writing units of study 2010-2011 - brown county 2... · second grade writing units of study...

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DRAFT Revised 7/28/10

Second Grade

Writing Units of Study

2010-2011

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Writing Workshop

Curriculum Calendar

August Launching Writing

Workshop/Small Moments

September Small Moments

October Realistic Fiction

November Writing Our Big Ideas

December Letter Writing

January/ February Writing About Reading

February/ March Fairy Tales

April All-Abouts

May

Teacher Choice Revision with Narrative Writing

or Writing to the Prompt

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August- Launching Writing Workshop…with

small moments

Overview of Unit: In this unit of study, you will help children see

themselves as authors, valuing tiny moments from their lives. Also help

children develop writing stamina by gradually increasing the amount of

writing time each day. The students will get an idea of what it is like to go

through the writing process and will ―publish‖ a piece at the end.

The best way to get children to want to write every day is to make it something at which they OFTEN SUCCEED. (Gush over their efforts!) Have a quick publishing celebration after the first week or so. Most of your teaching during this unit will tend to fall into one of these

broad categories or bends in the road:

o Structures and Routines o Planning o Partner work

If you are thinking of working on the Revision and Assessment Unit of Study in

May, then you will need to save some of your children pieces of writing from

all narrative units.

Alignment with Standards: 2.4.1 Create a list of ideas for writing.

2.4.6 Review, evaluate, and revise writing for meaning and clarity.

2.4.7 Proofread one’s own writing, as well as that of others, using an

editing checklist or list of rules.

2.5.1 Write brief narratives based on experiences that:

move through a logical sequence of events (chronological order,

order of importance).

describe the setting, characters, objects, and events in detail.

2.6.1 Form letters correctly and space words and sentences properly so

that writing can be read easily by another person.

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2.6.2 Distinguish between complete (When Tom hit the ball, he was proud.) and incomplete sentences (When Tom hit the ball ).

2.6.3 Use the correct word order in written sentences.

Teaching Points: Structures and Routines-Some of these can be taught during your mid-workshop

interruptions or your share time.

o Writers prepare for writing workshop by

o having their writing folder and pencil on their desk prior to coming to

the meeting area.

o walking to the meeting area quietly and finding their carpet spots

immediately.

o re-reading the stories in your folder and deciding ―Is this finished or

can I make it better?‖ before beginning to write.

o Writers keep organized by

o keeping current writing pieces on the ____ side of the folder and

finished pieces on the _____ side of the folder.

o putting the papers neatly in their folders. We make sure the pages

are pushed to the outside edges of the folder so that the pages don’t

get wrinkled in the crease.

o knowing where to find supplies at the writing center. You can find

_______ at the _________.

o knowing what supplies are kept at the writing center and what

supplies you can find in your desk.

o Writers resist interrupting conferences by

o asking a writing partner for help and getting right back to work.

o knowing what is an emergency and what can wait until the teacher is

free. (go over examples)

o knowing what are problems you can solve on your own such as

_____(sharpening pencils, getting more paper, etc.)

o checking the classroom resources such as charts or word walls

Revising/Editing

o When writers think they are finished

o they keep writing by

re-reading their story to make sure it says what they want it

to say

re-reading and adding on to the pictures.

re-reading and adding another page

adding what the characters are saying to their drawings

and/or writing

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adding what the characters are thinking or feeling to their

drawings and/or writing

re-reading their piece and checking for spacing between

words.

re-reading their piece and checking to make sure letters are

formed correctly.

Re-reading their piece and checking to make sure the word I

is capitalized.

o they begin a new piece by putting their finished piece in the ____

side of the folder and getting a new piece of paper from the writing

area.

o Partners sit hip to hip with one piece of writing in the middle, with their

other writing beside them. Partner 1 shares what he/she has been doing.

They discuss the work, revisions, next steps, and topic. And then they

switch to partner 2’s writing.

o At the beginning of partner time partners can ask what are you working on

today? Tell me about it. What are you doing next?

Planning

o Writers makes lists of things they could write about by

o thinking of things that happened to them and remembering all the

things they saw and heard.

o thinking of a time they felt a strong emotion. Such as: when you

were really scared, hurt, happy, or excited.

o thinking of a special place that they have been and one time at that

place.

o thinking of a special person and a time with that person.

o thinking of their favorite thing to do and one time they did that.

o Thinking of the first time or last time they did something

o Writers start every workshop by looking at what is already in the folder.

We read what we have written and then decide if we have more to add or if

we are ready to begin something new.

o Writers plan stories before writing them by using the ―Touch, Say, Sketch,

Write‖ method. We tell the story while touching the pages, then sketch the

pictures, and then write the words. This will help us to plan our stories so

that they will make sense, and we won’t forget any important parts.

o Writers plan sentences before writing them by saying the sentence to

themselves and then writing what they just said.

Partners

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o Writing-Partner Talk (chart)

o What did you write yesterday?

o Are you done or will you add on?

o What are you going to write today?

o How will your story go?

o Partners sit knee to knee, look at each other in the eyes, and really listen to

what each other has to say.

o Partners help each other by

o Asking, ―What did you do today as a writer? What did you try in your

writing today?‖

o pointing out their strengths. They tell each other something specific

they like about their writing. ―I like how…‖

o helping to decide what to say and how to say it.

o asking questions when something doesn’t make sense.

o practicing telling their story before they write it down.

Editing Checklist

More items will be added to the checklist each unit as new conventions are taught.

In this unit students should edit for spacing, letter formation, and capital I.

Writers use an editing checklist to make sure we have checked our writing

for correct conventions. If we find a mistake, we can use a special ___ pen

to make corrections on our drafts. After we correct each convention we can

check it off to know it is complete.

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Name_________________

Launching

Editing Checklist

Handwriting

____ I have correct spacing between every word.

____ I have made all the letters correctly.

Capitals

____ I have capitalized the word I.

Name_________________

Launching

Editing Checklist

Handwriting

____ I have correct spacing between every word.

____ I have made all the letters correctly.

Capitals

____ I have capitalized the word I.

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September- Small Moments

Overview of Unit: In this unit of study, children will continue writing

a personal story. They will think of one time that they did something

important and stretch out that important story to include all the senses.


2.4.2 Organize related ideas together to maintain a consistent focus.


2.4.7 Proofread one’s own writing, as well as that of others, using an

editing checklist or list of rules.

2.4.8 Revise original drafts to improve sequence (the order of events) or

to provide more descriptive detail.


move through a logical sequence of events (chronological order,

order of importance).


2.5.5 Use descriptive words when writing.

2.6.1 Form letters correctly and space words and sentences properly so

that writing can be read easily by another person.

2.6.2 Distinguish between complete (When Tom hit the ball, he was proud.) and incomplete sentences (When Tom hit the ball ).


2.6.8 Spell correctly words like was, were, says, said, who, what, and

why, which are used frequently but do not fit common spelling

patterns.

2.6.9 Spell correctly words with short and long vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u),

r-controlled vowels (ar, er, ir, or, ur), and consonant-blend patterns

(bl, dr, st).

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Teaching Points: Mentor Texts

First Day Jitters by Danneberg Fireflies, by Julie Brinckloe

Snow Day by Laminak Roller Coaster, by Marla Frazee

George and Martha by Marshall Owl Babies, by Martin Waddell

Knuffle Bunny by Willems The Hating Book, by Charlotte Zolotow

Shortcut by Donald Crews A Kiss Good Night, by Amy Hest

Kevin Henkes board books

(Chart Ideas):

Writing Small Moments

Think of a small moment

Make a movie in your head

Tell story one piece at a time across your fingers

Touch each page and say what happens

Sketch pictures on each page

Write the story

Immersion

o Reading aloud small moment stories

o Oral storytelling

o Pulling out a small moment from a narrative story

o Reading aloud stories and deciding if it is a small moment- or not?

o Writing class stories about shared experiences

Collecting

Writers get an idea for a small moment by

o Writing the big idea on the watermelon and the smaller ideas on the seeds.

Then we pick one of the seeds and write a story about just that one time.

o thinking of one time they (or looking at their list of one time they)

o were with a special person

o were doing something they loved

o had a strong feeling or emotion

o A time they were scared, embarrassed, hurt, happy, proud,

nervous, mad, excited, sad, injured, tickled, disappointed

o were at a special place

o did something for the first time

o when you realized something important

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Planning/Drafting

Writers get started writing a small moment by

o planning out a story that happened to them across a storyboard. They do

this by making a movie in their mind and sketching everything that happened

first, next, next, etc.

o picking out the most important part from their storyboard. Then they make

a movie in their mind and think of everything that happened during that one

moment and sketch it out across another storyboard.

o Telling their story (from small moment boxes above) across the pages. They

draw one event or glue each picture on each page and just write about that

part.

o Touching the pages, saying what will go on that page, sketching a quick

picture on each page to hold the idea, and then writing words to go with each

picture. (Touch, say, sketch, write)

Writers plan their story by meeting with their partner and asking what did you

write yesterday? Are you done or will you add on today? How will your story go?

Revising

Writers slow down time by

o picking the most important part and adding in what they thought or

wondered. They make a movie in their mind and ask themselves what was I

thinking and wondering during that one moment in time.

o picking the most important part and adding in what they said or heard.

They make a movie in their mind and ask themselves what was I saying or

what was I hearing during that one moment in time.

o picking the most important part and adding in what they smell or feel. They

make a movie in their mind and ask themselves what was I smelling or

feeling during that one moment in time.

o Breaking up actions into smaller and more precise actions. They envision

what you actually do step by step (Example ―I fell of my bike‖ would

become…‖My front tire hit a rock in the road. The wheel stopped and my

hands flew off the bars. The bike flew forward and I hit the ground.‖

o Writers show not tell our emotions by making a movie in our mind of what we

were doing, thinking, or saying when we felt that way. (facial gesture, body

movement, dialogue, internal thinking)

Partners can help their writing partner by asking

o How are you going to make this better?

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o What will this be when it is finished?

o Is there a part you can zoom in or stretch out?

o Where is your favorite part in this piece

o Who is ―they‖ in the story?

o Where is this happening?

o Who are the people in your story?

o What does the place you are at look like?

Writers revise the beginning of their story by adding in the time of day and

weather. They think about what the weather was like and when the story took

place. Then they add in details to show what the weather was and what time of day

it was so that the reader can make a mental picture.

Writers revise the beginning of their story by writing a lead sentence that grabs

the reader’s attention. Writers can do this by asking a question, describing the

setting, or describing a sound they hear.

Writers revise the ending of their story by wrapping up their story. They can do

this by sharing a feeling they had after the moment, answer the question they had

at the beginning, or end with the sound at the beginning.

Writers revise the ending by ending with something we have learned or how we have

changed. We reread the story and ask ourselves, ―What did I learn?‖ or ―How have

I changed?‖

Writers revise their story by adding an ending that reflects back with a thought or

feeling about what happened instead of telling the next thing that happened.

