WRITING WORKSHOP NONFICTION ANIMAL REPORTS EMILY BONNEMORT, 2011 Scaffolding for young writers: I do it, We do it, You do it
Common Core Guiding our Unit of Study
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing The K 5 standards on the following pages define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of each grade. The CCR and grade-specific standards are necessary complements the former providing broad standards, the latter providing additional specificity that together define the skills and understandings that all students must demonstrate.
Text Types and Purposes 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
Production and Distribution of Writing 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. 9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Range of Writing 10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading
Key Ideas and Details 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. 2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. 3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
Craft and Structure 4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. 5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. 6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence. 9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity 10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
Dig Into the Common Core Open Common Core Book With your group, locate Reading AND Writing Standards for Informational Text Highlight and Discuss the expectations for 2 nd Grade
2 nd Grade Reading Standards for Informational Text RI.2.2. Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text. RI.2.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area. RI.2.5. Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently. RI.2.6. Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe. RI.2.7. Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text. RI.2.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2 3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
2 nd Grade Writing Standards W.2.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section. W.2.5. With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. W.2.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). W.2.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question
Preparing to Teach Consult Common Core Analyze Student Writing Samples Form a checklist of what you expect students to be able to do Develop rubric
Jordan School District
Teach Text Features Introduce a new text feature each day. Chart the feature and its purpose. Show students many examples in nonfiction books. Students find their own examples of text features in books. Teacher models how to design a text feature. Students independently write or draw text features (Can use a textfeature student booklet). Harvey and Goudvis Primary Comprehension Toolkit
Build Background Knowledge Prior to beginning the writing unit, read aloud and discuss several nonfiction books (about the animals they chose) Students read nonfiction books during guided reading
Choose topics Students choose an animal to research (give them 4-6 animals to choose from) Flexible group sizes- (I recommend 3-5 students per group)
Become Experts on a Topic Prior to this unit, student should have exposure reading and discussing the purpose of nonfiction text Have a class discussion about authors of nonfiction. Point out that they must be experts on a topic to write about it Discuss table of contents and headings Ask children to help brainstorm which sections to include in a nonfiction book to teach a reader about an animal Guide the conversation to include the topics: looks like, habitat, and eats (their future books will include these three, and a section of their choice)
I do it Choose a topic to research together as a class
Model Note-taking: Think aloud Choose an animal to research together as a class Explain that note-taking is the first step in researching and writing Explain that the category eats will be the first heading and that all of the notes written today will about eating Read aloud and have students discuss their learning ( turn and talk ) During reading, model by thinking aloud to determine important information Model taking notes on post-its Taking Notes Key Word Strategy 1. Read the information 2. Stop, think about it 3. Say it in your own words 4. Think about the most important words 5. Write key words on a post-it
Model Writing: Shared Writing Composing Text Model using key words from notes to compose sentences Teach how to combine ideas with conjunctions Teach pronouns Draw an x over the information used
We do it
Scaffold using notes to compose sentences Begin the second category habitat As a class, read and take a few notes on post-its Together, as a class, use the information on the first 2 postits to compose sentences (use enlarged paper) Teach how to combine ideas with conjunctions Teach pronouns Draw an x over the information used
Using notes to compose sentences Students use information on the last 2-3 post-its to independently compose sentences
Moving Toward Independence
Scaffold Note-taking Review note-taking process. Begin the third category looks like Model and have students help you take the first few notes on post-its (Use a simple text that most can read independently or with a buddy- I used a scholastic reader that came with an enlarged copy) Give students a student copy of a scholastic reader and post-it notes Students work independently to take additional notes (everyone has the same scholastic reader)
Independent Writing: Composing Sentences Student use their own notes to write a looks like section They draw an x over the information after they have used it
You do it
Students begin independent research Supply groups with a box of nonfiction books about their animal (make sure some are at independent reading level) Students research by reading and using animal websites and data-bases (Zoobooks, Discovery Streaming, National Geographic-Kids)
Begin the independent writing process Introduce students to the writing process cycle Students move through the cycle at their own pace Students keep track of their work using a checklist Teacher conducts individual writing conferences during work time Differentiationincorporate smallgroup writing
Read Take notes Try a text feature Write a section Reread, edit, revise
Student Work Samples
Independent Note-taking
Independent Writing
Interactive Writing Before and during this unit, write a nonfiction animal Big Book as a class.