7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
1/23
Writing Unit Plan- Grade 4
Overview
Unit Purpose: To enhance students narrative writing, specifically short fiction, with the use of
dialogue.
Unit Resources:
Iowa Core Standards available athttp://www.educateiowa.gov
Pinnell & Fountas (2010). The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades 3-8, Second Edition.
Fisher & Frey (2007). Scaffolded Writing Instruction: Teaching with a Gradual-Release
Framework.
Common Core:
Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences
and events or show the response of characters to situations (W.4.3.-Write narratives to
develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive
details, and clear event sequences)
Continuum Goal Grade 4:
Describe characters by how they look, what they do, say, and think, and what others say
about themShow rather than tell how characters feel
Take points of view by writing in first or third person
Mentor texts to be used within the unit:
Text Title Pg. # Example Point highlighted
Peppe the Lamplighter
by Elisa Barton
p. 2-p.4
p. 7-p.8
Peppe tells many
businesses what he can do
to help them. This shows
me, as a reader, that he is ahard-worker.
Peppe lights lamps for
different people in his
family and recites this
aloud. This shows me, as a
reader, that he is a loving
An author can use dialogue to
show traits of a book character.
http://www.educateiowa.gov/http://www.educateiowa.gov/http://www.educateiowa.gov/http://www.educateiowa.gov/7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
2/23
p. 8
and caring person
What Peppes father says
upsets him. This shows
me, as the reader, that he
wants his father to be
proud of him.
Testing the Ice: A True
Story about Jackie
Robinson by Sharon
Robinson
p.8
p.9
p. 9
p. 10
p. 10
Finding food worth eating
or a restaurant to serve us
was a daily problem. In
many places we played,
there was no hotel that
allowed blacks. That was
just the way things were in
1945, and no one expected
them to change.
The next few minutes
were tough as Rickey
warned that I would be
called all kinds of names,
threatened, and attacked
physically.
I thought of the doors
opening to other blackplayers after me, and how
the color barrier of baseball
would be shattered. There
was only one answer. Ill
do it! I said
Some fans cheered me.
Others shouted insults that
were so bad I had to
struggle to keep my temper
from exploding
I led off. The insults were
still coming. I lined into
center field for a single,
then took my lead. I cut
out for second. The Philles
pitcher threw wide. The
ball bounced past the
Dialogue can show, rather than
tell, the thoughts and feelings of
a book character
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
3/23
p. 10
shortstop. I rounded third
and made it home.
That was a sweet victory.
The Great Kapok Tree: A
Tale of the Amazon Rain
Forest by Lynne Cherry
p. 3
p. 4
p. 5
p. 6
p. 7
p. 8
p. 9
p. 10
p. 11
p. 12
A boa constrictor explains
his ancestry
Bee explains how living
things depend on one
another
Monkeys explain the
effects of cutting down onetree
Birds explain the effects of
cutting down one tree
A tree frog explains it will
take away homes for
animals
A jaguar explains it will
affect the food chain
Porcupines explain it will
affect our air supply
Anteaters explains the
long-term effects
A sloth explains the long-
term effects
A asks for the man to look
upon us all with new eyes
Dialogue can be used to show
many points of view
Dialogue can show the authors
purpose
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
4/23
DAY 1
Activity 1
Materials and Resources
Writers Workshop NotebookPencil
Large lined paper
Marker
Self-assessment Pre-test (Form 1)
Objective(s):
1. Students will reflect on their knowledge of dialogue within writing.2. Students will analyze their own writing for the use of dialogue.
Procedure:
1. Teacher will ask students to open their Writers Workshop notebook for a Quick Writeand ask them to copy the following question from the board:
What might be an authors purpose be when they use dialogue in their story?
Please Note: The purpose of this Quick write is to get students thinking about writing
process, the term dialogue can be explained to students if necessary.
2. Students will be given a set time to think about and answer the question in theirnotebook. (2-3 minutes is an estimated timeframe).
3. Each student will share with a partner their responses. Students will then discuss theirresponses as a class. While this discussion is taking place, the teacher will write down
student responses.
*Discussion will be used to assess Objective 1.
