Achievement First is committed to constant professional growth and reflection for our teachers and we want to share that learning with the broader education reform community. This document is from an exciting new section of the Achievement First website with hundreds of free classroom and professional development resources found in our public charter schools. We are now hiring teachers and school leaders. If you are a passionate educator who wants to work in a college-preparatory environment to close the achievement gap, learn more and apply online at www.achievementfirst.org/careers. HONE YOUR CRAFT
Summary: In this four week unit to begin the year, your writers will be introduced to many new concepts and will learn your classroom writing routines. You will introduce your class to two main genres, narrative and expository, and explore mentor texts and authors that fall into these genres (and their many sub genres). In this unit, you will regularly model writing for your class by thinking aloud the process involved and explaining the techniques and strategies you use, such as saying your whole idea before writing it, writing down the sounds you hear when you say and stretch a word, or using the alphabet chart. You will introduce your scholars to journal writing (with the intent being to write every day and share their writing with other people), where they will practice writing down, in whatever way they can, their own personal experiences. Sharing your own journal entries with them and discussing your process in producing the writing is a powerful support in their own development. Also, towards the end of the unit, scholars will begin to plan and draft stories, and keep these in a writing folder. You will write as a class about the strategies that great writers use, and establish those strategies as references for your writers. You might encourage scholars to take their writing folders home to decorate them with pictures (see the Resources section of the complete unit plan from last year for more information on this). You may choose to incorporate a mini unit on the seasons, in particular fall, with the first day of fall being this month. ISBN-13: 9780399216909 I. Ideas and Content A.4 Writing has only one main idea. Standards Taught to Mastery Assessment By the end of this unit, scholars will have produced several plans and drafts, and written in their writing journals nearly every day. At the end of the unit, one piece of writing for each scholar should be graded against the AF 6 traits Rubric for kindergarten, which you can find on the shared server: Curriculum > Shared Documents > Elementary School > Writing Editing Revising > Writing Unit Materials > 6-Traits Rubrics 2009-10 The documents referenced below can be found here on the shared server: Curriculum > Shared Documents > Elementary School > Writing Editing Revising > Writing Unit Materials > Writing Units 2009-10 > Kindergarten > Unit 1--We are Writers! > Resources > Assessment Check out the shared server for an Early Writer s Checklist you could use. Begin to complete a standards checklist of mastered standards like this one (which includes the first K standard). It can be helpful to keep a product checklist to record of the pieces that your scholars complete so you know who needs more time to finish certain products, or when you need to insert a particular lesson to fill in gaps. It may be too early to begin conferencing with your scholars in this unit (as they are generally not able to write independently without your constant supervision and support), but there is an intervention plan and a student conferencing notes document on the shared server, that might be useful for when you can start. Workshops with scholars who need extra time to practice a routine or a skill can be very effective. Use a workshop plan to help you prepare for and record observations from workshops. Dates to Note September 2 4: IA1 (baseline) Personal Narrative September 21: First day of Autumn Vocabulary with Definitions Narrative: Stories that are written to entertain others, and focus on a character or an experience. The story has a beginning, middle and end. Expository: Texts that are written to give information, and focus on a topic. These are organized with an introduction, body and conclusion. Character: Who the story is about. Setting: Where and when the story takes place. Plot: What happens in the story. Topic: What the story is about. Author: A person who writes. Illustrator: A person who draws a story s pictures. Mentor: Someone we can learn from. Sketch: A basic drawing. Have your scholars assess themselves as writers, and talk to them about their assessments as a step towards helping them become aware and reflective writers. (Me As A Writer and Student Self Assessment Page). Label: A word or words to tell what something is.
