Curricular Plan for Writer s Workshop

Transcription

1 Curricular Plan fr Writer s Wrkshp Grade 4 Unit Number 3: The Persnal and Persuasive Essay Bxes-and-Bullets and Argument Structures fr Essay Writing Students shuld understand and be able t: Identify imprtant issues that matter t them as writers Include the elements & structures f essays in their writing Use all they knw and have learned as writers t write in a new Reread their writing thrugh varied lenses t revise fr genre cnventin Mentr Texts Martin Luther King, Jr. s I have a dream speech (Used t highlight teaching pints in Part Three, specifically.) Online Persuasive Essays frm Time fr Kids Pssible Teaching Pints Part One: Starting Wrk tward the Persnal Essays That Students Will Draft and Revise acrss Almst Tw Weeks: Essayists Grw Cmpelling Ideas in Writer s Ntebks Writers write clear, rganized pieces that explain ideas, strng feelings, r pinins they have. Write abut smething that really matters t yu. Supprt yur pinin with reasns fr why yu feel that way. Writers gather ideas that fit the essay they are writing. We d this by: Thinking abut tpics that really, truly matter t us. Living wide-awake lives. Nticing the grit and stuff that ther peple might walk by. Observing things in ur wrld we feel strngly abut, recrding what we see in all its detail, and then jtting dwn ideas like: The thught that I have abut this is This makes me realize I wish that Flash-drafting in ur ntebks, knwing that when we write as much as we can as fast as we can fr a few minutes we ften get new ideas as we g alng. We can flash-draft many ideas by writing and finishing ne quick draft f an essay in ur ntebk, then skipping a line and quickly writing anther and anther. Thinking f an bject cnnected t the idea. Sharing ur ideas with a partner. Helping each ther think deeply abut ur tpics by asking questins like: Why is that smething imprtant t write abut? What d yu want t say abut that? Once writers have discvered their essay tpic, they grw their ideas by jtting dwn all the big thughts arund the tpic in their ntebk. 1 Literacy Curriculum Supprt Dcuments Based n A Curricular Plan fr The Writing Wrkshp Grade 4,

2 Part Tw: Writers Chse an Idea, Write It as a Thesis, and Build the Structure fr the Essay Writers review ntebk entries and ntes t identify ne tpic r idea that seems especially imprtant and interesting t write abut. They settle int the idea and take the time t live it. Write the chsen tpic again and again in different ways, until yu express what yu truly want t say. Include reasns fr yur pinin, using the wrd because in yur statement. Writers pause t make a plan f the main sectins f an essay befre they begin drafting. Plan the sectins f yur essay by deciding hw yu will supprt the main idea in multiple ways. Organize yur idea by writing it ver and ver, always including the wrd because and a reasn why yur claim is true. Different Essay Structures: Use bxes-and-bullets. State a claim and supprt the claim with reasns. Write t develp hw yur thinking has changed ver time. I used t think but nw I think Cnsider multiple angles. My thughts abut are cmplicated. On the ne hand I think On the ther hand I think Part Three: Gathering Material fr an Essay, Then Selecting the Mst Cmpelling and Apprpriate Materials and Cnstructing a Draft Writers cllect materials when writing essays. The mst imprtant materials t cllect when writing essays are stries! Use everything yu knw abut writing gd stries t help yu write mini-stries that are angled t supprt an idea. Cllect lists, qutes, statistics, r stries frm ther writers t supprt yur tpic sentences. Cnsider the evidence yu cllect t make sure yu have a variety f evidence that fits with each pint yu are trying t make. Add a sentence r tw after using a stry t clearly explain hw the stry illustrates yur main pint. This shws This made me realize Writers select the mst pwerful supprt fr each tpic sentence. We cut and paste r recpy this infrmatin int a paragraph r tw that supprts each tpic sentence t create ur first draft. After writers plan and cllect fr their essays, the day cmes t put everything tgether! Lk ver yur materials t decide what yu have and the best way t rganize evidence t supprt the main pint f the essay. Use transitinal wrds and reappearing key wrds. 2 Literacy Curriculum Supprt Dcuments Based n A Curricular Plan fr The Writing Wrkshp Grade 4,

3 Part Fur: Building Expsitry-Writing Muscles: Revising fr Structure and Elabratin Writers ften use the beginning f an essay as a place t cnvince the reader that the ideas in the essay are imprtant. Draw the reader in with a strng lead. Set them up t knw what ideas they will see in the essay. Writers end essays as pwerfully as they began, knwing they must leave the reader with a clear idea f their idea and argument. Writers edit essays, fcusing n ne particular cnventin at a time. Read and reread with a clear and fcused gal t clarify yur writing bit by bit. Spelling, run-n sentences, fragments, punctuatin Part Five: A Final Part Persuasive (r Opinin) Essay Writers write t inspire thers t believe in the same ideas they believe in themselves. Cllect ideas and write them in yur ntebk. Ask, Hw culd the wrld change fr the better? Is there anything that peple d that I think is wrng r unfair? Sme peple think but I think Writers prepare t argue ur pint t thers wh may disagree. Think carefully abut the reasns yu believe yu are right. Think carefully abut why thers might believe yu are wrng. Practice standing up fr yur pinin by debating with a writing partner wh will take the ppsite stance. Writers flash-draft their persuasive essay with a specific structure t supprt their argument. Bxes-and-bullets frm. Stating an argument, then backing it up with supprt. A thesis fllwed by an explanatin f ur pinin then fllwed by a cunterargument and the reasns yu feel it isn t true. Writers make their pinin difficult t speak against because we supprt it with truth and facts. Writers cntinue t use what they knw abut strng persnal essay writing t strengthen their persuasive essay. Use yur wn stries, the stries f thers, and qutes t supprt yur argument. Rely n an image r bject that functins as a metaphr t supprt yur argument. Writers knw that a gd argument needs t be great in rder t win a debate. We lk fr gaps and hles in ur argument by asking ur writing partners t try t disagree with us a secnd time. Writers revise by pretending t be their wn reader. We read ur text as if we have never seen it befre. Ntice sectins that are cnvincing and thse that are weak. Rewrite r take away the parts that aren t pwerful and add t parts that seem t be missing supprt. G back t mentr texts t lcate strategies that help drive hme a pint (like repetitin f a phrase r a qute). 3 Literacy Curriculum Supprt Dcuments Based n A Curricular Plan fr The Writing Wrkshp Grade 4,

