3rd Grade Writing Camp

Transcription

1 Austin Independent School District 3rd Grade Writing Camp

2 3 RD GRADE WRITING CAMP OVERVIEW In this 4-week writing unit, students will produce three drafts of writing: one personal narrative and two expository pieces. In the final week of the unit, students will choose which of the three pieces of writing they want to publish and share with an audience. Students will read their writing aloud to this audience during the last week in April (the last full week of school.) Donald Graves, the foremost expert in teaching writing process to students, said that writers will do the hard work of writing and re-writing a piece when they have an invested interest in the topic. Indeed, all writing experts agree that writers should choose topics of interest and importance to the individual writer. The prewriting lessons in this unit have been built around this theory of allowing students to choose their own topic for each piece of writing. Equally as important, writers should know who their audience is before they begin writing. When writers have their audience in mind, they make decisions about their writing based on what they think their audience will want to hear. Teachers will need to plan in advance who this audience will be. Will writers share their writing with another class? Will they invite their parents or school administrators? Will writers create books with illustrations to share with a younger student? Teachers may want to involve the students in the process of deciding who the audience will be. You may even have the students write the invitation to this audience. In any case, the decision about audience needs to be made early in the unit, so writers have this audience in mind during the entire writing process, and so everyone has time to plan for the celebration at this busy time of year. And, finally, research has shown that teachers who write in front of and alongside their students can greatly influence the efforts of their students. Thinking aloud makes the otherwise invisible processes that writers use visible to students who are just beginning to learn how writers think. By struggling with word choice or making authentic spelling or grammatical errors while drafting, the teacher shows students that all writers struggle and make errors, that writing flows on some days and stalls on other days. These are important points for student writers to realize, so they can be more patient with themselves and others and comfortable showing their work, even if there are mistakes. This teacher modeling of the writing process is also built in to the lessons in this unit and teachers are highly encouraged to write in front of their students.

3 THE WRITING PROCESS In this camp, 3rd Grade students will learn to follow a structured process for writing which consists of the following stages: Pre-Writing Drafting Conferencing Revising Editing Final Draft Proofreading Publishing / Celebrating Anything a writer does to decide on a topic to write about, including reading other pieces of writing, research, talking about topics, thinking, rehearsing, brief writings, and more. Pre-writing may be divided into two categories: 1. Generating ideas; 2. Planning and Organizing. The writer writes the ideas and sentences in an order that makes sense for the genre of writing. In a first draft, most writers work to simply get their thoughts on paper in an approximate form, knowing they will revise the writing later. A writer shares his/her writing with another writer to seek help with a problem he/she is having. Student conferences may be held with the teacher or with another peer. They may be formal, where the student reads his/her entire piece to the other person and asks for help with a specific part of the writing. Or a conference may be informal, where the teacher looks over a student s shoulder, reading only a small portion of the writing, and makes a quick suggestion before moving on to another writer. Conferences may occur at any stage of the writing process, as many times as the writer needs to accomplish his/her goals. The changes a writer makes to the content and meaning of the writing. While revising, writers add, delete, change, and reorganize their writing, in an attempt to make the meaning of the writing more clear. Revisions may be made within a sentence, within a paragraph, or within the entire piece of writing. Corrections in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, usage and sentence boundaries. After the writer is satisfied that all revisions and edits are complete, he/she rewrites or types the writing in the final format for the reader, including all corrections. Another writer reads the final draft to look for any obvious editing errors the original writer overlooked. The proofreader corrects the errors before publication. The writer shares his writing with an audience. Publication may include displaying the writing for others to read, sending the writing to an audience, and sometimes, the writer reads the writing to an audience.

4 In reality, writers do not move through these stages in the same order every time, nor do they complete one part of the process each day until they reach the end. Writing is different for each writer. Some writers take a long time to prewrite because they feel strongly about finding a topic they are passionate about. Some writers plan their entire piece in their heads before they write anything on paper. These writers may appear to be wasting time, when they are actually doing much of their work internally. Many writers draft and revise at the same time. Others may draft the entire piece and decide they don t like the way it turned out. They will want to choose another topic and start all over again. One student may move smoothly through the writing process when writing a narrative piece. However, the same student may stall and jump around in the process when writing an expository piece. Teachers who understand the idiosyncrasies of the writing process, guide students to make wise decisions about moving their writing forward, but also allow writers to make the changes the writer strongly feels will make his/her writing better. What this means for the writing classroom is that writers will be at different stages of the writing process on any given day. That is the nature of the writing process classroom. Teachers cannot wait for all writers to finish one stage before moving on to the next lesson. Lessons must be taught when most writers are ready. All writers are expected to participate in the lesson when it is being taught, knowing that if they are not ready to apply the lesson now, they will need to apply it in the future. Writers who finish early may begin any other writing they feel motivated to write and are expected to follow the same guidelines you have taught them in previous lessons about how to engage in the writing process and work to improve their new writing.

5 WEEK 1 PERSONAL NARRATIVE A SPECIAL TIME The Relatives Came, by Cynthia Rylant The Lost Lake, by Allen Say MENTOR TEXTS Other Personal Narrative texts: Some Birthday, by Patricia Polacco Ira Sleeps Over, by Bernard Waber My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother, by Patricia Polacco Going Home, by Eve Bunting A Day s Work, by Eve Bunting Lesson 1: Read Aloud, Quick Write, and Brainstorm Ideas 90 Minutes Prior to this lesson: Write Quick Write questions on a chart to save class time. Introduction 15 minutes Introduce to students that they will be writing a personal story about A Special Time. A special time means different things to different people. To some people, a special time is a time when they were especially happy. To others, it may be a time when something wonderful happened. It may be a time they spent with someone they enjoy being with. In any case, a special time is an event that stays with a person as a pleasant memory. Show students books and stories that you have previously read together about a special time. Discuss what the special time was in each story to give students possible ideas for a topic they can write about. Pre-Writing Read Aloud (Generating Ideas) 15 minutes Read aloud the book The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant. During reading, stop occasionally to ask questions and make sure students understand the story. Note: You may need to define the word relatives. After reading, ask, What was the special time in this story? (When the author s relatives came to visit and stayed at her house.)

6 How do we know this was a special time for the author? (She told the details about how they loaded up their car early in the morning. She told us what they were thinking as they drove all day and night. She explained how they hugged so much and they kept hugging even after they had been there for awhile. etc.) Return to the parts of the story the students talk about and reread specific lines of the story that support their ideas about why this is a special time. Summarize: The author shows us that this story has special meaning by giving attention to the details of the important parts of the story. Which parts do you think are important to the author? (The hugging, the sleeping, and the eating they did with their relatives.) Pre-Writing Quick Write (Generating Ideas) 20 minutes Introduce Quick Writes. A Quick Write is a short writing authors sometimes do to get their ideas flowing. Sometimes they have an idea for a story and they write quickly to get their thoughts about the story down on paper. Sometimes a writer doesn t have a good idea and they write about anything that pops into their mind to see if they can find a good idea. A Quick Write is a way to play around with ideas without committing to these ideas. Write these questions on a chart: Did this story remind you of anything in your life? Did the story remind you of a time you visited someone in your family? Or when someone came to visit you and stayed at your house? Students choose one of the above questions to write about during the Quick Write. Allow 2 min. for writers to talk to a partner about different ideas they could possibly write about during the Quick Write. Explain to students that they may not finish all they want to write during a 5 Min. Quick Write and that s okay. They may decide to finish it later. Or they may find that they will write everything they can and they will be done before the 5 min. is over. Instruct them to keep their notebook open. They should read over what they wrote and keep thinking about their ideas for a story they might write. They should try to write for the entire time. Explain that you will be writing, too, so you will not be answering questions or helping them during this Quick Write time. Set a timer for the 5 Min. Quick Write. Model the writing behavior you want your students to practice. Be prepared to share your writing first. As you write, you may want to skip around a bit before settling into a topic, to show your students that this is an acceptable thing to do if you don t have a topic at first.

