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Teacher Licensure Number: 329542

Need to add resources ground it in researchStrand A: Instruction

I. Context

A. Class Information

1. Grade level(s): Kindergarten

2. Course title/subject area: Writing

3. Number of students in the class: 22

4. Number of students with identified special needs as indicated by IEP’s:

2

5. Number of students who are English Language Learners: 0

1Strand A: Instruction


I. Context (cont’d.)

B. Description of Range of Achievement Levels and Appropriateness of Instruction

There are a wide range on achievement levels in my classroom. Being a

kindergarten classroom there are some students in my class that this is their first

experience in a school setting. There are also students who have been in a Pre-K class.

Their abilities levels vary in different areas like being able to work independently or

letter/sound knowledge.

This segment of instruction is appropriate for this group of students because it is

an instruction is to Writers Workshop and will get the students to understand that we all

have stories to tell and that we are able to write these stories down. No matter what level

the students are at they will be able to participate. Students who need more time and

guidance will be given such support and students who are ready to start adding words to

their stories will also be given that opportunity to do so.

(350 word maximum)

C. Standards Addressed

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.3 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.5With guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.



II. Introduction (1000 max)

The knowledge and skills this instruction helped my students learn

This segment of instruction took place over the course of two weeks. Through this

instruction the students were able to learn that we all have stories to tell and that there are

tools we can use to write/draw these stories. Students also learned that these stories are

meant to be shared and this was done through the opportunities to share their stories with

buddies as well as to the class with the use of an author’s chair.

How this segment fit in with previous and continuing instruction

This segment of instruction is the introduction of the Writers Workshop and so it

is the base for the rest of the year. This segment will lend itself into the next unit of

Writers Workshop, because now that the students are comfortable getting their stories

down on paper they will be able to all start to add words to their stories by adding labels

to their pictures. It will also lend itself to other types of writing such as opinion writing

and personal narratives.

How this segment integrated skills or content from more than one subject area

Reading and writing mix

How I organized the educational setting to enhance student learning in this segment



The educational setting is organized in a way to create an environment where

students understand when it is time to write and when it is time to share. I turn off the

lights during individual work time so that students understand that this time is meant for

writing on their own and not to be interrupting the other students who are working. I also

separate the time of instruction with whole group instruction as well as partner sharing

and individual work time. This allows for me to conduct a mini lesson during whole

group instruction, students to share their stories with other during partner sharing, and

work on their own writing during individual work time.

How I differentiated instruction for students with diverse needs

For high students given the opportunity to add words to their stories, for lower

students given more time and guidance with their stories.



III. Instructional Record (3 to 5 consecutive or connected hours)What you and students did Why you did it

Introduction to Writers Workshop-We all have stories to tell (Whole Group, 25 min)

I start off the lesson by explaining to students that we all have stories to tell and that not only can we share these stories out loud but that we can write them down on paper. I explain that there are many stories that I am going to share with them throughout the year and that they are going to be able to share their stories with each other and that we are going to write them down on paper. I then read the book “Rocket Writes a Story” by Tad Hills. As I read the book I stop at various pages throughout the story to ask questions.The students are answering the questions that I ask throughout the reading of the After I finish reading to book we talk about how Rocket wrote a story about his friend and that we can also write stories about our friends as well as other things. I give the students about a minute to think about a story about a friend. Then I let students who have their hands raised to share stories about their friends. I conclude the lesson with explaining that we are going to share stories like this throughout the year.

To begin this unit of study I first have to initiate a conversation about stories. I read the book, “Rocket writes a story,” because it is about a dog who is using his own experiences to write about. This helps the students to understand that we can tell stories about things that happen in our daily lives. I ask questions throughout the book so that students can engage with the text. I every student the opportunity to share a story with the class so they know that this is a time where our voices/stories will be heard.

