Written+Expression

=Framing Your Thoughts =

The Language Circle/Project Read Written Expression Curriculum and instructional strategies inspire and energize students as they learn the fundamentals of writing. This curriculum teaches written language sequentially and systematically coupling creative freedom with direct multi-sensory skill instruction with the new companion Framing Your Thoughts DVD’s. Instruction moves from barebone sentences through 5 kinds of paragraph development.

**Benefits of the Framing Your Thoughts Curriculum and DVDs:**


 * Each unit of study is presented with direct instruction and model teaching
 * Can be used in the classroom for direct instruction
 * Opportunity to view concepts and skills for daily lesson planning
 * Bridges the gap between grammar and written expression to meet state standards
 * Writing is taught by function - especially helpful for English learners
 * Addresses multiple writing genres
 * Applicable to elementary and secondary students

In this curriculum, the parts of a sentence are represented by graphic symbols that allow students to manipulate sentence design as they express thoughts and ideas in writing. The concepts and skills are taught sequentially and logically. The process teaches correct sentence structure and punctuation using the students’ own expressive language. Knowledge, understanding, and analysis of sentence structure are powerful tools in increasing reading comprehension, fluency, and decoding text through context clues. The process leads students from understanding the function of sentence parts to standard labels of parts of speech. The Applied Writing Units help transfer sentence structure to paragraph development. This curriculum provides direct instruction to shape five types of paragraphs. Each paragraph type is taught with its unique graphic organizer and skill instruction. The strength of this process is that students not only learn the standard paragraph construction, but they master the ingredients needed to develop a specific type of paragraph. A strong editing piece teaches students to write with responsible independence.

=**Framing Your Thoughts Guide** = =__**Unit 1 **__=

Every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a stop sign.  (period **.** question mark **?** exclamation point **!** )
 * Another name for a stop sign is a __punctuation mark__.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __barebones sentence__ is formed using one subject and one predicate.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: //Dogs bark//. or //Cats meow.//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __subject__ is a person, place, thing or idea. It is also called a namer.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Another name for a subject is a __noun__.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">There are two types of namers: a common namer and a proper namer.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A common namer (noun) is any person, place, thing, or idea.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: teacher, school, dog

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A proper namer (noun) is a specific person, place, thing or idea and it must always be capitalized.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: Mr. Margeson, Pleasant Valley, Fido

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __compound subject__ has two namers (nouns).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: //Boys and girls// learn.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __series subject__ has three or more namers (nouns). Use commas to separate the nouns.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: //Cats, dogs, birds, and fish// play.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Use a __connector__ to join namers (nouns).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Another name for a connector is a __conjunction__. (and, but, or)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Substitute Namer__ – takes the place of a noun.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Another name for a substitute namer is a __pronoun__.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: //he, she, it, they, me, I//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The __predicate__ is the action of the subject and what the subject is or does.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Another name for a predicate is a __verb__.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __compound predicate__ has two action words (verbs).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: Children //swim and dive//.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __series predicate__ has three or more action words (verbs). Use commas to separate the verbs.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: Children //swim, dive, flip, and slide//.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Use a __connector__ to join verbs.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Another name for a connector is a conjunction. (and, but, or)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A subject plus a predicate equals a __complete thought.__
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Subject + Predicate = Complete Thought

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Singular__ means only one - dog, cat, boy, girl

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Plural__ means more than one - dogs, cats, boys, girls

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Subject and predicates must agree in number.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">This is called __subject/verb agreement__.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">If the subject is plural (more than one), the action word (verb) **should not** have an s.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: //Dogs bark.//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">If the subject is singular (only one), the action word (verb) **should** have an s.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: //The dog barks//.