7 When the 5 minutes is over, give writers time to reread their writing to decide if it s something they want to share. Remind students that we don t expect a perfect story. Our reason for sharing is to give other writers more ideas for other stories they may decide to write. Allow 2-3 students to read to the class what they wrote. If no one volunteers to share their writing, you must share yours! You must model the writing behaviors you want your students to engage in. Pre-Writing Brainstorming (Generating Ideas) 30 minutes Begin a brainstorming list for A Special Time. Begin a chart with A Special Time written at the top and bulleted ideas listed below. As you add ideas to the class list, have students create their own personal list of Special Times in their notebooks. Students should only add items to their personal lists that have special meaning to them. (In other words, if they have never gone on a trip to visit their relatives, then this should not be an idea they write on their personal list!) They should write the names of people and the names of places to make their list personal. (An example would be The time I rode a horse at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch. ) Use the topics that students shared in their Quick Writes as springboards to more ideas students could add to their brainstorming list. Remind students that they can still change their minds and write any story they feel motivated to write. Lesson 2: Read Aloud, Quick Write, and Plan and Organize 90 Minutes Prior to this lesson: Write Quick Write questions on a chart to save class time. Mentally plan your own topic and story idea, so you can quickly and effectively model a Story Web. Take two minutes to quickly review the different definitions and examples of A Special Time you talked about yesterday. Pre-Writing Read Aloud (Generating Ideas) 20 minutes Tell students you will read aloud another story about a different special time. As you read you want them to think about What is the special time in this story? and How do we know this time was special for this character? Read aloud The Lost Lake by Allen Say, stopping 2-3 times to ask questions that will help students understand what is happening in the story.

8 Ask students to talk to a partner about What is the special time in the story? (The main character, Luke, goes camping with his dad.) How does the author show us this time was special for Luke? (First he described what it was like to live with Dad at his house. We felt sorry for him because he was bored and his dad never talked. Then we felt more excited that they were going camping together. But we felt disappointed when they got to Lost Lake and saw all the people. Etc.) Now ask students to share with the whole class what they and their partner discussed in response to the above questions. As students talk about different parts of the story, return to the author s sentences in the book that support their ideas for how the author shows us it was a special time for Luke. Summarize: Authors use their words to show us how characters feel in different parts of the story. Those feelings help us connect to how the character is feeling and make us feel like we become a part of the story. Pre-Writing Quick Write (Generating Ideas) 15 minutes Write the following questions on a chart for students to think about as they try another Quick Write: Did this story remind you of anything in your life? Did the story remind you of a time when you spent time with someone you love? (Mom, Dad, an Aunt, an Uncle, Grandma, Grandpa) Students may choose either of these questions to write about during the Quick Write. Allow 2 min. for writers to talk to a partner about different ideas they could possibly write about during the Quick Write. Set the timer for a 5 minute Quick Write. If writers finish before the 5 min. is over, they should keep their notebook open and read over what they wrote. They should continue to write or think about their ideas the entire time. Explain that you will be writing, too, so they should be respectful and allow you to think and write during the 5 minute Quick Write. Afterward, allow time for writers to read their writing to themselves and think about whether they want to share with the whole group. Add any additional ideas to the brainstorming list you began yesterday and students add to their personal lists. Pre-Writing Choosing a Topic 10 minutes Writers need to commit to a topic. Help them make this decision: 1. Think about which topics you are excited about writing. Underline these topics in your brainstorm list. 2. It must also be a story you can tell a lot about. Look at only the underlined topics and circle only the topics for which you have a lot you can say.

9 3. And it must be a story you can picture in your mind because you remember many of the details. Draw a star next to the topics you have circled that you can picture in your mind. If they have more than one topic with a star, they get to choose which one they want to write today. They should save the other starred topics for another day (or in case the topic they chose for today doesn t work out.) Pre-Writing Story Web (Planning and Organizing Model) 15 minutes Introduce the use of a Story Web to plan the main events of a story. Tell your students, Before they begin writing a story, writers plan what the main events of their story will be. Briefly tell students the story you plan to write. Model making a Story Web for your own story. See the attached Example Story Web. Create a large web on chart paper, and use the story you just told to them to plan the main events of your story in front of your students. Write the topic for your story in the center circle. Think aloud as you decide how to word the main events of your story and write them, one in each of the outer circles around the center of your charted Story Web. Number your events in the order they happened, clockwise around the center circle. (Writers may create as many outer circles as they need. However 6-8 outer circles usually indicates a substantial story without too many events.) Students Pre-Write a Story Web (Plan and Organize) 30 minutes Writers will now create a web for their own story. You may want to give them a large 11x17 paper, so they ll have enough room to add details tomorrow. Circulate around the room to answer questions and encourage writers as they work. Make sure to check in several times on any students you think may have trouble with this organizing plan. Make sure they are writing their events in sequence and with enough detail to make their story interesting.

10 Example Story Web #1 For Teacher Use only!! Teachers may use this example as a guide for creating a Story Web about their own personal topic and story. 7 I rode Smoky every day for the rest of my vacation at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch. By the end of the week, Uncle Leo didn t need to help me and Smoky 1 I didn t really want to go to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch. 2 6 Finally Uncle Leo convinced me to try sitting on top of Smoky. The horse walked slowly around the pasture while Riding a horse at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch When I arrived, I found out Mom planned to leave me there for a 3 5 The next day Uncle Leo asked me to help him feed the horses. I spent the whole morning feeding, cleaning, and leading the 4 We went outside to see what Uncle Leo was doing. He was grooming the horses. He asked me if I wanted to ride the bigger horse, Smoky. I Aunt Sophie showed me the room where I would be

11 Lesson 3: Plan / Organize and Draft 90 Minutes Ask a few writers to share their Story Webs with the class. Pre-Writing Story Web (Planning and Organizing Model) 15 minutes Use your Story Web to tell the main events of your story. Explain to writers that these are just the main events of the story. There are a lot more details about each event of the story that you have not told them. As you give examples of what these details are, write the details around the outside of the circle where the event is written. Not all events will have many details. Make sure you show more details around the most important parts of your story. See the following Story Web with details attached to each main event. (You do not need to finish your entire web while your students watch. You may continue working on your web as your writers add to their webs.) Students Pre-Write a Story Web (Plan and Organize) 30 minutes Writers will now add more details to their own stories. Tell writers to think about the picture in their mind for each main event of their story. They need to think about what they see, hear, and feel about each main event and add those details to the outside edge of each smaller circle. Circulate around the room as writers add to their Story Webs. Ask writers which events are the most important in their story and remind them to add the most details around these events. Ask questions such as, Who was there?, What did they say?, What did that look like?, How did you feel? to help writers add more details to their story. Visit your struggling writers often to be sure they are adding good details to their stories. As writers finish their webs, have them share their stories with a partner, using their web to help them tell their story, including all the details. Give the listeners a task to keep them focused on their partner s story. For example, after the writer tells his/her story, the listener tells the writer which events are the most important parts of the story, because these events have the most details. Drafting (Model) 15 minutes When most students have completed their Story Webs, model for students how to turn their Story Webs into a draft. Using the first few events of your Story Web, model how to use your main ideas and details and combine them into sentences that sound like a story. Each main idea (or numbered circle) will be a new paragraph.

12 Write only the first one or two events (paragraphs) of your story in front of your students. A note about paragraphing: Teaching students where to begin a new paragraph is a little tricky with a narrative story. Ultimately, we d like our writers to decide where they think they have begun a new idea in their story and this is where they should begin a new paragraph. They can also ask themselves, Do these parts go together? If not, they should begin a new paragraph. However this is very abstract for beginning writers. It may be easier for writers to begin a new paragraph with each main idea in their story web. After they have written their entire first draft, writers should reread their draft, thinking about whether it makes sense for a new paragraph to begin in the places where they have already placed a new paragraph. You will not have time to teach paragraphing with dialogue. Save this skill for their 4 th grade teachers. Students Draft 30 minutes Students begin to write the drafts of their stories, using their webs as a guide. After most students have begun writing, have a small group of students who are having trouble writing their ideas into sentences join you at a table where you can help them formulate their beginning sentences. You can help struggling writers by having them practice their sentences orally before they write.