4. After the discussion, students will fill out a Self-Assessment (Form 1) of thecharacteristics of dialogue in their own writing.
*Self-Assessment can be used as an Exit Slip and to meet the Objective 2.
Activity 2
Materials and Resources:
Text: Peppe the Lamplighter by Elisa Bartone
Large lined paper with the heading Traits of Peppe
Marker
Readers Response Journal and pencil
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
5/23
Objective(s):
1. Students will identify character traits and provide rational for these traits based on storydialogue.
Procedure:
I Do1. Teacher will explain that authors can use dialogue to show characteristics of a storys
character.
2. Teacher will introduce the text Peppe the Lamplighter and provide some backgroundknowledge of the story.
3. Teacher will begin to read Peppe the Lamplighter and stop at dialogue points in order toThink Aloud to students the traits of Peppe that are expressed in the dialogue.
(Examples explained in Unit Description). Teacher will record these traits on the largelined paper with a page number to identify rationale.
We Do
4. Teacher will continue to read and stop at dialogue points so that students can think
about and add traits of Peppe in the same format as above.
You Do Together
5. Students will work in pairs and discuss the character traits that have been discussed and
written down in large group. Each pair will decide on 3 traits that they feel best
describes Peppe (these traits can be from the list but do not need to be). Both studentswill be responsible for listing these traits in their Readers Response Journals.
You Do
6. On the same paper that has the 3 traits, each student will then choose 1 of the 3 traits.
The student should indicate their choice by circling the trait. They will then need to
provide rational for choosing this trait by explaining how the dialogue shows evidence of
this trait. Students can be prompted by starting their writing in the following way:
I think that Peppe is _________________. The author used dialogue to show this
when she*Responses can be assessed to see if students have met the lesson objective.
Differentiation of Day 1 Activities:
Activity 1 will not be differentiated by teacher because its focus is on assessing student
knowledge and the student responses will show how unit could/should be differentiated.
Activity 2 can be differentiated by how the teacher pairs students. Students can be paired by
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
6/23
different ability so that students are challenged in their discussion through explanation and
understanding. Also, students can choose to write using the prompt to help those who need it,
but it is not required for students who want to write their response more creatively
Day 2
Activity 1
Materials and Resources:
Writers Workshop Notebook
Power Writing Graph
Pencil
Pen
Colored pencil
3 photos to display on overhead (Form 2)
timer or clock
Objective(s):
1. Students will write as much as they can in the given time (1 minute) for each given topic(photo shown).
2. Students will analyze their writing fluency by recording the number of words they havewritten.
3. Students will analyze their writing fluency by circle any grammatical errors ormisspellings in their writing.
4.
Students will record their best result on their Power Writing Graph (previously establishand found in the back of their Writers Workshop Notebook).
Procedure:
1. Teacher will ask students to get out their Writers Workshop Notebook and a pencil.2. Teacher will let students know that we will be doing a Power Writing Activity, which
they will be familiar with. Procedure will be explained briefly-
You will have one minute to write for eachtopic. You will start when I say Pencils
down and stop when I say Pencils up. We will do this three times. After each time,you will use your marker to count how many words you have written and also to circle
any grammatical errors or misspelled words.
3. Students will get their pencils ready.4. Teacher will explain that todays topics will be in photo form (Form 2).
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
7/23
5. For each photo, the teacher will explain what is to be written and start/stop the time,allowing for students to write for 1 minute for each photo.
1
st
photo: From the photo, write what the person is feeling and why.2
ndphoto: From the photo, write what the people are talking about.
3rd
photo: From the photo, write what the person is thinking about.
5. Students each write and analyze their writing. Students will record their best result on
their Power Writing Graph
*Objectives will be assessed by teacher observation during the activity by walking around
the room and by providing a check mark on page when task is complete.
Activity 2
Materials and Resources:
Writers Workshop Notebook-Power Writing page
Peer feedback forms (located with writing materials)
Revision paper (green lined paper)
Objective(s):
1. Students will revise writing by improving sentence structure, flow of writing, andgrammar.
2. Students will provide peer feedback that is focused on clarifying purpose.Procedure:
1. Teacher will ask students to choose one of their Power Writing pieces from Activity 1 torevise.
2. Students will be given 10-15 minutes to work on revision on Green Revision paper.3. Teacher will ask students to get together with pre-assigned partners and to read their
writing aloud to their partner.