Tools we use to tell our stories (Whole Group, 25 min)

I begin the lesson by asking the students if they remember the story about Rocket from yesterday. The students respond with various responses. I then talk about how Rocket was able to write his story down on paper and that there are different tools

I begin the lesson with asking about yesterday’s story so that their prior knowledge is activated. By having a conversation about the tools we use to write stories, the students will understand that the tools serve a purpose, to be able to



that we can use to do this. I discuss with the students that we are about to draw pictures to represent our stories and ask them what kinds of tools we could use to do this. They respond with various answers that include crayons, markers, and pencils. I also talk about how later on in the year we will start to use pencils to add words to our stories. I then show the students how we can use these tools to draw our stories. I tell the students a story about my cat and show them how I can use the crayons to draw my story. As I am drawing my story the students are asking questions about my cat. When I am finished sharing my story, I ask the students if they have any stories they want to share with the class. Most of the students share a short story with the class.

write our stories down on paper. I tell the students a story and then talk them through my process as I draw the picture to model to the students what it looks like when you use these tools to write down your story. I also give the students another opportunity to share a story with the class to end the lesson to again give the students a space where their voices can be heard.

Picture and Story Match (Whole Group, 25 min)

I review what we have learned about so far about being able to orally tell our stories and the tools we can use to write/draw these stories on paper. I then discuss with students that the story we say out loud has to match the pictures that we draw. I tell the students a story about me playing volleyball and then after I do I draw a picture of an elephant on my paper. Then students start to say aloud that the picture didn’t match my story or asking why I drew that. I then ask them what I need to draw on my paper so that it matches my story. They mention the different aspects of things in my story. I then start on a new piece of paper and as I am drawing I ask them what else I need to add. After I finish the draw I talk about how now my picture matches my story.

I review what we have learned over the past two days to get the students to think about what we have already discussed about sharing our stories. I talk about why a picture needs to match the story so that students can begin to ask themselves questions about what else they need to add to their picture. I have to do a lot of modeling during this introductory unit so that students see the process of what a writer does. I ask them what else I need to add because it makes them think about the different details in my story.



Adding Details to our stories (Whole Group, 20 min)

We begin the lesson by discussing what we have learned so far about writing/drawing our stories. We discuss why it is important to make sure that our pictures and stories match. I then tell the students another story about a time that I went dancing. I ask them what I need to include when I draw my story. I then talk to the students about how we can add details to our pictures to help me remember my story when I tell it to others as well as give the reader a good idea of what my story is about. I talk about how I can add detail to the drawing of me by adding different colors so that it looks like me. I also show that I can add details like the band, so that people can see that there was music that I was dancing to. After I finish with that story. I get out the story about my cat and ask them what other details I could add to this story so that the reader can better understand what is going on in my story.

I begin by talking about why it is important that our picture match our story because it gets the students to think about the details in the story, which is the main topic of this lesson. I use a previous story so that students can see me going back to a story that I thought was done and continue to add more to it.

What can we write about (Whole group/Partner Share, 25 min)

We start by having a quick discussion about what we have learned so far about writing. I tell with the students that sometimes I have a hard time coming up with what I want to write about. I talk about how we are going to come up with a list that we will be able to look at if we ever have a time where we don’t know what to write about. I ask the students what are some things they think that we could write about. I write down the students responses on the board. After we

I have the students come up with this list so that if they are ever stuck on what to write about they can look up on the chart. I will also use this chart to refer to when I begin to have mini conferences with the students. I give each student a “milk” or a “cookie” label so that students know when it is their turn to talk and when it is their turn to listen.



come up with a list I get out a piece of chart paper to write down the list of categories that I can see that the students have come up with. Some of the categories include our family, pets or animals, and places. I then pair the students up with partners and each student is either named a “cookie” or a “milk.” Students will sit “eye to eye, knee to knee” with their partners. I then go down the list of categories and either the “cookie” or the “milk” will get to share a story that relates to the category. After we have gone through the whole list I hang up the chart in the class and let the students know that if they ever get stuck they can always look at this to help them out.

