KISS (Keep It Surprisingly Simple) Lesson Plans for Writing
A set of lesson plans designed to build writing fluency using the writing traits as well as teaching students different prewriting structures and tools for drafting and revising their work. Each week trait connections are suggested. Craft lessons are based on the books CRUNCHTIME (CR) and SPARKLERS (SP). Once tools are introduced, they should be used frequently. Friday has been left off intentionally to give an extra day to complete/revisit lessons, work on specific grammar focus, and to allow for other activities. Note: **Reproducibles available at www.heinemann.com
WEEK 1 Monday
IDEAS Journal Writing* – teacher and students free-write; teacher shares 1st; all willing students read aloud something they have written (Journal Writing may be done every day for a few minutes or as determined by teacher.)
Tuesday
IDEAS Craft Lesson: Making a Quicklist** CR p. 14 Review levels of topics, try to make quicklist from level 2 or 3 topics; discuss journal time, audience, write and share
Wednesday
VOICE Craft Lesson: Telling the Story/Asking Questions CR p. 73 Teacher tells story 1st; students ask questions; students put a star by three items from their Quicklist they want to tell; circle THE ONE they most want to tell; continue with Practice Session
Thursday
VOICE Continue from Wednesday, following steps #2 & 3 on Variations, CR p. 75
* www.trailofbreadcrumbs.net **Reproducibles available
WEEK 2 Monday
IDEAS Model a Heart Map***; students create their own; students share ideas from their Heart Map
Tuesday
ORGANIZATION Discuss “Two Hands”** CR pp. 3-4; Begin writing, using topic from Student’s Quicklist or Heart Map
Wednesday
VOICE Introduce Sparkling Sentences CR p. 84 [Add to Toolbox Chart after Wk. 3] Use student sentences from previous writing; (Be sure to keep these sentences for later use!) Read aloud SP p. 9; find Sparkling Sentences and discuss
Thursday
VOICE Read aloud SP p. 3, A Time I Helped A Friend, discuss; share more Sparkling Sentences or share more student stories/journal entries
***http://www.writingfix.com/genres/narrative_mentor_texts/How_to_write_life_story.htm **Reproducibles available
VOICE Begin “Writer’s Toolbox” Chart, CR p. 123 by identifying things students already know to post on chart [This becomes a Toolbox Chart which stays up all year]
Tuesday
IDEAS Blue-printing****: Students draw a home they love; jot notes of memories in rooms;
Wednesday
IDEAS Read aloud, Mittens SP p.111 and notice the descriptions from the grandmother’s house; discuss Craft Lesson: Selecting a Topic CR p. 7
Thursday
IDEAS/VOICE Choose a topic from your Blueprint to write about; pair share
****For more detailed instructions on Blue-printing, go to foxtalesint.com
WEEK 4 Monday
IDEAS Fill out “Brainstorming Bank Experiences,” CR p. 12 or p. 141; discuss
Tuesday
VOICE Craft Lesson: Truisms with Photo Prompts** CR p. 88 [Add to Toolbox Chart]; students match a truism with personal experience from “bank”
Wednesday
VOICE Read aloud SP p. 32 for truism example; begin draft of essay using topic from bank with truism
Thursday
ALL TRAITS Sparkling Sentences from student examples and examples from their own reading time -- students tell why they think the sentence sparkles
**Reproducibles available (see prompts under resources)
WEEK 5 Monday
ORGANIZATION Craft Lesson: The Talking List CR p. 24; teacher models and discusses
Tuesday
ORGANIZATION Students make a Talking List outline; tell story to partner and conference with partner to label outline
Wednesday
VOICE/SENT. FLUENCY
Craft Lesson: Let’s Get F.I.T. CR p. 77; teacher models using chart; students copy a draft onto a F.I.T. chart**; students revise their drafts to make more balanced
Thursday
VOICE/SENT. FLUENCY
Students write final copy using Silent Conference (C. Candler): students write questions for teacher on sticky note placed on corner of desk; teacher answers on sticky notes
**Reproducibles available (see prompts under resources)
ORGANIZATION Practice Narrowing a Topic: (e.g. Pets→My Dog Foxy→When Foxy Ran Away) Craft Lesson: Kernel Essay** CR p. 28; choose a topic from Quicklist and use “A Memory” text structure to write Kernel Essay, CR p. 29
