Trait Crate Plus: Grade 4

Using fiction and nonfiction children's books as mentors, Trait Crate Plus adds new life and energy to the teaching of writing through thoughtful and creative lessons that are ready-to-use tomorrow. Everything you need is provided. Traits Crate Plus helps students learn and use the six traits-ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions-to improve specific skills in writing. With six all-new mentor texts per grade and 24 time-saving lessons, Ruth Culham's Trait Crate Plus expands and enriches the reading-and-writing experience. In addition to the valuable features and components of the original Trait Crate this enhanced edition offers: An emphasis on modes - narrative, informational, and opinion-to help you address higher standards. A companion website that provides access to dozens of downloadable pages for students, video interviews with children's authors, and student-friendly scoring guides. Culham's bestseller The Writing Thief, which takes a deep dive into the theory and practice of using mentor texts to teach the craft of writing. Mentor Texts: Ideas: If Kids Ran the World, by Leo and Diane Dillon Organization: Who Would Win? Whale vs. Giant Squid, by Jerry Pallotta Voice: Bugs in My Hair, by David Shannon Word Choice: The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf, by Mark Teague Sentence Fluency: Steve Jobs: A True Book, by Josh Gregory Conventions: Season of the Circle: A Native American Year, by Joseph Bruchac.