Save This Packet , You Will Use It As a Resource Each Time You

Save this packet, you will use it as a resource each time you

write aboutAlaskan Animals in Winter.

As you finish each step, record the date on the Sharing Your Expertise Record Sheet.

Color code the model below, using Painted Essay colors to show the introduction, focus statement, proof paragraphs and conclusion.

In Alaska, winter temperatures can drop to 40 degrees below zero! When you go out for recess in the winter, you bundle up in a coat, hat, scarf and mittens. But the moose that lives in the Alaskan tundra doesn’t have warm clothes or hot chocolate!Luckily, the moose does have special features that help it get though the coldest part of the year.Alaskan winters can be challenging, but the moose has special adaptations to help it survive.

Alaskan winters are difficult for moose. Once winter comes, the moose has trouble finding food. Trees and bushes lose their leaves. Ice covers the lakes, so the moose can’t get to the aquatic plants it eats in the summer. The air grows very cold and when the wind blows; it can feel like 100 degrees below zero! It is a challenge to live in such an extreme environment!

How does the moose survive? Luckily, the moose has special adaptations to help it get through the long winter. The moose starts getting ready even before the snow falls. It eats as much as it can to “bulk up” before winter. Once winter comes, the moose changes its diet and eats only the twigs of bushes and the bark of tall trees that aren’t covered by snow. The moose also depends on its very thick fur to keep it warm. Its fur is so thick, it can even sleep on the snow. Its long legs allow it to get around, even when the snow is very deep. Although many moose are close to starvation by the end of the winter, these special features allow most to survive.

Alaskan winters are a huge challenge, but the moose is well adapted to survive the frigid winters. At forty below zero, a thick coat and long legs work a lot better than hot chocolate!

The first paragraph of your essay is called the INTRODUCTION. The job of the introduction is to give some background information (called context) so that the reader can understand the piece. In your introduction, provide context by explaining how cold it is in Alaska in the winter.

The introduction ends in a FOCUS STATEMENT. The FOCUS STATEMENT tells the main idea of your piece. In this model, the focus statement is written in two sentences. It begins with a question and is followed by a sentence that introduces the two points the writer will explore.

Analyze

Read the model introduction below. Lightly shade the context red and the focus statement green (stem), yellow (point one) and blue (point two).

In Alaska, winter temperatures can drop to 40 degrees below zero! When you go out for recess in the winter, you bundle up in a coat, hat, scarf and mittens. But the moose that lives in the Alaskan tundra doesn’t have warm clothes or hot chocolate!Luckily, the moose does have special features that help it get though the coldest part of the year. Alaskan winters can be challenging, but the moose has adaptations to help it survive.

Talk

With a partnertalk about what you are going to write. Check to be sure you each have a clear focus statement.

Write

On a piece of lined paper, write the introduction for your piece.

Revise and Edit

When you have finished, revise and edit your paragraph so that your writing is clear and correct.

The next paragraph is called PROOF PARAGRAPH 1. Its job is to give evidence from the text to support and explain the first point of your focus. In this essay, your first point is that your animal faces problems in winter. Use the evidence from the “Problems” part of your graphic organizer to write this paragraph.

Analyze

Read the model proof paragraph below. Underline the topic and concluding sentences. Lightly shade the evidence from the text and the elaboration yellow.

Alaskan winters are difficult for moose. Once winter comes, the moose has trouble finding food. Trees and bushes lose their leaves. Ice covers the lakes, so the moose can’t get to the aquatic plants it eats in the summer. The air grows very cold and when the wind blows, it can feel like 100 degrees below zero! It is a challenge to live in such an extreme environment!

Talk

Choose three pieces of evidence from your graphic organizer to use in your writing. With a partner, point to each piece you have chosen and talk about what you are going to write.

Write

Reread what you have already written. Then, underneath the introduction, write thefirst proof paragraph for your piece.

Revise and Edit

When you have finished, revise and edit your paragraph so that your writing is clear and correct.

The next paragraph is called PROOF PARAGRAPH 2. Its job is to give evidence from the text to support and explain the first point of your focus.In this essay, your second point is that your animal is adapted to deal with the problems it faces in winter. Use the evidence from the “Solutions (Adaptations)” part of your graphic organizer to write this paragraph.

Analyze

Read the model proof paragraph below. Underline the topic and concluding sentences. Lightly shade the evidence from the text and the elaboration blue.

How does the moose survive? Luckily, the moose has special adaptations to help it get through the long winter. The moose starts getting ready even before the snow falls. It eats as much as it can to “bulk up” before winter. Once winter comes, the moose changes its diet and eats only the twigs of bushes and the bark of tall trees that aren’t covered by snow. The moose also depends on its very thick fur to keep it warm. Its fur is so thick, it can even sleep on the snow. Its long legs allow it to get around, even when the snow is very deep. Although many moose are close to starvation by the end of the winter, these special features allow most to survive.

Talk

Choose three pieces of evidence from your graphic organizer to use in your writing. With a partner, point to each piece you have chosen and talk about what you are going to write.

Write

Reread what you have already written. Then, underneath the first proof paragraph, write thesecond proof paragraph for your piece.

Revise and Edit

When you have finished, revise and edit your paragraph so that your writing is clear and correct.

The final paragraph is called a CONCLUSION. Its job is to wrap up the piece.

In your conclusion, you will repeat your focus, but you should also add a sentence ortwo ofreflection on the animal’s amazing adaptations.

Analyze

Read the model conclusion below. Find and underline the restated focus.

Alaskan winters are a huge challenge, but the moose is well adapted to survive the frigid winters. At forty below zero, a thick coat and long legs work a lot better than hot chocolate!

Talk

With a partnertalk about what you are going to write. Check to be sure you have clearly restated the focus.

Write

Reread what you have already written. Then, on a piece of lined paper, write theconclusion for your piece.

Revise and Edit

When you have finished, revise and edit your paragraph so that your writing is clear and correct.

Sources

At the end of your piece, skip a line, and then list the sources you used in your research. Be sure to include the title or website address and the author.

Share and Celebrate!

Congratulations! You are an expert (and a scholar!).

Your teacher will share plans for sharing and celebration!

If you want to learn even more, check out these resources:

Animal Adaptations

Alaskan Animal Adaptations

Our Wild Neighbors

My Polar Paws

byEran Eads, Esther Keller, Jonathan Selvaggio, Timothy Chavez, Bryan Woolfolk Allison Wenger Elizabeth Porter

Alaska's Three Bears

byShelley Gill