Tuesday
ORGANIZATION Introduce The Flipbook** CR p. 36 (have blank Flipbooks ready); transfer the Kernel Essay from Monday to the Flipbook
Wednesday
ORGANIZATION Add details to each Flipbook page; begin writing essay from Flipbook
Thursday
SENT. FLUENCY Craft Lesson: Ba-da-bing Sentences CR p. 98, [Add to Toolbox Chart]; practice by adding one or more Ba-da-bing sentences to Flipbook; finish final copy
**Reproducibles available (see prompts under resources)
WEEK 7 Monday
WORD CHOICE Craft Lesson: “Keep Your Writing Colorful” CR p. 69 Fig. 3.2; highlight a piece of writing in same manner, revise; the toy Mr. Potato Head® is a good visual to demonstrate the importance of adding details (from Bill MacDonald)
Tuesday CONVENTIONS
Craft Lesson: Write a final copy in pencil according to class standards using Preparing the Final Copy CR p. 112; choose expectations appropriate for your class; write a final copy in pencil according to class standards
Wednesday
SENT. FLUENCY Using two colors, alternate underlining sentences in rough draft; students are able to see their sentence lengths as well as ending punctuation
Thursday
SENT. FLUENCY Make changes in draft to give variety in sentence length; share; discuss the importance of varied sentence length in a piece of writing and find examples in a Sparklers essay
WEEK 8
Monday VOICE
Craft Lesson: Thoughtshots Elaine SP pp.156-57; [Add to Toolbox Chart] choose a draft to revise with a thoughtshot, using a colored pencil
Tuesday
VOICE Craft Lesson: Snapshots The Cliffs SP pp.90-91; [Add to Toolbox Chart]; revise with a snapshot, using a different colored pencil
Wednesday
VOICE Craft Lesson: Exploding the Moment (After the End by Barry Lane) [Note: examples follow after week 20]; students draw a picture of the milk scene, adding as many details as they can remember; share & discuss why they were able to show so many details
Thursday
ALL TRAITS Choose new topic (from Heart Map, Quicklist, Blueprint, etc.); use craft lessons from this week to write a story of their choice; students write final copy using Silent Conferencing (Cynthia C.); students write questions for teacher on sticky note placed on corner of desk, teacher answers in writing on sticky notes
ALL TRAITS Continue writing story from previous week; share; students find examples of Sparkling Sentences from personal or peer writing and share reasons for submitting
Tuesday
SENT. FLUENCY Share Sparkling Sentences from Monday; read aloud Ba-da-bing examples from SP p. 5, 19, 89, 101, 111
Wednesday
VOICE/ WORD CHOICE
Craft Lesson: Draw a Picture CR p. 106; revisit a previously written story and follow instructions from lesson
Thursday CONVENTIONS
Craft Lesson: Dialogue, The Spelling Bee SP pp. 122-123; [Add to Toolbox Chart] “Chicken Dance” dialogue punctuation lesson*; place page (from an old book) with dialogue in writer’s composition book or notebook; illustrate “Chicken Dance” marks to show pattern; use actual words to mimic
* www.trailofbreadcrumbs.net
WEEK 10 Monday
ORGANIZATION SENT. FLUENCY
Kernel Essay** CR pp. 28-34 or pp. 147-149; students choose a Kernell Essay to write about a character from their current reading or from social studies
Tuesday ORGANIZATION SENT. FLUENCY
Use a Flipbook to organize information from the Kernel Essay; write composition from Flipbook; introduce fake Flipbook
Wednesday ORGANIZATION SENT. FLUENCY
Continue work from Tuesday
Thursday ORGANIZATION
Discuss information (expository - what happens or how I know this) vs. sharing memories (narrative - what happened or what is happening); change previous composition to an espository piece; “Tribute to a Person Who Taught Me Something” Kernel Essay, CR p. 33 or 148
**Reproducibles available Note: Text Structures and Kernel Essays can be used in any subject area. For example, “History of Something” or “The Story of My Thinking” or “Cause and Effect” are great tools for evaluation in social studies and science as well as language arts.
