Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 1
Planning Calendar
Wee
k 1
Immersion-Doing the work of writers
What does personal narrative writing look and sound like?
Immersion-Doing the work of writers
Immersion-Doing the work of writers
Immersion-Doing the work of writers
Immersion-Doing the work of writers
Wee
k 2
Idea Development
Storytelling
Resource: Crunchtime by Gretchen Bernabei
Idea Development
Generating Ideas
Resource: Crunchtime by Gretchen Bernabei
Generating Ideas
Resource: Crunchtime by Gretchen Bernabei
Idea Development
Quickwriting
Resource: Marvelous Minilessons by Lori Rog
Idea Development
Selecting a Story
Resource: Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing Grades 3-5 by
Lucy Calkins
Wee
k 3
Organization
Resource: Marvelous Minilessons by Lori Rog
Organization
Resource: Marvelous Minilessons by Lori Rog
Organization
Resource: Marvelous Minilessons by Lori Rog
Idea Development Organization
Building a Story Arc
Resource: Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing Grades 3-5 by
Lucy Calkins
Idea Development-Details Word choice/Voice
Wee
k 4
Idea Development-Details
Zooming In
Resource: Reviser’s Toolbox by Barry Lane
Idea Development-Details
Inside Thoughts & Feelings
Resource: Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing Grades 3-5 by Lucy Calkins; Reviser’s Toolbox
by Barry Lane
Idea Development-Details Voice
Inside Thoughts & Feelings
Resource: Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing Grades 3-5 by Lucy Calkins; Reviser’s Toolbox
by Barry Lane
Word Choice and Voice
Show Don’t Tell-“What Are They Doing?”
Resource: Reviser’s Toolbox by
Barry Lane; Crunchtime by Gretchen Bernabei
Word Choice and Voice
Show Don’t Tell-“What Are They Doing?”
Resource: Reviser’s Toolbox by
Barry Lane; Crunchtime by Gretchen Bernabei
Wee
k 5
Organization Studying and Creating Leads
Resource: Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing Grades 3-5 by
Lucy Calkins
Revising Word Choice and Voice
Cracking Open General Words
Resource: Craft Lessons by Ralph Fletcher
Revising Word Choice and Voice
Resource: Craft Lessons by Ralph Fletcher
Revising
Voice Organization
Effectively Using Dialogue
Organization Ending Stories
Resource: Reviser’s Toolbox by Barry Lane
Wee
k 6
Choosing a Story for Publication
Conventions Editing/Publishing
Resource: Marvelous Minilessons
by Lori Rog
Conventions Editing/Publishing
Reflections Celebration
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 2
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings Essential Questions TEKS Resources 15A, B,C, D, E
16A, 17A
18Ai- 18iii,
20Ai-viii,
20B,C
21A,B,C,
22A,C,D
ELPS
Genre Characteristics/Attributes
• Writers often write about a seemingly small episode-
yet it has big meaning for the writer.
• Writers often tell the story in such a way that the
reader can almost experience it from start to finish.
The story is written step-by-step.
• Writers often convey strong feelings, and they often
show rather than tell about the feelings.
• Writers often include two and sometimes three small,
connected moments so that there is a sense that the
stories have a beginning, middle, and end.
• In telling the story step-by step, writers use a
timeline that includes a beginning, middle, and an
end.
• Have many characteristics of fiction, including
setting, problem, characters, and solution.
• Is usually written in first person.
Craft
• Narratives are focused and with the right amount of
detail
• Words create a vivid picture for the reader
• Uses dialogue with the intention of adding meaning
Writing Process Writers:
• generate personal writing topics
• approach writing with a topic, a plan to use a craft
technique, or an intention to write in a particular way
• may write multiple rough drafts
• reread writing often to revise and edit their writing
• publish their writing using a variety of formats and
media
1. How will I choose a topic that is
important to me and interesting for the
reader?
2. What can I read that is like what I want
to write?
3. How will I use mentor texts to guide my
writing?
4. How will rehearsing my story through
storytelling help me as a writer?
5. How will I know where to begin my
story?
6. What kinds of words and images will I
choose that will help readers?
7. How will I choose the best leads and
endings for my writing?
8. How will I add voice to my writing?
9. How will I “paint a picture” for the
reader with my words?
10. How will I organize my writing?
11. What will I learn from reading and
talking about my writing with others?
1C, 1E, 3E, 5F,
5D, 4F, 5G
Professional Books
Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing Grades
3-5 by Lucy Calkins and Ted Kesler
Craft Lessons by Fletcher and Portalupi
Reviser’s Toolbox by Barry Lane
Crunchtime by Gretchen Bernabei
Marvelous Minilessons by Lori Rog
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 3
Personal narrative is telling the big and small stories of our lives. At the beginning of the study, the children spend the first part of writing workshop reading, talking, noticing,
and then sharing their observations about Personal Narrative Writing. Personal narrative is typically the easiest, most natural form of writing for children because the stories are
already complete inside of them, enabling the words to flow more easily onto the paper. This allows the teacher more opportunity to help students refine their writing because they
better understand the heart of the piece. As responsive teachers, we can capitalize on what children are already doing independently to help them grow as writers.
Even if students have been writing personal narratives or personal stories, from the introduction of writing workshop, studying personal narrative as a genre study will help them
better understand the true characteristics of personal narrative writing and to develop their stories with rich detail about the characters, events, setting, etc.
• Gather and study published personal narratives to become familiar with this type of writing.
• Collect books to read in the personal narrative unit of study that are models for what will be taught.
• Read aloud and have conversations with students about: o Responses as readers o Ideas around why this narrative is important to the writer o Elements of personal narratives o Where and how personal narrative writers get ideas o The purpose(s) of personal narrative writing
• The teacher decides on the mentor texts, asking: o Is this text an example of the kind of writing students will do? o Does this text help students envision possibilities to emulate in their own writing? o Is this text a good example of what I’m teaching into? o The topic is one the kids can relate to and will spark ideas for their own writing. o The text is well written and provides many opportunities to teach the qualities of good writing. o Can this text be read in one read aloud?
