Why: The goals of this unit are to re-establish the routines and expectations of the Writing Workshop and to produce a small moment narrative of higher quality than in the previous years.
**Writing Process in a 3-5 Classroom** See Support Document
Structure: 18 Days
- 3 Immersion Days
- 12 Lesson/ Instructional Days
- 3 Quick Writes
- QUICK WRITES:
5 Minutes (Max)- Planning
20 Minutes- Drafting
5 Minutes- Editing and Revising
- ****One out of every three Quick Writes should be typed on the computer****
Websites:
Assessments:
Performance Task: Published Personal Narrative Story
Essential Questions:
Writing:
- How does Writer’s Workshop function efficiently in a 4th Grade classroom?
- How can I use mentor texts to help me become a better writer?
Indicators of Understanding:
Writing:
- Writers will understand the purpose of and actively engage in the writing process, adhering to workshop routines and expectations.
- Writers create small moment personal narratives based on a seed idea (single scene focus).
- Writers keep organized notebooks with collected entries that represent a variety of ideas/personal topics.
- Writers write narratives using a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of event.
- Writers will develop and strengthen their writing through revision and editing with the guidance of peers and adults
- Writers will publish their personal narrative.
Established Goals: Common Core Standards
Writing / Speaking and Listening / Language
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.A
Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.B
Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.C
Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.D
Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3.E
Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.5
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 4here.)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.6
With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting. / CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners ongrade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.B
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. / CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.B
Form and use the progressive (e.g.,I was walking; I am walking; I will be walking) verb tenses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.F
Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.*
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.G
Correctly use frequently confused words (e.g.,to, too, two; there, their).*
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.A
Use correct capitalization.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.B
Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.D
Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3.A
Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.*
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3.B
Choose punctuation for effect.*
Possible Read Aloud Texts / Teacher Resource Texts
Come On Rain
Owl Moon
The Relatives Came
Jalepeno Bagels
Smoky Night
Mama’s Saris
Whistling
The Paper Boy by Dave Pilkey
Shortcut by Donald Crews
Whistling by Elizabeth Partridge
A Play‖ from Childtimes by Eloise Greenfield
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant
Do Like Kyla by Angela Johnson
The Longest Wait by Marie Bradby
Sweet, Sweet Memory by Jacqueline Woodson
Jalapeño Bagels by Natasha Wing
Live Writing by Ralph Fletcher
The Boy Who Loved Words by RoniSchotter
Hey World, Here I Am (selections) by Jean Little
Your Move by Eve Bunting
You Have to Write by Janet S. Wong
Show, Don‘t Tell by Josephine Nobisso / The Common Core State Standards for English
Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects
Writing Fundamentals 2-3 Launching Unit Overview
bySchoolwide, Inc. (2008).
How‘s It Going? A Practical Guide to Conferring
With Student Writers. Carl Anderson. (2000).
Assessing Writers. Carl Anderson. (2005).
The Art of Teaching Writing. Lucy McCormick
Calkins. (1994).
A Writer‘s Notebook: Unlocking the Writer Within
You. Ralph Fletcher. (1996)
The Continuum of Literacy Learning: Grades K-8:
Behaviors and Understandings to Notice, Teach, and
Support by Gay Su Pinnell and Irene C. Fountas.
(2007).
Balanced Literacy Key (Components)
Occurring Outside of the Workshop Time:
OS=Oral Storytelling, RA=Read Aloud, SR=Shared Writing, MW= Modeled Writing, SW=Shared Writing and IW=Interactive Writing
Occurring Within the Workshop Time:
(SGI= Small Group Instruction, ML= Minilesson Teaching points)
***where a mini lesson is not suggested teaching points are not expected to be mastered independently at this grade level.
Immersion
Immersion 1 / Immersion 2 / Immersion 3
Writers learn the expectations of the Writing Workshop period: What does it look like? What does it sound like?
Introduce the Writer’s Notebook.
Students practice independent writing within a simple prompt—ie: “What did you do this summer?” “What are you excited for in 4th grade?” or a free write period.
Possible Homework Assignment: Bring in photos and/or artifacts to decorate Writer’s Notebooks
ML-SGI / Writers learn the expectations of the Writing Workshop period: Why do writers write?
Students practice independent writing within a simple prompt—ie: “What did you do this summer?” “What are you excited for in 4th grade?” or a free write period.
ML-SGI / Writers learn the expectations of the Writing Workshop period:
Teacher/ partner conferences
Students meet with writing partners to discuss previous entries, provide feedback and have simple discussion.
Students practice independent writing to increase stamina and enforce routine.
ML-SGI
Immersion Possible Charts
What does it look like? / What does it sound like?
Students working
Teachers conferring with students
Notebooks open on desks / Whisper voices (if conferring)
Pencils scratching
Pages flipping
Quiet bodies sitting in chairs or other cozy places around the room
Why do Writer’s Write?