ALL TRAITS Bring an item to class (e. g. fuzzy ball, eraser, etc.); give groups of students one Infoshot* to brainstorm as many statements as they can about that item; groups share favorite one and post on sentence strip; students copy one statement onto their paper; using each statement as a topic sentence, each student writes a paragraph discussing the object; (explain Infoshots as needed, ex. analogies); read aloud; these are obvious infoshots
Tuesday ALL TRAITS
Share and discuss, introduce infoshots handout; put into notebook; add infoshots to Toobox Chart
Wednesday
ALL TRAITS Each student choose one object from a collection of objects (or their own); write one sentence about their object for each infoshot type; prepare a chart page for each infoshot around the room; students write their 2 or 3 favorite sentences on sentence strips and post them on the appropriate wall charts*
Thursday
ALL TRAITS Sneaky infoshots: (Do one of these together in a whole group then practice as individuals.) draw an object from a collection; write three infoshot sentences using the sentence patterns from the handout; combine the three sentences into one; read it and see if listeners can figure out the original infoshot sentence type. These are sneaky infoshots; compare obvious (from cubing) and sneaky (from combined); share Jody Giles example (at the end of this document
*www.trailofbreadcrumbs.net
WEEK 12 Monday
Edit Gritty Life Quick List*: and Expository Kernel Essay; students choose one possession to write about; use “Prized Possession” structure and guide students in writing a Kernal Essay; students share and get three “I heard this” signatures. Use the Planning Thinking Sheet* for this if you like
Tuesday ALL TRAITS
Embedding infoshots: circle 3-6 key words in Kernel Essay on sticky notes; write some sneaky infoshots about these key words; draft the piece; for each new kernel sentence, make a new paragraph
Wednesday edit
Finish draft; share; listening for coherence; consider this question; did the infoshot help the piece? did some of them work better than others? are the paragraphs different lengths? (that’s ok)
Thursday ALL TRAITS
Distribute copies of a high interest short article (like the articles on tweentribune.com); read it together; assign each group one infoshot type; the students hunt for sneaky infoshots of their type and mark them on the article; share findings; clip and post favorite examples on the class posters
Monday ORGANIZATION Craft Lesson: Leads; Print 10-12 SPARKLERS essays and post them around the classroom;
take a Gallery Walk: read silently, noting favorite leads; discuss throw-away writing (One day, I’m going to tell you, It was just a dream, etc.); students write an example of throw-away writing on a piece of paper, read it, and throw it in the trash; create a Sparkling Leads poster; look for Sparkling Leads in essays/books – continue to add & discuss
Tuesday ALL TRAITS
Changing Leads: CR p. 104-105 Create Lead Stations (Snapshot, Thoughtshot, Setting, Action, Observation, Strong statement, Question, Dialogue, Character Description); student try different leads & determine which one works best with a piece of writing
Wednesday
WORD CHOICE Craft Lesson: Conclusions; Print 10-12 SPARKLERS essays and post them around the classroom; take a Gallery Walk: read silently, noting favorite conclusions; discuss throw-away writing (It was just a dream, The End, I hope you liked my story); students write an example of throw-away writing on a piece of paper, read it, and throw it in the trash; create a Sparkling conclusions poster; look for Sparkling conclusions in essays/books – continue to add & discuss
Thursday
WORD CHOICE Changing Conclusions: Create Conclusion Stations (Thoughtshot, Truism, Strong feeling, Question, Lesson learned, Wrap-around Ending -- back to the beginning); Students try different conclusions & determine which one works best with a piece of writing
WEEK 14 Monday
ORGANIZATION SENT. FLUENCY
Craft Lesson: Transitions Nightmare Swimming SP pp. 118-119; highlight all transition words the toy Barrel of Monkeys® is good to use as a visual to model connecting thoughts (from Bill MacDonald) do activity on p. 118
Tuesday
ORGANIZATION SENT. FLUENCY
Craft Lesson: Transitions: Connecting Writing Between Sentences; read “Two Side of a Coin” [NOTE: examples follow after Week 20] and discuss the before and after, focusing on the addition of transition words between sentences; revisit previous writings for examples of weak transitions; add transitions [NOTE: using arrows with words between boxes in Kernel Essays will remind students to add a transition word between thoughts]
Wednesday
ORGANIZATION SENT. FLUENCY
Craft lesson: Transitions: Connecting Writing Between Paragraphs; read “Boston Tea Party” and discuss the before and after, focusing on the addition of transition words between paragraphs; revisit previous writings for examples of weak transitions; add transitions;
Thursday
ALL TRAITS 4-Word Rubric* (Wow! Aah! Okay. Huh?) Read aloud essays with partner before and after revision
ALL TRAITS Using text structure The Story of My Thinking CR p. 31 or p. 147, begin new Flipbook
Tuesday
ALL TRAITS Introduce Revision Stations** CR p. 151; rotate through Revision Stations adding details to flips
Wednesday
ALL TRAITS Choose a draft from writing folder to revise; read aloud Toad by Ruth Brown (or similar book), point out use of effective adjectives, strong verbs; revise essay for word choice using a colored pencil; continue working on Flipbook with Revision Stations; conference with peers as needed
Thursday
ALL TRAITS Read aloud How Hot Was It? by Jane Barclay and Janice Donato (or similar book); discuss the intensity of words; brainstorm examples; revise for precise language choices using a colored pencil; write final copy; share with partner [NOTE: examples follow after Week 20]
WEEK 16 Monday
ALL TRAITS Craft Lesson: Connecting Experiences to Life Truths* CR p.146; fill in chart expose students to various prompts; discuss how they match up
Tuesday
ALL TRAITS Read aloud SP p. 51; match real prompt (“A time you learned something new or did something well”) to Monday’s chart; choose a new Text Structure CR pp. 30-34; write a Kernel Essay; transfer to Flipbook and begin draft
Wednesday ALL TRAITS
Continue draft of new essay; use strips of paper or colored pencils/pens to revise using “Writer’s Toolbox” Chart
Thursday
ALL TRAITS Write, edit, and proofread final copy; students choose manner of sharing/publishing essays
* www.trailofbreadcrumbs.net
WEEK 17 Monday
ALL TRAITS Devolving an Essay: Use *“Beep, Beep” to compare a Score 1-4 paper; discuss & evaluate differences between the same story with different scores
Tuesday
ORGANIZATION Using an article from a kid’s magazine, a short paragraph about a character from social studies, or a paragraph from a story, student chooses an appropriate Text Structure to respond (Expository/Informative Writing)
Wednesday ORGANIZATION
Student chooses a different Text Structure to write a narrative piece on article from Tuesday; discuss with students how they can tell which one they are writing; Informative: “All about -------.” vs. Narrative: “The time that -------.”