Take your time reading each story, noticing and embracing your reactions to the text. What strikes you while you are reading? What questions do you have? Do you notice
stories, paragraphs, sentences, or words that illustrate important aspects of writing? Are there word combinations that delight your senses? How did the author do that? What
elements make this story personal narrative? In doing this, you are preparing to share these books from a writer’s point of view.
From exemplary texts, you can teach children how to:
• Generate memories and areas of focus
• Structure the content
• Play with time
• Write with detail, image, and voice
• Write fantastic beginnings and endings
• Revise and edit
It will be important to think about raising the quality of students’ writing as they have probably already produced personal narrative in the introduction to writing workshop. We
teach children strategies for generating narratives that have more emotional weight, creating more powerful stories and for children to look closely at ways writers create texts that
matter. “What has this writer done that has affected me?”
It is essential for children to develop the ability to read and name their understandings of or characteristics of the genre they wish to write.
We will ask children to repeat what they have done before (write personal narrative) only do it better.
Lessons for this unit of study are adapted from: Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing Grades 3-5 by Lucy Calkins and Ted Kesler; Craft Lessons by Fletcher
and Portalupi; Reviser’s Toolbox by Barry Lane; Crunchtime by Gretchen Bernabei; and Marvelous Minilessons by Lori Rog
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 4
FRAMEWORK FOR WRITING WORKSHOP TIME TO TEACH
Mini-Lesson
10 to 15 minutes
Ongoing demonstrations are necessary to ensure that students have ideas for writing, expectations for quality, and an understanding of the elements of poetry so
they apply them to their own work, and the knowledge and confidence to write independently.
Demonstrations/modeling may involve one or more of the following, or any combination of these, depending on your purposes:
Students are gathered up close and on the floor. The way we start the workshop should set the tone for the rest of that block of time.
• New focus lesson on one aspect of poetry
• Teacher thinking aloud and writing in front of students, modeling what the students are expected to do
• Reviewing a previous lesson from the previous day or days before
• Sharing a piece of children’s writing that supports the lesson or work we’ve been doing in genre share
• Reading and discussing a poem an its characteristics
• Reviewing workshop routines or ways to use materials
TIME TO PRACTICE
Work & Practice Time 30 to 40 minutes
• Independent writing: time for children to think, write, and talk about their writing either with classmates or with the teacher in individual conferences or
guided writing groups
TIME TO SHARE
Sharing and Celebrating 5 to 10 minutes
• At the end of the workshop, children gather to share their work. Typically, children who share are the ones the teacher has had individual conferences with
that particular day. These children share their poetry teaching points and teach the class what they learned.
• Students may share completed work with peers.
Independent Work: Explain to students that when it’s time for independent writing, the first thing they should do is reread a little bit of what you already wrote the day
before. Then you have two choices. You can keep writing on the same piece or you can start a new piece. If you want to continue with the same pieces, just write the date in the
margins. Model this on chart paper. Have a poster ready to remind students what they need to do.
Conferencing: Affirming Writers’ Efforts • Circulate the room, stopping to briefly talk with students. The following are typical comments:
• Why did you choose this topic? Tell me the story. What is the important part you want to focus on?
• Capture and celebrate the writing “gems.” Listen and look for writings “gems” – those words or phrases that are especially powerful. When a child says or writes one,
may stop and draw everyone’s attention to what the writer has done well. This should continue every day.
Assessment: What students/teacher will complete as documentation of growth • What We Know About Writing (genre) chart (pre-and post study)
• Student work samples from beginning, middle, and end of study with anecdotal notes
• Rough and final draft work
• Reflection
• End of unit rubric
Writing Workshop Structure During Immersion (Framework is ONLY for Immersion)
25 minutes for reading aloud
the mentor texts and discussion Read mentor texts to the class. Stop periodically to share thoughts, observations, or inquiries about text.
15 minutes independent or small group work Optional activities can be done a the meeting area or students’ desks
10 minutes for a share Share work that was done or ideas that were discussed
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 5
Suggestions for Mentor Text
Read texts that highlight a range of significant topic possibilities.
After reading several suggested texts, solicit from the students what significant events in the author’s life might have inspired the story. Collect a variety of topics.
• Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen
• Woman Hollering Creek (“Eleven”) by Sandra Cisneros
• Shortcut by Donald Crews
• Fireflies by Elizabeth Partridge
• Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street by Roni Schotter
• Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco-interesting lead, word choice,
dialogue, endings, character change
• The House on Mango Street “Our Good Day” by Sandra Cisneros-
clear character descriptions, strong lead that students can relate to
• The House on Mango Street “Louie, His Cousin & His Other
Cousin”-Descriptions, figurative language, powerful ending
• When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
• Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold-Figurative language, personal dreams
and fantasies
• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen-Figurative language, well developed mood
• Crow Call by Lois Lowry
• Saturdays and Teacakes by Lester Laminack
• Letter to the Lake by Susan Swanson
• Read texts to highlight how authors build anticipation and/or tension.
■ Following a read aloud, work together to identify where tension
and/or anticipation begins building. Possible texts: Shortcut by
Donald Crews
• Read texts to identify how an author slows down significant events
and speeds up less significant events.
■ Teacher reads familiar texts as students listen for places where
the authors change pacing in a story. Possible text: Alexander
and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. by Judith
Viorst
• Read texts to illustrate how authors develop and/or change main
characters throughout the narrative. Dancing in the Wings by Debbie
Allen, My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco.
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 6
WEEK ONE: IMMERSION Students should read and hear narratives before learning to write them. This week is meant to immerse students in reading and thinking about the
key features of personal narrative writing. Students will begin to notice how authors select significant ideas to write about, follow a particular structure when crafting their story
and use a variety of strategies to elaborate. It is also important for the class to remain immersed in model texts throughout the study, to revisit the concepts again and again with
added insights and new experiences, and then to pull in even closer the texts as they compose their own writing. Even though the study begins with reading and discussion about
the features of personal narrative writing, students should continue reading on their own and choose at least one text as a mentor or model to refer to throughout the composing
process. “I want to write like…”
Immersion-Doing the work of writers
Reading With a Writer’s Eye- Books that fit the genre can also be read during Reading Workshop or Read Aloud and looked at through the eyes of a writer as well as a reader.