- To inform
- To tell a story
- To give an idea
- To state your opinion
What a Writer’s Notebook is:
- a place to collect entries and ideas
- a place to experiment with writing
- a place to plan writing
- a place to develop writing
What to do when you are IN a conference / What to do when you are OUT of a conference
- Come prepared with a pencil, your notebook and your thoughts
- Come ready to share:
What you are working on as a writer
Strategies that you are using
Areas that you need help with
Plans for your writing /
- Problem solve—move onto a new piece, ask a friend quietly, use technology, refer to charts, use dictionary, thesaurus
- Continue working
- Stay on task
- Do not interrupt conference
Indicator One
Writing / Writers create small moment personal narratives based on a seed idea (single scene focus)
COLLECTING AND CHOOSING
Lesson 1 / Lesson 2
Writers of personal narratives collect ideas by listing important people, places and objects in their lives. Writers connect lists with the strong emotions that these things evoke.
Writers pick one or more ideas and write short on those topics.
ML-SGI / Writers choose a topic of personal significance and develop the “seed idea” (This topic will be their choice for their published personal narrative
Teacher demonstrates choosing a “seed” idea through watermelon lesson.
(see possible charts)
ML-SGI
QUICK WRITE- day 3
Students will get 30 minutes to respond to a writing prompt.
(See Teacher Note****)
Conferring Questions- Indicator One
- What are you writing about?
- What are special times, places, people and events in your life that you have shared experiences with that you can write about?
- Is your idea a “seed” idea? Explain how your idea is a seed idea.
- Are you zeroing in on a small moment?
- How can you narrow in on a smaller moment?
- Have you reread all of your entries? After rereading all of your entries, which idea or entry is important enough to you to develop into a published piece?
Possible Charts – Indicator One
Writers generate ideas for personal narratives by / Listing important…
People / Places / Objects
Indicator Two
Writing / Writers write narratives using a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events
PLANNING AND DRAFTING
Lesson 3 / Lesson 4 / Lesson 5 / Lesson 6
Writers use a pictorial timeline to draft their seed idea, emphasizing transition words as they move through their story. (B, M, M, M, E)
See support document: pictorial timeline
ML-SGI / Writers draft personal narratives referring to their pictorial timelines to guide them as they draft.
ML-SGI / Storytelling Sessions: Writers talk through their drafts with writing partners to clarify and extend ideas. These sessions will help writers make decisions about what they will include in their draft of their small moment narratives.
ML-SGI. / Writers draft personal narratives using a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events in their small moment stories.
ML-SGI
Conferring Questions- Indicator Two
- Did you tell/sketch/write your narrative with the B,M,M,M,E structure? Please share with me.
- If not, how can you reorganize your pictorial timeline to make your narrative small moment more sequenced?
- How did your partner help you develop your scenes?
- How did you bring your writing to life with sensory details?
Possible Charts- Indicator Two
B / M / M / M / E
Sketch / Sketch / Sketch / Sketch / Sketch
Caption / Caption / Caption / Caption / Caption
Sensory Details / Sensory Details / Sensory Details / Sensory Details / Sensory Details
*See support documents for additional B,M,M,M,E organizer
Writers Use Transitional Phrases
- Long ago…
- In fact…
- But one day this all changed…
- Here is how it happened…
- Back then…
- To this day…
- That’s why…
- For example…
- Above all…
- For instance…
- Much like…
- As a result…
- Nevertheless…
- Hence…
- In addition…
- Furthermore…
- However…
- On the other hand…
- Or…
- Yet…
- Clearly, you’d want…
- Wouldn’t you rather…
- How could you not want to…
Indicator Three
Writing / Writers will develop and strengthen their writing through revision and editing, with the guidance of peers and adults.
REVISING AND EDITING
Lesson 7 / Lesson 8 / QUICK WRITE / Lesson 9 / Lesson 10
Writers will revise by using mentor text to craft engaging leads for their small moment personal narratives.
Writers do this by generating 3 possible engaging beginnings or lead ideas. Then writers share possible lead ideas with partners and decide what leads to include in their drafts.
ML-SGI / Writers will revise by using mentor texts to bring their personal narratives to a resolution.
Writers do this by noticing that authors make an ending strong by using important actions, dialogue, and images that make a lasting impression.
Writers do this by generating 3 possible strong endings. Then writers share possible ending ideas with partners and decide what endings to include in their drafts.
ML-SGI / Students will get 30 minutes to respond to a writing prompt. (See Teacher Note****)
ML-SGI / Writers group their thoughts into paragraphs. Writers group their thoughts by referring to the chart: “When to use Paragraphs in Narrative Writing”
*See Possible Charts
After writers decide on paragraphing, they will meet in partnerships to talk about their paragraphing decisions and make changes based on partner feedback.