Thursday
ORGANIZATION Finish final product, choose one form to read in Readers’ Circle; discuss with students how they can tell which form was read
ALL TRAITS Share high-scoring papers from Sparklers; discuss using “Writer’s Toolbox” Chart; continue sharing Sparkling Sentences; share author’s thoughts about writing (Scholastic has videos of authors talking about their work.)
Tuesday
ALL TRAITS Craft Lesson: Letter Writing Letter to Mom SP pp.132-33; begin Challenge Activity: Write a letter to an important person in your life or the author of your favorite SP essay
Wednesday
ALL TRAITS Gallery Walk Treasure Hunt*: Print 10-12 fresh SPARKLERS essays and post them around the classroom; take a Gallery Walk: read silently, using Treasure Hunt Page [NOTE: examples follow after Week 20]; share and discuss observations
Thursday
ALL TRAITS Writer’s Toolbox BINGO; pass out laminated bingo boards with markers; teacher or student reads student paper out loud; students cover box of any writing tools used in the essay; discuss
WEEK 19 Monday
ALL TRAITS Prompts: expose students to various prompts discuss possible direction of responses; expository vs. narrative prompts
Tuesday
ALL TRAITS Using The Devil’s in the Details CR, pp. 104-114, revisit student issues; students pull from previous writings to practice revising
Wednesday
ALL TRAITS Appreciate high-scoring papers: Choose from CR, pp. 130-136 or; discuss what makes the paper(s) high-scoring paper; continue sharing Sparkling Sentences
Thursday
ALL TRAITS Peer Critique: students partner-share and critique for specific purpose like lead, conclusion, vivid verbs, organization, sentence flow when read orally, etc.
Week 20 Monday
VOICE/ WORD CHOICE
Explore idioms and their use in writing; Idioms are like a strong spice. A little bit goes a long way. (Amelia Bedelia books are helpful for introducing idioms.); find specific places in student writing where an idiom would enhance the writing
Tuesday
VOICE/SENT. FLUENCY
Explore prepositional phrases, moving a modifier, clauses, etc. to enhance the writing [Note: Prepare examples to share before class]; change a few sentences within students’ writing; discuss difference
Wednesday
VOICE “Get into an argument” (one student makes a statement; another student, the arguer, says “no way, prove it”); make a list of things parents or teachers tell you or something you believe; choose one to argue
Thursday
VOICE Choose Text Structure for your argument; use Flipbook to prepare and write final essay
For the remainder of the weeks before the state test: Continue with Sparkling Sentences: Be sure to have at least one from every student. Cut them apart, and on the day before the test give them to the students to take home with them to remind them that they are great writers. Continue evaluating Score 4 papers -- try to use one page compositions as the State of Texas is now restricting the composition to one page. Use the 4-week plan on the inside cover (or p. 160) of Crunchtime or just focus on areas that need to be revisited (Ch. 4 CR) or mini-lessons in Sparklers. Continue using Text Structures (Kernel Essays) every place you can -- different subject areas to familiarize students with their use. Focus on character development within a story. There are Kernel Essays to help with that. Some teachers divide students according to their needs and to mini-workshops. (For example, one teacher may take all the writers who are already scoring a 3 or 4 and help them analyze their writing even more. Another teacher may take all the struggling writers who are having difficulty coming up with an idea and following through with that idea.) The more teachers involved, the more specific the workshops can be. Prompts: Each week give students a new prompt. Have them choose a text structure, fill in a fake Flipbook, and write a composition. Be sure to give them prompts for any types of writing they are responsible to produce. Some Optional Friday Plans: October: Dead Words Funeral Hat Day -- Vocabulary Project (“Miss Alaineus” by Debra Frasier) December: Read: “It’s a Wonderful Life” picture book -- modern version; Students write letter/essay on how their life changed or effected other people; Essay: “If I Had Never Been Born” Helpful Websites: www.trailofbreadcrumbs.net www.discoverwriting.com http://discoverwriting.ning.com/ www.WritingFix.com www.internet4classrooms.com/lang
www.foxtalesint.com www.tweentribune.com Books we reference: After the End (www.heinemann.com) Sparklers: High-scoring Test Essays and What They Teach Us (www.discoverwriting.com) Crunchtime: Lessons to Help Students Blow the Roof Off Writing Tests and Become Better Writers in the Process (www.heinemann.com)
(Taken from After the End by Barry Lane, with permission, pp. 66, 54, 67-68)
The bases were loaded and it was up to him, but the coach asked him not to swing at the ball. He wondered why until he heard the coach whisper to the assistant coach, “They’ll never strike out that shrimp.” Jon was short and up to that moment he was very proud to be on the Little League team, but when he realized he was only on the first string because he was short and too difficult to strike out, he was very hurt.