Mini-Lesson
Introduce new genre When we teach writing, we need to immerse students in the sorts of texts we hope they will write. We launch this unit by inviting children to read several mentor texts, noticing
not only the content but also the craft of those texts, learning what authors have done. A “mentor piece” is a short text or portion of a text used as a support for the work we are
trying to accomplish in the workshop. Most of these pieces are read aloud or shared using a projector.
1. Create excitement for the unit by showcasing the books in a prominent place. Invite students to explore the books with you. Pick them up and pass them around.
Encourage students to preview the books by looking at the covers, flipping slowly through the inside pages, and thinking about familiar authors. Welcome students’
comments and questions.
2. After previewing the books with students, begin a conversation to define “personal narrative.” Explain: a narrative is a story, so personal narrative is about writing a
personal story-one from your own life. We will all become very familiar with these books as we explore them to discover what makes personal narrative a special kind of
writing. We will also look closely at the writing in these books to notice how the authors carefully crafted words to share their important stories with their readers. What is
Personal Narrative? What does it look and sound like? Anchor chart: “Features of Personal Narrative Writing”
Independent Work 3. Encourage students to gather in small groups to study one of the mentor texts more closely. They can use sticky notes to mark text or illustrations that give them more ideas
about where the personal stories come from.
Share 4. Allow them to come together again as a class to discuss their sticky notes and decide which, if any, items should be added to the anchor chart.
Have students record their thoughts about personal narrative. They can look at this chart later in the unit to see if their thoughts have changed.
My Thoughts About Personal Narratives
What I Learned About Personal Narrative Writing What I liked About the Personal Narratives We Read What I Want to Try in My Own Story
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 7
WEEK ONE (continued)
Immersion-Doing the work of writers-What does personal narrative look like?
Mini-Lesson 1. Teacher models with the piece ‘Eleven’ By Sandra Cisneros from Woman Hollering Creek (attached). A section of this text resembles what we will write in
this unit of study, so that’s why I’m choosing it as a mentor text. Demonstrate that you move from reading and experiencing to reading and noticing or
bringing out pointers about good writing. Continue scanning the story and modeling your thinking. Name what you have demonstrated; tell students you
expect them to be able to do the same.
• Reread the story as thoughtfully as I could
• Asked, “What are the main things this author has done that I need to keep in mind if I’m going to write like this?”
• I’m trying to understand how her text mainly goes.
2. As the teacher continues to read, students experience the text, making a movie in their mind. Then she rereads, and this time they think about it as a writer,
trying to notice the ways the author has written that allows them to experience her story. Think, What are the main things she’s done with her writing that I
could do? Continue reading, stopping for students to report/share out their findings/thinking adding their observations to the list.
Add student observations/findings to the class chart-“What
are the main things this author has done that I could do? Need
to keep in mind if I’m going to write this?”
Features of Personal Narrative Writings
• Writers often write about a seemingly small episode-yet
it has big meaning for the writer.
• Writers often tell the story in such a way that the reader
can almost experience it from start to finish. It helps to
record the exact words a character uses. (dialogue)
• Writers often convey strong feelings, and they often
show rather than tell about those feelings.
• Writers often include two and sometimes three small,
connected moments so that there is a sense that the
stories have a beginning, middle, and end.
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 8
WEEK TWO: GENERATING IDEAS Repeat or use these lessons as needed for students to be able to generate their own ideas/stories to write about. Mentor texts are revisited and significant ideas in these texts are explored. Students will be expected to include the essential story elements identified during the previous week. Students will collect and begin writing in their writer’s notebooks “seed” stories that they can go back to and develop throughout the unit of study. Students generate as many entries in their writer’s notebook as possible, including lists, sketches, and bits of remembered dialogue, events, episodes, and images
Idea Development-Generating Ideas (Adapted from Crunchtime – Selecting a Topic)
Mini-Lesson 1. To show students how to pick a totally one-of-a-kind experience to write about, discuss the
following levels with the class:
Level 1 experiences are: (ex. what you got for Christmas, a birthday party, playing at a friend’s house etc.) 1) everyday things that happen just about the same way to everybody 2) the kind of thing you’d tell anybody about. 3) probably a lot more interesting to you than to anybody else. 4) boring to read because they are too predictable – we’ve been there/done that/know it
already.
Example of level 1 paper: It was Christmas morning and we are about to open our presents…then we start opening our
presents…Then we to go to my mom’s hose….etc.
Level 2 experiences are: 1) more personal-although these things happen to other people, too, they happen differently
for everyone. 2) the kind of thing you’d probably tell only your group of friends about.. 3) interesting for other people to hear about – they want to find out what happened. 4) more interesting to read because they are not predictable.
Level 3 experiences are: 1) very personal 2) the kind of thing you might write about in a journal or talk about only to your best friend. 3) something you normally tell someone only because you’re unhappy and want some
support. 4) extremely interesting to read because it takes courage and honesty to write them..
Example of a higher level paper: As tears swam down my face, Amazing Grace was playing in my head. I watched in agony as
my baby calf, Coffee, was lowered into the ground. My brother stood beside me with his hand on my shoulder telling me to be strong…
Level 4 experiences are: …things that happen in your life that you probably never talk about, don’t want to think about, and will possibly never write a word about in your life.
2. Chart and discuss these questions for students to consider.
• Did you choose an experience that you were a part of, that you saw with your own eyes and heard with your own ears?
• Can you see this experience in your mind well enough to write about it? You won’t need every little insignificant detail. You will want to examine the “frozen pictures” that you always see when you think about what happened.
• Is this an experience where you might share some things you could have said/ would have said/should have said but didn’t at the time?
Independent Work 3. Challenge students to brainstorm a list of their personal experiences that fit Levels 2 and 3.
Student will check with a partner to see if their topics are truly unique and then choose one to write about. Students continue drafting “seed” stories in their writing notebooks.