Writers revise their stories by taking away parts that are not about the small

moment. We do this by thinking what is the one time my story is all about? Then

we read our story and ask ourselves, is this part about that one time? If not, then

we take it out.

Writers revise our stories by using a revision checklist to make sure we have

checked for all of the revision strategies. When we find the revision strategy in

our story, then we write the page number that we found it on. If we don’t find it in

our story, then we use our revision pen and find a place to add it in.

Editing

o Writers edit their stories by

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o checking to see that all of the word wall words are spelled correctly.

We do this by reading our story backwards word by word looking to

see if any of the words are on the word wall. Then we check to see if

our spelling matches the spelling on the word wall.

o checking to see that all of the words are spelled correctly. We do

this by reading our story backwards word by word looking to see if

any of the words are misspelled. If so we go back and change them.

o Checking to see that sentences have ending punctuation. We do this

by thinking about how we want our readers to sound when they read

our story. Where do we want them to make their voices go down

(period) or up (question)? Where do we want them to take a breath?

Then we put the end mark to tell the reader how to sound.

o Checking to see that sentences begin with capital letters. We do this

by finding the end marks and checking to see if the next letter is

capital.

Editing Checklist

More items will be added to the checklist each unit as new conventions are taught.

In this unit students should edit for spacing, letter formation, capital I, words

spelled correctly, using the word wall, end punctuation, and beginning capitals

in sentences.

Writers use an editing checklist to make sure we have checked our writing

for correct conventions. If we find a mistake, we can use a special ___ pen

to make corrections on our drafts. After we correct each convention we can

check it off to know it is complete.

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NAME__________________________________________ DATE______________________

STORY PLANNING ~- STORY BOARD 1

2 3

4.

5 6

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Strategy Lessons for Small Moments Planning-

Touch, Say, Sketch, Write

Stretching a Story Across

Pages (First, Next, Last)

Focusing on a Single Event

Adding in Partner Sentences Adding in Setting (time of

day/ weather)

Adding Internal Thinking

(thought, felt, wondered)

Adding in Dialogue/Speech

bubbles

Story Endings that give an

emotional response

Spaces between words

Capital Letters Word Wall Words Break up summary statements

into smaller precise actions

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October- Realistic Fiction

Overview of Unit: Unit Goals:

“Read like writers” by noticing types of problems and solutions in realistic fiction books

Develop realistic characters (children their age) with realistic problems (things that

could happen to them)

Plan stories that follow the narrative structure across 3-5 pages

o 1. Set the scene and introduce the characters

o 2. Give the character a problem

o 3. Various attempts to solve the problem

o 4. Solve the problem

Develop the problem in the story by stretching it across several pages to tell how the

trouble happens

Build tension and create suspense



2.4.3 Find ideas for writing stories and descriptions in pictures or books.


2.4.7 Proofread one’s own writing, as well as that of others, using an editing checklist or list of

rules.

2.4.8 Revise original drafts to improve sequence (the order of events) or to provide more

descriptive detail.


move through a logical sequence of events (chronological order, order of importance).



2.6.1 Form letters correctly and space words and sentences properly so that writing can be read

easily by another person.

2.6.2 Distinguish between complete (When Tom hit the ball, he was proud.) and incomplete

sentences (When Tom hit the ball ).


2.6.4 Identify and correctly write various parts of speech, including nouns (words that name

people, places, or things) and verbs (words that express action or help make a statement).

Example: Identify the noun and verb in a sentence, such as Maria (noun) and a friend

(noun) played (verb) for a long time.

2.6.5 Use commas in the greeting (Dear Sam,) and closure of a letter (Love, or Your friend,) and

with dates (March 22, 2000) and items in a series (Tony, Steve, and Bill ).

2.6.6 Use quotation marks correctly to show that someone is speaking.

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2.6.7 Capitalize all proper nouns (names of specific people or things, such as Mike, Indiana,

Jeep), words at the beginning of sentences and greetings, months and days of the week, and

titles (Dr., Mr., Mrs., Miss) and initials in names.

2.6.8 Spell correctly words like was, were, says, said, who, what, and why, which are used

frequently but do not fit common spelling patterns.

2.6.9 Spell correctly words with short and long vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u), r-controlled vowels

(ar, er, ir, or, ur), and consonant-blend patterns (bl, dr, st).

Teaching Points: Mentor Text

King of the Playground Jamaica’s Tag-Along by Havill

Ira Sleeps Over by Waber The Recess Queen by O’Neil and Hulisksa-Blith

The Accident by Carrick Rigby PM books

The Stray Dog, by Simont Jessica by Henkes

Little Bill books Pinky and Rex

Peter’s Chair, by Keats It’s MY Birthday, by Hutchins

Not Norman: A Goldfish Story by Benett and Jones

Henry and Mudge, by Rylant

Predictable Conferences

Could this really happen>? Is this believable?

Getting the character into trouble

Coming up with solutions

Adding Dialogue

Adding Internal Thought

Envisioning your character

Building Tension

Writing powerful endings

Showing, not telling character feelings

Immersion

Reading like writers (Read various realistic fiction stories aloud and create a chart of everyday

problems found in mentor texts- Title, Problem, Attempts to Solve, Solution)

Retell read aloud stories across their fingers

Shared writing- creating your own class character and story

Getting Ideas

o Writers create characters similar to themselves or someone we know.

o Think about things character likes/dislikes that can lead to trouble

o Getting ideas for problems from things that have happened to them or someone

they know

o Writers get an idea for their realistic fiction story by brainstorming and thinking of a

possible character their age, problem, attempt to solve the problem, and a solution. We

can use a possible story idea planning page.

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Planning/Drafting

o Writers get an idea for their story by choosing one of their possible story ideas. Then

we tell that story across the boxes of a story board (located in the small moment unit).

We make sure to include setting, character, problem, attempts, solution and ending.

o Tell the story to multiple partners, revising it along the way.

o Writers practice their stories by telling them across 3-5 fingers (setting the scene, the

problem, and the solution)

o Writers draft their stories by sketching

o their oral stories within the story board boxes.

o their pictures across 3 box planning paper. (and maybe labeling, jotting, or listing

under the pictures)

o Writers can begin their story with the weather and the time of day.

Revising (look at and chart examples from the mentor texts) o Writers build tension before the character’s problem gets solved. We find the most

important part of the story (right before the problem gets fixed) and say more about it.

We do this by…

o stretching out the problem of the story to tell everything that happened (give a blow-

by-blow account)

o Adding thoughts and feelings. We put ourselves in the character’s shoes and think,

―What exactly would I be thinking or feeling?‖

Such as, ―I wondered ___, I worried ____, I thought __, I felt ____‖

o Including what characters see, hear, smell, taste, and feel

o Adding Dialogue. We put ourselves in the character’s shoes and think, ―What exactly

would I be saying or would somebody be saying to me?‖

o Writers move their characters through time by using special transition words (the next day,

later that night, 2 weeks later…) (time flies paper in Fairy tale unit)

o Writers can change the dialogue tag to make the character say something in a different way.

We re-read our story and every time we see a place where a character says something we

can ask ourselves…how did my character say that? Whisper, yelled, bellowed…

o Writers go back and reread. We check to see if we overuse ―then‖, ―so‖, or ―and.‖ Partners

can make tally marks every time they use these words. If we do overuse these words, then

replace these words with time fly words or periods and start a new sentence.

o Try different beginnings (start with dialogue, setting the scene, or right in the middle of

the action)

o Try different endings (surprise, stay in the moment, wrap up with what the character

learned, or a thought about what happened)

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Editing

o Writers can re-read and add dialogue marks where characters are talking by looking for

places where someone says something and hug their exact words with quotation marks.

o Writers can check to see if each sentence is a complete thought by rereading and

stopping at each punctuation mark and then asking themselves does that make sense and

if not they fix it.

o Writers add punctuation to their story be reading it out-loud, listening to themselves

read. As they read they listen for when they take a breath or pause for a moment. They

read it with expression just like they would another author’s book.

o Writers make sure they capitalize the first letter of each sentence. They do this by

going back and slowly reading their tale and looking for every time they see a period,

question mark, or explanation mark the next letter should be capital.

o Writers make sure they capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns. They go back and

re-read their tale and think what word is naming a specific person a place. If that word

is naming a specific place then they capitalize the first letter.

Editing Checklist

More items will be added to the checklist each unit as new conventions are taught. In this unit

students should edit for spacing, letter formation, capital I, words spelled correctly, using the

word wall, end punctuation, beginning capitals in sentences, punctuating a letter, capitals in titles

and proper nouns, complete sentences, commas for items in a list, and quotation marks.

Writers use an editing checklist to make sure we have checked our writing for correct

conventions. If we find a mistake, we can use a special ___ pen to make corrections on

our drafts. After we correct each convention we can check it off to know it is complete.

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Realistic Fiction Writing Strategy Lessons Develops the beginning of the story:

includes setting (weather, time of day,

location) and/or dialogue

Writes without using ―and, and, and‖

or ―then, then, then,‖

Writes in consistent verb tense

(typically all in past tense).

Constant rereading is apparent (catching errors before going on, no missing words,

makes sense).

End punctuation is mostly correct.

Writes entire story with a mix of

thought, action, and dialogue.

Develops a clear heart of the story (includes more thoughts and dialogue, slows it down

by including all the small actions that happened, uses

senses)

Writing with a mix of short and long

sentences….builds tension.

Dialogue - Writes actual words

spoken. (―Get over here,‖ mom said. / Mom told

me to get over here.)

Dialogue Use – not overused

Dialogue tags (she said / he yelled) – more than just said…developing, giving

more information (she said, as she threw the

ball)

Punctuates dialogue correctly.

Makes time fly between scenes (two

hours later…the next day…early the next morning)

Ending wraps up the story and may

include what the character learned

or realized.

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Writing to use for strategy lessons

One morning I walked into school and then Mrs. Oliver came up to

me and then she asked if I wanted to be the teacher for the day

because Mr. Bowman was sick. And she couldn’t find a substitute

for Mr. Bowman. And then I told her that I would LOVE to be the

substitute. Then I walked down the hall to room 203. And then I

was so excited. Then I waited outside the door to get my plan

together. And then I had it. Then I knew what we’d be doing for

the day We snuck out of the windows and went to the nature

center and we played for hours Then Mrs. Oliver showed up at the

nature center and then we were in trouble and then we had to go

back and work all afternoon.

Teach: overuse of ―and‖, ―then‖, ―and then‖ – developing beginning of story – developing the heart of

the story – dialogue work – writing with a mix of thought, action, and dialogue – makes time fly

between scenes - ending that wraps-up with a lesson or reflection – end punctuation

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Early one frosty cold morning I walked into school. Kids

were everywhere. All of a sudden Mrs. Oliver came up to

me. Will you be the teacher for a day? Mr. Bowman is sick,

and I can’t find a substitute. I thought for a moment.

