Writing Mini Lesson

Elaboration and Supporting Details

Created By:

Angie Keaton

Kristin Wahl

RE 5130

Fall 2007

Learning Context

Our second and third grade students are writing personal narratives. As we conference with the students on a daily basis about their writing pieces, we have noticed a lack of supporting details throughout their stories. They often write several main ideas about specific events but they do not elaborate on them very well.

Learning About

The picture book, If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most, will be the literary model that we will present at the beginning of our lesson. This book will encourage our discussion about the lack of supporting details accompanying the topic sentences. We will present a topic sentence to the class. The topic sentence we will use as an example is“If the dinosaurs came back, they would carry my daddy to work and back.” With the students’ assistance, we willmodel how to add supporting details to a topic sentence.

Learning to Do

After our discussion and whole group modeling about how to add supporting details to a topic sentence, the students are given one of the topic sentences from the book. They are invited to come up with at least three supporting details for each topic sentence. After students provide some supporting details to accompany the topic sentence they are given, we will come back as a whole group. We will reread the story with their supporting details that they have written for each topic sentence.

Structure for Feedback and Revision

During the prewriting phase of the writing process, the students always create a flow map that allows them to sequence the main events of their story. Underneath each main idea, they will now be expected to write supporting details that elaborate on the main idea. Second graders are expected to add one supporting detail to each main idea and third graders are expected to add three details to each main idea. This lesson will provide them with the understanding of how supporting details relate to their own stories and how to make their own stories more interesting.

Topic Sentences from IftheDinosaursCameBack

  • If the dinosaurs came back, they could carry my daddy to work and back.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, we wouldn’t need anymore lawn mowers.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, house painters wouldn’t need any more ladders.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they would scare away robbers.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they would make it easy for farmers to plow their fields.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they could help lumberjacks chop down trees.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they could help firefighters put out fires.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they could help build big skyscrapers.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they would make great ski slopes.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they could take swimmers on rides at the beach.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they could rescue kites stuck in very tall trees.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, mountain climbers would have new mountains to climb.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, If the dinosaurs came back, they could be a big help at the circus.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they could help librarians get books from the top shelf.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, dentists would have plenty of teeth to work on.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, giraffes would have someone to look up to.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they could push away rain clouds so the sun would always shine.
  • If the dinosaurs came back, they would make great pets for the people who love dinosaurs.

Flow Map

This is a sample of the flow map that our students use during the pre-writing phase of the writing process.


If the Dinosaurs Came Back

Angie Keaton’s 2nd Grade Class

If the dinosaurs came back, they could carry my daddy to work and back.

While he was at work if the boss needed something he would get it on the top shelf. Riding a dinosaur would save my dad’s gas. He could also protect my daddy at work. He would help everybody at work.

If the dinosaurs came back, we wouldn’t need anymore lawn mowers because the dinosaurs will eat the grass and eat the bugs in the grass. And he would be a good eater.

If the dinosaurs came back, house painters wouldn’t need any more ladders.

The man wouldn’t need to do it all day long.

If the dinosaurs came back, they would scare away robbers.

And they would help other people to save the world. They would scare away the people. Then they can help good people save the world.

If the dinosaurs came back, they would make it easy for farmers to plow their fields.

They would help us plow our garden so it won’t be hard to plow our garden.

If the dinosaurs came back, they could help lumberjacks chop down trees. The help the lumberjacks cut down trees by using their teeth. If they come back they can make the lumberjacks go around the world.

If the Dinosaurs Came Back

Kristin Wahl’s 3rd Grade Class