13 5 7 Smoky was very careful about walking gently. Finally Uncle Leo convinced me to try sitting on top of Smoky. The horse walked slowly around the pasture while The next day Uncle Leo asked me to help him feed the horses. I spent the whole morning feeding, cleaning, and leading the I was starting to feel more comfortable around the animals. I can t wait to to see Smoky again soon. I rode Smoky every day for the rest of my vacation at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch. By the end of the week, Uncle Leo didn t need to help me and Smoky 6 It wasn t as scary as I thought it would be! Example Story Web #2 For Teacher Use only!! I liked being with the horses! Sometimes they looked at me as if they wanted to say something. My visit to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch is one of my best memories. Riding a horse at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch I had never ridden a horse before. 1 I didn t really want to go to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch. 4 We went outside to see what Uncle Leo was doing. He was grooming the horses. He asked me if I wanted to ride the bigger horse, Smoky. I The horse was taller than Uncle Leo! What if I fell off! When I arrived, I found out Mom planned to leave me there for a 3 Aunt Sophie showed me the room where I would be I had never stayed at their house before and felt like I didn t know them very well. 2 I wouldn t know what to do if it took off running. I was really upset! I felt like Mom had lied to me. I was starting to have a bad attitude about this whole thing already. It looked comfy enough lots of books on the shelf I was eager to look through.

14 Lesson 4: Draft and Revise Leads 90 Minutes Drafting (Model) 10 minutes Model for students how you will continue your writing today. Say, When writers begin writing after they take a break, they re-read their previous writing to help them connect their new ideas to what they have already written. Read aloud the part of your story you wrote in front of your class yesterday. Orally practice what the next sentences might sound like as you turn the next main idea and its details into sentences that form a paragraph for your story. Write the sentences for only 1-2 main ideas (paragraphs) in front of your students. Students Draft 20 minutes Students continue to write the drafts of their stories. The goal is for them to finish their entire story. Work with the same small group of struggling writers from yesterday or a different group to help them write their drafts. As students finish their drafts, have them read their stories to a partner. The partner s job is to listen carefully to decide if all parts of the story are connected. If they have a question about whether the story is connected, listeners should wait for the writer to finish reading before asking questions about that part of the story. Revising Leads/Introductions (Lesson) 10 minutes When most students have finished their drafts, bring writers together to teach them how to revise for a new lead (introduction). A lead is the first few sentences of a story that draws the reader into the story. The lead hooks the reader and makes him/her want to read more of that story. If we start a story with One day... or Once upon a time... it s not a very interesting lead. Let s look at the way some professional authors write their leads. Have students look at the leads for the following stories in the 3 rd grade Treasures reading textbook and point out the technique each author used to create the lead. Unit 1 page 10, First Day Jitters dialogue lead Unit 1 page 38, Amazing Grace description of character s personality Unit 1 page 83, Wolf! action lead Unit 1 page 116, My Very Own Room action lead Unit 2 page 249, A Castle on Viola Street description of setting Explain to writers: There are a few common ways that authors write their leads. Dialogue, action, or a description of a character or setting are some common ways authors write leads.

15 Revising Dialogue Lead 20 minutes Use your story and model the writing of a dialogue lead for your story. A dialogue lead for the example story could be: Mom, do I really have to go to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch? It s boring there, I complained to my mom at breakfast that morning. Honey, how can you say it s boring when you haven t even given it a try? my mom responded as she flipped the pancakes in the pan. Use 1-2 student stories and have students help you write dialogue leads for these stories. (The stories of struggling writers work well for this!) Have students work with partners to write dialogue leads for their stories. Allow time for 1-2 students to share their new leads. Revising Action Lead 20 minutes Use your story again and model the writing of an action lead. An action lead for the example story could be: I sat next to Mom in the front seat of the car and stared out the window. All I could see were trees, cows, and fence posts, and I slouched farther down in my seat. I was not at all excited about spending the day at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch. Note: An action lead does not necessarily mean running, jumping, screaming or what children normally think of as an action movie. Action in a story is simply what a character is doing, which might be very calm. Use 1-2 different student stories and have the class help you write action leads for these stories. Have students work with partners to write action leads for their stories. Allow time for 1-2 students to share their action leads. Revising Description Lead 20 minutes If time allows, use your story one more time to model the writing of a description lead. Students may describe a character or some part of the setting. A description lead (setting) for the example story: As our car pulled into the driveway, I noticed the big front porch that wrapped around the house at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch. Behind the house, a white fence surrounded a big pasture where four horses stood, looking to see who was visiting the ranch today. Use student stories to engage the class in writing a few description leads and have students work with partners to produce description leads.

16 Revising Sentences to Connect a Lead 10 minutes Explain to students that they can choose the lead they like best to use in their story. Illustrate, using your own story and lead, that sometimes they can simply add the new lead to the front of their story. Sometimes they will need to change the beginning sentences or add a sentence or two to connect the lead to the beginning of the story. A lead is not necessarily an additional paragraph, although, if it is long and not closely connected to the story, it may be an additional paragraph. Have writers work with a partner to connect their lead to the beginning of their story. Writers tape their leads to the beginning of their stories and revise the first sentences in the same way you modeled. Lesson 5: Revise Conclusions and Edit 90 Minutes Spend 5 minutes having 1-2 students share with the class the lead they chose for their story as well as the first few sentences of their story so the class can hear how well the lead is connected to the story. Help the writer revise if the lead is not well connected. Revising Endings/Conclusions (Lesson) 15 minutes Now writers will revise the ending (conclusion) of their story. Say, The conclusion is the last few sentences of the story. A good ending or conclusion wraps up the story and leaves the writer feeling satisfied, like it was a good story. Let s look at some ways professional authors end their stories. Have students look at the endings for the same stories in the 3 rd grade Treasures reading textbook and point out the technique each author used to create the ending. Unit 1 page 27, First Day Jitters surprise ending Unit 1 page 57, Amazing Grace dialogue conclusion, repeats a theme from the story Unit 1 page 103, Wolf! dialogue, action, and character s feelings Unit 1 page 137, My Very Own Room character s feelings about the big idea, connects to the lead Unit 2 page 267, A Castle on Viola Street character s feelings about the big idea, repeats a theme from the story Explain to writers: There are a few common ways that authors write their endings. Sometimes an author connects their ending to the lead of their story. Other times he/she reveals the big meaning of the story or a lesson learned. Another way to end the story is to show a character s feelings and how they have changed. The ending you choose will depend on the story you have written. The ending needs to make sense with the lead and the rest of the story.

17 Revising Endings/Conclusions 35 minutes Use your story and model the writing of one type of ending for your story. An ending that connects to the lead for the example story could be: Mom! I had the best time this week! You won t believe what we did! I exclaimed as my mom drove the car out of Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s driveway. I guess it wasn t so boring after all, huh Sweetie? my mom smiled knowingly. I knew if you just gave it a chance you d have a wonderful time. Use your story again and model the writing of another type of ending. An ending that explains a lesson learned for the example story could be: Learning how to ride a horse and making friends with Smoky was a neat surprise, especially because I didn t think I was going to have any fun at all at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch. I learned an important lesson, to not get a bad attitude before I know what exciting, new things might happen during a week at my uncle s ranch! Use 1-2 different student stories and have the class help you write new conclusions for these stories. (The stories of struggling writers work well for this!) Have students work with partners to write 1-2 new conclusions for their stories. Allow time for 1-2 students to share their story endings. Revising Sentences to Connect a Conclusion 10 minutes Explain to students that they can choose the ending they like best for their story. Illustrate, using your own story and conclusion, that sometimes they can simply add the new conclusion to the end of their story. Sometimes they will need to change the ending sentences or add a sentence or two to connect the conclusion to the end of the story. Often, the conclusion is a separate paragraph added to the end. Have writers work with a partner to connect their conclusion to the end of their story. Writers tape their conclusions to the end of their stories and revise the last sentences in the same way you modeled. Editing for Complete Sentences (Lesson) 10 minutes Teach students how to edit their stories for complete sentences. Make a chart of that shows examples from your students stories of sentences, fragments, and run-ons. See the attached chart. Explain that a complete sentence tells a complete idea. It should stand alone, meaning that you could say the sentence by itself (outside of the story) and it should make sense on its own. Give a few examples of complete sentences.