Absolutely I said. Thank you, thank you! You will be great! I

walked down the hall to room 203. I was so excited. I

waited outside the door to get my plan together. Are you

ready to get started? Mrs. Oliver asked. Yes, I am. I had it.

I knew what we’d be doing for the day.

Teach: Punctuating dialogue, including dialogue tags with all dialogue, developing

dialogue tags (she said, as she wiped off her hands.)

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Early one frosty cold morning I walked into school. Kids

were everywhere. All of a sudden Mrs. Oliver came up to me

and she asked me if I would be the teacher for a day. She

told me that Mr. Bowman was sick and that she couldn’t find

a substitute. I thought for a moment. I told her that I

absolutely would do it. She told me thank you, thank you and

said I would be great! I walked down the hall to room 203.

I was so excited. I waited outside the door to get my plan

together. Mrs. Oliver asked me if I was ready to get

started and I said yes. I had it. I knew what we’d be doing

for the day.

Teach: Writing the actual words that were spoken rather than alluding to the words (―Come here,‖ she said.

rather than…She told me to come here.)

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Early one frosty cold morning I walked into school. Mrs.

Oliver came up to me. She asked if I wanted to be the

teacher for the day because Mr. Bowman was sick. She

couldn’t find a substitute for Mr. Bowman. I told her that I

would LOVE to be the substitute. I walked down the hall to

room 203. I got to the room. I waited outside the door to

get my plan together. I had it. I knew what we’d be doing

for the day.

Teach: Writing with a mix of thought, action, and dialogue.

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Early one frosty cold morning I walked into school. Mrs.

Oliver up to me. She asked if I wanted to be the teacher

for the day because Mr. Bowman sick. She couldn’t find to

substitute for Mr. Bowman. I telled her that I would LOVE

to be the substitute. I walked down the hall a room 203. I

got the room. I waited outside the door to get my plan

together. I had it. I knew that we’d be doing for the day.

Teach rereading to find errors, check for sense….close reading…touch each word, stop at the end of each sentence and

ask, ―Did that make sense? Am I missing any words?‖ Constant rereading!

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Early one frosty cold morning, I walked into school. Kids were everywhere. All of a sudden Mrs.

Oliver came up to me. ―Will you be the teacher for a day?‖ she asked. ―Mr. Bowman is sick, and I

can’t find a substitute,‖ she continued. I thought for a moment. ―Absolutely!‖ I said. ―Thank you,

thank you! You will be great!‖ Mrs. Oliver cheered. I walked down the hall to room 203. I was so

excited. I waited outside the door to get my plan together. ―Are you ready to get started?‖ Mrs.

Oliver asked. ―Yes, I am,‖ I whispered. I had it. I knew what we’d be doing for the day. ―Class,

class,‖ Mrs. Oliver said. ―I have some important news to share with you. Mr. Bowman is not here

today, and I cannot find a substitute anywhere. Michelle will be your teacher for the day. You will

treat her just as you would treat Mr. Bowman. Do you all understand?‖ ―Yes,‖ moaned the class. Mrs.

Oliver walked out, leaving me alone with 22 kids my own age, but I had a plan. I pulled the shade in

the classroom door window. ―Everyone, please take out your math book and open it to any page,‖ I

said. To my surprise, everyone followed directions. ―Now, please stand up and walked to the

windows.‖ Everyone looked at me weirdly. ―Please just do it,‖ I said. Everyone stood up and walked to

the window side of the room. ―We are going to quickly and quietly slide out of the windows and go to

the nature trail and spend the morning playing, exploring, and just having fun. But…we have to leave

quietly and sneak to the trail. If Mrs. Oliver comes in here, she’ll think we’ve just gone for a

restroom break since our books are open. Come on…‖ Everyone slid out of the room and headed to

the trail. You could just feel the excitement. Once we arrived at the nature trail everyone was

running around, climbing in trees, playing tag, exploring, and just having fun. It was great to be free

for the morning, I thought as I watched all of my friends having a blast. All of a sudden, out of

nowhere, Mrs. Oliver showed up. ―What are you doing out here?‖ she yelled. We all stopped. She

made us all go back inside, and she was our teacher for the day. I learned that you should never

take advantage of a good opportunity because she made us work, work, work the whole rest of the

day…didn’t even have recess.

26


Name: _________________________________________

Realistic Fiction / Possible Story Ideas

Character:

Problem:

Attempt:

Solution:

Character:

Problem:

Attempt:

Solution:

Character:

Problem:

Attempt:

Solution:

Character:

Problem:

Attempt:

Solution:

27


NAME__________________________________________

DATE______________________

STORY PLANNING ~- STORY BOARD 1 Setting/ Character

2 Problem 3 Attempt

4 Attempt

5 Solution 6 Ending

28


November- Writing Our Big Ideas

29


December- Letter Writing

Unit Overview: In this unit we teach children how to channel their natural abilities of persuasion into

letters designed to make a difference in the world. We teach children how to put their

hopes and heartaches on the page, seal them up, and send them into the hands of another

person. Letter writing begins, of course, with believing you have something to say to

someone that can make a difference. We begin, therefore, by telling children that what

they have to say is important and that if they work hard to capture their unique voices,

they can help someone to dream their dreams, to see new possibilities, and perhaps to even

take a new stance.

Of course, you will want to give children examples of how persuasive letters can make a

real world difference. Tell children stories of the class in New Hampshire that proposed a

state animal and ended up addressing the state assembly. Tell students stories about

children who have protested when a park was being turned into a parking lot and actually

managed to save a patch of earth. Teach children that they, too, can find problems in the

world – in their neighborhoods, at school, in outside communities – and fight for solutions,

not with their fists

but with their words.

A central goal of this unit is to teach children that letter writers see the world as it is,

imagine what it could be, and use writing to make changes. Sometimes this means we see

injustices, we see evidence of neglect, we see untapped opportunities. Because we write,

this moves us not only to complain, but to take positive action. We imagine solutions, and

write to advance those causes. Children should also think carefully about how they can be a

part of the solution, researching available resources and then suggesting how both they

and their reader can come together in solving the problem

Things to Know:

In this unit, writers will learn that to truly persuade others on a subject, they

will need to write well, drafting and revising as much as necessary.

It may be a first goal for students to write poor persuasive letters—but to do so

with ―confidence, zeal, purpose, pleasure, and above all, independence.‖ In other

words, we want them to be so driven by purpose, that they are confident in their

writing, no matter how poor it is at first! This is a different type of writing—we

want the students to have the same amount of confidence as they have had in

prior units.

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Students will likely draft multiple letters, and may even take multiple letters

through the entire writing process. REMEMBER: letters are shorter than

narratives and all-abouts!

Since writers will be writing lots, and lots of letters, you’ll need to think

carefully about what to teach. Consider the types of letters being written, and

specific needs of your students.

Students may keep many drafts of different letters in their writing folders,

choosing some to revise, edit, publish, and send.

Students need to learn, above all, that in persuasive writing, the best way to get

results is by giving good reasons, and writing well so their thoughts and ideas are

respected by the reader/receiver.

By allowing students to send their revised/edited letters out into the real world,

you are giving them more purpose for writing, and writing well.

Preparing for the Unit:

The classroom writing center should look different for this unit. You’ll want to

have a variety of letter paper available for student use, and may even invite

students to help you design some paper choices.

Consider stapling two or three pages together as a choice, to encourage letters

being more than one page in length.

Some teachers change the name of the writing center during this unit to

encourage understanding of the ―mail‖ process. (Stationery Center: letter paper

choices… Post Office Nook: envelopes, stamps, mailbox, etc.)

Have a system ready for gathering addresses and stamps. Consider involving

parents, letting them know how the unit will work, asking for stamp donations.

Students could take home Address Books to collect addresses with family

members of people they want to write letters to during the unit.

Just as with other units, you’ll want to select some mentors for students to use

as examples. Consider Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin. This

book is a fantastic example of acting on an issue and attempting to use

persuasion to create change.

Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School by Mark Teague is another

great choice of mentor text, which reveals a dog using tactics to persuade his

owner to get him home.

Conferences and Strategy Lessons:

Push students to picture their readers and think of how their letters may be

received.

Students should learn to ask,

o Why am I writing this?

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o How do I want my reader to feel?

o What change am I planning to make?

o Writers should consider all parts of their letters: the arguments they’re

making, the suggested solutions. Look for parts which need strengthened and

work together to add.

Teaching Points for Letter Writing: Teaching points for this unit are listed according to the stages of the writing process.

Letter writers IMMERSE themselves in the new genre of writing, looking carefully at well-written/structured letters to see what they have in common. During this stage in the writing process, teachers may find it beneficial to have examples

of letters photocopied for students to view with partners in making noticings. Students

should notice all the parts of a letter, as well as how they are written correctly (placing on the page, capitalizations, punctuation, etc.) During this immersion time, students may

notice things like abbreviations of directions (N, S, E, W), street names (Ave., St., Rd., SR,

CR, etc.), and state abbreviations. The following list shows noticings we hope students will

make when exploring letters during the immersion stage:

*heading: address and date

*greeting: opening

*body: where message is written

*closing: Sincerely, Your friend, etc.

*signature: from the writer

Letter writers learn about how letters are organized and written, looking at well-

written at examples to find features held by them all. They read multiple letters,

and jot down notes on Post-its when they see something that is the same among all

the letters.

Letter writers pay close attention to how different parts of a letter are written.

They look carefully at great examples of letters, and see where writers use capital

letters consistently. (Students should notice that words in the greeting are

capitalized, the first letter of the first word in the closing is capitalized, street

names, town names, etc.)

Letter writers pay close attention to how different parts of a letter are written.

They look carefully at great examples of letters and see where writers use

punctuation consistently. (comma after greeting, comma after closing, no period

after signature, punctuation of addresses, etc.)

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Persuasive letter writers notice that strong letters have lots of support! They look

carefully at the bodies of well-written persuasive letters to notice how the writer

chose to organize his argument. They may ask questions like, ―Where did this letter

writer choose to put his strongest point?‖ and, ―How many supporting reasons did

this writer use?‖ or, ―How did this writer choose to organize his paragraphs within

the body of his letter?‖

Persuasive letter writers notice the way these letters are organized. They look for

how/where writers state their requests, and where they state why the request is

important. (Usually the request is stated in the first paragraph, and the remaining

paragraphs give reasons of importance, with a closure paragraph tying it all

together.)

Letter writers COLLECT lots of ideas and inspirations for writing, looking for issues in their lives which they’d like to address.

Letter writers know that collecting ideas for writing a letter is a little different

than collecting ideas for writing a story or an all-about! They look for ideas in their

everyday lives, noticing things they’d like to address (needs, injustices, neglected

tasks, etc.)

Persuasive writers are always paying attention to what they see, looking for writing

inspiration in the world around them. They watch and notice things, thinking, ―How

could this be even better?‖ and jot their ideas in their Writer’s Notebooks.