Share 4. Choose 2 or 3 students to share their ideas from their brainstorming session.
Idea Development-Generating Ideas (Adapted from Crunchtime – Selecting a Topic)
Mini-Lessons 1. We have been talking about where authors get their ideas (Week One) and yesterday we
brainstormed a list of personal experiences. Today we are going to try another strategy to help us think of ideas to write about. We’re going to think of moments from your life.
2. Ask students to title a sheet of paper Quicklist, then number their papers down the side, 1-12. Model on the board or with document camera.
3. For 1, 2, and 3, write down words or phrases that remind you of moments in your life when you were proud of someone.
4. For 4, 5, and 6, write down moments in your life when you had to struggle in some way. 5. For 7, 8, and 9, list the memories you would choose to keep if robots were erasing the rest
of your memory tomorrow. 6. For 10, write a memory involving an animal- someone’s pet, a wild animal, or any animal
memory. 7. For 11, write down a memory involving a gift you gave someone else. 8. For 12, write down a time someone put money into your hands, any money – a nickel, a
dollar, a check – any memory about money. 9. Now choose any three of these memories that you wouldn’t mind letting other people hear
about. Put a star by the one you’d choose to talk about first. Independent Work 10. Students choose three memories they want to talk about first. With partners, students take
turns telling their stories. Students continue writing their stories as “seed” ideas in their notebooks.
Share 11. Choose 3 or 4 students to share their top 3 topics. Ask students, Of all the millions of
moments you’ve experienced in your life, the one you put a star by bubbled up to the top. Why do you think that happened?
Extending the Lesson
• The teacher models her own Quicklist and chooses 2 or 3 topics to write about. Orally tell the story then begin writing (or show students previously written “seed” story) “seed” story that you can later expand.
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 9
WEEK TWO (continued) Idea Development-Generating Ideas
Mini-Lesson Freewriting (also known as quickwriting) is a strategy that writers use to warm up, build
fluency, and generate ideas. Writers simply write nonstop for a certain time frame, without
worrying about spelling, conventions, sentence structure, or even clarity and craft.
1. Tell students that they will be doing a writing warm-up in this lesson that will help them get
their minds and writing fingers ready for writing. (Try starting with 2 or 3 minutes)
2. Today you will learn the easiest writing strategy you have ever tried-freewriting. You don’t
have to worry about spelling, or making sense… The only rule is you can’t NOT write!
You just write and write and write until you’re told to stop. Sometimes you’ll write
sentences, sometimes you’ll just write random words, and sometimes you might even write
‘I don’t know what to write’ until something else comes to your mind. Lots of professional
writers use this technique to help them warm up or bust that writers’ block, when you can’t
think of what to write. The amazing thing is that out of all this mess of words, most writers
can find a sparkling idea, a nugget of gold, buried deep in the mess of words that can loop
to another piece of writing.
3. The rules of freewriting are simple: Set a timer, write whatever comes to mind, don’t stop
moving your pencil, don’t think about what you are writing, and don’t get up until the time
is up. (Create an anchor chart with these rules.)
4. Before we give freewriting a try, I want you to reread one of the memoires you have
already written in your notebook. (Instead you may have students freewrite from their
topic list).
5. Select a line or word that resonates or calls your attention. Write that line or word on the
top of a new page. (Create and show students an example.) Use the sample below or create
one of your own. Point out that there are some complete sentences and some sentence
fragments. Sometimes you just used a word or group of words one idea just led to another.
Discuss how one idea led to another.
(Sample: Ice cream. Love it. Not every kind of ice cream. Mostly soft ice cream. Vanilla. Kind
of boring isn’t it? Some people say vanilla is dull like white bread there’s also gelato. Now
that’s a treat mmmmm a delicious cross between sorbet and ice cream. Creamy like ice cream
but tart flavors…)
Independent Work 6. Provide a topic or have students choose their own. Set the timer; monitor your students to
judge their stamina. You might give a 20 second warning to allow students to complete a
word or thought. Have students count the words they’ve written as an incentive to write
more the next time.
Share 7. Have students turn and talk about how and when they might use freewriting in their own
writing process. Encourage them to take a timer and use freewriting to bust writer’s block.
Extending the Lesson
• Have students reread what they have written and highlight at least one word, phrase, or idea
that they think might be a nugget for future writing. They now use that nugget as the
starting point for another freewrite. This time, add another 30 seconds to the time limit to
extend their writing stamina.
Idea Development-Generating Ideas
Mini-Lesson 1. Selecting a story. Students should have several “seed” stories in their notebooks.
Discuss with students that they have gathered up so many good and special ideas that have
the potential to blossom into full-grown stories and how will they decide which one to
focus on? It could be as simple as just deciding they have more to say on the topic. They
will read through their Writers’ Notebooks, paying close attention to their inside feelings.
Refer back to mentor texts and discussion last week about why the authors may have
chosen to write their stories.
2. You have many memories collected in your Writers’ notebooks, and now it’s time to think
about which one of your stories you want to spend more time on. Today, you are going to
reread your Writers’ Notebooks, really listening to your thoughts as you read each entry.
Some stories will feel like they’re finished being written for now. But, if you listen
carefully, some will make you want to share more. You will want to tell the whole story.
Those are the ones you want to mark with a sticky note because those are the beginning
ideas where your personal narratives may come from.
3. Tell students that writers need to ask, “What am I really trying to say in this story?” and
then let that question guide us as we develop seed ideas into drafts. You need to decide
what you really want to say in your story. What is my story really about? Do I want to
focus on the plan ride to grandma’s or do I want to share how wonderful it felt to stand at
her sink and try on all her makeup.
4. Next, model how to choose a mentor text to model writing from.
Independent Work 5. Students spend time rereading the memories in their Writers’ Notebooks and use sticky
notes to mark the ones they want to develop. When they finish, they should share with a
partner the memory they chose and why they want to write about it. What is their mentor
text? Who do they want to write like?
