Issuu

AclassroomworkbookcompaniontoLouisaLearnstoWrite:LouisaMayAlcottCreates‘LittleWomen’ byKateHannigan,illustratedbySofiaMoore(CalkinsCreek/AstraBooksforYoungReaders;January2026)

Ten Habits for Becoming a Writer

SinceLittleWomenwaspublishedover150yearsago,LouisaMayAlcott’sbelovednovelhasnever goneoutofprint.ButLouisadidn’talwaysmeetwithsuccess.Shestruggledforyearstolearnhowto writewell.WhatfollowsaretenhabitswriterslikeLouisadevelopedonthewaytobecomingauthors, aswellas“writingsprints”tohelpbuildwritingmuscles!

1.Read: Pick up a book and get lost in a story.

Whenweread,webuildnewconnectionsinourbrains!Thesepathwayshelpuslearninformation anddecodelanguage Readingnotonlymakesussmart,itbuildsouremotionalintelligencetoo!

Thinkofafavoritebookyou’veread.Howdidthestorymakeyoufeel?Namethebookand describewhatmovedyou totears,laughter,frustration,orevenrelief.

Howdidtheauthorstiryouremotions?Throughdialogue?Figurativelanguage?

Nowthinkaboutasecondfavoritebookyou’veread,andlet’scomparethetwousingaVenn diagram.ListtraitsofthemaincharacterinBook1andtraitsofthemaincharacterinBook2.Inthe middle,listthetraitstheyshareandhowtheyarealike.

Main Character 1 Main Character 2 Alike

Shareafewreasonswhyyoulikeonebookmorethantheotherbook.

Whydidtheauthorswritetheirbook?Whowastheirintendedaudience?

2.Write: The more we put pencil to paper, the easier writing becomes.

Aswithanythingwe’relearning,repetitionisimportant.Whetherwe’reunderstandinghowtoplaythe guitar,bakeacake,orsinkaballintoanet,wehavetodevotetimetoourtask Andthatgoesfor writingtoo!Themorewewrite,theeasieritbecomes

WritingSprint!

Embarrassmentisapowerfulemotion—sopowerfulthatsometimeswerememberan embarrassingmomentourentirelives!Thinkaboutatimewhenyouwereembarrassed.Nowset thestageforus,describingthedetailsthatleduptothemoment.Whatthoughtsracedthrough yourmind?Whatsoundsplayedinyourears?Whatwasyourexpectationbeforethemoment? Whathappenedasitallplayedout?Giveusdetails,butkeeptheactionmoving!

Laughterdemonstratesanotherpowerfulemotion,andoftenitcomesaboutbecauseofa surprise Thinkaboutatimewhenyoufeltjoyfulandlaugheddeeply,fromyourbelly Whatmade thismomentdifferentfromanordinaryday?Whatwereyouoriginallyexpecting,andwhat actuallyhappened?Wereyoualoneordidyoushareitwithsomeone?

Everyonefeelssadnessnowandthen.Sometimesit’sbecauseofsomethingthathappens directlytous,othertimesit’sbecauseofsomethingthat’shappeningtosomeonewecare about.Thinkaboutatimewhenyouwantedtocry.Wereyouwitnessinganinjustice?Wereyou missingsomethingwithyourwholeheart?Nowdescribewhatyoureyesweredoing,yourbottom lip,yournose,yourhands.Wasyourchesttight?Whataboutyourthroat?Wasiteasytospeakor difficult?

3.Observe: Use all five senses to notice details both large and small.

Abigchallengeofwritingisshowingwhat’shappeningratherthantelling.Soauthorstrytoimaginea sceneintheirmindsandbeginmakingobservationsaboutit,thewayadetectivewould.Whenwe useourfivesenses seeing,smelling,tasting,hearing,feeling wecanmakeinteresting observationsthat addpizzazztoourwriting.

Forexample,insteadofsimplystating“Hewashot,”wecanobservehowourfeetfeelwhenwecross a100-degreeparkinglotonasummerdayandbringthattoourwriting:“Theheatrosethroughthe solesofhissneakers,andhistoesbegantosweatinhissocks.Witheverystep,hisfeetweighed heavier,andtheblacktarseemedtobubblelike lava.”

WritingSprint!Useyoursensesforthesequickwritingexercises:

Imagineastraydogarrivesatschool,andyouareinchargeoftakingcareofitthe wholeday.Asitsitsinclassatyourfeet,younoticeitstaringupatyouwithadoring eyes Yougazeback,filledwithadoringtoo

Seeing:

Writeaboutwhatyousee.Itseyes?Ears?Coat?Whenitwagsitstail,whatdoesit lookliketoyou?Awindshieldwiper?Adrum?

Butwait,younoticesomethingelse movingonthedog’shead.Isitabug?No,notjustabug.It’s adozenbugs.Thisdogiscoveredinticks!Writeaboutthemoment.

Smelling: Imaginewalkingintoyourhomewhencookiesarebakingintheoven.The aromaissodelicious,yourfeetliftoffthefloorandyoubegintofloat towardthekitchen.Describethewaythewonderfulsmellpullsyouthrough yourhome.