Persuasive writers always look not just at what is, but at what could be. They take

walks around the school or neighborhood jotting down things that aren’t fair or that

could be better. (Teachers can really model this, looking at simple things like a

crack in the sidewalk saying, ―Goodness! This sidewalk needs repaired!‖ or, more

complex ideas like, ―It’s so frustrating that the restrooms are so far away from our

room!‖)

Persuasive writers know that writing can be a way to make change. They’re always

looking for ideas and inspirations for their writing by looking around themselves in

multiple settings and asking, ―How might I use writing to make the world better?‖

They jot ideas down in their notebooks.

Persuasive letter writers know they don’t have to physically take a walk to come up

with ideas for their letters. They can instead come up with ideas for writing by just

33


sitting at their desks, or laying in bed and imagining things that could be better, or

things they’ve noticed as they’ve walked through life. They start up their

imaginations thinking something like, ―My life could be even better if…‖ or, ―If I

could write to change something, I would write to change…‖ They jot their

imaginings in their notebooks.

Letter writers NURTURE possible ideas for writing, thinking more deeply about possibilities.

Persuasive letter writers think more about their ideas for writing, talking to their

partners about things they’d like to change. They say, ―I noticed… and I’d like to

make a change by writing to… and saying…‖

Persuasive letter writers think about something they’d like to change, and decide

how they would go about changing it. They ask themselves, ―If I’m trying to

convince someone this is a good idea, what good reasons can I give?‖ They list these

in their writers notebooks. (For trying to convince the principal the class needs

more books= the ones in the classroom are outdated, there isn’t enough of a variety

to spark everyone’s interest, there aren’t enough for everyone to have them, etc.)

Persuasive letter writers think about who the reader of their letter will be and how

this should influence the way they write. They ask themselves, ―Who will I be

writing to?‖ and, ―What will he/she gain by making my suggested change?‖ The list

benefits in their notebooks.

Persuasive letter writers plan for their writing by thinking about counter-arguments

the receiver may make. They ask themselves, ―What might ______ say to argue

against the change I’d like to see?‖ then, ―How can I respond to this argument to

support my change?‖

Letter writers DRAFT their writing, remembering all the different parts of a letter and how they should be written.

Persuasive letter writers begin drafting their writing, rereading all the entries in

their notebook that relate to the issue. They try out a few different ways to start,

introducing themselves, or maybe asking a question about the issue. They might try

by first listing some positive things about the issue, then posing a question to bring

up the possible change. It might look like, ―Our lunchroom is a great place to be.

34


There’s lots of good food, time to talk to our friends, and friendly staff who takes

great care of us. Wouldn’t it make our cafeteria even better if we could have more

choices in the lunch line?‖

Persuasive letter writers draft their mysteries, continuously paying special

attention to their planning. They take breaks in their drafting to re-read their

planning entries, asking, ―Have I left any of this out?‖ and adding details or support

if necessary.

Letter writers know there are certain parts of a letter that have to be included.

They look back at good examples of well-written letters, and use them as mentors to

help them be sure to include all the necessary parts.

Persuasive letter writers draft their letters using their partners for help. At the

end of each writing session, writers read their letters to their partners, trying to

make them sound as convincing as possible, and adding things in if necessary, or

jotting down ideas their partners have on where to continue the next day.

Letter writers REVISE their writing, trying to be as convincing as possible.

Persuasive letter writers know that to make a real impact they need to make sure

their writing is the best it can be, very well thought-out. They look back at their

drafted letters considering the wording they chose, to make sure it is strong, but

won’t be offensive. The re-read their letter, one section at a time, asking, ―Did that

sound like something that would be a good idea, without hurting anyone’s feelings?‖

Persuasive letter writers know that to convince the reader a change should be made,

they have to give lots of compelling reasons. They go back through their letter, one

section at a time, thinking about the actions and feelings of those affected by the

problem. They add reasons for change that will make the reader think about how

the change will make others act/feel better.

Persuasive letter writers make their argument stronger, adding as much support as

possible. They go back into their writing, looking for arguments without much

support. They think about a one-time story that would help draw a picture in the

reader’s mind about why the change would be a good thing. They might start, ―I

remember one time when this really affected me…‖ They write these one-time

stories to touch/move the reader, creating arguments which evoke response.

35


Persuasive letter writers make their writing more convincing by thinking about why

the change/request is so important. They find sections that don’t seem as strong as

others and ask, ―Why is this reason for change so important?‖ Then they add a line

which starts, ―This is important because…‖

Persuasive letter writers make their writing more convincing by carefully

considering the tone of their writing. They think about the tone of the letter and

how it might affect the response. They have a partner read the letter to

themselves, and then ask, ―What tone do you think the letter gives?‖ (tones may

include one of importance, an offensive tone, a polite tone, a begging tone, etc.)

Then writers ask themselves, ―Is that the tone I really want my letter to have?‖

Persuasive letter writers push their thinking to add more reasons to support their

claims. They re-read their writing and ask, ―What are some more reasons I could

give here to support my thinking?‖

Persuasive letter writers add more support and make their writing more convincing.

They add examples to support their claims, starting, ―For example…‖ and then telling

the story of one particular time when their claim was important to them.

Persuasive letter writers realize that some details might support their writing, but

others might detract. They re-read their writing, looking for parts that don’t help

convince the reader their arguments should be supported. Then, they decide

whether to delete these parts, or re-word them.

Letter writers EDIT their writing, know that the fewer mistakes it has, the more easily it can be read and the more seriously it can be taken.

Letter writers edit their writing using a letter writing editing checklist. They start

with the first thing on the list, and begin working at the beginning of the piece,

looking just to make the first type of editing change through the entire piece,

before moving onto the next item on the list.

Letter writers edit their writing, thinking about the necessary, required parts of a

letter. They look carefully to be sure each part is there (heading, greeting, body,

closing, signature) and that each part is capitalized and punctuated correctly.

Letter writers make their writing easier to read by checking it for correct spelling.

They re-read it word by word themselves, circling any and every word that they

36


think might be spelled wrong. Then, they have 2 others do the same. After circling

these words, writers use a dictionary, computer, or any other available resource to

correct/check the words. Letter writers make their writing easier to read by starting new paragraphs with

each new thought/argument. They decide where to start new paragraphs by re-

reading paying special attention to when the thought, idea, or argument really

changes. Then, skipping to the next line, and indenting before writing on. Writers make their writing easier to read, making sure thoughts are written in good,

complete sentences. They read, one sentence at a time asking, ―Was that a

complete thought?‖ fixing incomplete ones.

Letter writers PUBLISH their writing, so it’s neat and beautiful… they make people want to read it!!!

Writers make sure they include all of their changes, revisions, and editing in their

published piece. They copy down their writing, one word at a time, as neatly as

possible. They stop and re-read often to be sure they didn’t leave out any changes.

Letter writers publish their writing on nice, clean, letterhead so it will be taken

seriously. They choose paper that is appropriate for the request being made,

looking at their choices and asking, ―If I’m trying to convince someone to

__________, is this paper appropriate?‖

Letter writers get their letters ready to mail by sealing them in appropriate

envelopes, and addressing them correctly. (Teachers may choose to put a model

letter at the writing center where envelopes will be addressed.) Remember, the

outside of the envelope is the first thing the receiver will see!

Celebrating the Unit: From TC 1st Grade Writing Curriculum 2009: Celebrating this unit will be exciting. Children will put their thoughts and arguments out

into the world as they mail their letters. They will wait eagerly for a response, wondering

if they made an impact on the world in which we live. Share their letters and the responses

they receive with the class. Let the school community know all that your children have

accomplished, broadcasting the social change that may have been put into motion.

37


January/ February- Writing About Reading

Overview of Unit: In this unit of study, children will grow ideas about characters in their

just right books. Children will pick one book they really like and create a book review about this

book. Alignment with Standards: 2.4.2 Organize related ideas together to maintain a consistent focus.


2.4.4 Understand the purposes of various reference materials (such as a dictionary, thesaurus,

or atlas).

2.4.5 Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing.



rules.


descriptive detail.

2.5.2 Write a brief description of a familiar object, person, place, or event that:

develops a main idea.

uses details to support the main idea.

2.5.3 Write a friendly letter complete with the date, salutation (greeting, such as Dear Mr. Smith), body, closing, and signature.

Example: Write a letter to the police department in your town asking if someone can come

to your classroom to talk about bicycle safety.

2.5.6 Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person.

Example: Write a description of your favorite book to recommend the book to a friend.

2.5.7 Write responses to literature that:

demonstrate an understanding of what is read.

support statements with evidence from the text.

2.6.1 Form letters correctly and space words and sentences properly so that writing can be

read easily by another person.




38



Jeep), words at the beginning of sentences and greetings, months and days of the week,

and titles (Dr., Mr., Mrs., Miss) and initials in names.





39



Today I Will Fly, by Mo Willems

Cowardly Clyde, by ?

Jamaica’s Find

Pinky and Rex

Frog and Toad

Growing Ideas

During this phase of the unit your writing mini-lessons will match your reading mini-lessons. You will give the students a ―prompt‖ for writing about whatever skill was taught in reading. For example if in reading you taught that readers notice how characters change, then in writing you would model how to write about the character’s change in their reading notebooks using a ―prompt‖ such as- ―In the beginning ____ was ___, now ___ is ___ because ___.‖

Readers get ideas about characters and their friendships.

o We compare the characters’ friendships to our own friendships. This helps us decide if the

characters are having a good time or a bad time with their friends. We could write this idea in our

notebooks like this: ― _______ and _____ are having a ____ time in their friendship because ____.‖

o We can spy on the friends in the book and picture how they act in our minds. The way the friends in

our book act can tell us if our friends are having a good time or a bad time. We could write this idea

in our notebooks like this: ―I think ____ is ____ because____.‖ o When friends are going through a bad time, readers notice how characters react. We picture in our

mind how each friend behaves. We could write this idea in our notebooks like this: ―_____ is acting _____. I think they are acting this way because ____.‖

Readers figure out if characters are having good or bad times in their friendship.

o Readers think about how their characters are feeling during a good time or a bad time. We spy on our

characters’ actions and figure out what these actions tell us about how our characters are feeling.

We could write this idea in our notebooks like this: ―_____ is acting _____. I think they are acting this way because ____.‖

o Readers notice when friends act a certain way to try to cover-up how they are really feeling. We

notice when what friends are doing and saying may not match up with what they’re really thinking

inside of their minds. We could write this idea in our notebooks like this: ―_____ is acting _____. I think they are acting this way because ____.‖

o Readers notice when there is a change and things don’t seem right between the friends in their book.

They look for evidence that things are different and then ask themselves why things may be

different between these characters. We could write this idea in our notebooks like this: ― At the beginning they acted ___ towards each other and now they are acting ___ because____.‖

Readers notice how friends change and develop over time.

