Author Archives: Lora

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About Lora

Author of WORDS, Freshly Baked Pie, Lucky Me, The Three Witty Goats Gruff, A Sackful of Poems, Bear. To learn more, please visit me at www.lorarozler.com. Thanks for stopping by!

There’s a Monster In My Bed

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There’s a Monster In My Bed
By Cindy (age 8)

There's a monster in my bedmonster-buddy
     He made me bump my head
He followed me to school
     I told him it ain't cool
I begged him to go home
     To a cozy place in Rome
He jumped up on my chair
     And then he pulled my hair
I pushed him to the ground
     He landed with a frown
There's no monster in my bed
     I shooed him from my head

Creative Commons License
There’s a monster in my bed by Lora Rozler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Tips for Young Authors

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What Makes a Good Story?
By Aaron Shepard

Good writers often break rules – but they know they’re doing it!

Here are some good rules to know.

Theme

A theme is something important the story tries to tell us—something that might help us in our own lives. Not every story has a theme, but it’s best if it does.

Don’t get too preachy. Let the theme grow out of the story, so readers feel they’ve learned it for themselves. You shouldn’t have to say what the moral is.

Plot

Plot is most often about a conflict or struggle that the main character goes through. The conflict can be with another character, or with the way things are, or with something inside the character, like needs or feelings.

The main character should win or lose at least partly on their own, and not just be rescued by someone or something else. Most often, the character learns or grows as they try to solve their problem. What the character learns is the theme.

The conflict should get more and more tense or exciting. The tension should reach a high point or “climax” near the end of the story, then ease off.

The basic steps of a plot are: conflict begins, things go right, things go WRONG, final victory (or defeat), and wrap-up. The right-wrong steps can repeat.

A novel can have several conflicts, but a short story should have only one.
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Encourage young readers

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Hide Love Notes Between the Pages

Try giving these encouraging messages and little rewards for reading.
By Allison McDonald
on March 27, 2014

Before I had kids I was a parenting expert. I knew how to get babies to sleep, how to keep kids quiet at a restaurant, and how to make all kids love books. Then I became a parent and discovered that children are individuals who have these funny things called minds of their own. I got two wonderfully funny, brilliant, and incredibly stubborn children who challenge me when I least expect it.

One thing I do not want to turn into a fight is reading. I do not want to make it a chore — we have enough of those in our house that don’t get done without a struggle. I want to keep reading fun. These little notes aren’t just to reward with things — they give parents a chance to encourage their readers even if they are not in the room, or school bus, or at school. They are like lunch box notes in a book.

You will need some post it notes ( I love these heart ones), a pen, and a book or two.

Take your child’s book that he or she is reading, and divide it up into reading sections. It could be by chapter sections, a handful of pages, or even a few paragraphs each. This will depend on your child’s reading abilities and how far you want to challenge him/her. Here are some ideas for the notes. Use the encouraging words that your child will respond to and rewards that fit your child’s personality and your parenting comfort zone.

“You are a reading superstar!”
“Did you read all this by yourself? Amazing!”
“You just earned a later bedtime!”
“You are one smart cookie!”
“Readers are leaders! ”
“Did you like this book? Let’s talk about it over hot chocolate!”
“Books are cool!”
“Trade this note in for a treat!”
“Let’s go for a walk and chat about this book.”
“Reading rocks, and so do you!”
“You did it! I knew you would. Trade in this book for a trip to the bookstore where you can choose a brand new book!”

Full Article

Journal Writing Prompts 2

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Part 2 of the popular Journal Writing Prompts

Click on image for your FREE download.

Journal Writing Prompts 2

Writing has always been my favourite subject in school, both as a student and now as a teacher. To help encourage my reluctant students to write, I put together a collection of prompts to appeal to them. Though Journal writing is generally a free topic in my class, some students feel stuck without direction. That’s where the cards come in handy. They were a staple in my classroom when I taught Grade 2 and 3, but essentially could be used in any grade. Feel free to download them and use them in your own classrooms. They work well in a binder inside sheet protectors or else cut and laminated as cue cards.

 

You want to share

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Lora-Mauricio - 0018Hello friends. I started this blog to provide a space for people to discuss and share opinions on writing, which is a passion for many of us.  In the spirit of this intention, I’d like to invite writers to showcase their work on my latest tab – Writers on a Limb, a home for poems, stories, opinion pieces, parenting experiences, reviews or even helpful guides for parents and teachers.

If you would like to share your talent, leave a reply on this post or contact me at wordsonalimb@bell.net.AuthorCoffee

So go on, get out your laptop or dust off an old piece and let your words go out on a limb.

Someday by Alison McGhee and Peter Reynolds

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Someday by Alison McGhee and Peter Reynolds

This story is one that will touch the heart of any mother and child. A mother reflecting on her love for her child, and imagining each milestone with beautifully illustrated watercolor pictures, will draw you in. From that first meeting at the moment of birth to holding hands as they cross the street to riding a bike for the first time to seeing her grown up daughter waving goodbye, this story will keep you reading and maybe touch a part of you that has been hiding. Reading it with your children may offer both of you a sentiment that is only brought on by being deeply moved.

Watch a reading of the book here: Reading of Someday

Guess how much I love you by Sam McBratney

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guess_how_much_i_love_you_cover_art

This beguiling bedtime tale features a young rabbit and his indulgent parent. Searching for words to tell his dad how much he loves him (and to put off bedtime just an tiny bit longer), Little Nutbrown Hare comes up with one example after another (“I love you as high as I can hop!”), only to have Big Nutbrown Hare continually up the ante. Finally, on the edge of sleep, he comes up with a showstopper: “I love you right up to the moon.”(Dad does top this declaration too, but only after his little bunny falls asleep.) Effused with tenderness, this charming story has a quieting effect just right for that last soothing tale before sleep. Ages 3-up.

Take a peek here: Guess how much I love you

Daily Journal Writing Prompts

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Journal WritingHappy Sunday everyone. Writing has always been my favourite subject in school, both as a student and now as a teacher. To help encourage my reluctant students to write, I put together a collection of prompts to appeal to them. Though Journal writing is generally a free topic in my class, some students feel stuck without direction. That’s where the cards come in handy. They were a staple in my classroom when I taught Grade 2 and 3, but essentially could be used in any grade. Feel free to download them and use them in your own classrooms. They work well in a binder inside sheet protectors or else cut and laminated as cue cards.