6. Students rehearse their stories by storytelling, telling their stories aloud to a partner with the
partner asking questions about what they want to know more about.
Share 7. Writers share/read a small snippet of their seed story.
.
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 10
WEEK THREE: Begin an anchor chart on the Qualities of Good Personal Narrative Writing. Add on to the chart throughout the unit of study. At the end of the writing workshop,
always reiterate the teaching point. Ideas, Organization This lesson focuses on supporting the writer in planning key details for each section of an organizer
(beginning, middle, and end).
Mini-Lesson 1. Students will be able to plan the beginning, middle, and end of their writing as well as generate key
details for each section. Review what students know about stories having a beginning, middle, and
end. Tell students that they will learn a simple organizer for planning the beginning, middle, and
end of a pieced of writing, using a trifold (a paper folded in three sections).
2. Use a piece of chart paper folded into three columns. Demonstrate how to fold a paper in thirds,
then how to use the trifold planner to prewrite the beginning, middle, and end of a personal narrative
story.
3. In the first column, write a sentence that summarizes the beginning of your story. Then, do the same
with the middle and end of your plan in the second and third columns. Talk about your plans as you
are composing them the planner. After talking about the “big picture,” discuss which key details
you will put in each column. Jot these down, along with any interesting or special words or phrases
you might include in your writing. Writing out these details in complete sentences now is optional.
4. Walk students step by step through the process of folding the paper and completing the planner.
• Choose a topic.
• Use the trifold planner to write one sentence each for the beginning, the middle, and the
end of your story.
• Turn and talk to a partner about your beginning, middle, and end. Have your partner ask you
questions about each part. This will help you plan the details you need in each section.
• Add at least three details to each section.
Independent Work 5. Students complete the planner then begin draft. When students have mastered using this planner,
introduce adding a one-inch horizontal fold to the top and bottom of the page. These will be used to
plan the opening and closing of the piece.
Share 6. Students share their planning/thinking for beginning drafts. Example of trifold
Janie and I snuck out of
Grandma’s house and went down
to the pond.
We poled the raft out to the
middle of the pond, but the raft
sank.
We sat in the treehouse all
afternoon waiting for our jeans to
dry.
• We were 10 and not allowed
to go rafting on the pond.
• We had to get past
Grandma’s watchful eye.
• The raft was an old
waterlogged door, and the
pole was a broom handle.
• The freezing water camp up
to our ankles then our knees.
• Be the time we go to the
middle….
• Our jeans were soaking wet.
• We couldn’t go in the house
this way.
• We hung our jeans in the
tree house to dry.
• We sat in the tree house
shivering and freezing.
Extending the Lesson
Demonstrate how to turn the plan into a draft, showing students how to flesh out the details.
Organization This lesson focuses on students starting their stories close to the main focus.
Mini-Lesson 1. Picking a good beginning helps you to focus your story on just one main event. Refer
back to mentor texts. Shortcut by Donald Crews is a good example. Ask students
what the most important event or focus of the story is. Discuss where the story
begins.
2. Be prepared to orally tell a story of your own. (Example: I’m planning to write a
story about something that happened to me when I was in 4th grade. The most
important event/focus of the story is that I caught a fly ball during a softball game. It
was the third out in the last inning, and because I caught the ball, my team won (or
didn’t catch the ball…). Now I need to decide where my story should begin. I’m
going to ask you to help me with that part.
3. Begin to draw a timeline of your life and exaggerate where you could start your
story. My Birth-Joining the Softball Team-Waking Up the Day of the Game-The Big
Game. Let’s see. I’ll start my story when I was born and tell everything until I
caught the fly ball in fourth grade. Does that make sense? Maybe I should tell
everything about playing on the softball team. Would that make sense? No? Maybe
I should think like Donald Crews (or the author of the mentor text used) and start my
story close to the where the main even happens. Does that make sense?
4. Reinforce the idea that, when deciding where to begin telling a story, it is helpful to
first decide where in the story the main event takes place. The story should get to
that location as quickly as possible. If the story happens in the grocery store with
Dad, don’t begin with getting dressed to go (unless clothing plays an important part
in the story) or at the beach, don’t start the story with packing a suitcase and loading
the car for the trip.
5. The students can practice choosing where to begin a story with the following
exercise. If the story is about the roller coaster ride at Six Flags, where should the
story begin?
• The car ride to Six Flags
• The hotel where you stayed
• All the rides that were fun to go on
• Waiting in line for the roller coaster ride
6. Students turn and talk about where the story should begin. If a student can justify
their choice, accept their answer.
Independent Work 7. Students select a personal narrative they are working on or have finished. Ask them
to identify the main event and write down 3 places/time during that day that they
could begin their story. Ask them to read their 3 beginnings to a partner and select
the best place to start the story.
Share 8. Choose 2 or 3 students to share their thinking about where to begin their stories.
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Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
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WEEK THREE (continued)
Organization
Mini-Lesson 1. Tell students that stories usually follow one plan or format; they have a ‘way they usually go.’
We want an unfolding of interrelated events. We need to bring out the story structure that is
probably hiding underneath our personal narratives. Yesterday we learned how knowing
where to begin our stories helps us focus on just one main event.
2. Analyze aloud the story structure of a well-known story, (mentor text such as Shortcut by
Donald Crews is a good example). Show them the story arc in this story. Read the story
aloud, skipping irrelevant passages to keep it quick.
3. Point out the problems and the events around the problems. Talk about how the story events
are winding up toward a climax-the heart of the story. Graphically represent this with an arc
(vs. a flat line) with the climax at the top Call it a story mountain. Then the turning point
Retell the important events moving up the “mountain” or arc showing students how a good
story has a climax. This is how an author develops plot and builds anticipation and/or tension
in their piece.
4. Students will need to look at whether their story is still more like a timeline, with one event
leading to the next, each of equal size and importance. If that’s the case, they’ll want to be
sure to figure out what their story is really about and what they can do to show that. If you
haven’t built up the incline in your story, take the key section and stretch it out.
Independent Work 5. What is the climax or peak of your story? What events lead up to that moment? Turn and tell
your partner. Make sure the events that lead up to the climax really add tension to the piece.