18 Then show writers a sentence fragment. A fragment is a part of a sentence that does not make sense on its own. Show examples. Next show a few examples of run-on sentences. Run-on sentences are really two or more sentences that have no punctuation dividing them. Editing for Complete Sentences (Model) 10 minutes Using your own story, show students how to use two different colors of pencils or crayons to underline each complete sentence in an alternating color. However, they need to make sure they are underlining only complete sentences! Underline the first sentence of your story in one color and say the sentence aloud. Ask, Is it a complete idea? Can it stand alone? Or is it a part of a sentence that doesn t make sense by itself? Is it more than one sentence without punctuation? If it is a fragment or run-on, the writer needs to fix it to make it a complete sentence and underline only the complete sentence in the first color. Move on to your next sentence. Repeat the above questions. Edit to make it a complete sentence and underline it in the alternating color. Students Edit for Complete Sentences 15 minutes Writers work with partners to analyze the sentences in their own stories and underline them in alternating colors, the same as you just modeled. If the writer notices that he/she is underlining a very long sentence, that is a sign that they should look more carefully it might be a run-on. Conversely, if the writer notices a very short sentence, he/she should look carefully to make sure it is not a fragment. For this activity, you will probably want to pair your writers so that a strong writer is working with a weaker writer. Students work with their partner to analyze and underline sentences in each other s stories in two colors. Students Edit for Correct Spellings 15 minutes Next, writers review the words that are on the Word Wall. Then, with Word Wall words in mind, writers read their stories and make sure all Word Wall words are spelled correctly. Writers should read with their partner to double-check their spellings.

19 Sentence, Fragment, and Run-on Chart Complete Sentence Fragment Run-on Tells a complete idea Stands alone Makes sense on its own Part of a sentence Does not make sense on its own Two or more sentences put together without punctuation dividing them Examples (Insert examples from student compositions.) Aunt Sophie suggested we go outside to see what Uncle Leo was doing. I looked up at the big horse, noticing he was twice as tall as I was. (Insert examples from student compositions.) Talking to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo. Thinking about how much fun I had. (Insert examples from student compositions.) Mom, do I really have to go to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch it s boring there. He asked me if I wanted to ride the bigger horse Smoky I said No because I was scared.

20 WEEK 2 EXPOSITORY TEXT FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL Teaching Notes: The new STAAR standards state that students will Create brief compositions that establish a central idea in a topic sentence, contain a concluding statement, and include supporting sentences with simple facts, details, and explanations. (TEKS 18A and i, ii, and iii). The following lessons have been designed with these TEKS as the primary focus, embedded within the writing process. MENTOR TEXTS (See Appendix) Example Compositions: The Pack on My Back Clean Up the Cafeteria Look Out! Save Our Recess Lesson 1: Brainstorm Ideas and Choose a Topic 90 Minutes By this point in the school year, most students have formed an opinion about their favorite subject in the school day. Engage your students in this discussion by having students explain their reasons why they enjoy one subject more than other subjects in the school day. Tell students they will be writing a different kind of composition, one that explains why they feel strongly about their favorite subject in school. We call this type of writing an expository writing because it is not telling a story, but is giving reasons for their thoughts about a topic. Use your daily schedule to create a chart that students will use to brainstorm ideas. Writers also make this chart in their writer s notebooks. List the subjects in the order in which they occur during your school day in one column of the paper. Leave space in the second column for students to brainstorm 3-5 reasons why these subjects might be their favorite. A sample is shown below. Begin by having the whole class work together to think of 3-5 possible reasons why reading might be their favorite subject. Not everyone needs to agree that these are their personal reasons. You are just modeling some different ideas for your students to think about. Students should write on their personal charts only the reasons that have personal meaning for them.

21 Move down to Art, Music, or P.E. and model the same process for one of these subjects. Reading Writing Math Science Subjects Reasons Why It is Your Favorite Social Studies Art Music P.E. Have students choose 3-4 subjects they feel passionate about and write (in their notebooks) as many reasons as they can think of for these subjects being their favorite. If they are having trouble coming up with reasons, tell them not to worry because they will hear other students ideas later which may help them. Also, they will choose only one subject to write about, so not having many reasons may help them decide which subject to eliminate! Bring the class back together. Taking one subject at a time, ask students to share with the whole class the reasons that subject is their favorite. Anyone may add to their own list an idea they heard another student share. The purpose for this sharing is to give other writers good ideas they can use. Now students need to decide on a topic. Make a chart for students to reference while making their decision. A Good Topic to Write About Is: 1. Something that is important to the writer; 2. Something the writer is excited about writing; 3. Something the writer knows a lot about (so he/she can write a lot about it!) 4. Allow time for students to think about which subject will make the best topic for today s writing.

22 Sharing: Organize students into groups of 4 writers. Each writer shares the subject they have chosen to write about and the reasons they like this subject the best. Lesson 2: Examining a Mentor Text and Planning 90 Minutes Allow 2 students to share with the whole group their topics and reasons why they chose their favorite subject. Distribute a copy of the composition The Pack on My Back to each student and display one copy for you to teach from. Explain to students that this is an example of the expository writing they will produce. Read the whole composition aloud while the students follow along on their copy. Ask, What do you notice about this type of writing? How is it different than the personal narrative you wrote last week? Accept all reasonable answers. Address misconceptions. If students have not already made this observation, ask students, What is this writer telling us about his backpack? (He is telling us the reasons why his backpack is important to him.) Reread paragraph 1 and underline the sentence, It is important to me because it holds everything I need. Label this sentence as the Central Idea for this composition. All the other parts of the composition explain why his backpack is important because of what it holds. Tell students that the central idea is usually at the beginning of this type of composition. Reread paragraph 2. How do we know this is paragraph 2? (The writing is moved down to the next line and is indented, or moved over, to show the beginning of a new idea.) How is this paragraph connected to the central idea? (His backpack holds his books.) Underline the sentence, I love books, and my backpack keeps them with me. Label this sentence as One Reason why his backpack is important because of what it holds. Draw an arrow from this sentence to the central idea in paragraph 1 to show that they are connected. Where does paragraph 3 begin? How do we know this is the beginning of a new paragraph? (It is indented and talks about a new idea.) Reread paragraph 3. Point out to students that, although this paragraph talks about a new idea, it is still connected to the overall topic of the composition why his backpack is important. How is this paragraph connected to the central idea? (It holds his lunch.) Underline the sentence, Another reason my backpack is important is that it holds my lunch box. Label this sentence as Another Reason why his backpack is important because of what it holds. Draw another arrow from this sentence to the central idea to show that these paragraphs are connected. What is the rest of this paragraph about? (It gives more details about his lunch being in his backpack.) Tell students, In the last paragraph of this type of writing, the author adds what is called a Concluding Statement. The Concluding Statement summarizes the composition and tells how the writer feels about the topic. Which sentences summarize and tell how the writer feels? (All of them!) Label the last paragraph as Concluding

23 Statements. Students keep this page in their writing folders as an example they can reference when they draft. Distribute to writers the Expository Planning Page (attached) for their composition about their favorite subject. (Note: The concluding statement is not included at this point because it is easier for students to write this statement after the body of their composition has been written.) Use a copy of the Expository Planning Page to model for students one of your favorite high school or college subjects. Note: Use a subject that is different than those your students will write about, because often students will copy or replicate your ideas if you model a topic that is close to what they are writing about. Think aloud as you formulate your central idea. Try to say something more than Band practice was my favorite subject, such as, Band practice was completely different than any other part of my day, or Band practice gave me a break from the reading and writing I had to do during the rest of my day. Write 3-5 reasons why this was your favorite subject. Allow time for students to plan their compositions in the same way you just modeled. As writers finish their plan, tell them to begin thinking about what more they will say about each of their reasons. Write these questions on a chart: Ways to Say More About Your Reasons: Will you explain more? Will you give an example? What kind of details will you include for each reason? Model for students how they will share their plan with a partner today. Using your plan for your favorite high school or college subject, tell what your topic is and your central idea. Then, as you read each reason, use the questions on the chart to orally add more to each reason you have listed. For example you might say, (One Reason): We played lots of fun and familiar songs. (Say More): One year we played the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight and I had the solo part at the very beginning. Another time, we played American Pie and that song was stuck in my head for the rest of the day. A few of my friends who were not in band really wanted to join once they heard the cool songs we were practicing. Continue Saying More about each of the reasons you listed on your planning graphic organizer. Sharing: Pair students with a writer who has a different topic. Writers orally practice Saying More about the reasons they have written on their planning page. Partners may make suggestions to help their partner come up with different ways to add more to their reasons.