Jon was a student in my freshman English class. In his first draft of an essay about this experience he wrote, “It really broke my heart when the coach said that and because of that I walked up to the plate and struck out on purpose.”
In conference I asked Jon to locate the big moment in the story. It was when the coach whispered to the other coach, “They’ll never strike out that shrimp.” I asked Jon to make that moment last as long as he could, because the more he could describe that moment, the more the reader would become him and feel the impact of the story. This is a paraphrase of what he wrote.
I could feel my cheeks flush red with embarrassment. I reached down and picked up the bat. It was cold in my hands. I looked up at the stands and I could see my father cheering. He was thrusting his fist up in the air and shouting something I couldn’t understand. I looked at the pitcher. The ball was moving up and out of his glove following his hand in one fluid motion. I swung before it was halfway there. ‘Stee-rike,’ the empire shouted….
I tell students that when Jon says, “What the coach said broke my heart,” the reader says, “Poor Jon.” But the more Jon describes the big moment in his story in great detail, the more the reader becomes Jon, and his essay begins to do justice to the emotions that underpin it.
Jan Wilson wrote…about a fight she had with her sister. If you like, read it to your class, pausing every so often to ask them if the last sentence you read was a snapshot, thoughtshot, or dialogue. Note: Some of the original words have been changed slightly for appropriate language for younger students.
“Bet his kisses are mushy!” my sister taunted me. I twisted around and looked at her, my elbows deep in dishwater.
“Look – just finish your dinner and be quiet. He does not either.” I didn’t want to discuss my boyfriend, David, with my blabbermouth little sister. What did she know about kissing anyway?
Carol sat at the kitchen table, idly pushing the cold food around her plate. “Mushy kisses – mushy kisses – Janie loves David’s mushy kisses,” she singsonged to herself, but clearly intended for my ears.
“Stop it. You are one little smart aleck! Mom and Dad will get mad if they hear you,” I warned, trying to distract her. Actually, I admitted to myself, David’s kissing wasn’t any bargain but I couldn’t stand her needling me.
“Does he know you write about him in your diary?” she teased, with that smug, know-it-all expression on her face.
This was too much. My adolescent sensitivity burst with indignation. “I do not, you little dummy! Take this!” I scraped the soapsuds off my arms and picked up a quart of milk, shoving it in her face. “If you don’t hush up and be quiet I’m going to pour this right over your head! Every last drop. ”That quart was nearly full.
“You wouldn’t dare,” she glowered. “Dad would kill you.”
“You don’t think so? I would, too. You’re just asking for it.”
“You’re chicken! You’d never do it,” she said assuredly, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Here’s how Jan exploded the moment when she poured a quart of milk over her sister’s head.
After reading this part of the story, ask students how long they think it would take to pour the milk. Discuss how much Jan exploded that short period of time.
I watched myself begin this horrible deed. My hand seemed to suddenly have a will of its own. It picked up the milk carton. The spout was already open. My arm extended over Carol’s head, tipping the carton. The liquid poured in slow, steady thick unending stream down through her long blonde hair, soaking the back of her clothes and running onto the floor. As the milk reached the floor I shifted the spout slightly to begin another long milky journey down the front of her. It poured over her forehead, in the eyes, running in rivers down each side of her nose, converging on the chin and splashing into her plate. Her food was soon awash and the milk poured over the edge, and ran into her lap. And still I poured on – it was too late to stop now. The rapture of it all. Oh, sweet revenge.