ML-SGI / Writers will edit their drafts for proper punctuation, grammar, capitalization, and age appropriate spelling.
ML-SGI
Possible Charts: Indicator Three
Editing Checklist
- Check for Homophones (there, they’re, their—two, to, too—through, threw—due, do)
- Look for punctuation
- Check to make sure your piece is all in one tense (past OR present)
- Check for 1st (I) or 3rd (characters) person point of view
- Spelling (find number of spelling errors for age ie-9 or 10 at least!)
- Capitalize all proper nouns
- PARAGRAPH—New place or event and every time a new person speaks
Personal Narrative Revision Checklist
Use this checklist to help make sure that your small moment personal narrative piece is the best that it can be.
Did you use a lead that grabs the reader’s attention?
Did you develop characters by telling what they look like, how they act and what they say?
Did you describe the setting by using sensory details?
Did you vary your words, use powerful verbs and incorporate appropriate transitional words in your piece?
Did you end your personal narrative with a strong feeling, image or action?
Personal Narrative Endings Examples
Type / Example from a book / Student examples
Strong Feelings / “I think I know my grandfather now. I miss him very much.”
-Grandfather’s Journey
Strong Images / “Every afternoon Adelina continues to gaze across the water. Sometimes now, when she closes her eyes, she can still see the whales swimming by. And if she listens really closely, she can hear their breathing.”
-Adelina’s Whales
Strong Action / “The man stood and picked up his ax. He swung back his arm as though to strike the tree. Suddenly he stopped. He turned and looked at the animals and the child. He hesitated. Then he dropped the ax and walked out of the forest.”
-The Great Kapok Tree
Writers Use Mentor Texts to Craft Engaging Beginnings or Leads
Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats / Small action / Peter stretched as high as he could. There! His tall building was finished.
Bigmama’s by Donald Crews / External dialogue / “Did you see her? Did you see Bigmama?”
Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe / Setting / On a summer evening I looked up from dinner, through the open window to the backyard.
When to Use Paragraphs in Narrative Writing
- A new character comes along
- A new event happens
- A new idea is introduced
- There is a new setting
- A new person is speaking
- A lot of time moves forward (or backward)
Possible Conferring Questions- Indicator Three
Conferring questions for revising and editing
- Which sensory details can you add to help the reader see, hear, and feel the scene?
- Which lead do you think will capture your reader‘s attention and match the style of your small moment personal narrative?
- Which ending do you think will bring your narrative to a strong resolution?
- What were you thinking in your head (internal dialogue) or saying out loud (external dialogue) that can be added to this scene? How are you going to incorporate that into your piece?
- How did you decide to group your ideas together into paragraphs?
- How did you edit your small moment personal narrative?
- How did you choose where to place punctuation in your piece?
- Does the punctuation you used show your reader how to read your piece?
- Did you double-check that all of the words on the word wall, on class charts, and in your personal tricky word list are spelled correctly in your writing?
- Did you begin each sentence with a capital letter and capitalize every proper noun?
Indicator Four
Writing / Writers will publish their personal narratives.
PUBLISHING AND CELEBRATING
Lesson 11 / Lesson 12 / QUICK WRITE--TYPED
Writers will publish small moment personal narratives by copying over their drafts in their neatest handwriting or using a word processing system. Writers will follow publishing checklist, in preparation for writing celebration.
ML-SGI / Writers will create an illustration that best captures the importance of their small moment personal narrative (if time allows)
Writers will share personal narratives with peers and receive positive feedback and congratulations!
ML-SGI / Students will get 30 minutes to respond to a writing prompt. (See Teacher Note****)
For this Quick Write, students will type for the 30 minute period.
ML-SGI
Conferring Questions – Indicator Four
- What are you most proud about in your small moment personal narrative?
- Have you reread your published draft to make sure that it makes sense, is legible and is your best work?
Possible Charts- Indicator Four
Publishing
- Final Copy—BEST work!
- Neatest Handwriting
- Make sure that spelling and punctuation is the best it can be
- Copy exactly what is in your rough draft-- include all revisions and edits
- **Title, first and last names, date
- Cover and Illustration—a preview of your story
Name:______
Date:______
Personal Narrative
Rubric for Assessment
Skill / Experiencing Difficulty / Progressing and Developing / Independent
Writes a personal narrative piece about an event or experience
Isolates a small moment
Uses description and detail
Uses dialogue
Revisits own writing to vary leads and endings
Revises for organization and word choice (e.g. paragraphing and transition words)
Incorporates suggestions from others about own writing
Edits for punctuation, spelling, and grammar with greater precision
Uses tools (e.g. dictionaries, word lists, and spell checkers) to edit
Publishes and presents work using the writing process (drafting, revising, editing)
**Support Document- Rubric for Assessment
1