(The teacher circulates and listens in to partners as well as guiding students. Remind students
they can start their stories close the trouble, or rising action.
Share 6. Students share their story arcs/ mountains.
Extending the Lesson
• Retell the story of _______ (mentor text) pointing to the story mountain as you retell the
story. Is there a problem? A climax in the story? Then events leading to the resolution?
• Students work with a peer to select several ideas from topic lists that will result in interesting
story arcs. Students create story arcs for the stories practiced in oral rehearsal.
• Share mentor texts that contain big ideas. Students locate and articulate the big ideas in
several mentor texts, and find places in the text that provide evidence. Students read through
drafts to locate own big ideas.
• If students are still not writing on focused topics then use the following mini-lesson
(Resource lesson-“Focusing on a Slice of the Pie” Pg. 58 from Craft Lessons by Ralph
Fletcher.)
Idea Development-Details
Word choice/Voice
Mini-Lesson 1. Good writers stretch out the important scenes in a story to make them more
interesting to their readers. In this lesson, students will learn to stretch out a
scene by adding things that they see, hear, think, and say to others.
2. Tell students that today they will be learning how to stretch out a scene in a
story to make it more interesting. Even unimportant events, such as eating a
hamburger, can be stretched out to make them more interesting. However, it is
important to stretch out the important events in a story to make them interesting
to the reader.
3. Put a “list” type story up for students to see. (Example: Trip to Disney World
One day last summer my mom told me we were going to Disney World. First
we packed our suitcases and ran to the car. Then we started the long drive
Florida……We went into the Magic Kingdom and rode on a big roller coaster.
Then we went to eat lunch. We went to Epcot and bought things from lots of
different countries. We ate supper…)
4. Have students decide which event was the most important or which was the
main event. (In this example, probably the roller coaster ride.)
5. Begin to cross off or combine less important or irrelevant events. Zoom in on
the most important event and have students stretch it out by brainstorming what
they would see, hear, think, and say to others to show their feelings on the
“Stretch It Out” chart.
6. Students take turns sharing out their elaborated main event.
7. Students can pair up and using a mentor text, look for the sensory details that
the author used. (Teacher may reread excerpts to the whole group, letting the
students use their “Stretch It Out” chart as they notice the sensory details the
author used). What did the main characters see, hear, think, or say to others.
Independent Work 8. Encourage students to find the main event in their draft to elaborate, using the
“Stretch It Out” chart. Students can also use the chart to plan their writing
before they begin a new draft.
Share 9. Choose 2 or 3 students to share a place they “stretched it out” using sensory
details.
Stretch It Out
Fill in the chart below imagining what you might see, hear, think, or say to others.
See Hear Think Say to Others
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Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 12
WEEK FOUR: IDEA DEVELOPMENT Mentor texts are revisited as students carefully explore the story arc of narrative texts as well as other key features of the genre. Each lesson may be repeated over the course of several days with teacher modeling own writing, using examples from mentor text, or student writing. Focus on what will contribute to the meaning and place the reader next to the writer in the story. At the end of the writing workshop, always reiterate the teaching point.
Idea Development-Details
Mini-Lesson Zooming in – Narrowing the focus ”Zooming In/Turning the Knob” (lessons from Reviser’s Toolbox by Barry Lane) 1. Read and display the two fourth-grade writing samples (below). Discuss what
makes the second piece of writing more interesting to read. Explain that with the second piece, the writer has chosen a place to “zoom” in and given us details about the details. Share with students that now that their writing is focused on a “seed” idea, their job as writers is to zoom in, by turning the knob (use binoculars or a camera as a prop) to add the more surprising details to their writing. As we “zoom in” our writing becomes clearer, more specific. We start big and move in.
My Trip to Disneyland I went to Disneyland with my brother, grandparents and cousins. We checked into our hotel and the next day we went on all the rides. They had a light parade, we watched it at night. My favorite ride was Star Tours. We also went on the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansions. I liked Splash Mountain too. The next morning we went to Knots Berry Farm. We went swimming in a large pool. We went home the very next day.
My Memory I have a lot of memories but my favorite memory was my trip to Disney World. My whole family had blast. The rides, the shows and meeting all the characters was so fun. I liked Star Tours. You sit down and buckle your seat belt and watch a movie screen while the room spins. But my favorite ride was Splash Mountain. First I would wait in line full of excitement. Then I would get in a log with butterflies in my stomach and ride through the story. Soon I would go up the hill and all of a sudden I went whooshing down with the water splashing in my face and frogs jumping in my stomach. It was so much fun and that’s probably why I went on it five times! I loved that trip and it’s a memory I’ll never forget.
2. The second piece is more interesting because the writer zoomed in and elaborated on some of the rides. Elaborating means telling more; when we elaborate, we add details to make our writing more interesting and easy to understand. In today’s lesson, you are going to learn about elaboration in writing.
3. Revisit the two sample texts to discuss what techniques the writer has used to elaborate on his/her ideas, such as the following:
• Focused on only a few attractions rather than listing them all. • Described how the rides worked. • Included feelings and emotions. • Showed instead of told. • Used vivid verbs such as “whooshing” • Used figurative language such as “frogs jumping in my stomach.”
4. Remind students that good writers zoom in on important parts of their story and elaborate on details by providing descriptive details, describing feelings, and using powerful words.
Independent Work 5. Students reread their drafts and to revised by inserting one or more elaborative
details to an existing idea.
Share 6. Choose 2 or 3 students to share a place where they zoomed in and added details.
Idea Development-Details Voice, Word Choice
Mini-Lesson-Inside thoughts and feelings (thoughtshots) 1. Explain to students that when authors are writing personal narrative they make them more interesting
by including their inside thoughts and feelings. Today, you will think about some of the thoughts and feelings that you had about particular events and you will consider adding them to your piece. Specifically, I want to teach you that if I’m going write not only not only what happens but also my response to what happens, then much of the story will be the internal story, and not just the external one.