Tasting: Yousitdownwithapileofwarmfrenchfries,diponeinthenearbysauce,and popitintoyourmouth.Uh-oh!Thatwasn’tketchup!Itwashotsauce,and nowyourmouthfeelslikeit’sonfire.Describewhat’shappeningonyour tongue?Inyourhead?

Hearing: Sitasstillasyoucanandlettheworldsettlearoundyou.Whatdoyouhear? Isabirdchirpinginatreenearby?Isitsingingtoitspartner?Tothebaby birdsinitsnest?Describethesounds.Doyoueverhearfamilymembers singingathome?Describethat!

Feeling:

Ateacherintroducesyoutoashynewstudent,andthetwoofyoushake hands.Inthatmoment,youfeeltheroughcallusesonhispalm.Forbeingso young,hehasthehandsofagrownup.Describewhatthecallusesfeellike andatimewhenyouworkedsohardthatyoudevelopedroughhandstoo.

4.Play: World-building is a form of storytelling.

We’vebeenstorytellersourwholelives.Wheneverweplayanduseourimagination,wearecreating thestructureofastory.It’sjustaliveinourmindsinsteadofonthepage.Allwehavetodoissitdown withapencilandpaper,andwriteitdownforotherstoenjoy.

WritingSprint!

Drawtwoactionfiguresandnamethem.

Name1:

Name2:

Nextdrawwhat’saroundthem.Aretheyamongtreesinnature?Standingbesidealong-agocastle? Insideacurrent-dayhouse?

Setting:

Nowthinkaboutwhatoneofthem(theprotagonist)wantsmorethananythingelse.Maketheother (theantagonist)standinthewayofthatgoal.

Hey!Lookwhatyou’vedone!You’vesetuptheelementsofastory:

Protagonist: Setting: Antagonist: Conflict:

Onceyou’redonedrawingeverything,getreadytowritedownthedetails Imagine youareexplainingitalltoayoungercousinwhoneedsabedtimestory.Writeone sentenceatatimeandchoosevividlanguage.Andmakesuretokeepitinteresting beforeyourlittlecousinclimbsoutofbed!

5.Explore: Discover different kinds of books and ideas.

Standinthecenterofyourfavoritelibrary.First,walktothesectionwhereyoutypicallyfindthebooks youlove(graphicnovels?).Chooseonebookofftheshelf.Nowwalkaway!

Second,headovertoadifferentsectionwhereyoudon’ttypicallyvisit(historicalfiction?).Inthis libraryarea,chooseanotherbookofftheshelf Withtwobooksinyourhands,nowventuretoathird section(picturebookbiographies?).Selectabookfromthisarea.

WritingSprint!

Holdingyourthreebooksfromthreesections,readthefirsttenpagesofeachone.Openbook,open mind!Thenwritedownsomethingyoulikeaboutthestory,thewriting,andthecharacters.

Book1:

Book2:

Book3:

Onceyou’vefinishedallthreebooks,takeafewminutestowriteaquicksummaryofeach

“Someone,Wanted,But,So,Then”exercise.

Book1

Someone: Wanted: But: So: Then: Book2

Someone: Wanted: But: So: Then: Book3

Someone: Wanted: _______________________________________ But: So: Then:

Host a Book Auction!

Withyourteacher’spermission,hostabookauction,whereyoutrytopersuadeyourclassmatesto “buy”yourbooks.Sharewhatyoulikedabouteachone,andreallysell‘em.Thensnatchupanewtitle thatyourclassmatesrecommend!

6.Dream: Quiet time frees our imagination.

Slowdownletyourthoughtswander.Sometimesthebestwritingideascomewhenwe’rerelaxedand simplylookingoutthewindowonacarride.Likebillowyclouds,storiescandriftinandtakeshapein ourmind.

WritingSprint!

Usethisthree-panelgridtocreateagraphicnovel.InPanel1,drawthemaincharacterfromabook youlike InPanel2,drawyourself Whatwouldyousaytothemaincharacter?Howwouldthemain characterrespondtoyou?Thinkabouthowyoumightdress,talk,eat,feelifyouwereinthestory together.InPanel3,youbotharesuddenlysurprisedtohearaGROWLoffpanel!Showhowthetwoof youreact.Keepaddingpanelstotellthestory.

7.Fail: Don’t be afraid to see what works—and what does not.

Witheveryattempt,wegainknowledge.Thingsmightnotturnoutthewaywewanted,andmaybe westarttothinkwe’rejustnotanygood.Buteverybodyfeelsthatwayonceinawhile.Andfailingisa partofthegame.Wedon’tsweatit justturnthepage(metaphor!)andtryagain.

WritingSprint!

Let’sworkondialogue.Firstoff,ummmm...whatisit?Dialogueistheconversationbetweentwo characters It'snotjustwallpaperinascene!Itshouldadddepth,revealingthecharacters'feelings, cluestotheplot,andevenlayerstothesetting.Whenwritingdialogue,remember:

Newspeaker,newline

Quotationmarkscontainthespokenwords "Likethis!"

