VISUAL FCAs for Primary Grades

Use this document as a resource to create writing assignments for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Grade One. You can click and drag (or copy and paste) the FCAs above onto the assignments which follow. These symbols were created by several teachers and consultants because they made the criteria for good writing more visible and easier to understand for the students they taught. You can create your own symbols for skills important to your students and over time students will come to associate the symbol with the skill. Then, with these clear criteria, they will be able to edit and revise their own work or critique and improve the writing of others.

FCAs explained...

Top Line: Ideas, Style, Clarity, and Pictures

  1. Drawing is bigger than hand
  2. Drawing fills the space(a drawing of a house, grass, sky, trees etc)
  3. Include # of colors by putting a number+ in the box (also consider adding: realistic, imaginative, or bold colors)
  4. Include # details (write # in magnifying glass) that show who, when, what
  5. Label your pictures
  6. Details in order (or show beginning, middle and end B/M/E)
  7. Include sensory details (see, taste, hear, feel (emotions), smell, touch)

Bottom Line: Accuracy, Conventions, Appearance

  1. ? = answer the question
  2. Write left to right-- top to bottom
  3. Sound Spelling (hear all the sounds that you can)
  4. Finger spacing between words
  5. Correct letter formation
  6. Capital letter at beginning of sentence and end mark at end

©Bill Atwood 2013

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Additional FCAs

  1. Include a hook or an attention grabbing beginning: a question, an amazing fact, explain you are an expert, tell a story, riddle…
  1. TTQA: Turn the question around. What happens in the spring? In the spring
  1. Tell (or show) the character and the problem
  1. Use connecting, transition words, sequence words from our list…
  1. Use 3 or more facts, examples, details
  1. Be specific or exact with your details
  1. Have a powerful ending! Endwith a very short sentence; with a question; with advice or prediction; with a call to action!
  1. Word wall words spelled correctly
  1. Use 3 or more words from our unit (on the board)
  1. Show all your steps
  1. Show what you Know, and Need to find (from the problem) , Steps,Answer
  1. Include a number sentence



Should We Read It?

Give your Opinion on a Book

Summary: Because there are so many books to read, I want to know your opinion of this book. Should I read it to my class next year?

Purpose: You need to give your opinion and a reason.

Writer’sRole: You are writing as someone who has read the book and can remember some of the details.

Audience: You are writing to me, and I don’t know if the book is right for this class.

Form: A short letter with a clear opinion and 1 or more reasons.

PossibleFCAs:

Picture of scene from book with 3 details: who, where, what

Clear opinion with Book’s Title (use words like should, must, need…definitely)

1+ reason

Add a supporting detail

Use a powerful closer! (end with a bang, a prediction, a call to action, or a question)

Procedure:

We will read the book and do a Type 1 writing for favorite parts or least favorite parts.

We will turn and share then discuss reasons to read or not to read book.

We will organize some reasons on the board.

I will model some clear opinions and some unclear opinions and we will fix them.

I will post some of the key words (should, must, need…)

I will review the FCAs.

You will write your opinion.


Samples:

We should read Curious George next year!

You should read Curious George next year! It’s really funny.

You should read Curious George next year! ! It’s really funny. I like the part when George makes the soap suds overflow and rides the cow.

Curious George is my favorite book ever! You should read it next year and every year!It’s really funny. I like the part when George makes the soap suds overflow and rides the cow. Please read it or your class will be sad!

Make a Request

In my Opinion We Need to…

Summary: In this assignment, you will write a clear request giving your opinion why something should happen.

Purpose: To convince someone

Writer’s Role: You are writing as someone who has a strong opinion about something that needs to be done or changed

Audience: You are writing to someone who needs to be convinced.

Form: A short but convincing note

Possible FCAs:

  1. Picture shows what you are requesting (my picture shows a horse but it could be anything!)
  2. 3+ details in picture: who is requesting, what is being requested, where
  3. Clear request
  4. Include 1+ reason (or reason with detail)
  5. Finger spacing (or some other convention…)


Please can we get a horse? If we had a horse, I could ride him to school. Also, he could eat the grass and you wouldn’t have to cut it.

Go Away Big Green Monster!

Summary: Today we will read a story called Go Away Big Green Monster. Then we will learn to write a poster to tell all monsters in our imaginations to Go Away!

Purpose: You are writing to tell imaginary monsters stay away!

Audience: You are writing to the monsters in your imagination that must listen to you!