Establishing the Quiet/Writing Zone (Whole Group/Individual Work, 25 min)

I begin the lesson by telling the kids that now that we know there are different things we can write about and how we can put that down on paper, now the students are going to be able to draw their stories today. Before the students get to work on their own stories, I talk about what the students need to do when it is writing time. I tell the students that they will know it is writing time when the lights go off and that that is the time when we will write our stories. We talk about what this will look like and how it will sound when it is writing time. We practice one time, while pretending to write so that students understand how this will look. When writing time is over I will turn the lights back on so that students know it is time to come back to carpet. After we practice, it is time for the students to get to work. I

It is important to establish norms in the classroom so that students know what is expected of them. I have the students practice what it looks like so that they understand what it looks and sounds like. It also lets them know the difference of when it’s time to share our stories vs. when it’s time to work on our stories. This is the first time that the students are given the opportunity to write their stories so it is important for me to be walking around the classroom and asking students about their stories. It is also important to allow students the opportunity to continue to work on their stories tomorrow so that the students don’t feel rushed and so they can add more details to their picture.



turn off the lights and pass out paper to the students. Students go to their tables and begin drawing. As students are drawing I am going around the room and asking students about their stories. The students have about seven minutes to draw. I turn the lights back on and the students come back to the carpet. I have the students look at their pictures and ask them if they think they added enough details and if their picture matches their story. I also let them know that if they feel their story is not done they can finish their stories tomorrow. I then have the students turn in their pictures to me and they let me know if they are finished or if they need to work on it more tomorrow.

Sharing our Stories with Our Partners (Whole Group/ Individual Work, 30 min)

Again we start with a brief discussion about what we have learned so far. I then let the students know that after we write today that the students will get a chance to share their stories with their partners. We first practice sitting “eye to eye, knee to knee” with our “cookie and milk” partners. We practice taking turns by having each person one at a time share a story. After each partner has gotten a chance to share I talk about how I could tell that partners were listening to each other. I then remind students about the norms of the “Quiet Zone” and what it should look like when students are writing. Students begin to draw their stories. As students are drawing their stories I am going around the classroom and talking with students about their stories and encourage them to add more details to their pictures. I turn on the lights and students come back to the carpet. I tell

It is important for students to know that their voice/story matters, that why I always give the students to share their stories out loud with a partner and later on with the whole class in the author’s chair. I also give them time to continue to work on their stories from yesterday or they can start a new story. I also make sure that the students are starting to understand the routines of Writer’s Workshop, which include whole group lesson, writing time, and sharing time.



them to get with their partners. I remind them of what good listeners look like. I have to “milks” share their story first. Then the “cookies” get their chance to share. When each partner has gotten a chance to share I have them look at their piece so they can decide if they need to work on it tomorrow or if they are done. Students hand in their work to me.

What Does a Good Story Look Like (Whole group/Individual Work, 30 min)

I begin the lesson about how it is important to remember to add details to our stories. I then tell the students that I have drawn some stories and that I am going to tell them the story and then show them the picture that I drew to go along with it and that they are going to tell me if I did a good job or what I can do to improve my picture. I tell them my first story and then show them a picture of cat and with a bunch of scribbles on top of it. I ask them if they think it is good or if I need to go back and fix it. The students all agree that I need to go back and fix it because you can’t tell what is going on. I then show them my next try of drawing the story and it is just a picture of the grass and a tree. I ask them if this is better. They say that there are not enough details and that the picture doesn’t match my story. I then show them the next picture that has everything in my story but it is all one color. I ask them what they think about that one. They tell me that it has a lot of detail but I need add more color. I then show them my next picture, which has all the details, and lots of color but it is drawn very small in the middle of the paper. I ask them what they think about this one. They say that it’s good but

This lesson helps my students understand what is expected of them. By showing them the different examples and asking them what I could do to fix them allows the students to think about what their final piece needs to look like. This activity focuses on the different things that we have learned thus far about writing our stories down like adding details and making sure own picture and our stories match.



that they can’t really see it. We talk about how it’s important to use the whole paper. I show them my last attempt and it has a lot of detail, and color and uses the whole paper. I ask them what they think about it and they all agree that this one is the best. I ask them why they think it is the best and they talk about how it matches my story, that there are a lot details and color. We then talk about what they can do in their drawing to make it the best that they can do. Before students go to writing time we talk briefly about the norms of the “Quiet/Writing Zone.” As students are writing, I am going around the room and having mini conferences with some of the students. I turn the lights back on. Students get to share what they have done with their partners. Once that is finished I have the students look at their pictures and have them think about if it’s the best that they can do or if they need to work on it tomorrow. Students turn in their pieces.