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o Readers pay attention during bad times and anticipate that a good time will follow. We do this by

noticing how the problem is solved and placing a post-it on the page so we can go back to it during

book talk time. We could write this idea in our notebooks like this: ― ___ and ___’s problem got solved when _____.‖

o Readers notice similarities and differences in friends in different books from the same series. We

could write this idea in our notebooks like this ―____ stays the same in the books. ___ always ________. Or ____ changed in the book ____ because____.‖

Here are some other ways for students to grow ideas in their notebooks that may not necessarily follow friendship unit.

Writers grow ideas in their just-right books by noticing when they have a question. They can

write this question on a post-it by beginning with, ―I’m wondering…‖

o Writers revisit their wondering post-its after finishing their book and asking

themselves: ―Was my wondering answered?‖ If so, jot the answer on the post-it. If it

wasn’t, stick this post-it in your notebook and ask yourself: ―Can I think of an answer

that would make sense by relating it to my life?‖ Now, write it.

Writers will notice patterns in the words by reading and then stopping when something repeats

itself over and over. Then they can think about WHY this has been repeated.

Writers will get to know their character by noticing how they act and what they do.

o Revisit: Get to know you character better by noticing HOW they act and then thinking

about WHY they act that way. You can write things like: ―I know ____________ is

___________ because…‖

Readers will notice how their thinking changes by paying attention to their ideas from the

beginning of the book and their ideas where they are now, then asking themselves ―How has my

thinking changed?‖ or ―How has it stayed the same?‖

Readers can relate their character to someone they know in real life by asking themselves,

―How is my character like _____________________? How is my character different from

________________?‖

Readers can extend a post-it by thinking about what would have happened if a character acted

differently.

Readers will organize their thinking by deciding which post-its might go together, asking

themselves, ―How are these thoughts the same?‖

Readers will elaborate on their thinking by thinking about how what is going on in their stories

right now is like the real world and everyday life.

Notice how one characters actions affect another’s by sticking a post it note on one

character’s actions, then reading to see if those actions changed something another character

did.

Readers will read with purpose by thinking, ―What is the author trying to teach me?‖

Readers stay on a topic while they share by thinking about what someone says and then ask

themselves, ―How would I feel if that were me? Or ―What does that make me think?‖

Organize post-its by writing book title on the post-it note and keeping it on a piece of paper

with that same book title on it.

41


View problem in their stories from a different perspective by making themselves think about

the problem as if they were another character other than the main character. ―What if I put

myself in ____________ shoes instead of ______________’s?‖

Immersion of Book Reviews

(You may choose to have students turn their book review into a recommendation letter in order to cover the letter-writing standard.)

Writers notice how an author begins a book review by rereading the first paragraph and asking

themselves: ―What are the important things that the author includes in this beginning?‖

Ways to immerse children in book reviews:

o Read aloud.

o Read with partners.

o Compare good with not so good.

o Write a book review together as class. (Over a class read aloud) Then have some deep

thoughts together, then do a poster together, then compare and contrast characters.

o Pretend with a favorite part (some feel… others feel…)

o Teacher modeling how to write one.

Noticings that children might have:

o My favorite part…

o I would recommend..

o Always tell WHY.

o Who would like this book? Why?

o Retell the gist of the story. Without giving away the end.

o Tell about the characters…

Other options for a final product

Provide a chart of options

All of these are extensions

Poster as an extension to their writing.

Letter to an author, or person you would recommend this book to. Compare and contrast.

T-Chart, Venn diagram.

Illustrations (with descriptions).

Bumper sticker.

Book talk.

Planning/Drafting

Writers choose a book to write a review for by rereading their notebook entries and asking

themselves: ―Which book have I thought the most about?‖

Writers will tell about their favorite part of their book by thinking about the part they liked the

most and asking themselves ―how can tell about this part without giving away the story.‖

Writers can retell the beginning of their book review by saying who the characters are and a simple

version of what happened in the book.

Writers can create a character web by comparing and contrasting how characters are the same and

how they are different. (Other webs as well.)

42


Writers can show prove for their ideas by finding evidence from the text that supports their idea.

They can say According t(the author), _________is __________. Writers have thoughts about their books by saying what the book makes them feel or wonder and

then they give an example.

Writers include all their deeper thinking from one book that has the strongest ideas by organizing

their post-its and deciding which post-its are important and which ones are not.

Writers help each other add in and take out information by talking to your partner then edit your

thinking. (Partner prompts chart: ―Why is this important?‖ ―Why do you think that?‖ ―Or maybe…‖

―Sometimes…‖ ―How could…‖

Revising

Writers can add more to their review by finding where they’ve written their favorite part or least

favorite part then adding why it is their favorite or least favorite part.

Writers can extend a sentence by erasing a period and adding the word because

Writers can elaborate by giving an example from the book.

Writers can recommend this book to a friend by turning the review into a letter. Be sure to include

these parts: Date, Greeting, Body, Closing, Signature

Editing

Writers can edit their book reviews by making sure the first letters in the book title and author’s

name are capitalized.

Writers can edit by making sure their sentences start with a capital and ends with a period.

Writers can edit by capitalizing proper nouns. They do this by re-reading and asking themselves

which words in the review are specific names of people or places.

Writers make sure they spell words correctly by referring to the book for words.

Writers edit by checking the word wall words. They do this by re-reading and then asking themselves

which words would be on the word wall. Then they check the word wall against their spelling.

Writers check to see if they have complete sentences by reading and stopping at period asking

themselves ―does this sound like a whole thought?‖

Editing Checklist

More items will be added to the checklist each unit as new conventions are taught. In this unit students

should edit for spacing, letter formation, capital I, words spelled correctly, using the word wall, end

punctuation, beginning capitals in sentences, punctuating a letter, capitals in titles and proper nouns, and

complete sentences.

Writers use an editing checklist to make sure we have checked our writing for correct conventions.

If we find a mistake, we can use a special ___ pen to make corrections on our drafts. After we

correct each convention we can check it off to know it is complete.

43


February/March- Fairy Tales

Overview of Unit: In this unit of study, children will become familiar with a few different

Fairy tales. Students will adapt the characters and setting to match their new version of this

familiar tale.





or atlas).



rules.


descriptive detail.


move through a logical sequence of events (chronological order, order of importance).



2.5.7 Write responses to literature that:

demonstrate an understanding of what is read.

support statements with evidence from the text.









44









Teaching Points:

Mentor Text

The Little Red Hen by Paul Gadone

The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza (In read aloud

kit)

Burro’s Tortiallas

Manana Iguana

Cinderella

Cinder Hazel by Deborah Lattimore

Cinderella Penguin by Perlman

Cinderella Skeleton

Bubba the Cowboy Prince

The Three Little Pigs by Paul Gadone

True Story of the Three Little Pigs

The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark

Immersion

o Whole class adapted tale

o Read various versions of each fairy tale: writing on a chart:

Good Character, Bad Character, Setting, Problem, Solution

o Choose one original tale and brainstorm 4 different setting, and characters that would go in that

setting. ~Whole class or individual

o Reverse the characters~ Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig

o Change the problem~ Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza

o Charts of what you would expect to still find in each fairy tale

Example:

Mean Stepsiblings and Mean stepparent

Lost something~ like a glass __________

Planning and Drafting

o Writers can plan for their fairytale by

o touching each box and telling the story across the boxes to their partner. Each box should

have a main event or action. (after a few minutes switch and tell another partner)

o Writers can continue planning their tale by

o sketching each main event across the boxes because eventually each box will become one page.

o using a story map. They sketch in all the parts: setting, characters, problem, events, and

solution.

o Writers begin writing their tale by

o cutting out each box and gluing them on different pages. Then they can begin writing each

part that goes with just that picture.

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o Beginning their story with fairytale language. They can begin with Once Upon a Time or In a

faraway land…

o When writers think they are done with one draft of their fairytale they can try to adapt the same

tale in another way, thinking of a different setting and what characters might live in that setting.

Revising

o Writers can develop the characters by putting in actions and dialogue that show the character’s traits

(things that the characters do to make them mean, hardworking, lazy, evil, caring, etc.).

o Writers show not tell emotion by making a movie in your mind of what the character was doing, thinking,

or saying when they felt that way. (facial gesture, body movement, dialogue, internal thinking)

o Writers can add what the characters are saying by thinking what would they be saying to another

character.

o Writers can change the dialogue tag to make the character say something in a different way. We re-

read our fairytale and every time we see a place where a character says something we can ask

ourselves…how did my character say that? Whisper, yelled, bellowed…

o Writers re-read to make sure their adaptations carry out through the whole story. They read a few

pages and think do these characters match the setting, or does this problem match my character? If

not they re-write that part or add it words to make it match.

o Writers can include the setting throughout the entire story by showing it in the pictures and also telling

it in the words.

o Writers can include their characters small actions by thinking what did they do from here to there, or

how did they get from here to there.

o Writers can let the reader know how much time has passed by re-reading their story and when something

new happens or when they are at a new place, ask yourself, how much time has passed….A few moments

later, The next day, Shortly after that…

o Writers go back and re-read their story to their partner to make sure they didn’t leave any important

parts out of their tale.

o Writers can show the reader exactly what their character is doing. They think about the action verbs

they are using and changing them for another verb that gives the readers a more clear mental picture

(rummage instead of look). Writers can read a sentence and ask themselves, what is the action word in

this sentence? Then they can ask themselves, Is there a more exact word/verb that I could use to really

show my reader what my character was doing?

Editing

o Writers can re-read and add dialogue marks where characters are talking by looking for places where

someone says something and hug their exact words with quotation marks.

o Writers can check to see if each sentence is a complete thought by rereading and stopping at each

punctuation mark and then asking themselves does that make sense and if not they fix it.

o Writers add punctuation to their story be reading it out-loud, listening to themselves read. As they

read they listen for when they take a breath or pause for a moment. They read it with expression

just like they would another author’s book.

o Writers make sure they capitalize the first letter of each sentence. They do this by going back and

slowly reading their tale and looking for every time they see a period, question mark, or explanation

mark the next letter should be capital.

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o Writers make sure they capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns. They go back and re-read

their tale and think what word is naming a specific person a place. If that word is naming a specific

place then they capitalize the first letter.

Editing Checklist



punctuation, beginning capitals in sentences, punctuating a letter, capitals in titles and proper nouns,

complete sentences, commas for items in a list, and quotation marks.




Publishing idea~ Write retold by ___________

Extension idea: Group children and have each group turn one fairytale into a play! *Storyboard paper is in the small unit section*

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Make Time Fly in your stories!

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After ___ minutes

After that

Later that day

Later that morning

Later that afternoon

The next day

The next week

___ hours later… ___ minutes later…

Shortly after that…

Before long…

About ____ minutes later…

In the afternoon

Early the next morning…

Late that night…

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March/ April- All Abouts

Overview of Unit: In this unit the children will complete a simple research report about a topic of

their choice. The teacher can choose an umbrella topic with sub-topics.

Alignment with Standards: 2.4.2 Organize related ideas together to maintain a consistent focus.



or atlas).



rules.


descriptive detail.