4. After each partner has read aloud, his or her partner will read the writing to themselvestheir partners work.
5. Students will provide written feedback to their partner
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
8/23
6. Students will provide oral feedback to their partner by explaining what they had writtenand ask any questions they may have in order to have the writing make more sense to
the reader.
7.
Students will place Revision and Feedback Form in the front of their Writers WorkshopNotebook.
*Writers Workshop Notebooks will be looked at by the teacher in the course of the
week to assess on both objectives.
Differentiation of Day 2 Activities:
In Activity 1 students are working towards personal goals in their writing so is differentiated in
this way. Activity 2 will have students working with like-ability partners so that peer feedback is
appropriate to the ability they are at within writing. Students are also able to choose which
Power Writing they would like to revise so different student interests can met.
Day 3
Activity 1
Materials and Resources:
Teacher Writing Model (Form 3)
Marker
Red pen to edit
Objective(s):
1. Students will recognize dialogue being used.2. Students will provide reasons of how dialogue strengthens writing.
Procedure:
1. Teacher will bring out own writing same from the Photo Power Writing Activity. Thiscopy will not include dialogue yet.
2. Teacher will do a writers Think Aloud and revise as well as add dialogue to the story.3. Teacher and students will discuss how they can recognize dialogue in a story, what
dialogue can show a reader, and when dialogue can be used to make a story better.
4. Teacher and students participate in a shared reading of the text
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
9/23
Activity 2
Materials and Resources:
Writers Workshop Notebook- Green Revision of Power Writing
Red pen
Pencil
Yellow Final Draft paper
Objective(s):
1. Students will apply their knowledge of dialogue and third person point of view in theirown writing.
Procedure:
1. Teacher will explain to students that they will be adding dialogue to a writing of theirown. The dialogue can show the speaking and/or thinking of the story character(s).
2. Students will find their Green Revision paper and work independently for a given timeperiod (approximately 10-15 minutes) to edit their revision in red pen.
3. Students will finalize this draft on Yellow Final Draft paper and will turn this into theteacher by the end of the week.
*Final Draft will be used to assess if objective is met. A rubric will be used to determine the
extent in which the objective is met.
Differentiation of Day 3 Activities:
Activity 1 involves a shared reading which is helpful for students at different reading abilities.
Activity 2 is, again, has given students the choice of what writing they have brought to this
stage of writing. Students are also given an estimated timeframe because students will work at
different paces and some will write more while some will write less. The same rubric will be
used for all students, but will be measured against past performance to see if improvement is
being made.
Day 4
Activity 1
Materials and Resources:
Text: Testing the Ice: A True Story of Jackie Robinson by Sharon Robinson
Clipboard, pencil, and post-it notes for each student
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
10/23
Objective(s):
1. Students will describe and record a characters thoughts and feelings based on dialoguein a text.
Procedure:
1. Teacher will introduce the text and provide some background information about thetext.
2. Teacher will set the purpose of the reading to the students. There is a lot of dialogue inthis book. In particular, there is a part of the book when Jackie Robinson tells his story
about entering Major League Baseball to his children and their neighborhood friends. As
I read this part of the text, focus on the thoughts and feelings of Jackie from the
dialogue. Record what you think Jackie thinks and feels about his entry into Major
League Baseball.
3. The teacher will pause during this part of the story to allow students to think aboutthoughts and feelings of Jackie.
4. Students will record their thoughts on post its. (Think)5. Students will turn to a partner and discuss their thoughts with one another (Pair)6. Teacher will ask students to share out loud to the group what he or she/his or her
partner had written down and why. (Share)
*Objective will be assessed by teacher observation during the Think, Pair, Share
portions of the activity
Activity 2
Materials and Resources:
Text: Testing the Ice: A True Story of Jackie Robinson by Sharon Robinson
Large paper with the title I Am ____________________
Marker
Stanza form for an I Am Poem to be given to each student
Clipboard and post-it notes from read-aloud Think, Pair, Share Activity
Objective(s):
1. Students will use character traits, thoughts, and feelings to take on the 1st person role ofa story character.
Procedure:
1. Teacher will explain to students that the class will participate in an Interactive Writing
Activity in the form of an I Am Poem.