Ideas for First Five Lesson Aims AF Elementary Writing One way to begin the first unit of the year is to tackle a routine based aim and writing aim each lesson. 1. SWBAT watch a modeled writing activity using a writing journal. SWBAT move from the carpet to their tables for writing. SWBAT write in their writing journals for the first time about a personal experience. 2. SWBAT use the word narrative to describe a story that tells about someone or something, and is entertaining. SWBAT start and stop for independent writing time on a signal. 3. SWBAT explain that a written message stays the same. SWBAT verbalize what independent writing time looks, sounds and feels like. 4. SWBAT tell about a personal experience. SWBAT draw and write about that experience in their journals. 5. SWBAT collect writing materials independently. SWBAT participate in a shared writing experience, telling about the writing routines in your classroom (expository). Mini Topic Fall (first day is on September 21) Go for a fall walk and write about it Read narrative and expository books about fall Make label books about seasons Build a word bank of fall words Identify the initial sounds in fall words Make fall crafts and write about it Collect leaves, talk about their features and list some descriptive words Suggested Skills Handwriting: Some of your scholars will need help to grip a pencil, while others will already be able to form some letters well. The following activities will provide focused practice: Set up workstations or centers that help your scholars practice fine motor skill development and control (using clips, pegs and squeezable objects), holding a pencil, writing on lines and sketching in space, writing left to right and top to bottom, and putting finger spaces between words. Work on letter formation in various contexts (tracing sandpaper letters, making letters in foam, on carpet, on a partner s back or hand, in sand, using chalk, etc.). Generate worksheets to be practiced in class or as homework (with explicit instructions on how to form the letters correctly), grouping similarly formed together, or including high frequency words. (Find some handwriting examples on the shared server: Curriculum > Shared Documents > Elementary School > Writing Editing Revising > Writing Unit Materials > Writing Units 2009-10 > Kindergarten > Unit 1--We are Writers! > Resources > Handwriting, or make your own at http://www.handwritingworksheets.com) Practice writing routines: Scholars will need to be taught your writing class routines, such as moving to and from the carpet area, how independent writing time looks and sounds, how to share ideas with a partner or the class, and sharing after writing. A good resource to check for ways to go about this is last year s unit 1 complete unit plan. See the Resources section below for a link. (Please note: there is NOT a complete unit plan for 2009 10.) Use Supplies Independently: Practice the routines for gathering and putting away writing materials (pencils, paper, journals, writing folders, etc.), and teach scholars how they can get a sharp pencil if theirs breaks, or when and how to use colors. Lucy Calkins addresses these issues in Using Supplies Independently, session 3 of Launching the Writing Workshop, and also Creating a Place for Writing In Progress: Long Term Projects, session 11 of the same text. Build Stamina: At the beginning of kindergarten, scholars may be able to write independently for just 1 2 minutes. Make sure this time looks, sounds and feels the way you want it to, then work on increasing it very slowly. By the end of the year, scholars should be writing independently for 20 minutes. Try setting the timer to challenge your scholars to increase their stamina. Signal the start of writing time so that it is easily recognizable, and/or play soft music during the independent writing time session (if it does not interrupt focus). Also, give scholars strategies to continue writing when they feel they are finished. Lucy Calkins speaks about when you re done, you ve just begun in session 2 of Launching the Writing Workshop, Carrying On Independently as Writers. Assessment of Early Writing Skills: Before you can expect your writers to write, they need to develop some fundamental skills. A checklist containing some of these can be found below in the Assessment section of this document. See Real World Purposes for Writing: Make your scholars writing experiences as authentic and meaningful as possible, providing real world purposes for writing such as postcards, letters, placemats, labels, cards, lists, etc. Lucy Calkins explores some such purposes in session 13 ( Widening Writing Possibilities: Lists and Letters ) and session 14 ( Widening Writing Possibilities: Real