Carol was shocked into absolute silence, her milk-washed eyes staring at me in total disbelief – almost uncomprehending. What had I done? I only meant to pour a little to scare her and now it was all over – everywhere. Her chair was a four-legged island in the middle of a giant white pond in the kitchen floor. How could one quart of milk go so far? For a second or two she didn’t react and I had a brief but fleeting prayer that she was stunned speechless. However, not for long.
“Daddeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. The sound of cocktail glasses being knocked over the coffee table in the living room and my father charging around the corner happened almost simultaneously. In an instant he took in the whole scene. Horrible big sister pours milk over innocent little sister’s head. It simply couldn’t have looked much worse. It didn’t take any smarts to realize that. I knew there was no way of explaining my way out of this one. “Guilty” was the immediate verdict of the judge. My mother, the long since powerless “jury” of one, as usual, did not interfere.
Attachments for Week 13: Transitions Sentence-to-sentence: Two Sides of a Coin by Lexie Rodriguez, 4th grade, San Antonio, Texas People think they should stay loyal to Great Britain and their king. People think they should separate from Great Britain and govern themselves. People should be allowed to think what they want to. Everyone has a different opinion on things. Some people think they should stay loyal to Great Britain and their king. While others think they should separate from Great Britain and govern themselves. I think that people should be allowed to think what they want to. That tells me that everyone has a different opinion on things. Paragraph-to-paragraph: Boston Tea Party by Jack Aden, 4th grade, San Antonio, Texas Who was on the ship pouring the tea over, how many chests of tea did they pour off the ship and how many ships were holding the chests? Samuel Adams and George Hewes were two of the people pouring tea off the ship. The people pouring tea off the ship poured over 300 chests of tea. Three big ships were carrying all the tea. The colonists really hated the tea act. I would have quit drinking tea from then on. I have wondered who was on the ship pouring the tea over, how many chests of tea they poured off the ship and how many ships were holding the chests. I figured out that Samuel Adams and George Hewes were two of the people pouring tea off the ship. I also figured out the people pouring tea off the ship poured over 300 chests of tea. Last I figured out that three big ships were carrying all the tea. I think that this all means that the colonists really hated the tea act. I would have quit drinking tea from then on.
KISS (Keep It Surprisingly Simple) Lesson Plans for Writing A four-week unit designed to give students sustained writing practice, different prewriting structures, tools for revising, and an audience for their work. Lessons have been planned for four days a week, 60 minute periods. Students will spend the majority of the class periods writing after introductory or mini-lessons. There are assigned prompts for two of the weeks, and students will choose their own topics the other two weeks. They will have four completed writing pieces at the end of the unit. WEEK 1 Monday Make class WRITER’S TOOLBOX chart 30 min. Introductory TRUISMS lesson 30 min. Tuesday Mini-lesson “The Bunny Escape” on sensory words 15 min. Write a KERNEL ESSAY 45 min. Wednesday Discuss more photos and Truisms 10 min. Write compositions 50 min. Thursday GREAT BEGINNINGS, SPARKLING SENTENCES 10 min. Write final copy, share with partner 50 min. WEEK 2 Monday Share and discuss TRUISMS 10 min. Make QUICKLIST , fill out “A Memory” TEXT STRUCTURE 50 min. Tuesday Mini-lesson “A Time to Help” on dialogue 15 min. Write a rough draft of essay, skipping lines for revising 45 min. Wednesday Introduce and share BA-DA-BING SENTENCES 15 min. Write compositions, revising to add Ba-da-bing Sentences 45 min. Thursday Read aloud 2-3essays, compare Quicklists to common prompts 15 min. Write, edit and proofread final copy 45 min. WEEK 3 Monday Write a KERNEL ESSAY 20 min. Transfer Kernel Essay to FLIPBOOK 40 min. Tuesday Mini-lesson “Ironing” on layering thinking 15 min. Expand Flipbook by writing inside pages 45 min. Wednesday Mini-lesson on using REVISION STATIONS 20 min. Rotate through Revision Stations 40 min. Thursday Read aloud samples, post Sparkling Sentences 10 min. Write final copy 50 min. WEEK 4 Monday Mini-lesson “Mittens” on blending sentence functions 20 min. Write Kernel Essay, use “The Story of My Thinking” structure 40 min. Tuesday Share and discuss TRUISMS 10 min. Mini-lesson on Common Mistakes, finish rough draft 50 min. Wednesday Model using Let’s Get F.I.T. chart 15 min. Copy rough draft on to F.I.T. chart 45 min. Thursday Mini-lessons The Final Copy 10 min. Write final copy, proofread 50 min. Friday CELEBRATION! 60 min. PLEASE return to these writing activities again and again after the state assessment. The short term goal may be meaningful test preparation, but the long term goal is most certainly to build and equip life-long writers.