Writer’s Role: You are writing as someone who is in charge. Write with authority!

Form: It will be a poster with a picture of a monster’s face and some words or sentences telling it or parts of it to go away. Be clear!

Possible FCAs:

  1. picture bigger than your hand
  2. 3 or more colors
  3. 4+ details (ears, hair, nose, mouth, eyes…)
  4. Go away ______!


What is the Book About?

Writing a Short Summary

Summary: Teachers have a hard time choosing books to read to their classes. We can help them by writing a quick summary after we read a book. Then teachers can quickly read our summary and know what the book is about. When they know this, they can decide if they want to read it to their class.

Purpose: To retell the beginning middle and end of the book.

Audience: You are writing to someone who had not read this book.

Writer’s Role: You are writing as someone who read the book and knows what it is about.

Form: This will be a short 3 page book with pictures and words.

Possible FCAs:

1. Draw the character with details that show how he or she is feeling (I have included a picture of the main character but the FCA might just show a stick figure to represent character)

2. Add details to show where the setting and other characters

3. Tell about the character and the problem

4. Tell and show what happens in the middle (how character tries to solve problem)

5. Tell and show the ending

6. Pick a convention or two…




Corduroy is a lonely bear who wants a home. (page 1)

He goes up the escalator in the store to find his button. (page 2)

Then a girl buys him and takes him home. He’s happy to have his own bed. (page 3)




Big Al is about a scary looking but friendly fish who lives in the sea. He does not have any friends. He tries to make friends but the other fish are afraid of him. At the end, he saves the other fish when they get caught in a fishing net. Then, he has more friends than anyone!



T.T.Q.A. (turn the question around)

3 D (3 details or 3 Sp.D. 3 “specific” details)

CE (Capitals and end marks)

On a scale of 1-10, how was you weekend?


On a scale of 1 to 10 my weekend was a 10! It was a 1 because I had so much fun. We went to the fair and I rode the bumper cars. I whacked into my brother 100 times! Then, we got to eat fluffy pink cotton candy! The best part was when they rode a motorcycle inside a giant ball. That guy was crazy! I love fairs.

The Safety Tip

Summary: In this lesson students will learn to use a simple story to convince someone to “never” or “always” do something. The main reason will be for safety reasons and the example will be a powerful but simple story.

Time: 45 minutes

Materials: graphic organizer

Introduction: Tell students that you have been thinking of making a safety book written by kids for kids. Kids don’t listen to their parents but they might listen to other kids. The form of this writing is primarily persuasive but they will use narrative techniques to tell a story.

Development: Ask student to do a Type One, listing as many safety suggestions as they can. Have them try to think of things that have happened to them and that taught them a lesson. You should model some ideas to get them started. Examples:

Don’t mess with bees

Don’t try to pet a stray dog

Don’t swim with sea urchins (or pay attention to the ocean bottom)

Don’t drive when you are sleepy

Don’t play with fire

Don’t go camping in the winter

Don’t lean back on your chair

Don’t turn the tub on and then leave the room and forget about it

Always look both ways

Always wear your seatbelt

Always wear a helmet

Always chew your food

After the type one, have students share stories about things that went wrong. As they tell their stories help them develop the following;

Begin with when, who, where

Details about what happened

Use some vivid details (TOEDs)

After listening to the stories, model writing a story on the overhead with the following FCAs;

Begin and end with the safety tip 20

Include who, when, where 20

Specific details of what happened (use 4 TOEDs) 60



Never jump on the bed. When I was four, I jumped on my bed and flew off. I hurt my arm. I’m okay now. Never jump on the bed!

Tell About a Time

Summary: In this assignment you will describe a small moment in your life. Use will try to add descriptive details so the reader will know just what happened and what it felt like and what happened.

Purpose: The purpose is to tell a small story about something that happened to you. Tell about a time when…

Writer’s Role: You are a writer who has lots to say about your life!

Audience: Other people who want to hear your stories.

Form: This will be a short moment not a list of “and then and then and then…” Try to focus on one small moment!

Possible FCAs

  1. 3 details in your picture that shows who, where, what
  2. A beginning that has when, who, and where
  3. Describe what happened in the beginning, middle and end
  4. Use connecting words
  5. End with a reflection or reaction… “that was a great time!”
  6. Use descriptive details and good word choices
  7. Capital and end marks


Tell about a time when you got in trouble:

Last year, I was in my yard and I bit my sister. My mom was mad!