=**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Unit 2 **=

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __predicate expander__ tells more about the action of the subject. There are four kinds of predicate expanders. A where expander, how expander, when expander, and why expander.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __where expander__ tells where the action is taking place.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A where expander begins with a "where" word and ends with a namer (noun).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: Dogs bark //in the dark//.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __preposition__ shows position and is always the first word in a group of words that end with a namer or noun. The position word leads to a person, place, thing, or idea.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Position Words or Prepositions__ – about, above, along, around, across, against, among, after, at, by, behind, beside, beneath, below, beyond, before, but, between, during, down, except, for, from, in, into, inside, near, outside, out, off, on, onto, over, past, since, through, throughout, to, toward, under, underneath, up, upon, within, without

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __how expander__ tells how the action is taking place.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A how expander can by an -__ly__ word: happily, sadly, quickly, slowly

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A how expander can a phrase that begins with like…with…or without…
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: Dogs bark //loudly like a horn//.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">-ly words must be located directly next to the predicate.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">How predicate expanders have __mobility__, they can move to the beginning of the sentence if it makes the sentence better. If the phrase is more than four words, it should be separated from the rest of the sentence with a comma.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: //Like a fog horn//, the dog barks loudly.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __when expander__ tells when the action is taking place.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">When expanders are phrases that start with the following words: when, since, before, after, as soon as, during, while
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: Dogs bark //during thunderstorms//.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">When expanders also have mobility.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">A __why expander__ tells why the action is taking place.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Why expanders are phrases that begin with the following words: to, so, for, because
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: Dogs bark //because they are frightened//.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Predicate expanders are also known as adverbs. They describe more details about the action of the sentence, or they describe the verb.

=**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Unit 3 **=

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Subject describers__ describe the subject such as what it looks like and physical characteristics, behavior, how many, and who owns it.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Another name for subject describer is __adjective__.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">There are five kinds of subject describers (adjectives).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">1. __Looks Like/Physical__ - These describe size, shape, color, texture, taste and smell.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: The //red, mushy, big, juicy, tart, rotten// apple fell.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">2. __Behavior/Personality__ - These describe how the subject acts or behaves.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: The //nice// boy was wrapped in a //cozy// quilt during the //noisy// storm.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">3. __Number__ - This describes how many. It can be a number or a number word, such as: several, all, every, each, many, a/an, most, some, both, either, few, neither.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: There were //three// cats on the porch and //every// cat was white.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">4. __Ownership__ - This describes who owns the subject of the sentence.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">These are also known as __possessive nouns__.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">An apostrophe [ ' ] is used to show who owns the namer (noun).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">If the ownership word is singular, place the apostrophe at the end of the word and add an s. ['s]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: The //teacher's// book fell off the shelf.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">If the ownership word is plural, place the apostrophe after the final s. [s']
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: The //teachers'// hats all blew away.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">If the plural word does not end in an s, place the apostrophe at the end of the word and add an s. ['s]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: The //children's// books were easy to read.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">5. __Set Apart__ - A set apart describe comes between the subject and the predicate. It will set them apart in the sentence.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Example: The kittens //in the basket// live at my house.

=<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**__Sentence Structure__** =
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Unit 1: Barebone Sentence
 * Sentence frame
 * Subject
 * Types of subjects (person, place, thing, idea)
 * Proper vs. Common
 * Multiple subjects with connectors and commas
 * Action Predicate
 * Mental actions vs. physical actions
 * Multiple actions with connectors and commas
 * Singular vs. plural
 * Subject – verb agreement (present progressive, but could be expanded)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Unit 2: Predicate Expanders
 * Where
 * Starter words for where
 * Prepositional phrases
 * How
 * Starter words for how
 * Adverbs
 * Mobility of predicate expanders
 * Only if it makes the meaning clearer
 * Adds to sentence variety
 * When
 * Starter words for when
 * Why
 * Starter words for why
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Unit 3: Subject Describers
 * Looks Like/Physical
 * Behavior/Personality
 * Number
 * Ownership
 * Set-Apart Interrupter
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Unit 4: Predicate expander that carries the action to the receiver
 * Working on more compound/complex sentence forms
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Unit 5: Bound Predicates
 * Working on more compound/complex sentence forms

=**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__Applied Writing__ **= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Unit 1: Paragraph Writing
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Key points
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Topic sentence
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Supporting sentence
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Restatement Sentence/Clincher

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Unit 2: Paragraph Writing Steps
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Choose a Subject
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Decide on a key point
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Brainstorming supporting info
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Sequencing supporting info
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Write the paragraph
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Edit the paragraph

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Unit 3: Kinds of Paragraphs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Procedural
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Descriptive
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Persuasive
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Informative
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Compare/Contrast