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
11/23
2.Teacher will pass out the outline of the poem and discuss with students about how thispoem structure shows a characters voice and who that character is (i.e. their thoughts
and feelings).
3.Teacher will explain that the I Am Poem they are going to write as a class will be aboutJackie Robinson and what we had discovered about him from the text Testing the Ice.
The teacher will fill in the rest of the title so that it reads I Am Jackie Robinson.
4.As the teacher goes through each line of the I Am Poem, students will offer and comeup to the board (where large paper is taped) to fill in parts of the poem.
*Objective will be assessed by students ability to take on the 1st
person role of Jackie Robinson
and the ideas they offer/add to the Interactive Writing Activity
Differentiation of Day 4 Activities:
Activity 1 allows for differentiation in the Think, Pair, Share activity because students havedifferent types of opportunities to participate at their level of comfort. Activity 2, again, allows
for differentiation through the level of participation and also for students at different reading
abilities to participate.
Day 5
Activity 1
Materials and Resources:Whiteboard and markers
Dice or dice app. to display on overhead
Writers Workshop Notebook
pencil
Objective(s):
1. Students will use the set parameters and given time frame to create a 1-3 paragraphstory.
2. Students will use character thoughts and feelings to take on the 1st person role of astory character.
3. Students will use dialogue to express characters thoughts and feelings.Procedure:
1. Teacher will explain to students that the class will participate in a Generative WritingActivity.
2. Teacher will write titles in 3 columns- Person, Place, Feeling.
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
12/23
3. Teacher will give parameters for each of the three columns and call on 3-4 students toprovide words or phrases that fit the parameters for each.
The name of a person that starts with the letter S (i.e. Sally, Stewie, Sherlock Holme)
A place that contains the letter t (i.e. Italy, Target, Stanford)A feeling that is described in an adjective phrase (i.e. very embarrassed, extremely
happy)
4. Teacher will roll the dice to count and pick one response from each column.5. Teacher will instruct students to write from the perspective of the person chosen (1st
person) and to show their feelings through thought or spoken dialogue.
6. Students will have 10 minutes to write a 1-3 paragraph story.7. Students will share aloud their story to their table group members.8. Students will choose one story from their table group to share aloud to the class.
*While students are reading their stories to their group, the teacher will assess both objectives
by listening in as well as glancing and checking student notebooks. A check mark will be place
on the page if completed.
Activity 2
Materials and Resources:
Text: The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne CherryAuthors Purpose Graphic Organizer (Form 4) for each student
Clipboard and pencils
Objective(s):
1. Identify that dialogue can show the point of view of many characters.2. Explain that dialogue be used to show the authors story purpose.
Procedure:
1. Teacher will introduce the text The Great Kapok Tree and provide some backgroundknowledge.
2. Teacher will pass out graphic organizer and explain that our purpose for reading today isto see how the author uses dialogue to help explain their purpose of writing the story.
3. Teacher will read the text, pausing and giving students time to fill in information on theorganizer. The teacher will use GRRM Model with this activity by 1) thinking aloud
and providing answers, 2) having students provide answers from her thinking, 3) having
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
13/23
students discuss in pairs and answering, and 4) filling in aspects of the graphic organizer
on their own.
4. Students will discuss with one another what they have found and decide on what theauthors purpose could be based on the dialogues purpose.
* Graphic Organizers and discussion during/after reading will be used to assess both
objectives.
Differentiation of Day 5 Activities:
Activity 1 differentiates by the amount of writing that can be done and, although sets
parameters of some of the topic which can help students who struggle with ideas, allows
creativity in writing as well. Activity 2 provides a graphic organizer to help organize thinking but
also allows for student opinion of authors purpose.