WEEK 1 MONDAY 1. Make a large class chart called WRITERS’ TOOLBOX to be displayed during the unit.
Place tool icons down the left side, and brainstorm with the class which strategies students know or have been taught already (e.g., similes and metaphors, strong verbs, onomatopoeia, using the senses). Write each strategy next to a tool icon on the chart, and write an example under the name. Add new strategies as they are learned. (30 min.)
2. Introduce Truisms. Write the truisms (life lessons) on a large poster or butcher paper as the class discusses the photos, and have students keep a list of their favorites in their writer’s notebook. Ask students how any of the truisms might fit in stories, essays or compositions that they have written so far. Keep the Truisms poster displayed in the classroom, adding to it as students generate more during the unit. Add Truisms to Toolbox chart.
TUESDAY 1. Mini-lesson on sensory words (see appendix-“The Bunny Escape”). Add to Sensory Words
to class Toolbox chart (15min.) 2. Prompt: “A Time I Helped Someone” (or similar). Using The Kernel Essay with an
example of your own, model how to write an outline by answering the kernel essay questions on the overhead projector. Students will then write the outline of their story with markers on large construction paper. (Varying paper choices seems to help keep student interest). Next, students will read their outline to a partner who will check to see if it makes sense, tells the whole story, or has anything that should be left out. Partners may ask questions for writer to answer if there are confusing parts. (45 min.)
WEDNESDAY 1. Show more photos, discuss the truisms, and add them to the class chart. Encourage students
to think about where they could place a truism in the story they are going to write. (10 min.) 2. Students will now write composition from their kernel essay on lined paper. Tell students
that some Sparkling Sentences from their stories will be shared with the class the next day. Students will be motivated to write sparkling sentences that might be chosen for display. (50 min.)
THURSDAY 1. Mini-lesson on Great Beginnings from Flipbook Mini-lessons. Select good leads or other
sentences from student essays and read these aloud. Write them with student comments on sentence strips or paper with the author’s name, and post in the classroom or hall. (15 min.)
2. Students will write a final copy and read aloud to partners as they finish. (45 min.) Monday Make class WRITER’S TOOLBOX chart 30 min. Introductory TRUISMS lesson 30 min. Tuesday Mini-lesson “The Bunny Escape” on sensory words 15 min. Write a KERNEL ESSAY 45 min. Wednesday Discuss more photos and Truisms 10 min. Write compositions 50 min. Thursday GREAT BEGINNINGS, SPARKLING SENTENCES 10 min. Write final copy, share with partner 50 min.
WEEK 2 MONDAY 1. Share and discuss a few more photos with Truisms. (10 min.) 2. Guide students through Making a Quicklist, then introduce “A Memory” from Text
Structures with Kernel Essays. Students will select a topic from their quicklists to use with this text structure. Model while having students write a sentence or two for each box. This becomes their prewriting. (50 min.)
A Memory
TUESDAY 1. Mini-lesson on dialogue (see appendix-“A Time to Help”). Add to Toolbox chart (15 min.) 2. Students will write rough draft on lined paper, skipping lines for later revising (if you can get
your hands on any old computer paper, the dot-matrix kind, it is awesome as alternate lines are white and green!). Remind them to incorporate dialogue and a truism. (45 min.)
WEDNESDAY 1. Introduce Ba-da-bing Sentences and brainstorm examples with the class. (15 min.) 2. Students will finish rough drafts and revise by adding Ba-da-bing Sentences. Have students
revise in color—this makes it fun, and also easy to get a revising teacher-check or grade. Bright-colored map pencils work fine, and colored pens or gel pens are especially appealing. Almost everyone will want to revise! (45 min.)
THURSDAY 1. Read and discuss a few student essays, finding and posting more Sparkling Sentences.
Discuss how students’ Quicklist topics could match a variety of open-ended, generic prompts (appendix?)
2. Students will now write a final copy, editing and proofreading for mechanics and usage (with partner if time permits). (45 min.)
Monday Share and discuss TRUISMS 10 min. Make QUICKLIST , fill out “A Memory” TEXT STRUCTURE 50 min. Tuesday Mini-lesson “A Time to Help” on dialogue 15 min. Write a rough draft of essay, skipping lines for revising 45 min. Wednesday Introduce and share BA-DA-BING SENTENCES 15 min. Write compositions, revising to add Ba-da-bing Sentences 45 min. Thursday Read aloud 2-3essays, compare Quicklists to common prompts 15 min. Write, edit and proofread final copy 45 min.