Example: Write a description of your favorite book to recommend the book to a friend.

2.5.8 Write or deliver a research report that has been developed using a systematic research

process (defines the topic, gathers information, determines credibility, reports findings)

and that:












50






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Teaching Points: Immersion

Decide on an umbrella, general topic for your class (animals, transportation, community workers,

weather). Choose more specific categories that fit under your umbrella, general topic (If you choose

animals, you could have these baskets: dogs, rabbits, sharks, cats, birds, horses, wolves). Make

baskets with about 5 books in each (multi-levels, but definitely include low enough levels so that at

least one is readable to your lowest reader in each group) for each specific category.

Make sure the kids are rotating through the baskets so they are familiar with the topics in the room.

Have students choose a basket to work in (based on interest). Remake groups based on interest now

(no group with more than 5 and no less than 2). Choose a basket that no one was interest in to use as

your demonstration basket (or created on your own). Model spending the first day in this basket that

you are interested in, becoming familiar with the things in your basket and getting excited about the

information (don’t forget to be modeling every day).

Spend a few days looking at the books in the baskets and gathering information by looking at the

pictures, captions, labels, and words. Model reading a book from your basket (teacher basket) and

thinking aloud about the things you are learning about your topic (model reading a page, stopping and

asking, ―What did I just learn?‖ – can have kids jot that on post-its). Kids need to see the reading and

thinking work that has to happen in this unit.

o Researchers can learn about their topic by zooming in and looking only at the pictures. They

can jot down what they notice on a post-it.

o Researchers can learn more about their topic by looking at their group’s (or partner’s) post-its

and zooming in on those pictures. They think what else do I notice, and what else can I add?

Also ____.

o Researchers can learn about their topic by reading the captions and labels. Then we write

down facts in our own words on a post-it. (Mid workshop: Look at your partner’s and add on.)

o Researchers can learn more about their topic by reading the text then we write down facts in

our own words on a post-it. (Mid workshop: Look at your partner’s and add on.)

Make a list of the things that the kids want to know about their topics and later group them into

broad questions that would apply to all groups. (If your umbrella topic is transportation, then one

thing on this list could be ―How does it move?‖)

o What would other people want to know about your topic?

o Within groups and then whole-class, decide which questions go together into 4-5 broad

categories.

Planning

Choose 4-5 categories (things the kids want to know from the list made previously) to use to go on an

information search. Give the kids one color of index cards (probably 5 cards) and tell them to search

for all of the information that goes with 1 of the categories from the list (put one of the colored

index cards next to that category on the chart so the kids remember the color). Remind them how we

read and think to figure out what we’re learning and that when we find something that fits in this

category, we can write it on the index card (model, model, model - 1 fact per card).

Teach three ways to find info in books: use the pictures, look in the table of contents, look for key

words. Demonstrate how to move from book to book looking for information. Teach that the most

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important thing to remember is that we cannot copy these books, we need to find the information,

read the information, say it back to ourselves in our own words and then write it down on the card.

Teacher demonstrates looking for, finding, and writing down a fact on a note card in own words. These

are first graders…it’s not going to be a big deal if they copy something…just not everything.

Each day use a different color and do information searches for all 4 chosen categories. Teach that

you can also look at the pictures and captions to gather information. Model writing down information

that only supports the category…not just a fun fact.

Put all of the cards (at least 3 for each category) on a metal ring (no one opens this ring and no one

takes any cards off the ring).

o Researchers choose 1 Heading (Where __ lives) and look for information about that heading in

our books. Then we use a specific color card (pink) to record the information in our own words.

Researchers say more about each fact by adding a partner sentence. They can read a

fact, and then ask ―how‖ or ―why‖ then write the answer as a partner sentence.

o Researchers choose 2nd Heading (What ___ eats) and look for information about that heading

in our books. Then we use a specific color card (purple) to record the information in our own

words.


fact, and then react. This makes me think ______ because ______. (or use previous

partner sentence strategy)

o Researchers choose 3rd Heading (How ___ protects themselves) and look for information

about that heading in our books. Then we use a specific color card (green) to record the

information in our own words.


fact, and then compare it to something using the words ―like‖ or ―as‖. (or use previous

partner sentence strategies)

o Researchers choose 4th Heading (Type of body parts) and look for information about that

heading in our books. Then we use a specific color card (blue) to record the information in our

own words.


fact, and then add on, ―Most have _____, but some have _____.‖ (or use previous

partner sentence strategies)

o Researchers choose 5th Heading (Life Cycle) and look for information about that heading in our

books. Then we use a specific color card (yellow) to record the information in our own words.


fact, and then use the partner sentence chart to add on.

Drafting/Revising/Editing

Writers take off all their (yellow) cards. They read through them and decide what order to put them

in. They move them around on their desk trying it in many different orders until they get the one

that sounds the best. Then they number the cards 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. They continue to do this until all

colors are organized and numbered.

o Writers choose one color of note cards to begin their first chapter. Then they think of ways

to hook the reader right from the start. They can do this by starting with a question, such as

―Did you know ___‖. After they write their lead they recopy their facts onto chapter paper.

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(Mid-Workshop- Writers can use transition words between their facts by thinking how the

facts fit together. They can try putting words like these between certain facts. First…

Second… or Also…/Too)

o Writers choose another color of note cards to begin their second chapter. Then they think of

ways to hook the reader right from the start. They can do this by starting with making the

object talk, such as ―oh no here comes a killer bee‖. After they write their lead they recopy

their facts onto chapter paper. (Mid-Workshop- Writers can use transition words between

their facts by thinking how the facts fit together. They can try putting words like these

between certain facts. Next…Then…After that…)

o Writers choose another color of note cards to begin their third chapter. Then they think of

ways to hook the reader right from the start. They can do this by starting with sound words,

such as ―Zoom, dives the bat‖. After they write their lead, they recopy their facts onto

chapter paper. (Mid-Workshop- Writers can use transition words between their facts by

thinking how the facts fit together. They can try putting words like these between certain

facts. One way is… (Or one kind is…), Another way is…

o We don’t wait until we finish writing to correct our spelling. We look in books to find how to

spell important words about their topic. For example if I was writing about butterflies and I

wanted to write about the chrysalis, I could look in a butterfly book to spell it correctly. (Mid-

workshop~ We also can check the spelling of our common words by checking the word wall.)

On this day, continue drafting the next chapter. Refer to the chart of ―Ways to Begin‖ to choose a strategy for writing a good lead. Refer to the chart of transition words to connect facts together.

o Writers use a diagram to teach more about all the different parts of the topic. We draw a

large picture of the (topic) on special diagram paper and label all of the parts using lines,

arrows, and words.

On this day, kids may continue drafting the next chapter. Refer to the chart of ―Ways to Begin‖ to choose a strategy for writing a good lead. Refer to the chart of transition words to connect facts together.

You could choose to teach the diagram paper, different kinds of paper, and fun facts page on the same day. Then allow students to choose which page(s) they would like to include. (Those students who finish drafting sooner will be able to complete more.)

o Writers go back to correct our capitals and punctuation. We ask ourselves if this is the

beginning of the sentence or the name of a specific person or thing. If so, we begin with a

capital. We also think if we have written a complete thought we add punctuation to the end of

our sentence. o Writers use a fun facts page to add other interesting facts that we learned that didn’t fit into

any of our chapters. We go back and reread our post-it notes to look for unused, but

interesting, facts.

o Writers use a ―Different Kinds of ___ ― page to give different examples that are all about the

same topic. We think of something we know about our topic, and then ask ourselves if we can

name 4 different examples of ____. For example, I know ants eat different things. I could

name 4 different things that ants eat.

o Writers can choose to include a quiz at the end of their book. We do this by creating

questions about some of the facts from the book. We write a question and 3-4 answer choices.

54


Only one of the answers should be correct! Then we put the correct answers in an answer key

at the bottom of the quiz paper.

o Writers use a table of contents page to help the reader know how our book is organized. First

we put our pages in order and make sure they are numbered correctly. Then we write the title

of each chapter and write the page number where the chapter begins.

o Writers use a revision checklist to make sure we have included all of the required parts. We

read the checklist one step at a time and then read through our book to see if we have tried

that strategy. If we have then we check ―yes‖, if not then we check ―no‖. We DON‖T LIE!

When we are finished we count how many ―yeses‖ are checked. We need to make sure we have

at least (5?) yeses. If not then we aren’t finished, so we go back and add in some things we

are missing.

Editing Checklist



punctuation, beginning capitals in sentences, punctuating a letter, capitals in titles and proper nouns,

complete sentences, commas for items in a list, and quotation marks.




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__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

__________________________

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Different Kinds of

________________

______________

______________

57


______________

_______________

58


Quiz

1. ___________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

a. ______________________________________________

b.______________________________________________

c.______________________________________________

d.______________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

a. ______________________________________________

b.______________________________________________

c.______________________________________________

d.______________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

a. ______________________________________________

b.______________________________________________

c.______________________________________________

d.______________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

a. ______________________________________________

b.______________________________________________

c.______________________________________________

d.______________________________________________

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Answers: 1. _____ / 2. _____ / 3. _____ / 4.

_____

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_______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

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All About_______________

By______________________________

62


Interesting Facts About: ________________

______________________________________

______________________________________

__

______________________________________

______________________________________

__

______________________________________

______________________________________

__

63


______________________________________

______________________________________

__

______________________________________

______________________________________

__

64


Diagram of a/an

______________________

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Table of Contents

1. _______________________ _____

2. _______________________ _____

3. _______________________ _____

4. _______________________ _____

5. _______________________ _____

6. _______________________ _____

7. _______________________ _____

8. _______________________ _____

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67


May- Revision and Assessment

Or

Writing to the Prompt

Overview of Unit: In this unit of study, you can chose to either have your children

do a unit on Writing to the Prompt or a unit on Revision and Assessment. In the unit of

writing to a prompt children will become familiar with how to write for a standardized

test. In the unit of revision and assessment children will go back and visit their narrative

writing so they can revise. This unit focuses on thinking about revision right from the

start. Alignment with Standards: 2.4.2 Organize related ideas together to maintain a consistent focus.


2.4.7 Proofread one’s own writing, as well as that of others, using an editing checklist

or list of rules.

2.4.8 Revise original drafts to improve sequence (the order of events) or to provide

more descriptive detail.


move through a logical sequence of events (chronological order, order of

importance).



2.6.1 Form letters correctly and space words and sentences properly so that writing

can be read easily by another person.

2.6.2 Distinguish between complete (When Tom hit the ball, he was proud.) and

incomplete sentences (When Tom hit the ball ).


2.6.5 Use commas in the greeting (Dear Sam,) and closure of a letter (Love, or Your friend,) and with dates (March 22, 2000) and items in a series (Tony, Steve, and Bill ).


2.6.7 Capitalize all proper nouns (names of specific people or things, such as Mike,

Indiana, Jeep), words at the beginning of sentences and greetings, months and

days of the week, and titles (Dr., Mr., Mrs., Miss) and initials in names.