4 Helpful Tips The unit will prgress thrugh the fllwing stages: Persnal Essays: Claim with supprtive examples Begin with tw quick, flash-draft essays (perfrmance assessments) 3 days Learning the mves required t write essays well Students wrk n a single essay during this time Number f days will vary Persuasive Essays: Same structure, with additin f a cunter argument Apprximately 5 days Yu might want t cnsider setting aside three days fr pre-assessment pinin pieces. The Cntinuum fr Assessing Opinin Writing can be used t assess students writing. Cmpare what yur students already knw and can d with the menu f teaching pints s as t eliminate any that fcus n skills already mastered by the members f yur class. Keep in mind, this unit is specific t 4 th grade, s it is the first time yur students will be asked t write in an essay frmat. Day 1 Prmpt: Prmpt students t write an n-demand piece, saying smething like, Tday I want yu t think abut a tpic yu feel really strngly abut. Use everything yu knw abut letter writing, speeches, and reviews t cnvince yur reader f yur idea. Althugh we aren t expert essay writing yet, I want t knw what yu already knw abut this genre. Keep the riginal r make a cpy f this first draft t use as a baseline thrughut the unit. Day 2 Revising: Guide students in a ne-day revisin f their piece. Day 3 Prmpt: This secnd piece will give yu a chance t see if students simply frgt t use sme f their strategies the first day r if they are still struggling. The secnd prmpt will ask the students t d the same wrk as the first day, but yu will add a few reminders. Briefly remind students what they already knw abut revising and the characteristics f gd writing. Remind them t state a claim, t indent, t use transitins and tpic sentences, and t write an intrductin and cnclusin. Plan as much time as needed t immerse yur students in the genre yu are asking them t write. Kids need t have a mental picture (a kind f mental rad map) f where they are heading as writers. During Part Tw, yu might want t cnsider the fllwing small grup teaching pints: Writers cnsider ther ways f structuring their essays: We may use the structure: I used t think but nw I think and then write t explain hw ur thinking has changed ver 4 Literacy Curriculum Supprt Dcuments Based n A Curricular Plan fr The Writing Wrkshp Grade 4,

5 time. We may chse t cnsider mre than ne angle n an idea. We can present multiple perspectives using the structure: My thinking abut is cmplicated. On ne hand, I think On the ther hand, I think Files & Flders recrd student s thesis n the utside f the flder and place smaller files inside fr each f their bullets r tpic sentences. Evidence cllected t supprt bullet pints can be hused in the smaller files. When yu begin Part Three, it might be helpful t refer t sessins IX and X frm the Breathing Life Int Essays text frm the Units f Study fr Teaching Writing, Grades 3-5. The example they give fr the first teaching pint utlined in this dcument shws hw yu culd use stries t supprt a claim. ( My father has been my mst imprtant teacher. This claim is fllwed by three sentences describing stries that illustrate the lessns learned frm his father.) When demnstrating this wrk, it is helpful t cme up with an idea/claim as a class. Cnsider brainstrming shared experiences in rder t cme up with an idea all students can relate t. It will allw students t practice the wrk yu are utlining in yur mini-lessns during the active engagement prtin f yur lessn. (Ex: Wrking with ur first-grade reading buddies is fun. ) Anchr Chart: Guidelines fr Writing Essays (p. 119, Breathing Life Int Essays, Units f Study fr Teaching Writing, Grades 3-5) Essayists frame the main sectins f their essays. Essayists revise early, using free writing t deepen thinking and utgrw ur early ideas. Essayists set up a system s we can srt and cmpse material t supprt ur ideas. Essayists cllect and write mini-stries that are angled t illustrate ur tpic sentence. Speeches act as a great mentr text fr essays a genre t which students have very little expsure. Cmmn Cre State Standards W.4.1 Write pinin pieces n tpics r texts, supprting a pint f view with reasns and infrmatin. W.4.4 Prduce clear and cherent writing in which the develpment and rganizatin are apprpriate t task, purpse, and audience. W.4.5 With guidance and supprt frm peers and adults, develp and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. L.4.1 Demnstrate cmmand f the cnventins f Standard English grammar and usage when writing r speaking. L.4.3 Use knwledge f language and its cnventins when writing, speaking, reading, r listening. L.4.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-apprpriate general academic and dmain-specific wrds and phrases, including thse that signal precise actins, emtins, r states f being (e.g., quizzed, whines, stammered) and that are basic t a particular tpic (e.g., wildlife, cnservatin, and endangered when discussing animal preservatin). 5 Literacy Curriculum Supprt Dcuments Based n A Curricular Plan fr The Writing Wrkshp Grade 4,