IV. Resources (maximum of 4 resources)

Resource 1: Lesson Plan GuidelinesSource: The Collaborative for Academic ExcellenceTitle: Picture and Story Match Lesson Plan Date: 2002



Resource 2: Book read during Lesson 1Title: Rocket Writes Story Author: Tad Hills Source: Schwartz & WadeDate of publication: 2012



Resource 3: My drawing to show students how adding detail to our picture helps us remember what our story is about as well as help the reader get a good idea of what it is about (Lesson 4)



Resource 4: What can we write about chart made during (Lesson 5)



V. Student Work

Example of High Achievement



Example of Mid-Range Achievement



Example of Low Achievement



VI. Analysis of Student Achievement

A. Explain the way(s) in which this class of students demonstrated their achievement related to this segment of instruction. 350

Student achievement was by ….

What was produced what was observed and what was heard.

B. Provide the criteria for determining different levels of achievement related to the segment of instruction.

The objective of these lessons were for the students to create stories by using pictures and

to be able to explain what their story is about. The following is a rubric that I created to

assess the various writing samples that the students create. Students were assessed on

their ability to create their story on paper and categorized in three different categories;

proficient, nearing proficiency, beginning steps.

Proficient Nearing Proficiency Beginning Steps

*Picture has a variety of details (may have added some words)*Student uses more than 5 colors*Student is able to explain their picture and provide more details when asked questions about it.

*Picture has some details *Student uses 3-5 colors*Student is able to explain their picture and provide some details when asked questions about it

*Picture has very few details or may be scribbles*Student uses only 1 or 2 colors*Student is able explain story but not able to provide additional details when asked questions about it.



How I communicated these levels to the students in the class.

Examples of each of the categories are shown to the students during lesson eight. Student

achievement is communicated to the students by the use of one-on-one conferencing

during independent writing time. Conferences are done during writing time. I visit three

or four different students during this time and talk with them about their story. We

discuss different things like if they added enough details or if their story matches their

picture. I also ask them questions during this time to see if they are able to answer

questions about their stories and provide details about their stories.

C. How the three students differed in their achievement levels in the work examples presented. 500

The difference in the performance levels of these three students are seen in a variety of

ways. When looking at the high achievement level student … I can clearly see… and she

was able to provide many details when asked to talk more about her story. The mid-range

achieving student demonstrated… The low achievement level student

D. Explain how this student’s achievement was communicated to parents.

Throughout the year I collect all of the writing samples that the students complete. I use

these writing samples to show parents during Parent/Teacher Conferences which we have



twice a year. At these conferences, I let the parents know what is expected of the students

and how their student has been progressing. I use the writing samples to show growth

from unit to unit. I also turn some of the writing samples into a book that show a snapshot

of the students work at various points throughout the year.

E. Explain how you took this data into account in your next instructional segment for this class.

I took the data of the instructional segment into account in a variety of ways. The next

part of this unit is showing students how to start adding words to their story by either

adding labels to their pictures or writing a sentence to go along with it. I look at the data

to see if students still need more time to develop as story tellers by continuing to just

draw pictures if a lot of the students fall in the nearing proficient or beginning steps or if I

can move on and start to model how to add words if most of the students are nearing

proficient or proficient. I also have to think about the mini lessons that I will teach next. I

have to ask myself questions like, “Do need to model more on how to add details to my

story?” or “Do I need to give students more time to work on their stories and less time in

whole group?”


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