24 Expository Planning Page Topic: Your Favorite Subject Central Idea: (What will you say about your topic in this composition?) What are your reasons? (List as many reasons as you want to write about.)

25 Lesson 3: Examining a Mentor Text and Writing a Draft 90 Minutes Have 2 different students share with the whole group their topics and reasons for choosing their favorite subject. Display a copy of the composition Clean Up the Cafeteria. Explain to students that this is another example of an expository writing. Read the whole composition aloud while the students follow along. Make note of the creative way in which this author got the reader s attention in the first paragraph. Ask, What is the central idea of this composition? Which sentence tells us the central idea? (Everyone needs to do their part to keep our cafeteria clean.) Underline and label this sentence as the Central Idea. What are the author s reasons why everyone needs to help keep the cafeteria clean? As students find the reasons, underline them and label them as Reasons. Point out to students that both examples from today and yesterday have given only two reasons. This is only a coincidence. They may write about as many reasons as they wish, but generally, writers choose their top 2-5 reasons for this type of writing. Now, zoom in on paragraph 2 to look carefully at the ways that this author added more details to their first reason. The two sentences, People drop wrappers and juice boxes on the floor. They leave crumbs on the table and don t throw away their trash, are examples of how messy the cafeteria has become. Label these 2 sentences as Examples. The last sentence, This may not seem like a big deal, but my friend ruined her new shirt because she stuck her elbow in ketchup someone didn t wipe up, is an anecdote. An anecdote is a short, personal account of an incident or event. Label this sentence as an Anecdote. Point out to students that the author is now going to give a different reason. Because this is a new idea, she begins a new paragraph. Reread paragraph 3 and review which sentence states the second reason why everyone needs to keep the cafeteria clean. ( It makes the cafeteria better for everyone. ) The sentences that follow this topic sentence begin with First, Second, and Most important. These sentences explain the ways in which cleaning up after yourself makes the cafeteria better for everyone. Label these sentences as Explanations. Remind students that authors end an expository composition with a concluding statement. A concluding statement summarizes the composition, tells how the writer feels about the topic, and leaves the reader with a final thought. Which sentences summarize the writing and leaves the reader with a final thought? ( In conclusion, doing your part is simple. Throw out your trash and wipe up any spills or crumbs. Everyone will thank you! ) Label these sentences with Concluding statements. Point out that the concluding statements are grouped together in a final paragraph. Next, use the Expository Planning Page for your own story and model for students how they will write the draft for their composition. Make sure the Ways to Say More

26 About Your Reasons chart is on display for all to see. Add the question Will you write an anecdote? (a short, personal story, 1-2 sentences only!) to the bottom of the chart. Tell students that you will show them exactly what you want them to do today while they are drafting. Model how to take your central idea and write an introduction that is interesting and will catch the reader s attention. You may decide to have writers use the introduction from The Pack on My Back and today s example, Clean Up the Cafeteria, and ask them to help you write an interesting introduction. Make sure your introduction includes your central idea. As you state each reason, think aloud about how to formulate a sentence that sounds right. Use the questions from the Ways to Say More About Your Reasons chart to think aloud about ideas you may use to add more details to each reason. Write at least 2-4 additional sentences for each reason. Use transitions naturally to connect your ideas and show the relationship between your ideas while you model. (You will teach transitions in more detail during the revising lessons of this composition.) Emphasize that each reason and the details that explain more about that reason are written in a separate paragraph. Only model the details for 2 of your reasons, so your modeling does not take too long. Now pair students with another partner. Tell them to orally practice what their introduction might sound like with their partner first. Once they have decided on an introduction they like, they should begin drafting. Students may work with a partner (if they wish) to continue drafting in the same manner that you modeled for them. Provide a small copy of the Ways to Say More About Your Reasons chart for writers to reference at their desks as they draft. Walk around the room, looking over writers shoulders to make sure students are on track and making progress with their drafting. Help any partners who are struggling by jotting ideas on post-it notes about how they might say more about their reasons. Do not give them the exact sentences to write. Instead, jot down ideas and allow writers to shape the ideas into sentences that sound right to them. Lesson 4: Revising the Expository Piece 90 Minutes Ask two students to volunteer to read their drafts aloud to the class. Have listeners identify what is their central idea and what are their reasons. If most students need more time to draft, provide the extra time for most students to finish. As writers finish, they should share their writing with a different partner. Listeners identify what is the central idea and the reasons to support their central idea.

27 Revising Transition Words: Introduce transition words to students. Transition words are words writers add to help the reader connect the ideas in a composition. They show how different parts of the writing are related to each other. Distribute the Transition Word List (attached). Point out to students, You are already familiar with the Transitions that Show Time, because you have probably used these words in your narrative stories. Narrative stories are told in a sequence and we use these transition words to show that time has passed. However, we use different transition words in expository writing to show how our ideas are connected. Review the Transition Words that Add Information, Introduce Examples, and Summarize and Conclude. Have students read the example compositions The Pack on My Back and Clean Up the Cafeteria to search for transition words. Discuss how the transition words help the reader to understand how the ideas in the composition are related to each other. Using your own draft of your writing about your favorite high school or college subject, highlight the transition words and phrases you used as you drafted. You might decide to add new transition words to your writing. Show students how to write the transitions on the lines you skipped and use carets to insert the words or phrases at the beginning of your sentences. Be careful not to over-use the transitions. You do not need to use a transition before every new idea. Insert them only in the places where the transition sounds natural. Allow time for students to add transitions to their composition in places where the transition sounds right to them. Revising Adding an Ending Paragraph/Concluding Statement: Revisit The Pack on My Back and Clean Up the Cafeteria examples to analyze the ending paragraphs. Remind writers that, In the last paragraph of this type of writing, the author adds what is called a Concluding Statement. A concluding statement summarizes the composition, tells how the writer feels about the topic, and leaves the reader with a final thought. See also Look Out! and Save our Recess for additional examples of ending paragraphs and concluding statements. Give students a copy of the ending paragraphs for each of these compositions. Ask students to help you imitate the structure of one of these conclusions and write 1-2 ending paragraphs for your composition. Next, writers work with a partner and use these paragraphs as examples of how to write their own ending paragraph. After they have written their final paragraph, tell writers to reread their entire composition including their ending paragraph to make sure the writing sounds right, is connected, and flows together.