World Purposes ) of Launching the Writing Workshop. Writing signs (see skill suggestion below) is another example of real world, purposeful writing for your scholars. (There are more resources on writing across the curriculum from Kidwriting in the Resources section below.) Choose a Topic: Help scholars develop this skill by teaching small moment writing (a la Lucy Calkins). They will have lots of wonderful ideas for writing, but will need help focusing on a small moment within that idea. Work on developing mental images, zooming in on a small moment, and then expanding on the details of that moment. See Lucy Calkins Small Moments: Personal Narrative Writing for a detailed explanation of this: Sessions 1, 2 and 4: Understanding a Small Moment Story, Discovering One Small Moment and Stretching One Small Moment.) This skill supports the one standard for this unit (A.4 Writing has only one main idea), so be sure to spend time on this important skill. Sketch, Label and Write : Many of your scholars will love to draw and color, and will spend as much time as they can on this. Teaching them the difference between sketching and drawing is valuable, as a means to ensuring they will have enough time for writing every lesson also. Sketch, add word labels to your picture, write, and finally, go back and add details and colors to pictures if you have time. Lucy Calkins talks about this skill in Small Moments: Personal Narrative Writing, session 6, Sketching Rather than Drawing. Be sure your scholars are ready for this skill, as many may still need the support of being able to draw their ideas. Use Words and Pictures (mentor authors and texts): Show scholars that writers use words and pictures to tell their stories, with the pictures helping to tell the same story as the words. Lucy Calkins session 6 from Launching the Writing Workshop ( Using Both Pictures and Words, like Famous Authors ) provides more detail on how you might teach this. Write Signs: Signs and labels in your classroom are a powerful tool. However, don t set out to label every piece of furniture in your room; rather, co create labels and signs that contain words or root words useful to your beginning writers. Write labels to show where to line up, how to do something, or where to put or keep things. (There is more information on this concept in the Kidwriting excerpt in the Resources section below.) Create Label Books: Not only will scholars love to write label books (books of pictures with 1 2 words per page), but they will love to read them with each other afterwards. Kindergarten scholars also love to make their own books, and bookmaking is a wonderful way for scholars to practice following instructions. Try making zig zag books (accordion style folds using a long page) or simple folded and stapled books with a card cover. Repetitive phrase books can be very successful with beginning K writers, and using great literature as a starting point for the language pattern of the book. (For example, using Brown Bear, Brown Bear and changing the words to <Your class>, what do you see? and having scholars complete the sentence, I see a. on their own page.) Check out Writing A Z (see link and passwords in the Resources section below), particularly the >>Tools>> Mini Books or Picture /Label Cards sections. Knowledge of Narrative and Expository Genres: Scholars will need to understand the features of the two main genres: narrative stories involve a character, setting and story and entertain the reader, while expository texts contain information to teach the reader something. Read many stories with your class, discuss them, and decide together whether they are narrative or expository. You can expand on these basic categories to include some of the sub genres such as Personal Narratives (the focus is on an experience, activity or setting), Character Narratives (the focus is on the character), and expository texts such as How To or All About. Read about the genres on the shared server: Curriculum > Shared Documents > Elementary School > Writing Editing Revising > Writing Unit Materials > Writing Units 2009-10 > Kindergarten > Unit 1--We are Writers! > Resources > Other Spelling Strategies: The following skills should be modeled repeatedly: Letter/Sound Correspondence, Initial Sounds, the use of the Alphabet Chart. Provide your scholars with ample opportunities to practice. Lucy Calkins addresses some of these strategies in Launching the Writing Workshop: Session 7 Stretching and Writing Words, Session 8 Stretching and Writing Words: Initial Sounds, Session 9 Spelling the Best We Can and Moving On and Session 10 Using Writing Tools: The Alphabet Chart.
Mentor Texts The best mentor texts are those which the teacher knows and loves, and can share with scholars again and again. These repeated readings will give scholars familiarity with the details of a story, and will give them the opportunity to enjoy reading it first as a reader, then see it again with the eyes of a writer. Select examples of your favorite age appropriate expository and narrative texts from your classroom library to share with the class (with an eye to using them for several purposes beyond this unit, if possible). Do not feel obliged to use the books on this list if you have your own favorites. Reading Like Writers The Great Gracie Chase by Cynthia Rylant A well behaved dog runs away; the chase ensues. In My Yellow Shirt by Eileen Spinelli A boy gets a yellow shirt for his birthday and pretends to be different things in it. Mud by Mary Lyn Ray Describes the joy of mud and the coming of spring. Mothers Are Like That by Carol Carrick Describes how mothers take care of their children (animals and human). Where Writers get Ideas for Writing Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James A girl writes to her teacher to ask him questions about a whale living in her pond. Listening