2. Refer back to example from mentor text (Eleven) text that illustrates an author’s feelings/thoughts. When I pause in the middle of a draft to read my writing, I sometimes say to myself ‘let me reread and pay attention to whether I’ve told the internal as well as the external story.’
3. And I sometimes study mentor texts, thinking,’ How has this author written the story of what she was thinking and feeling?’ I ask, ‘What has this author done that I could do also?’
4. Display copy of the red-sweater scene in Eleven. Watch me as I study what Cisneros had done, and try to see how that helps me. One thing I notice is that she seems to go back and forth between writing what happens and writing what she’s thinking. Give examples of the external-what happens and the internal thoughts. I move the red sweater to the corner of my desk with my ruler. I move my pencil and books and eraser as far away from it as possible. I even move my chair a little to the right. (external-what happens) Not mine, not mine, not mine. (internal thought) In my head I’m thinking how long till lunchtime, how long till I can take red sweater and throw it over the schoolyard fence, or leave it hanging on a parking meter, or bunch it up into a little ball and toss it in the alley. (internal) Except when math period ends Mrs. Price says loud and in front of everybody, “Now, Rachel…” (external)
5. Provide a brief scene from another mentor text and ask students to study the balance of external and internal writing. Read aloud the scene then ask students to turn and talk then share out the sequence of external events that happened in the story. Reread the scene, but this time they tell the internal events or feeling or thoughts that occur in the story. You can learn from what ____has done.
6. Remind student to reread and revise their drafts, bringing out the internal story, and to rely on mentor texts for support. Add to anchor chart qualities of Good Personal Narrative Writing.
Independent Work 7. Students find a place in their writing to zoom in to add thoughts and feelings. Add thoughts and
feelings to draft. 8. Teacher conferences with writers, scaffolding their thinking by questioning what they were thinking
and feeling. Choose students for sharing that tried the strategy in their own writing. Students having difficulty finding places to include the internal story should look for the most important parts of their pieces. Remind them they can always storytell the important bits of their story with the internal story added to try to strengthen their writing.
Share 9. Students tell (not read) their story to their writing partners. Make notes to the draft if they think of
more inner feelings while telling their story.
Extending the Lesson • Discuss with students how thoughtshots can be divided into different categories:
� Flashback: She remembered the day he came for the first time. He was a little boy then… � Flash-ahead: Her dad would have to go to Mexico. She would have to tell her brothers that
their grandfather had died. � Internal Monologue or Dialogue: There was no way she was getting on that ride. No way, no
how. � Pick a page in a mentor text. Find an interesting character and give him or her 3 extra
thoughts.
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Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 13
WEEK FOUR (continued) Idea Development-Details
Word Choice/Voice
Mini-Lesson-Two days Show Don’t Tell
1. One way to use the binoculars is to zoom in on gestures and motions of your characters. Mannerisms give readers a
chance to see the characters and tell how they are feeling without overtly stating it. (Show Don’t Tell) For example,
instead of saying he was mad, you could say his face was red and his hands were clenched tight into fists. He stomped
into the house and slammed the door. (Lesson adapted from “What Are They Doing?” RTBL)
2. Using a mentor text, read excerpts that demonstrate the author showing not just telling. Chart the examples.
3. Choosing from a list of emotions, have partners pick an emotion and act it out without words. See if the class can guess
the emotion, then use words to describe the emotion.
4. Model using this strategy in your own writing piece.
Independent Work
5. In their own writing, students look for a place where they can do the same for a character, writing like the authors in the
mentor texts.
Share
6. Students share a place where they tried “Show Don’t Tell” in their writing.
7. Add to the anchor chart on Narrative Writing
Extending the Lesson
(Adapted from Crunchtime)
• This is a different way of saying “Show Don’t Tell.” Students are asked to take one sentence, think BA-and add where
they were, think DA-and tell what they saw, thing BING and write what they were thinking. Revising one sentence at a
time is not so overwhelming to students, and this effective tool adds voice and style naturally.
• One way to introduce this is to walk into the classroom wearing something unusual. Ask students to jot down their
immediate thoughts. Pass around the item you were wearing and have students give one word to describe it; students
may use any of the five senses, and words cannot be repeated.
• Draw three large boxes, creating the chart below.
Ba-
Where You Were
Da-
What You Saw
Bing-
What You Thought
• Describe Ba-da-bing sentences. Ask small groups or partners to write a sentence describing your entrance that includes
information from each of the three boxes. Share and discuss student group sentences.
• May try this by replacing the last box (Bing) with Bang-what you or someone else said or Boom-what physical
sensation you had (for example, blushed, butterflies in stomach, sweating).
Organization
Mini-Lesson 1. We want students to use paragraphing as a drafting tool, not
just an editing tool.
2. Discuss with students that if we really want readers to take in
our writing, we need to chunk our writing into paragraphs.
Paragraphs gives pauses in which to envision what we’ve
said, allowing them to take in one thing we’ve said before the
thing happens. Writers break up the text into paragraphs that
connect around a central idea. Explain the five Ps of
paragraphing.
3. General guidelines:
• Person speaking: every time a new character speaks.
• Point in time: Phrases like “later that night” or “the next
day” are signals.
• Place: If the action moves from one location to another,
it’s a good time change paragraphs.
• Plot Direction: Often a change in the action signals a
new paragraph.
• Point of View: If the narrative has been focusing on one
character and shifts to another, change the paragraph.
4. Add to an anchor chart titled, “Narrative Writing.”
5. Model-Have students watch while you reread your own story
(one you’ve used before in this unit) or “Sleepover”
(Resource) and divide it into paragraphs. Think aloud your
reasons for paragraphing where you did.
6. Show students how to mark their own drafts where
paragraphs should go.
7. When you write think about making new paragraphs each
time you shift from one main idea to another. This not only
helps the reader, but helps you organize your ideas.
Independent Work 8. Students reread what they have written to make sure they
have made good decisions about where to put paragraphs.
Share 9. Students share their thinking about their reasons for adding
paragraphs to their writing.
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Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 14
WEEK FIVE: At the end of writing workshop, always reiterate the teaching point.