Last year, I was in my yard and I bit my sister. My mom was mad! I got a punishment. My sister is okay now.

Last year, I was in my yard when I got in trouble. I was playing with my sister and she made me mad. Then, I bit her. My mom was mad! She gave me a long time out. I said I was sorry. I’ll never bite anyone again.




Hen and Cow Problem

Prepare: Find the book Click, Clack, Moo by Doreen Cronin. Also make copies of the sheets attached. Have some chart paper or an overhead ready.

Explain: Tell the students, “Today we are going to work on solving some problems in math. We are going to start by reading a book about a farmer who has a problem.” Read the book Click, Clack, Moo. When you finish, discuss how Farmer Brown solved his problem. Then explain that the next year, Farmer Brown decided that electric blankets were too expensive. He would knit the cows and hens some hats for their heads and booties for their feet. The problem is he doesn’t know how many to knit. If he gets the wrong number, they may go on strike again!

Tell students they have to help Farmer Brown. He has 3 cows and 4 hens. He needs to find out how many hats and booties to knit altogether. He needs to know exactly and he needs you to show how you figured it out!

Explain to the students that they will be working in teams of two but they need to carefully show how they found their answer. Encourage them to label their drawings!

Before they get started you will want to review the problem. As you record it, pass out the sheets, and read through the problem first. I often model reading slowly and carefully. Then, read it a second time, underlining the key information and circling the question. Then I ask students:

1. Who is in this problem?

2. What is the problem?

3. What do we know? What is the key information?

Next, quickly tell students they will be working with a partner, but they will need to show their work and be prepared to explain what they did. They might even practice explaining to each other when they finish. Remind them to label their drawings and circle their final answer.

Follow up: Try some of the additional problems attached. Also, you can make this into a challenging riddle by posing problems like:

1. If it takes Farmer Brown ½ hour to make on knitted item (or costs ½ dollar), how long will this take/cost him?

1. Farmer Brown doesn’t know how many cows or hens he has. He went in and counted heads and counted feet. Altogether he counted 6 heads and 20 feet. How many cows and hens does he have?

2. Under the table there were 12 feet. How many people were there?

3. Sitting around the table were people and dogs. There were 3 people and 2 dogs. How many eyes and feet were there?

Adapted from A Collection of Math Lessons Grades 1-3 by Marilyn Burns and Bonnie Tank, Math Solutions May 2001


Making A Picture Book: I See Something!

Summary: The pre-schoolers need help learning the shapes and they’ve asked us to make them a book. Since you’ve learned the color words and shapes, today we can help them! In this assignment, you will learn to make a simple picture book to help pre-schoolers learn the words, colors, and shapes.

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to teach young children simple shapes, colors and words.

Writer’s Role: You are writing as an expert in shapes, colors and words. You know these things already and now you have to teach them to someone else.

Audience: You are writing to young children (two and three year olds) who love books written by kids. They don’t know all their shapes or colors but want to learn them.

Form: This will be a simple one-page drawing with some words.

Possible FCAs:

Procedures:

  1. I will begin by explaining the assignment today. I will tell about some kids I know who can’t read but love picture books. I will show some board books that I read to my children when they were little.
  2. I will read you a couple of these books and we will talk about what they have in common. (big, clear, colorful pictures; a few large words; and details.) Then I’ll explain that today we will try to write a picture book as a class.
  3. Next, I might show you a picture book that was made by another class. This picture book will have obvious problems. I will ask you to turn to your neighbor and tell what some something we should think about when we are making our picture books. What makes a good picture book?
  4. We will record the most important focus correction areas for the picture: 3 details, keep the shapes the same, I see, finger spacing, and #, color, object.
  5. Next you will do a quick Type One, by drawing some shapes that might be good for a picture book. You will share with a neighbor.
  6. Next, I will model making the picture book page using special paper with the focus areas on it. I will probably make mistakes (I’ll draw the shape differently each time it appears, not capitalize the “i” in “I see,” and forget to put the object’s name in the writing.) I will ask you turn to a partner and identify the mistakes I made.
  7. I will remind you of the important Focus Correction Areas, and send you on your way to make your picture book page.
  8. When you are finished, you will check off your FCAs to make sure you have completed them and read your writing back to yourself. If you finish early, you can make a second page with different shapes or colors or you can add more details in your drawing (how many corners in all or how many sides in all…)