Walk by Paul Showers A father and his child take a walk and listen to the sounds around them. What Do Authors Do? By Eileen Christelow A mother (and author) describes what she does, from thinking of ideas to rewriting and meeting editors. (Some parts may be too complex for beginning K.) Let s Get a Pup! said Kate by Bob Graham Kate and her family get a dog. Tulip Sees America by Cynthia Rylant The narrator and his/her dog head off on a trip to see America. The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant A story of visiting relatives. Author: A True Story by Helen Lester The true story of her journey from childhood to her first book being published. Personal Experience Narratives (unit 2 contains a more extensive list) Don t Mention Pirates by Sarah McConnell Genre example of a personal experience narrative. Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant Genre example of a personal experience narrative. More examples of narrative (both personal experience and character/problem/solution) can be found <here> on the shared server at: <insert path> to copies of pages 31, 33 of Empowering Writers Fall Mini Topic Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins A colorful photo essay of a fall nature walk, with photos of leaves and the trees they came from. (Expository) Fall (The Four Seasons) by Maria Rius Picture book describing the four seasons. (Expository) The Pumpkin Patch by Elizabeth King Describes the life cycle of a pumpkin and the activities in a pumpkin patch. (Expository) Why do Leaves Change Color? By Betsy Maestro Answers this question and includes activities a child can do with leaves. (Expository) Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur One brief acrostic poem for each letter of the alphabet describes an aspect of the season. (Poetry) The Little Scarecrow Boy by Margaret Wise Brown Tells the story of a scarecrow boy and the lessons he learns every day from his father. (Narrative) Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White The story of a girl who hates pumpkins, because she was forced to eat them all the time as a child. (Narrative) Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindburgh A poem which tells the story of one man s crusade to spread apple seeds from Massachusetts to the Midwest. (Narrative)
Resources and AF Materials Recommended Reading Lucy Calkins and Leah Mermelstein, Launching the Writing Workshop (from the K 2 Units Of Study bundle) Lucy Calkins and Abby Oxenhorn, Small Moment: Personal Narrative Writing (from the K 2 Units Of Study bundle) Helpful Resources A sample great writers poster can be found on the shared server: Curriculum > Shared Documents > Elementary School > Writing Editing Revising > Writing Unit Materials > Writing Units 2009-10 > Kindergarten > Unit 1--We are Writers! > Resources > Other An explanation of modeled writing (among other useful and important information) can be found on the AF Elementary Writing Excellence Document on the shared server: Curriculum > Shared Documents > Elementary School > Writing Editing Revising > Scope and Sequences, Excellence Document Look at writing samples for this unit (when available), graded against the 6 traits rubric, on the shared server: Curriculum > Shared Documents > Elementary School > Writing Editing Revising > Writing Unit Materials > Writing Units 2009-10 > Kindergarten > Unit 1--We are Writers! > Exemplar Writing Pieces. (Please note that these documents are still being finalized at time of press and will be posted to the server when ready.) Last year, a complete unit was planned for unit 1, which was Personal Narrative: The Writing Process. Although this unit is different, many parts of the complete plan are useful for this first unit. Find it on the shared server at: Curriculum > Shared Documents > Elementary School > Writing Editing Revising > Writing Unit Materials > Helpful Materials from 2008-9 > Complete Unit Plans > Kindergarten > Personal Narrative--The Writing Process Writing A Z (www.writinga z.com) is filled with resources for this unit (and many others) this year. Within the Tools section, there are posters (which includes annotated samples of writing in various genres), author interviews (short video interviews with some of the writers from Reading A Z), lists (word lists such as adjectives, verbs, literary devices, writing ideas and more) and much more. There are also Writing Skills and Lesson Plan sections. AF has a number of username/passwords purchased, which can be found on the shared server: Curriculum > Shared Documents > Elementary School > Writing Editing Revising > Writing Unit Materials > Writing Units 2009-10 > Kindergarten > Unit 1--We are Writers! > Resources > Other. There is a link to the Writing A Z site from our AF homepage (http://www.achievementfirst.org/af/welcome/). Kid Writing: A Systematic Approach to Phonics, Journals, and Writing Workshop (Second Edition) by Eileen G. Feldgus and Isabell Cardonick (Wright Group McGraw Hill) has some great ideas for writing across the curriculum and using writing journals. Read some excerpts from their text on the shared server: Curriculum > Shared Documents > Elementary School > Writing Editing Revising > Writing Unit Materials > Writing Units 2009-10 > Kindergarten > Unit 1--We are Writers! > Resources > Other