WEEK 3 MONDAY (Have a Flipbook prepared for each student in advance—see directions.) 1. Have students write a Kernel Essay for the prompt A Time I Learned Something New or A
Time I Learned a Lesson. (20 min.) 2. Introduce C. Candler’s Flipbook by reading aloud an example of a completed flipbook, and
tell students that they will be writing this week’s composition as a letter to the person who taught them something. Guide students through placing their kernel essay on the front and back of the flipbook (see directions in Flipbook Part 1: Filling in the Flipbook). (40 min.)
TUESDAY 1. Mini-lesson on layering thinking in a letter (see appendix—“Ironing”). (15 min.) 2. Students will now fill in the inside pages of their flipbook (see directions in Flipbook Part 2:
Expanding the Flipbook). (45 min.) WEDNESDAY 1. Introduce Revision Stations (see appendix). Review “Ba-da-bings” and “Sensory Words.”
Explain “Snapshots” and “Thoughtshots” carefully if they are new strategies to students, and add to class Writer’s Toolbox chart. (20 min.)
2. Students will now rotate through Revision Stations to find sections in their flipbooks to expand using these tools. Use the Guiding Questions (see appendix). (40 min.)
THURSDAY 1. Read aloud one or two flipbooks from students whose work has not been heard yet,
discussing and posting more Sparkling Sentences. The goal is to have every student’s work shared or displayed during the unit. (10 min.)
2. Students use their flipbooks to write a final copy of their letter on lined paper. (50 min.) Monday Write a KERNEL ESSAY 20 min. Transfer Kernel Essay to FLIPBOOK 40 min. Tuesday Mini-lesson “Ironing” on layering thinking 15 min. Expand Flipbook by writing inside pages 45 min. Wednesday Mini-lesson on using REVISION STATIONS 20 min. Rotate through Revision Stations 40 min. Thursday Read aloud samples, post Sparkling Sentences 10 min. Write final copy 50 min.
WEEK 4 MONDAY 1. Mini-lesson on blending sentence functions (see appendix-“Mittens”). (20 min.) 2. Introduce “The Story of My Thinking” from Text Structures with Kernel Essays. Have
students choose a topic from their Quicklist, write a kernel essay, and begin their rough draft. (40 min.)
TUESDAY 1. Share and discuss a few more photos with Truisms. Write these on class poster. (10 min.) 2. Discuss Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes from Flipbook Mini-lessons with the class.
Remind students to be on guard for these as they finish writing, rereading, and revising their essay. (50 min.)
WEDNESDAY 1. Model using the Let’s Get F.I.T. chart on the overhead projector. (15 min.) 2. Students will now analyze their work by writing their essay on a F.I.T. chart. Students then
revise to add some of the kinds of sentences that would make their story more balanced, and cross out any sentences that do not belong. (45 min.)
THURSDAY 1. Discuss expectations using The Final Copy from Flipbook Mini-lessons. (10 min.) 2. Students will now write a final copy that meets class standards for paragraphing,
proofreading, and handwriting. Students who finish may work with a partner to check mechanics. (50 min.)
FRIDAY Celebration! (60 min.) Choose one: 1. Have a variety of copy paper with fancy borders available. Students choose their favorite
composition from the unit to write or type on decorated paper. ‘Publish’ on a classroom or hall bulletin board.
2. Have each student read aloud their favorite essay in a whole class sharing circle. 3. Have small groups of students read aloud their favorite essays to each other.
Monday Mini-lesson “Mittens” on blending sentence functions 20 min. Write Kernel Essay, use “The Story of My Thinking” structure 40 min. Tuesday Share and discuss TRUISMS 10 min. Mini-lesson on Common Mistakes, finish rough draft 50 min. Wednesday Model using Let’s Get F.I.T. chart 15 min. Copy rough draft on to F.I.T. chart 45 min. Thursday Mini-lessons The Final Copy 10 min. Write final copy, proofread 50 min. Friday CELEBRATION! 60 min.
but this happened
What I used to think
so now I think
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Text Structures for Writing Opinions
The Story of My Thinking
What I used to think
But this happened
So now I think
Evolution of a Term (word or phrase in the prompt)
What the word meant to me when I was 4
What I was a little older
What the word means to me now
What the word will probably mean when I am ____ (pick an age)
Now Introducing … One
person’s moment
using the thing
What problem the thing
solves
How the thing works
What it doesn’t do
But one problem the thing creates
Reasons it is a good
idea anyway
Data to support
the purpose
From: Drive Cam Article
Prized Possession I just
couldn’t do without …
It has the most …
It has …
Before I had it …
That’s why …
Without it, I would …
The Onion – Unlayering What We Know
One (real) belief something we know
How do I know this? (Tell one way, one thing
that happened)
If that had not happened, how else would you know it?
If that had not happened how else would you know it
Traditional: Claim with Three Parts Opinion because