Day 6
Activity 1
Materials and Resources:
Writers Workshop Notebook
Revision Paper (green lined paper)
pencil
Objective(s):
1. Students will apply their knowledge of dialogue and first person point of view in theirown writing.
Procedure:
1. Teacher will ask students to choose a rough draft to take onto the revision stage. This
rough draft could be from this unit or from another.
2. Teacher will ask students to have this be a 1st person perspective and should includeelements of dialogue.
3. Students will work independently on revision (25 minutes is an estimated timeframe).4. Teacher will spend time with students as they are working independently to have them
read aspects of their writing and work with them, making notes of who to conference
with before Final Drafts.
5. Students who finish drafts early will meet with each other to receive peer feedback orthe teacher if possible.
** Revisions will be placed in Writers Workshop Notebooks to be looked at by the
teacher to assess that objective was met.
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
14/23
Activity 2
Materials and Resources:
Writers Workshop Notebook
Pencil
Self-assessment Post-test (Form 5)
Objective(s):
1. Students will reflect on the unit and their knowledge of dialogue within writing.
2. Students will analyze their own writing for the use of dialogue.
Procedure:
1. Teacher will ask students to open their Writers Workshop notebook for a Summative
Assessment of what they have learned about dialogue. Student will copy the following
question from the board (as they did at the beginning of the unit):
What might be an authors purpose be when they use dialogue in their story?
2. Students will be given a set time to think about and answer the question in their
notebook. (5-10 minutes is an estimated timeframe).
*Written Response will be used to assess Objective 1.
3. Students will then fill out a Self-Assessment (Form 5) of show improvement of the use of
dialogue in their own writing.
*Self-Assessment can be used as an Exit Slip and to meet the Objective 2.
Differentiation of Day 6 Activities:
Activity 1 has elements of feedback, teacher or peer, depending on student need. It also gives
an estimated timeframe because students work at different paces. Activity 2 is a reflection of
what students have learned and shows the teacher where each students abilities were, from
the Pre-Assessment, to where they are now.
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
15/23
FORM 1
Self-Assessment Pretest-Dialogue and Writing
Name: __________________________
Directions: Please make an X on the line that best describes you as a writer and
provide an example for each that demonstrates your knowledge.
1. I understand what dialogue is.
No Sometimes Yes
Here is an example of a sentence that uses dialogue:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
2. I use dialogue in my writing when I write in first person
No Sometimes Yes
Here is an example of when I used dialogue in first person:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
16/23
FORM 1
3. I use dialogue in my writing when I write in third person
No Sometimes Yes
Here is an example of when I use dialogue in third person:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
4. I understand why it is helpful to use dialogue in my writing
No Sometimes Yes
Please explain why a writer uses dialogue:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
17/23
FORM 2
Office.com image
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
18/23
FORM 2
Office.com image
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
19/23
FORM 2
Office.com image
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
20/23
FORM 3
The football team huddled up. It was the last
play of the game and the team was Broncos were
only 5 points behind. They were nervous, but
excited. This could be their first win of the season!
The quarterback told the team that he wasgoing to throw it deep and asked Number 30 to be
ready because he planned on throwing it to him.
turned to Number 30, his best receiver, and spoke.
Im throwing it deep and Im throwing to you.
I got this. The receiver replied with
confidence, though inside he was thinking Dont
screw this up. The game, their first win, was now
in his hands.
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
21/23
FORM 4
Authors Purpose Graphic Organizer
Text: The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest
Written by Lynne Cherry
What is the authors purpose in writing the text?
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
22/23
FORM 5
Self-Assessment Posttest-Dialogue and Writing
Name: __________________________
Directions: Please make an X on the line that best describes you as a writer and
provide an example for each that demonstrates your knowledge.
1. I understand what dialogue is.
No Sometimes Yes
Here is an example of a sentence that uses dialogue:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
2. I use dialogue in my writing when I write in first person
No Sometimes Yes
Here is an example of when I used dialogue in first person:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
7/29/2019 Interm. Writing Unit
23/23
FORM 5
3. I use dialogue in my writing when I write in third person
No Sometimes Yes
Here is an example of when I use dialogue in third person:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
4. I understand why it is helpful to use dialogue in my writing
No Sometimes Yes
Please explain why a writer uses dialogue:
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.