28 Transition Words and Phrases Transitions that Show Time: Soon, Meanwhile, Later, Earlier, Before, Eventually, Next, After a few minutes, After awhile, Transitions that Add Information: Also, In addition, Furthermore,, too. First, Second, Another reason, Most importantly, Transitions that Introduce Examples: For example, For instance, Transitions that Summarize or Conclude: In conclusion, To sum up, Finally, Therefore,

29 Ending Paragraphs Sometimes my backpack gets heavy to carry, but I don t mind. It has everything I need. It s like a home I carry on my back. ~ The Pack on My Back In conclusion, doing your part is simple. Throw out your trash and wipe up any spills or crumbs. Everyone will thank you! ~ Clean Up the Cafeteria Follow these tips so you can say, Bye, SEE you later. ~ Look Out! Recess is an important part of the school day. It shouldn t be made shorter because kids would sit too much and not be able to pay attention. Please tell the principal to keep recess the way it is! ~ Save Our Recess

30 Lesson 5: Editing 90 Minutes Editing for Complete Sentences This editing lesson is the same lesson that was taught during the personal narrative lesson. Because writing with complete sentences is challenging for many beginning writers, we feel that the repeated practice will help them to hear what complete sentences sound like and instill the importance of writing with complete sentences. Teach students how to edit their stories for complete sentences. Make a chart that shows examples of sentences, fragments, and run-ons from your students stories. See the attached Sentence, Fragment, and Run-on Chart. Explain that a complete sentence tells a complete idea. It should stand alone, meaning that you could say the sentence by itself (outside of the story) and it should make sense on its own. Give a few examples of complete sentences. Then show writers a sentence fragment. A fragment is a part of a sentence that does not make sense on its own. Show examples. It is usually the beginning or ending of a complete sentence. Next show a few examples of run-on sentences. Run-on sentences are really two or more sentences that have no punctuation dividing them. Using your own composition, show students how to use two different colors of pencils or crayons to underline each complete sentence in an alternating color. However, they need to make sure they are underlining only complete sentences! Underline the first sentence of your composition in one color and say the sentence aloud. Ask, Is it a complete idea? Can it stand alone? Or is it a part of a sentence that doesn t make sense by itself? Is it more than one sentence without punctuation? If it is a fragment or run-on, the writer needs to fix it to make it a complete sentence and underline only the complete sentence in the first color. Move on to your next sentence. Repeat the above questions. Edit to make it a complete sentence and underline it in the alternating color. Now writers are ready to work with partners to analyze the sentences in their own compositions and underline them in alternating colors, the same as you just modeled. If the writer notices that he/she is underlining a very long sentence, it is a sign that they should look more carefully it might be a run-on. Conversely, if the writer notices a very short sentence, he/she should look carefully to make sure it is not a fragment. For this activity, you will probably want to pair your writers so that a strong writer is working with a weaker writer. Students work with their partner to analyze and underline sentences in each other s stories in two colors. Editing Correct Spellings: Next, writers review the words that are on the Word Wall. Then, with Word Wall words in mind, writers read their compositions and make sure all Word Wall words are

31 spelled correctly. Writers should read with their partner to double-check their spellings. They should also find the correct spellings of any words they circled while drafting (because they were unsure of the spelling.) Editing Capital Letters: Ask writers, Which words in a writing should have a capital letter? Most students will respond with the word I, the beginning word of a sentence, and names. This is an excellent place to begin teaching capital letters. Create a chart. Words to Capitalize in our Writing: The word I The beginning word in a sentence Names As you write each item on your list, tell students to read their draft and look for only that one item to change or make sure it has a capital letter. Have students use a bright color of crayon, colored pencil or pen (a color that is different from the colors of their underlined sentences) to write the capital letter and circle it boldly in their draft. This will add excitement to the idea of searching for and finding capital letters and it will also help them to remember to make this change when they write their final draft. Add the next item to your capitalization chart. Again, ask students to read their draft, looking for only the one item you just added to the list. Writers use their bright color crayon, pencil or pen to trace over or change the capital letter and circle it. When you get to Names, ask students What kind of names do you mean? Add these details to the list: Words to Capitalize in our Writing: The word I The beginning word in a sentence Names Names of people Ask students to give you examples from their compositions and list several examples of names of people that they have used in their writing. Names of places List several examples of names of places students have used in this writing. Names of books List examples from students writings. Names of games List examples from students writings. Names of days, months, and holidays List examples. Continue adding names of items from students writing. Explain to students that they may or may not decide to write this composition as their final draft at the end of this unit. If they do make this their final draft, the bright color you used to highlight these capital letters should be their reminder to use a capital letter in their final draft.

32 Sentence, Fragment, and Run-on Chart Complete Sentence Fragment Run-on Tells a complete idea Stands alone Makes sense on its own Part of a sentence Does not make sense on its own Two or more sentences put together without punctuation dividing them Examples (Insert examples from student compositions.) Aunt Sophie suggested we go outside to see what Uncle Leo was doing. I looked up at the big horse, noticing he was twice as tall as I was. (Insert examples from student compositions.) Talking to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo. Thinking about how much fun I had. (Insert examples from student compositions.) Mom, do I really have to go to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch it s boring there. He asked me if I wanted to ride the bigger horse Smoky I said No because I was scared.

33 WEEK 3 EXPOSITORY TEXT DESCRIBE A CLASS MASCOT The new STAAR standards state that students will Create brief compositions that establish a central idea in a topic sentence, contain a concluding statement, and include supporting sentences with simple facts, details, and explanations. (TEKS 18A and i, ii, and iii). The following lessons have been designed with these TEKS as the primary focus, embedded within the writing process. Use the following websites to discuss the theme of mascots with your class: (choosing a class mascot) RESOURCES FOR INSTRUCTION (facts about Longhorns for the note taking guide) Additional Resources: Photos, posters, or other items that show the UT mascot, Bevo or feel free to choose a different university mascot to accomplish the same purpose. A reading center with a selection of animal books for students to read for their research. Time in your school s computer lab for Lesson 2 on gathering information. From Treasures Textbook Resources: What Curious Creatures!, Texas Treasures, Unit 5, pgs Unique Animals of the Southwest, Texas Treasures, Unit 5, pgs MENTOR TEXTS Example Expository Compositions (See Appendix): The Best Pet Amazing Ants Tradebooks: Biggest, Strongest, Fastest by Steve Jenkins Frogs by Nic Bishop When the Wolves Returned by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City by Janet Schulman Gorillas by Seymour Simon

34 Lesson 1: Setting a purpose for writing 90 Minutes Gather students together for a class discussion. Bring in an item that has your school s mascot on it. Say, This is our school s mascot. What do you think a mascot is? Post student ideas on a chart. (a symbol, brings a group good luck, represents a group of people or a team) Show a postcard or picture of Bevo (the UT mascot) and ask, Why do you think Bevo makes a good mascot for UT? (He s big, huge horns, strong, you d want him on your side, he would help you win the game, etc) Ask, Why do you think our school mascot is a? Lead a discussion about why this animal is a good choice for a mascot. If you can find information about the history of your school s mascot, that would add to the discussion! Say, We are going to choose an animal to be our class mascot and I want you to help us choose the best one. Each of you will be writing about one animal and then at the end of the week, we will vote on our new class mascot! Let s begin by thinking about what our class stands for. We said that UT likes having Bevo for a mascot because they want people to believe that they are big and strong and will win any game they play. What do we want people to believe about our class? Have students sit quietly and think, and then turn to a partner to share their ideas. Have them turn to another partner and share again. Finally, list the character trait words that your students suggest on the chart. (caring, work together, help each other, smart, funny, etc) Have students get out their writing notebooks. Write one of the character trait words on a new chart. Ask, What animals do you think of when you hear this word? Make a list of them under the word in your journal. After a few minutes, ask students to share the animals and their reasons for picking that animal. Repeat with the other character traits listed on the chart. If students have not already done so, have them read the selections from Treasures, Unit 5 to gather information about animals they may want to choose. Ask, Would any of these animals make a good class mascot? When you have a good-sized list, ask students to put a star next to the animal they want to write about. Tell them to think carefully about what message they want others to get about their class and how this animal can represent that message. Closing: Pass out ½ sentence strips to each child. Remind them of how they described Bevo Bevo the Tough Texas Longhorn. (This is also a time you might want to review or teach alliteration.) Give them a few minutes to write the name of the animal they have chosen along with a few describing words on the sentence strips. This could become the title of their piece or be turned into an opening sentence. Students share their idea for a class mascot.