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2.6.8 Spell correctly words like was, were, says, said, who, what, and why, which are

used frequently but do not fit common spelling patterns.

2.6.9 Spell correctly words with short and long vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u), r-controlled

vowels (ar, er, ir, or, ur), and consonant-blend patterns (bl, dr, st).

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Revision Teaching Points:

Mentor Texts

I Love My Hair, by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

Bippity Bob Barbershop, by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

At Night, by Jonathan Bean

Rollercoaster, by Marla Frazee

Immersion

o Hand back your students’ small moment stories and/or writing prompts from the fall. Have

them read what they wrote and re-see it in different ways.

o Remind them of all they now know about the qualities of good writing, such how to write

meaningful personal stories, use greater detail, focus on a small moment, write bits of

dialogue and thinking, and how to stretch out the important part of their stories.

o Whole class revision of old teacher stories or whole class stories

Revising

o Focus in on a small moment

o Introduce new mentor texts (listed above) to reteach this concept.

o Pick out the most important part from their story (something that happened in 10-20

minutes, not all day). Then make a movie in your mind and think of everything that

happened during that one moment and sketch it out across a storyboard.

o Break up summary statements into smaller and more precise actions.

o Envision what you actually did step-by-step. (Example, ―I fell off my bike,‖ would

become… ―My front tire hit a rock in the road. The wheel stopped and my hands flew

off the bars. The bike flew forward and I hit the ground.‖)

o Elaborate with smaller more precise actions by using drama to act out the scene,

envision what exactly happened.

o Show these actions in a sketch as a plan for writing.

o Add in dialogue by picking the most important part and adding in what you said or heard.

o Make a movie in your mind and ask yourself, ―What was I saying, or what was I

hearing during that one moment in time?‖

o Add in internal thinking

o Pick the most important part and add in what you thought or wondered. Make a

movie in your mind and ask yourself what was I thinking and wondering during that

one moment in time?

o Revise for word choice

o Look for the tag words that you used for dialogue or internal thinking and change

them to different words that tell how you said it (such as exclaimed, mumbled, said,

or thought).

o Show the passage of time by using transition words or phrases such as ―in other words, also,

first…‖

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o Show not tell the setting of the story. Make a movie in your mind and think of everything

you see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. Add in these details so that the reader will be able

to create that same picture in his mind.

o Show not tell your emotion by adding in the things you were thinking, saying, or doing when

you felt that emotion.

o Try different ways to begin the piece

o Start the story in the moment with action or dialogue

o Ask a question

o Describe the setting (weather and time of day)

o Describe a sound

o Revise the ending

o Wrap up the story by telling the feeling that you had during that experience.

o Wrap up the story by telling a lesson that you learned from that experience.

Collecting

Writers get an idea for a small moment by

o Writing the big idea on the watermelon and the smaller ideas on the seeds. Then we pick

one of the seeds and write a story about just that one time.

o thinking of one time they (or looking at their list of one time they)

o were with a special person

o were doing something they loved

o had a strong feeling or emotion

o A time they were scared, embarrassed, happy, proud, nervous, mad, excited, sad,

injured, tickled, disappointed

o were at a special place

o did something for the first time

Planning/Drafting

Now that you know how to focus on a small moment, elaborate by writing with step-by-step actions,

and including the character’s thinking, don’t wait until revision to do this. Start each new piece

using these strategies from the get-go. Tell a good story right from the start. Plan your writing

with these qualities in mind.

o Use the strategies once saved for revision in the draft. Use the revision checklist AS YOU

WRITE instead of after you are finished. Check off the strategies as you use them.

Writers get started writing a small moment by

o planning out a story that happened to them across a storyboard. They do this by making a

movie in their mind and sketching everything that happened first, next, next, etc.

o picking out the most important part from their storyboard. Then they make a movie in their

mind and think of everything that happened during that one moment and sketch it out

across another storyboard.

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o Telling their story (from small moment boxes above) across the pages. They draw one event

or glue each picture on each page and just write about that part.

o Touching the pages, saying what will go on that page, sketching a quick picture on each page

to hold the idea, and then writing words to go with each picture. (Touch, say, sketch, write)

Writers plan their story by meeting with their partner and asking, ―What did you write yesterday?

Are you done or will you add on today? How will your story go?‖

Editing

Chose from other previous units on things your children are still working on.

Editing Checklist






conventions. If we find a mistake, we can use a special ___ pen to make corrections on our

drafts. After we correct each convention we can check it off to know it is complete.

Writing to the Prompt teaching points: Assessment: Give them the prompt cold…

o This will show what the child can do

o This will show what the child needs to learn

Story vs. Summary

Writers make their writing a story instead of a summary by writing

their story in the past tense. They do this by writing it like it

happened yesterday. Instead of saying I am going to the store… they

would write, Yesterday I went to the store…

Immersion

o Read various prompts

Have the children read the prompt and discuss what they would write

Have the children read the prompt and tell it like a story

Writers can begin their story by starting with the weather or the time

of day. They do this by thinking ―what was the weather like or what

time of day was it‖.

o Have one child tell a problem and their partners will make up a story that goes along

with the problem that COULD happen

o Show them examples of various prompt writing that scored a 1-6

What do you notice?

Planning

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o Read the prompt as a class

Have the children circle the type of writing (story or letter)

Have the children answer what they need to include in their writing (The Must

Include section)

o Re-read the prompt (if it is a story: it can be a ―could be‖ story)

Teach the children to put an X through the planning page and draw a

storyboard. They will use this storyboard (the storyboard is in the small

moment unit) to sketch their six action steps. (Set the timer for 10

minutes…Ding…How did that work for you? Do you need to sketch quicker or did you

get finished?) Writers plan their story by drawing quick sketches in each box. They

do this by asking themselves what are the important actions that take

place during my story. First ____happens, then ______happens…

Writers can go back and add in dialogue or thought bubbles by asking

themselves what were my characters saying or thinking during each

action step.

Drafting

Option #1 o Have children write each box on one page.

Writers elaborate or add on to their stories by writing with thought,

action, and dialogue. They do this by asking themselves, what was I

thinking before the action and what did I say during or after the

action.

Writers elaborate or add on to their stories by using their senses.

They do this by making a movie in their mind and thinking what do I

see, hear, taste, see or feel during this action.

o Once children have drafted their story on paper have them draft it on ―ISTEP‖

paper. This will give them the feel of going from planning page to ―ISTEP‖ paper

Writers can end their story by stating their opinion. They do this by

thinking what do I want my reader to believe after reading this story?

The writer can start with… I think…

Writers can end their story by stating something that they learned.

They do this by asking themselves what do I know now after being the

character in my story? The writer can start with…Now I know…

Option #2

Writers rehearse what they will write about with a partner.

Writers rehearse telling their stories like a story with a partner.

Writers rehearse beginning their stories with the weather or the time of day or both with a

partner.

Writers rehearse telling the problem/crisis/conflict and solution of their stories with a

partner.

Writers plan their stories on their planning page by making a story mountain and plotting

their problem/crisis/conflict first. Next, they plot the points that lead to the solution.

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Finally, writers plot the points that lead up the mountain to the problem/crisis/conflict.

Each of these points should build towards the top.

Writers plan the internal story by making a smaller mountain inside of the main story

mountain. They make a dot on the smaller mountain for every dot on their main story

mountain. For each dot on the main story mountain they think about what their character

was thinking or feeling and put that on the smaller mountain. The main story mountain is the

external story, and the smaller mountain is the internal story. This helps kids remember to

include the internal story.

Writers try out different leads on their planning page by trying to start with dialogue, a

small action, weather, or the time of day. Writers choose which one they think is best and

start with that one.

Writers write with a mix of thought, action, and dialogue.

Writers develop their dialogue tags to give the reader more information. (―Go to bed,‖ dad

said. Or ―Go to bed,‖ dad said as he pointed towards my bedroom.)

Writers show don’t tell emotions, relationships, and/or setting.

Writers can use dialogue to say the opposite of what the character is feeling. (―I’m fine,‖ I

said, grabbing my ankle, feeling sick to my stomach.)

Editing

o Have children look at the editing checklist supplied

Writers edit their prompt writing by rereading it looking for one thing

at a time from the editing check-list (using the editing check-list that

ISTEP gives you...going through the check-list, one item at a time, and

checking it off after you've checked your piece).

Writers edit their prompt writing by reading their writing backwards,

looking at each word, and asking, "Does that look right?"

Writers edit their prompt writing by finding each punctuation mark

and making sure the next letter is capitalized.

Editing Checklist








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NAME________________

DATE__________

Prompt:

What if you were invisible?

It’s one of those mornings. You woke up late and

hardly have time to get ready for school. You rub

your eyes, splash water on your face, and look in

the mirror to comb your hair. You cannot see

yourself in the mirror.

Think about the following questions:

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

What would you do for a day if you were

invisible?

How would you feel if no one could see you?

Write a story about your day as an invisible

person and how you returned to normal.

Remember to use interesting details and

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adjectives to make your story exciting to your

reader.

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Extra Unit

Poetry

Overview of Unit: In this unit of study, children will let their hearts and minds soar.

They will be able to find significance in the ordinary details of their lives, use strategies

of revision, and learn from mentor texts in order to write many, many poems. (You may choose to cover standards 2.4.4 and 2.4.5 in this unit.)




2.4.4 Understand the purposes of various reference materials (such as a

dictionary, thesaurus, or atlas).

2.4.5 Use a computer to draft, revise, and publish writing.



or list of rules.






2.5.4 Write rhymes and simple poems.



Example: Write a description of your favorite book to recommend the book to a

friend.



2.6.4 Identify and correctly write various parts of speech, including nouns (words that

name people, places, or things) and verbs (words that express action or help make

a statement).

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Example: Identify the noun and verb in a sentence, such as Maria (noun) and a friend (noun) played (verb) for a long time.









Lemonade Sun, by Rebecca Dotlich

Cornflakes, by James Stevenson

Immersion Ideas

1. Centers: Children can be in different centers throughout the week.

Teacher can have children write/draw on various paper and or use stencils

Remember you can do a lot of these as whole class shared writing to introduce the center…

a. Describing objects by what it looks like, sounds like, etc.

b. Playing with line breaks

c. Expressing a poem through art

d. Extracting a favorite line and making:

i. a bookmark

ii. create a new poem

e. Reading center

f. Responding through music

g. Responding to taped poetry readings

h. Make a small moment into a poem by removing some words and moving words

around.

i. ―Choosing the best Words‖- Fill in the blanks in a poem with the best words you can

think of (words that are surprising, imagistic, concise, and musical).

