QUICK PRACTICE WRITING SKILLS Grades 4 5 Dozens of Reproducible Pages That Give Kids Practice in Grammar, Mechanics, Spelling, and Other Key Writing Skills by Marcia Miller and Martin Lee NEW YORK TORONTO LONDON AUKLAND SYDNEY MEXICO CITY NEW DELHI HONG KONG BUENOS AIRES
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the activity sheets from this book for classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Cover design by Maria Lilja Cover illustration by Mike Gordon Interior design by Jeffrey Dorman Interior illustrations by Margeaux Lucas ISBN 0-439-37096-5 Copyright 2003 by Marcia Miller and Martin Lee All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 09 08 07 06 05 04 03
CONTENTS About This Book...4 Using This Book...5 Tried & True Test-Taking Tips...6 Part 1: Conventions of Grammar and Mechanics Find the Noun...8 Noun Names...9 Write the Plural...10 Write the Singular...11 Finish the Sentence...12 Common Nouns, Proper Nouns...13 Identify Kinds of Nouns...14 Pick the Best Noun...15 Pick the Pronoun...16 Pronouns and Antecedents...17 Check the Pronouns...18 Find the Verb...19 Pick the Verb Form...20 Use Linking Verbs...21 Use the Verb...22 Use Verb Tenses...23 Use a Better Verb...24 Find the Adjective...25 Make Comparisons...26 Use a Better Adjective...27 Answer With Adverbs...28 Use Adjectives and Adverbs...29 Write Prepositional Phrases...30 Add Prepositional Phrases...31 Find Spelling Mistakes...32 Spell Check...33 Pick the Homophone...34 Write With Homophones...35 Form Compound Words...36 Work With Contractions...37 Explain Prefixes...38 Explain Suffixes...39 Find Capitalization Errors...40 Use Capital Letters...41 End Marks...42 Use the End Mark... 43 Watch the Punctuation...44 Fix Punctuation Errors...45 Part 2: Writing Styles Continue a Sentence...48 Write Complete Sentences...49 Combine Two Sentences...50 Fix Run-On Sentences...51 Avoid Double Negatives...52 Figure Out the Error...53 Choose the Synonym...54 Choose the Antonym...55 Use Figures of Speech...56 Explain Figures of Speech...57 Add Supporting Details...58 Topic Sentence and Support...59 Unity in Paragraphs...60 Use Signal Words...61 Part 3: The Writing Process Prewriting: Take Notes...64 Prewriting: Narrow a Topic...65 Prewriting: Use Story Blocks...66 Prewriting: Use a Character Map...67 Prewriting: Gather Details...68 Prewriting: I Know, I Want to Know...69 Prewriting: Plan Questions...70 Prewriting: Response to Reading... 71 Prewriting: Fact vs. Opinion...72 Prewriting: Library Resources (1)...73 Prewriting: Library Resources (2)...74 Drafting: Write the Steps...75 Drafting: Organize the Sentences...76 Drafting: Topic Sentences...77 Drafting: Know Your Audience...78 Drafting: Know Your Purpose...79 Editing: Choose the Best Sentence...80 Editing: Remove Extra Details...81 Revising: Fix the Mistakes...82 Revising: Liven Up Dull Sentences...83 Part 4: Writing Activities Writing: Exposition...86 Writing: Narration...87 Writing: Description...88 Writing: Expression...89 Writing: Persuasion...90 Writing: Response to Literature...91 Writing: Practical Writing...92 Bubble Practice Sheet...93 Writer s Self-Evaluation Checklist...94 Teacher Notes and Selected Answers...95 3
Name FIND THE NOUN Mark the letter beneath the word that is a noun. 1. The world s first toothbrushes weren t brushes at all. A B C D 2. They were pencil-sized twigs that were frayed at one end. A B C D 3. These chew sticks were found in many ancient Egyptian tombs! 4. The oldest bristle toothbrush was made in China over 500 years ago. 5. The stiff bristles came from the necks of hogs. 6. They were attached to handles carved out of bone or bamboo. 7. The early Chinese toothbrushes were known for having hard bristles. 8. Europeans who brushed at all used softer toothbrushes made of horsehair. 9. A 1723 French medical book said to clean teeth with a natural sponge. 10. But any natural animal hair could introduce germs to the mouth. 11. In 1938,Americans could buy the very first nylon-bristled toothbrush. 12. Nylon was a new fiber that was considered safer and cleaner to use. 13. Today, you can get toothbrushes in any size, stiffness, shape, and color. 14. You can also get electric toothbrushes to help keep your mouth healthy. 8
Name NOUN NAMES Each sentence has a noun shown in boldface. Write whether that noun names a person,a place,a thing, or an idea. 1. Many people think that the koala is a kind of bear. 2. But scientists know that koalas are not bears. 3. In fact, koalas are marsupials mammals with a pouch. 4. Most of the world s koalas live in Australia. 5. The koala is a tree-dwelling plant eater. 6. Koalas find safety living high up in the branches. 7. Have you read The World of the Koala by Melvin Lee? 8. Koalas have several forms of communication. 9. Their sounds include bellowing, humming, and crying. 10. Koalas spend about 18 to 20 hours a day resting. 11. Australians observe Save the Koala Month each July. 12. At Koala Beach, humans and koalas can live side by side. 9