35 At the end of the sharing, have everyone clap for all the good suggestions. Congratulate your class for making connections between the good character traits they want others to see in themselves and the animals they are going to write about this week. Post their sentence strips where everyone can see them as a reminder of the animals that are now in the running for class mascot! Lesson 2: Gathering Facts 90 Minutes It is ideal if you can take the class to the computer lab or to the library today to find facts that support their choice for class mascot. If neither of these is possible, gather books and set up a research center, an encyclopedia center, and a computer center. Students can rotate to each center, gathering information at each one. Model gathering important facts to support their topic. There are many ways to teach research skills. Here is one suggestion: On the overhead or the ELMO show the Note Taking Guide (attached). Write on the top: Bevo a good mascot because longhorns are tough. Read a paragraph (short) from a reference book about longhorns. After reading, model with a think aloud how you choose facts that support your main idea (longhorns are tough) to write on your note taking guide. Read another paragraph. Ask students what they would write on the note taking guide. Continue modeling, by writing down their suggestions. Big ideas for note taking: Read first Think about your reading what supports your main idea? Write the fact, not a whole sentence Write down where you found your facts. Students will need time to gather information in the computer lab, library, or research centers in your classroom. Plan on at least an hour in the computer lab or a full language arts period for this session. This is a good time for peer coaches. Partner up skilled readers and computer users with those reading below grade level. Closing: Students share their notes in small groups. End with high fives for everyone s hard work to find the facts!

36 Note Taking Guide For Class Mascot I nominate for class mascot because Supporting facts: Source: I nominate for class mascot because Supporting facts: Source:

37 I nominate the Texas Longhorn for class mascot because Longhorns are very tough animals. I nominate for class mascot because Supporting facts: They can walk long distances Can live a long time without food or water Live a long time Hardly ever get sick Very smart know how to find shelter in storms and how to find safe places to take care of their calves Supporting facts: Source: horn_(cattle) Source:

38 Lesson 3: Writing a Draft 90 Minutes Read aloud a text that you can use as an anchor for this writing project. You might choose one from the list or another book that has: Great leads for expository text Sentence variety Focused writing You can also use portions of Unique Animals of the Southwest from Texas Treasures. The selection on roadrunners on pages is focused, has some sentence variety, and some examples you can use to model transitional words. Read the selection through once just for enjoyment. Then students return to their seats. Give each student a copy of pages Show your copy of these pages (Elmo or overhead). Direct student s attention to the title: Racing Around! Ask, Why do you think the author chose this title? (The roadrunner is speedy.) Ask, What does the author tell us that supports the idea that roadrunners are very fast? As students point out facts from the text, direct them to highlight the key words as you model on your copy. Say, In math we sometimes do problems where we have to work backwards. Today in writing I am going to use a working backwards way to understand how writers take their facts and turn them into publishable stories! Keep the copy of the selection visible, but you will now model on a chart or white board. Say, Yesterday you collected facts on a note taking guide. Now we are going to take the facts from this selection and put them onto a note taking guide. Write, I nominate the roadrunner for class mascot because it is so fast at the top of the chart or board. Then ask students to give you the supporting details as you list them below your topic sentence. Finish with a concluding sentence, such as, So, you can see that the roadrunner is fast and catches things quickly, just like our class catches on to learning quickly. That s why I d like the roadrunner to be our class mascot! Explain to the class that author Tanya Lee Stone (photo and information on page 260) probably created a list much like this before she wrote her article. Review your rules for writing time. (Quiet writing and thinking only; Do not disturb your neighbor; You will have time to share and ask questions later; If you do not know how to spell a word, write the sounds you hear and circle the word; Skip lines to allow space for revisions and editing.) Students use their notes from yesterday to write a draft. Using only the notes and not the books will help them write in their own words instead of copying. Encourage them to use the roadrunner selection as a guide while they draft. As the students write, model the process by writing your own expository piece. You might have struggling writers sit with you at a table while you write. Sometimes that alone will encourage them to give it a try!

39 Closing: Students read their drafts to a partner or small group. Then ask students to volunteer each other to read to the whole class. Lesson 4: Revising an Expository Piece 90 Minutes Prepare in advance: Write the first sentences of each of the selections from the story Unique Animals of the Southwest to display. Begin by saying, I am going to read the first sentences of each of the selections from the story Unique Animals of the Southwest. As you read each one, post a sentence strip with that lead on a chart or bulletin board. Ask, Which ones really grab your attention and why? (None are very interesting!) Your goal is to take them away from the photos in the book and just look at the writing. The photos make the stories seem very exciting, but the actual leads are simple sentences with a subject and predicate. After a brief discussion, point out that these are not very exciting leads and show the Expository Leads Chart (attached). This chart models four ways to revise the beginning of their articles. Lead a discussion of these four strategies. Pass out large index cards to each student. Say, Now I would like you to pick one type of lead (question, definition, character trait, or description) and work with a partner to revise your lead. Revise your own article to use as a model or in conferences with students. As partners finish their first lead, encourage them to get a second or third index card and try another lead. After everyone has had a chance to try at least one new lead, bring students together. Use your writing to show that the lead and central idea go together to create the first paragraph of their article. The body of the article explains why they think the animal they have chosen will make a good class mascot, and this information will make the second paragraph. The ending paragraph will contain the concluding statement and final thoughts about the central idea. One way to write this ending paragraph is to, first, look at some examples of concluding statements. Show the examples of The Best Pet and Amazing Ants to discuss the purpose of a concluding paragraph. A concluding paragraph completes the paper and leaves the reader with a final thought. Often it summarizes the ideas in the paper in an interesting way. Show writers how the final paragraphs of these essays repeat the central idea of the writing, using different words. Ask writers to think about, What was the central idea of their writing? (I think (animal) should be the class mascot because...) Ask students to give each other ideas about how they could repeat this central idea, using different words and write these ideas on a chart. They can use the concluding statements from the examples to help them.

40 Hand out index cards to students again. This time they work with their partner to write the concluding sentence for their compositions. You may decide to have teacher conferences with students who need help or encouragement. Use a signup sheet or just call students up to work with you. Sharing: Students get into small groups of 3 4. They share their writing with each other. Focus on before revising and after revising for this grouping activity. Model with your own article, This is how my article sounded before I revised. (Read it aloud.) Now this is what it sounds like with a question lead and my concluding sentence. (Read it aloud.) Closing: Ask, Did anyone hear an especially exciting lead or a sentence that really helped you visualize an animal today? Let students volunteer their peers to read from their drafts. Use those readings as teaching points to close the lesson for today.

41 Expository Leads Chart Original leads The roadrunner is a common sight in the Southwest and is the state bird of New Mexico. Armadillos are related to sloths and anteaters. The nine-banded armadillo is the state mammal of Texas. Revised leads QUESTION LEAD When you hear the word fast, what do you think of? I think of the roadrunner! DEFINITION LEAD Nocturnal: an animal that sleeps during the day and is awake at night. Armadillos are a nocturnal mammal that lives in Texas. CHARACTER TRAIT LEAD A coyote is a medium sized member of the dog family. It is related to the wolf, but it is much smaller. Loyal and devoted to their families: that might not be the first thing you think of when you hear the word coyote. However, coyotes live in families that are similar to human families. DESCRIPTION LEAD Ringtails and coatis are both related to raccoons and both live in the Southwest. The ringtail is Arizona s state mammal. It s the size of a typical pet house cat. Unlike the house cat, it has a very long, bushy tail. The tail has distinctive black and white stripes and that is why this animal is called the Ringtail.

42 Lesson 5: Keeping the Focus & Editing 90 Minutes Part One: Revising to Keep the Focus Use the work of a student who has a good lead, supporting ideas, and a conclusion that sums up why the animal he or she picked should be the class mascot. Make a transparency of the student s work or place it on the ELMO. Read the selection together with your class. Then ask, What makes this a good piece of writing? As students suggest ideas, post them on a chart. For example, they might say: a lead that grabs you, describes a character trait the animal has that goes with our class gives interesting facts about the animal, especially facts that support the main idea sums up the main idea in the concluding sentence Remind the class that their goal was to write a composition about why the animal they chose would make a good mascot. Provide time for students to work on improving the focus of their writing so that the whole article supports their main idea about why this animal would make a good class mascot. Part Two: Editing for Complete Sentences This editing lesson is the same lesson that was taught during the personal narrative lesson last week. Because writing in complete sentences is very challenging for many beginning writers, we feel that the repeated practice will help them to hear what complete sentences sound like and instill the importance of writing with complete sentences. Teach students how to edit their stories for complete sentences. Make a chart that shows examples of sentences, fragments, and run-ons from your students stories. See the attached Sentence, Fragment, and Run-on Chart. Explain that a complete sentence tells a complete idea. It should stand alone, meaning that you could say the sentence by itself (outside of the story) and it should make sense on its own. Give a few examples of complete sentences. Then show writers a sentence fragment. A fragment is a part of a sentence that does not make sense on its own. Show examples. It is usually the beginning or ending of a complete sentence. Next show a few examples of run-on sentences. Run-on sentences are really two or more sentences that have no punctuation dividing them. Using your own writing, show students how to use two different colors of pencils or crayons to underline each complete sentence in an alternating color. However, they need to make sure they are underlining only complete sentences!