2. Read Alouds

a. Open day with a poem

b. Respond through drama

c. Let them read it once to themselves and then let them listen to the real author

read it….compare the differences

3. Noticings Charts

a. Longer Phrases

b. Adjectives

c. Start lines with verb

d. Begin and end the poem the same

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e. Repetition of important:

i. noun, verb, adjective, or phrase

f. No punctuation

g. Giving thoughts and feeling to inanimate things

h. Why-make a list

Collecting

Poets get ideas for meaningful poems by

making a list of special people, places, and things. They do this by asking, ―Who do I love?

Who is special to me? Where do I love to go? What place makes me feel special? What

thing/s do I love? What things have been given to me as special gifts? If I could choose

only 1 thing to keep, what would I keep?‖ and making lists from all of their answers.

thinking of an emotion and making a list of all the times they felt that emotion. They do this

by choosing an emotion and asking, ―What are all the times that I have felt this emotion?‖

It also helps to think of people, places, or special holidays and think of times you felt that

emotion with those people, at those places, or during those special holidays (this might get

their memories of that emotion going).

Drafting

Poets get started writing a poem by

thinking of a special person from their list and listing out all they see, hear, smell, and

remember about that person. They do this by looking at their list of special people and

thinking of someone they love or someone they spend a lot of time with, making a picture in

their mind of that person, and asking, ―What do I see? What do I hear? What do I smell?

What do I remember?‖ and making a list of all they see, hear, smell, and remember.

thinking of a special place from their list and listing out all they see, hear, smell, and

remember about that place. They do this by looking at their list of special places and

thinking of a place they love to go and/or a place that makes them feel special. They do this

by making a picture in their mind of that place, and asking, ―What do I see? What do I

hear? What do I smell? What do I remember?‖ and making a list of all they see, hear, smell,

and remember.

thinking of a special object from their list and listing out all they see, hear, smell, touch,

notice and remember about that object. They do this by looking at their list of special

objects and thinking of an object that they love, use often, and/or received as a special

gift. They do this by making a picture in their mind of that object, and asking, ―What do I

see? What do I hear? What do I smell? What do I feel? What do I notice and remember?‖

and making a list of all they see, hear, smell, touch/feel, notice and remember.

thinking of an emotional time from their list, making a movie in their mind of that emotional

time, and listing out all they see, hear, smell, touch, notice and remember about that

emotional time. They do this by looking at their list of emotional times, choosing one that

they remember really well, making a movie in their mind of that time, and asking, ―What do I

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see? What do I hear? What do I smell? What do I feel? What do I notice and remember?‖

and making a list of all they see, hear, smell, touch/feel, notice and remember.

writing down the topic and then listing out everything it makes you think. They think of a

topic that is important to them and then write down every word that comes to their minds.

Turning their small moment into a poem. They can re-read their small moment and list out

important words from that story. Words that would make someone go ―ohhh ahhh‖. And

think how can I take these important words and turn them into a poem.

Revising

Poets can make a line in their poem longer by reading a line that is short (1 or 2 words) and

asking, ―What else do I see? What was it doing? How or Why?‖

Poets add specific adjectives to their poem by picking an important noun and asking, ―What

does this noun look like? What is a describing word that maybe no one else would say? What

is a describing word that I wouldn’t normally say just every day?‖ (maybe brainstorm a list

of really interesting, unusual describing words that we don’t just say every day)

Poets can start their lines with a verb by beginning with an action word. They do this by

looking at a line in their poem that does not start with an action/verb and asking, ―What is

the action/verb in this line and how would it sound/look if I tried starting with that

action/verb?‖ Then, they try beginning with the action/verb and changing other words until

it sounds right (Dogs barking at furry creatures / Barking dogs wanting furry creatures).

Poets can begin and end their poem the same (circular poem) by picking an important word

or line and putting it at the beginning of their poem and at the end. They do this by

rereading their poem and asking, ―What’s the most important word or line that I’ve already

written that I could use to begin and end my poem? Or… What’s the word or line that

introduces what my whole poem is about?‖

Poets add repetition to their poem by picking out an important noun, verb, adjective, or

phrase and repeating it throughout the poem. They do this by rereading their poem and

asking, ―What noun, verb, adjective, or phrase is really important to my poem that I could

repeat to really make readers know it’s important?‖

Poets add repetition to their poem by picking out an important noun, verb, or adjective and

repeating it multiple times in the same line. They do this by rereading their poem and

asking, ―What noun, verb, or adjective is really important to my poem that I could repeat to

really make it stand out?‖

Poets give thoughts and feelings to inanimate objects by asking, ―What could I make an

object in my poem do that is something a human could do?‖ Poets often choose an object

from their poem and ask, ―What might this object want? What might this object think?

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What does this object already do that I could turn into something that a human does (a

watch ticks – a heart beats/ticks)?‖ (The faucet dripped with sadness. Or… Tears dripped

from the faucet spout. )

Poets can create a mental image by using comparisons. We can think of something from the

real world that the object is like and compare it using the words ―like‖ or ―as‖.

Poets give their words meaning by re-reading and asking themselves what word can I give a

visual shape so the reader can ―see what it looks like.‖

Poets turn their sentences into phrases by reading each line and just re-writing the

important words, Words that could stand alone.

Writers create tension by using line breaks. They go back and re-read their poem and ask

what word or words can I save and write on a new line all by itself.

Poets can create alliteration by using multiple words that begin with the same sound.

Editing

Poets capitalize their title by thinking, what is my title, what words are the most important,

and then they make the first letter of the important words capital.

Poets re-read their poem backwards and think is this word spelled to the best of my ability?

If it isn’t they fix it the best they can.

Editing Checklist




and proper nouns, and complete sentences.




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Extra Unit

How To’s






or list of rules.






2.6.2 Distinguish between complete (When Tom hit the ball, he was proud.) and

incomplete sentences (When Tom hit the ball ).


2.6.4 Identify and correctly write various parts of speech, including nouns (words that

name people, places, or things) and verbs (words that express action or help make

a statement).

Example: Identify the noun and verb in a sentence, such as Maria (noun) and a friend (noun) played (verb) for a long time.

2.6.5 Use commas in the greeting (Dear Sam,) and closure of a letter (Love, or Your friend,) and with dates (March 22, 2000) and items in a series (Tony, Steve, and Bill ).








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Teaching Points: Mentor Texts:

Walk On by Freeze? (In Read Aloud kit)

How to Loose All Your Friends by Nancy Carlson

Cook, craft, drawing, or game books, magic tricks, or How to take care of…

Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor

Immersion

Whole class How To

o Shared Writing

o Interactive Writing

Have the children tell the teach how to do something and the teacher can act it out

Read Alouds

Noticings chart

Collecting

Writers can begin making a list of everything they know how to do by thinking of anything

they could explicitly teach someone. They can think ―What is something I know really well

and something I do everyday?‖ At school, home, outside, in the kitchen, in my room, on the

weekends, and with my family…

Writers can check to see if they really now how to do something on their list by acting it

out with a partner. They can tell their partner the steps and their partner only does what

they tell them. Then they ask themselves ―Is this something I can really teach someone or

is it something I need to take off my list?‖

Planning and Drafting

Writers can begin planning their how to by envisioning the steps of the process. They can

make a movie in their mind of all the steps it would take to do their skill (?) They would

imagine everything they would see, hear, say, do, feel, and or taste.

Writers can continue planning their how to by touching each box, saying everything that

would go on that page, sketching that picture, and then write each step on a different page.

Writers can use transition words by saying first, next, then, finally, and last. This helps the

writer and reader organize the steps of how to do something.

Writers can use time and direction words by writing: before, after, on top of, and under.

This helps the readers know exactly where to place something.

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Writers help the reader understand by zooming in their picture. The writer thinks, what is

the most important part of this picture? Then they draw that part really big.

Writers picture themselves doing the task and think about all the things they would use to

complete the task. Then they put each item in a list form on the supply/material paper.

Revising

Writers add specific verbs by thinking how would a person exactly do that (pour, stir,

gently, etc) What would their body actually do to do that (twist, spin, jump, etc) This helps

the reader visualize exactly what they are doing.

Writers revise their how to by

o reading it to their partner. The partner is to ONLY do what the reader said

NOTHING ELSE! Then they ask themselves what is missing, what should I take out,

or how can I be more specific?

o Re-reading their steps and asking themselves if someone like Amelia Bedelia were

reading this, what would she not understand? And then go back and put in more

explicit steps so she would get it right.

Writers can add an introduction to their how to by starting with a question or thinking why

is this important? Writers can ask themselves what question could I ask the reader that

would entice them or what information could I tell the reader that would make them want to

read it.

Writers can add an ending to their how to by stating ―Now you are ready to ________‖, ―Do

you want to‖ or they can relate it back to the beginning and answer their question.

Writers can add warnings, caution, or advice by asking themselves ―where does my reader

need to watch out?‖ What step or part might be dangerous, messy, or tricky? Then they

can add the words Watch out, Danger, You might want to, or Caution…because…

Writers can add in labels and arrows in their pictures by asking themselves what picture

needs more clarification. They then add a line and write a word or words to describe that

part.

Writers can add a partner sentence or make a sentence longer by telling one more thing

about that step. They make a movie in their mind and think of everything someone would be

doing to complete that step.

o Descriptive statement: How it tastes, smells, looks, sounds, or feels. ―It’s yummy‖

o Describe how you would do the action by using ly words

o Tell how much ―quantity‖

o Add the word because or by

o Sometimes, This is important because, or Another thing is…

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Editing

Writers make sure all word wall words are spelled correctly by re-reading their how to and

thinking ―Is that word on the word wall?‖ If it is they check the word wall and make sure it

is spelled correctly.

Writers make sure they have capitalized all proper nouns by re-reading and stopping when

they see someone’s name or the name of a specific thing and putting a capital at the

beginning of that word.

Writers add punctuation to their story by re-reading their story and thinking when do I

want my readers voice to go down (period) or up (question).

Writers add commas to separate 3 or more items in a list. They go back and re-read their

sentences to check for the word and. When you find the word and, you look at the words

before and after the and to see if you are listing three or more items. If you are listing

three or more items then you put a comma after each item that comes before the word and.

Editing Checklist




and proper nouns, complete sentences, and commas for items in a list.




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Name __________________________________________ Date: _____________________

What do I know HOW to do?

o At school

o At home

o Outside

o On the playground

o In the kitchen

o In my room

o On the weekends

o With my family

1. ________________________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________________________

5. _______________________________________________________________________

6. _______________________________________________________________________

7. _______________________________________________________________________

8. _______________________________________________________________________

9. _______________________________________________________________________

10. _______________________________________________________________________

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Strategy Lessons for How-Tos Sequenced events – correct order

Thinking of all the small steps –

not just big, broad steps

Envisioning the steps to include

all the details

Ordinal words, directions and

times

Specific Verbs

Zooming in on the part that

teaches

Using arrows, labels, and

movement marks to make

pictures teach

Using the Word Wall Act-it out with a partner Punctuation

Introduction

Supply Page Ending Cautions/Warnings Capital letters

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writing units of study 2010-2011 - brown county 2... · second grade writing units of study...

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