PunctuatethespokenwordsINSIDEthequotationmarks."Likethis,"saidI.

NowwritethissceneofdialoguebetweenyouandAuntBertha:

Ashoesitsonthefloornearyourfrontdoor.It’scompletelydestroyed,theleatherchewedtobits,and youknowwhodidit:theadorablebunnyrabbityoufoundyesterdayandarecurrentlyhidingunder yourbed. AuntBerthaownsthatshoe,andnowit’sruined!Shewantstogettothebottomofthings, butyoudon’twanttoadmityourrabbit’sguiltandriskBunnygettingkickedout.

YOU: “Shoe?Whatshoe?”Iasked.

BERTHA(Usedescriptivelanguageabouttheshoe): “

”Berthasaid.“ ________________________________ !”

YOU(Usewordsthatrevealyouremotions):“ ,”Ibegan “

BERTHA(Useasimiletodescribetheshoe’scondition):“

”shoutedBertha.

YOU(Useametaphortodescribehowtheshoesmells):“ ,”Itoldher

BERTHA(Usewordsthatrevealthesetting):“ ,”Berthasaid. “ . ”

YOU(Usewordsthatrevealaplottwist):“__________________,”Ireplied.“____

Readyourdialogueoutloudwithaclassmate Howcanyouimproveit?Markupyourworkandwrite noteswhereitcouldbestrongerandthelanguagecouldbemoreinteresting.Drawalinethrough wordsthatarerepetitiveorunnecessary.Keeprevisingthescenetomakethewordssnappierand thetensionclearer.Asyoumakeyourchanges,don’tlosehope!Instead,findwhatworks!

Don’tsweatthatit’snotallperfect.We’relearning,right?Nowthatwecanseewhatworksandwhat doesn’t,writethesceneagain Onlythistimemakeitbetterthanever!

YOU: “ ,”Ibegan

BERTHA(Usedescriptivelanguageabouttheshoe): “

,”Berthasaid.“ !”

YOU(Usewordsthatrevealyouremotions):“ ,”Isaid.“

BERTHA(Useasimiletodescribetheshoe’scondition):“ ,”shoutedBertha.“

YOU(Useametaphortodescribehowtheshoesmells):“ ,”Itoldher

BERTHA(Usewordsthatrevealthesetting):“__________________,”Berthasaid.

YOU(Usewordsthatrevealaplottwist):“ ,”Ireplied “

8.Experiment: Try different styles of writing.

Maybeyou’rethekindofpersonwholikeslongsentencesthatflowlikeakiteinthewind,dippingand swooping,thensoaringmajesticallyinanexcitingburst.Ormaybenot.

WritingSprint!

Imagineyourfavoritedessertsitsinfrontofyou Writethreewordsdescribinghowitlooks

Writethreewordsdescribinghowittastes.

Nowwritethreesimiles(comparisonsusingtheword“like”;“Isleptlikearock”)abouthowyoufeel whenyoueatthisdessert.

Thenstartagainandwriteadescriptivepassagethatcreatesacolorfulpictureinwords,usingshort sentencesthataretight,powerful,anddirect.

Writeagainforathirdtime.Stringthosedescriptionstogetherasapersuasiveargumentforyour classmatestovoteyourdessertastheworld’sgreatest.

9.Persevere: Keep at it, even when things get tough.

Themorewewrite,theeasiertheactofwritingbecomes.Likeababylearningtowalk wedidn’tjust sitdownandquitwhenouritty-bittyselvestriedtogetacrossaroom.Wetoddled,wetripped,and wetriedagain!Andagainandagain.

WritingSprint!

Thinkaboutatimewhenyouwerereallytested.Whenthingsfeltbleak,butyoudidn’tgiveup.Now describeit Layerinthingsthatplaytooursenseofseeing,smelling,tasting,hearing,andfeeling Add languagethatfocusesonasingleemotion,likejoy,sadness,orembarrassment.Trydifferentwriting styleslikepunchysentences,zippydialogue,orcolorfuldescriptivelanguage.Showhowyou perseveredandkeptatit!

Writesomemore Andsomemore Andsomemore Andrememberthatwhenitcomestothestory ofyourlife,youholdthepencil.

My Thoughts, My Words,

My Story

Written by

10.Dare: Find the courage to reach a little bit higher.

Onceyougetyourstoryoutofyourhead,downyourarm,throughyourpencil, andontothepaper,takeamomenttoenjoyit.Andcelebratethatthethoughts ping-pongingthroughyouronebeautifulbrainarenowonapageandinthe world.Waytogo!

Therearelotsofwaystoshareyourwriting.Withyourteacherorlibrarianor evenwithyourcleverclassmates,youcan:

Builda“WritingWall”inyourschoollibrarytoshowcasestudentwork

Createanonlinewritersclubwherestudentsreadtheirwritingaloud

Publishyourstoriesinyourclassroom,creatingbookcoversandbinding pagestogether;displaythemona“ClassroomAuthors”bookshelffor studentstocheckinandout

Keepchallengingyourselftoreadmore,writemore,andreachhigher