43 Underline the first sentence of your writing in one color and say the sentence aloud. Ask, Is it a complete idea? Can it stand alone? Or is it a part of a sentence that doesn t make sense by itself? Is it more than one sentence without punctuation? If it is a fragment or run-on, the writer needs to fix it to make it a complete sentence and underline only the complete sentence in the first color. Move on to your next sentence. Repeat the above questions. Edit to make it a complete sentence and underline it in the alternating color. Now writers are ready to work with partners to analyze the sentences in their own stories and underline them in alternating colors, the same as you just modeled. If the writer notices that he/she is underlining a very long sentence, it is a sign that they should look more carefully it might be a run-on. Conversely, if the writer notices a very short sentence, he/she should look carefully to make sure it is not a fragment. For this activity, you will probably want to pair your writers so that a strong writer is working with a weaker writer. Students work with their partner to analyze and underline sentences in each other s stories in two colors. Part 3: Editing for Correct Spelling Next, writers review the words that are on the Word Wall. Then, with Word Wall words in mind, writers read their stories and make sure all Word Wall words are spelled correctly. Writers should read with their partner to double-check their spellings. They should also find the correct spellings of any words they circled while drafting (because they were unsure of the spelling.) If time allows, end the class today with a brief gallery walk. Have students leave their article on their desk along with their note taking guides and index cards (leads and conclusions). Everyone moves over one desk so that they are seeing someone else s work. Give writers a few minutes to read their peer s work, and then move them to the next desk. Repeat a few times. Then ask if anyone read a particularly interesting response that showed a lot of thinking. Encourage that student to share aloud what they wrote. At another time, you may have students read everyone s articles and vote for the mascot they think best matches their class. Groups then create a class flag or other items that show the new class mascot!

44 Sentence, Fragment, and Run-on Chart Complete Sentence Fragment Run-on Tells a complete idea Stands alone Makes sense on its own Part of a sentence Does not make sense on its own Two or more sentences put together without punctuation dividing them Examples (Insert examples from student compositions.) Aunt Sophie suggested we go outside to see what Uncle Leo was doing. I looked up at the big horse, noticing he was twice as tall as I was. (Insert examples from student compositions.) Talking to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo. Thinking about how much fun I had. (Insert examples from student compositions.) Mom, do I really have to go to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo s ranch it s boring there. He asked me if I wanted to ride the bigger horse Smoky I said No because I was scared.

45 WEEK 4 PUBLISHING AND CELEBRATIONS Lessons 1 and 2: Choosing a Piece to Publish, Final Drafts, Illustrations, and Conferences 90 Minutes Students read over again all three drafts they have produced over the last 3 weeks. They choose the draft they feel shows their best writing, to polish and share with the audience you have arranged for them. Discuss your plans for the way they will share their writing with the audience later this week. Will each child take a turn to read their writing in front of the whole group? Will children sit in groups and read only to their small group? Be clear about your expectations for all children to publish one composition and to share this writing with the audience. Tell students in advance in what order they will read their compositions, so students can be prepared. You will need to decide what form you d like their writing to take. Do you want the published pieces typed? Will you have enough time for all writers to type their pieces? Will writers include illustrations? Will the final draft be in book form? Do you have the materials to make books? A few other considerations: You might want to gather a copy of your students writings into one anthology to save as writing samples you can show next year s students. And you will definitely want to send a copy of these writings to the students 4 th grade teachers, so they can see the work you have done to prepare your students for 4 th grade writing. Fourth grade teachers will want to see the level of writing the students are producing so they can build on the foundation you have begun to prepare your students for the 4 th grade STAAR writing test. Once students have decided on the piece they will publish, you will want to conference with each writer to make any final suggestions for their final draft. Students may take turns typing their drafts while you conference with writers. Others may begin their illustrations. Be sure to give writers guidelines for their illustrations, such as: - drawings must show the important parts of the writing - illustrations must include a caption that describes what the drawing is showing - illustrations and captions must be neat and colorful

46 As you confer, do not become overwhelmed by the number of corrections you feel you need to make in their writing. You can save time by reading your students writing in advance of your conference with them. Make note of only 1-2 revisions you will recommend the writer make to the content of the writing. Which 1 or 2 changes will make the biggest impact on this writing? Conference only in terms of the lessons you have taught them. For example, for the personal narrative, use these questions to guide your revisions: Is the story organized in a sequence that makes sense? Did the writer include enough details so you can understand the story? Does the writer have an interesting lead? Does the writing have an ending that wraps up the story? Does the writing contain fragments or run-on sentences that need to be fixed? Are Word Wall words spelled correctly? For the expository pieces, use these questions to guide your revisions: Does the composition have a central idea stated in the introduction? Does the writer use an interesting lead? Does the composition contain 2-5 reasons to support the central idea? Does each paragraph have examples, explanations, or anecdotes to support each reason? Does the composition have concluding statements that summarize, tell how the writer feels, and leaves the reader with a final thought? Did the writer use transitions effectively? Does the writing contain fragments or run-on sentences that need to be fixed? Are Word Wall words spelled correctly? If the writer needs help with both revising and editing, make only a revision suggestion during this conference. Then, ask this writer to come back for another conference during which you can help with editing suggestions. Lessons 3 and 4: Final Drafts, Illustrations, and Oral Practice 90 Minutes Students continue to work on their final drafts and illustrations. You may continue conferencing if needed. Remember that you will be the final proofreader of their work, so you will be able to make any changes in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and paragraphs that the students have overlooked.

47 As students finish their final drafts and illustrations, they should begin practicing the reading of their writings, so they will be able to read with fluency and expression. You may need to model what fluency and expression sounds like, as compared to a reading of the same piece without fluency and expression. Show students how to stand straight and hold their papers low enough so their voices travel over their paper and out to the audience. Have them practice speaking clearly and loudly enough for the audience to hear. Lesson 5: Sharing Writing With an Audience 90 Minutes Begin your publishing celebration by praising your writers for the hard work they have done to complete their writings. Remind them that they should feel proud of their efforts to produce high quality writing. Before you begin with today s presentations, talk to the audience about your expectations for being a good audience and good listeners. Remind them that fellow writers are an understanding audience for other writers who are presenting their compositions. They know the hard work a writer does to perfect his/her writing for an audience. They show respect to a presenter by sitting still, listening attentively, and clapping after a writer is finished. You will need to orchestrate the flow of events during your publishing celebration. Be prepared to tell parents/guests where to sit and what to expect. Thank your guests for coming to support your budding writers. Tell them how proud you are of the hard work your students have put forth to make their writing the best work they ve completed all year!

48 Appendix Mentor Texts

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50 Clean Up the Cafeteria By Lu Chen Squish! That s the sound my shoe made today as it hit a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that someone left under the lunch table. Yuck! Everyone needs to do their part to keep our cafeteria clean. If you ve looked around our cafeteria lately, you ve probably noticed that it s gotten pretty messy. People drop wrappers and juice boxes on the floor. They leave crumbs on the table and don t throw away their trash. This may not seem like a big deal, but my friend ruined her new shirt because she stuck her elbow in ketchup someone didn t wipe up. Cleaning up after yourself takes just a few minutes, and it makes the cafeteria better for everyone. First, the lunchroom will look cleaner and be a more pleasant place to eat. Second, there won t be as many germs from food left sitting around. Most important, you won t ruin your clothes or shoes because you stepped or sat in a mess someone else left. In conclusion, doing your part is simple. Throw out your trash and wipe up any spills or crumbs. Everyone will thank you! Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, Grade 3 Writing Transparency 87 and 88

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