Find nuggets in writing, feedback, and mentor texts...

These are some of what Beth and I saw while
we were helping our 3rd grade buddies with their stories.

Remember that when we are giving feedback to the other writers in our CIRCLES, good feedback gives us ideas for how to make our writing better.

Somethings to always keep an eye out for are those parts in good writing that SHOW NOT TELL.  I found an example of SHOWING NOT TELLING in a book club book one club is reading.  It's been a MENTOR TEXT that has helped me with some of my writing. 

      "I closed my eyes, flared my nostrils, and let the scents flood in.  The strongest of them, caramel and brown sugar, smell as yellow-orange as the sun, came first.  That one was easy.  The one that anyone would notice come into the shop.  And then chocolate of course, the bitter dark and the sugary milk chocolate.  I don't think a normal girl would've smelled anything else, and part of me wanted to stop there.  But I could feel Sam's heart behind me, and for once I gave in. 
      Peppermint swirled into my nostrils, sharp as glass, then rasberry, almost too sweet, like too-ripe fruit.  Apple, crisp and pure. Nuts, buttery, warm, earthy, like the wolf.  The subtle, mild scent of white chocolate.  Oh, God, some sort of mocha, rich and dark and sinful.  The butter cookies on the shelves added a floury, comforting scent, and the lollipops, a riot of fruit scents too concentrated to be real.  The salty bite of pretzels, the bright smell of lemon, the brittle edge of anise.  Smells I didn't didn't even know names for..."

METAPHORS & SIMILES
http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/similesandmetaphors/