Georgia Performance Standards Framework for English Language Arts-Kindergarten

Transcription

1 One Stop Shop For Educators The following instructional plan is part of a GaDOE collection of Unit Frameworks, Performance Tasks, examples of Student Work, and Teacher Commentary. Many more GaDOE approved instructional plans are available by using the Search s feature located on Georgias.Org. Unit Performance Task Grade: Kindergarten Title: End of Unit Performance-Persuasive Writing Task Annotation: After kindergarteners have been exposed to persuasive read-alouds, as well as to the format of letter writing, they will publish a persuasive letter. Note to Teacher: This task complements the Kindergarten Persuasive Writing Unit. The teacher may want to reference the unit to assist with this task. The teacher may also want to keep in mind that kindergarten students may be on different developmental levels. Some of the students may be writing complete sentences and others may be drawing pictures with strings of letters. Both are appropriate for this grade level. Focus s/elements: ELAKW2 The student writes in a variety of genres, including narrative, informational, persuasive and response to literature. The student produces a persuasive piece of writing that: a. States an b. May use words, illustrations, or graphics to support an c. Begins to use formats appropriate to the genre (letter, poster). d. May include describing words. e. Prewrites orally or written to generate ideas (graphic organizers and pictures). f. May include a draft developed from prewriting. g. May include a sense of closure. Complementary s/elements: ELAKW1 The student begins to understand the principles of writing. The student a. Writes or dictates to describe familiar persons, places, objects, or experiences. b. Uses drawings, letters, and phonetically spelled words to create meaning. e. Begins to use capitalization at the beginning of sentences and punctuation (periods and question marks) at the end of sentences. Essential Questions: 1. What are some of the essential elements of the persuasive genre? 2. What elements need to be in a persuasive writing piece to meet the standard? English Language Arts GRADE K Persuasive Unit March, 2009 Page 1 of 5

2 Balanced Assessment: Assessment Methods: 1. Rubric: The teacher should refer to the attached rubric for Kindergarten Persuasive Writing. This rubric can be used to assess the published pieces that the students produce. 2. Teacher/Student Conferences: Throughout the process of this task, the students will be selecting their best pieces and making meaningful decisions. The teacher will need to have conferences with the students to support them with the task. 3. Observation: Throughout the process of this task, the teacher will be conducting lessons on the elements of the genre and talking about the students progress. The teacher will be able to observe during class discussion to note the students understanding of the standard. Teacher Directions: Description of Task In this End of Unit Performance Task, the students will be asked to publish one of their persuasive letters. The task will call for students to make a decision about which one of their persuasive letters best meets the standard. The students will use a student-friendly rubric to assist them in making their decision. The teacher will explain that publishing their work is the very last step of the writing process. This End of Unit Performance Task will consist of three steps: 1. The teacher and students will build a rubric together. 2. The students will decide which of their letters best meets the Persuasive Writing. 3. The students will publish their work. After the students have published their work, the teacher may then use the Persuasive Writing Rubric (Teacher Version) to assess the students writing. After the students have completed the Persuasive Unit, the teacher may want to assign the Performance Task. This task may take several days depending on the needs of the students. Step One: The teacher will want to create a rubric with the students. This type of activity allows the students to be clear about the expectations for the task. This task will also result in the students being more reflective about their own work. The teacher will need to break down the language of the standard in terms that the students understand. By this point in their understanding, they should have heard the language of the standard many times. The teacher should try to use the original language as much as possible, but make what is expected in the students performance as kid-friendly as possible. March, 2009 Page 2 of 5

3 The following rubric is an example of what may be created with a group of kindergarten students. The rubric that is actually created may have different words because a particular group of students may have a different way of describing their performance. Sample Rubric Element of the : Progressing Toward the Meeting the Exceeding the a. States an opinion b. May use words, illustrations, or graphics to support an My writing has no My work has no pictures or words that make sense. My writing has an My work has pictures or words to help me share my My writing has a detailed My work has both pictures and words to help share my opinion with others. Etc. The teacher will need to have whole group and individual conferences with the students to assist them with this self-reflection. The following is an example of what a teacher may say to a group of students while creating this rubric: Boys and girls, we have talked a lot about having an We have discussed that writing or drawing about your opinion is very important in the persuasive genre. Now we have to look at our writing and decide. Did we add our opinion to our work? If your mom or dad read your writing, would he/she be able to understand what your opinion is? Now, what words can we add to our rubric to express that there is no opinion in an example of writing? How can we add that there is an opinion in the writing? How can we write that the student may have gone above and beyond to exceed the standard? I would like for us to create these words together because this will help you to select your very best piece of persuasive writing. The teacher can then go through the other elements of the standard. He/she should try to keep the performance for each of the areas as positive as possible. If the descriptions in the student rubric are negative, then the students may be less willing to be objective about their own writing. March, 2009 Page 3 of 5

4 Step Two: One Stop Shop For Teachers After the teacher and the students have created a rubric together, the next step is for them to look through all of their writing to begin to select their very best piece of writing. This can be completed as a whole group, in small groups, or individually. It will depend on the amount of independence that the student will be able to handle. If the students are higher functioning, the teacher may want to utilize a work time session to have the students sit with their table or with a small group to talk with each other and decide on their best piece. One important idea to note is that the students will need to be given plenty of time to think about the rubric and each element in order to make their decision. If the teacher feels that the students would handle this performance task better with more support, then small groups or individual conferences may work better. The teacher can give particular students more independence while others will need more individual support. When all of the students have selected their best piece, then the teacher may want to have some or all of the students share the piece that they have chosen and ask them to verbally say why they selected that piece of work. Step Three: The last step of this performance task is to allow the students to publish their best piece of persuasive writing. The teacher may want to have special paper available to motivate the students into being successful with this last step. The Kindergarten students may ask questions such as, I have already written this letter. Why do I have to write it again? This may be their first experience with publishing. The teacher will need to explain what this stage of the writing process entails. The teacher may want to explain by using some of the mentor texts. The teacher might say, Boys and girls, all of your favorite authors began by writing their stories with a pencil or on a computer. Then, a publishing company put their words on special paper with special pictures. The teacher should try to make this step as motivating and exciting as possible. Some ideas to keep them motivated are to have a special celebration like an Authors Tea. The teacher can invite parents, other teachers, and/or school administrators to listen to the students read their pieces. The teacher may want to create a special bulletin board to display the published work. After the students have completed their published work, the teacher may want to formally assess their writing using the Persuasive Writing Rubric (Teacher Version). After each piece has been assessed, the teacher may want to add the published writing with its attached rubric to each student s portfolio. These can be shared at parent/teacher conferences. March, 2009 Page 4 of 5

5 Resources, Materials, and Equipment: Chart Paper Markers Publishing Paper (optional) Copies of the Kindergarten Persuasive Writing Rubric March, 2009 Page 5 of 5