provides

  • research topics in science, biology, mythology, history, oceanography, space and more – for informative writing
  • character relationships, character growth, core themes – for opinion writing
  • a variety of narrative techniques to emulate – for narrative writing

About the Book

No Ordinary LizardIf you had a secret pet who was smart enough to write you messages, how far would you go to protect him? This is the question 11-year-old Ruth Patterson faces every day. To keep her secret, Ruth must take the blame for all the trouble he causes. To keep him safe, she’ll have to solve the mystery of a glowing rock, decipher a Hawaiian legend and unravel a string of lies – all before the lizard’s dangerous enemy catches up with them.

Obtain your copy of No Ordinary Lizard

then download your free writing guide

Tip:
If you use Adobe Reader XI to view and save a copy of the writing guides, you can customize your guide by adding your own notes and highlighting your selections. These notes and selections can easily be removed/updated every year to adjust to the changing needs of your classroom.

Free downloads of Adobe Reader XI are available here.

These guides were developed by the author, Diane Owens, in collaboration with certified teachers Nancy Barth and Alyce McConaghy.

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers are the sole owners and developers of the Common Core State Standards. Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.