Organization and Sentence Fluency
Studying and Creating Leads
Mini-Lesson 1. By studying the leads in mentor texts, students can
learn new techniques. Demonstrate a process
children can go through as they study the
craftsmanship in another author’s lead. Highlight
the author’s technique by contrasting it with what
the author could have done.
2. Help students describe, name what the author did
exactly. Did they summarize the whole story? Did
they give us information that makes us wonder
what is going to happen? Is it a “give-away” lead
that gives away the ending of the story? (These are
just a few examples.)
3. Chart examples of favorite leads.
4. With partners, have students study leads in other
mentor texts and name what that author has done.
Independent Work 5. Remind students that if they want to write really
powerful leads, it helps to study the leads of
writers we admire. Think about which kind of lead
would work best for the story you are writing. You
may want to try a lead we explored today.
Share 6. Share the process by which a student has crafted a
stronger lead than the one they had before.
Extending the Lesson
• Model revising the lead in your own writing.
Revision-“So What?” details
Mini-Lesson 1. Students will learn that adding details to a piece of writing doesn’t make it
better if the details are “So What?” details. Details and elaboration should
be related to the main idea and should move the story along in an
interesting manner. 2. Sometimes when we’re talking with friends, people say, “So what?” to
show that something that was said was totally unimportant. For example,
if I said that I was going to the store to buy you a birthday present, and
then described in great detail what I was going to wear to the store, you
might want to say, ‘so what?’
You wouldn’t really care about what I was wearing because it has
nothing to do with the birthday present.
3. Remind students that when we write, we sometimes put in descriptive
details, but they have no real purpose and don’t move the story along. We
can call those “So what?” details.
4. Display a short personal piece or a piece of student writing that contains
details that don’t add to the story. Read aloud then have students think for
a moment what this story is mainly about. What is the focus?
5. Let’s look at the story and notice the details that the writer included.
Continue to explain/point out the details that aren’t needed, that are “So
What?” details and have nothing to do with the main idea or focus of the
story.
6. Have students/partner talk about examples they notice in the rest of the
story that could be called “So What?” details. Share examples.
7. Point out now the relevant details that are related to the main idea and
move the story along.
8. Have students reread the story and identify several details that are relevant
to the main idea/focus, those that are NOT “So What?” details. Have
them share their ideas with a partner and explain why they aren’t “So
What?” details.
9. Using a piece/excerpt of mentor text, identify how all the details used help
move the story along\ by adding details to the character, the setting or the
scene.
Independent Work 10. Students identify one place in their drafts where the details are “So
What?” details that don’t support the main idea. Then have them find one
place where the details are relevant and support the main idea.
11. Revise their drafts by deleting any “So What?” details and adding relevant
details.
Share 12. Choose students to share that deleted “So What?” details and added
relevant ones.
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Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 15
WEEK FIVE (continued)
Voice
Organization
Mini-Lesson 1. Dialogue is one strategy that can be used to revise writing in order to make it more meaningful to the
reader. Explain that today the students will explore the ways that they might use dialogue to add
meaning to their own stories.
2. Discuss how dialogue is an element of personal narrative. Authors use dialogue to better understand the
characters and reveal their personalities.
3. Using mentor texts, share an excerpt from the book. Think aloud about how the conversation helped
the reader understand the characters better.
4. Read another excerpt and have students turn and talk to a partner about what is revealed about the
character and what it tells us about their personalities and relationship.
5. Students read through their story and jot down any ideas they have about dialogue and their characters.
Share with writing partner ideas about dialogue.
Independent Work 6. Ask students to think about how they might use dialogue in their story to help readers learn more about
the character. Ask them to try to insert a few well-chosen lines of dialogue into their writing to make it
more meaningful for the reader. What are some things that your characters might say in a conversation
with other?
Conference questions;
• How can you use this dialogue to show the reader what you’d like to tell them?
• Are these words that you think the character would use in real life?
Share 7. Students share dialogue they have created for their characters.
At the end of the writing workshop, always reiterate the teaching point.
Extending the Lesson If students need more time:
• Students look through the personal narrative mentor texts and identify places in which dialogue adds to
the development of the characters. Put a post-it note on that page and be prepared to share/talk about it.
• Use own writing from previous lessons and add dialogue.
• Use a piece of student writing and together decide where and how to add dialogue.
Organization
Mini-Lesson-Ending Stories
1. Remind students that they’ve learned to consider personal
narratives as stories. Tell students you will teach them how to
write the resolution to their stories.
2. Using mentor texts, share several narrative endings that
highlight different ways authors bring closure. As you look at
the different ways authors choose to end their stories, record
what students notice. Does the ending stay focused on what is
important in the story?
3. Discuss the way we choose to end our stories is as important
as how we begin our stories. We need to end on a point that
will keep our stories in focus. The end is the last point that
our readers will remember.
4. Ask yourselves how this ending connects back to what’s
important in the story.
5. Model using your own story (can be the same story you have
modeled with before in the unit) different endings. Students
help choose the best ending.
Independent Work 6. Students read over their work, try at least 2 different endings.
7. During conferencing, ask students how/if the ending connects
to what is most important in the story.
Share 8. Ask students to share drafts with their partners, who will read
over the draft checking for sense and clarity. If there are
places they are confused, leave a sticky note, explain the
confusion, and may suggest a way to clarify. (Not looking at
spelling etc.)
Extending the Lesson
• May also choose from Reviser’s Toolbox Resource lessons
( “Endings Grow from Beginnings” Pg. 35, “Types of
Endings” Pg. 39)
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Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 16
WEEK SIX Mini-Lesson 1. Students select a narrative they want to
publish.
2. Teacher models how to think about what
a narrative should include based on the
teaching in this unit.
3. Teachers uses a think aloud strategy to
show how he/she would use a rubric or
checklist to discover places where his/her
story is week or needs further
development. (Refer back to anchor chart
created at beginning of unit on the
Qualities of Personal Narrative Writing.)
Independent Work 4. Students work alone then with partners
using the rubric/ checklist to decide if
they have included all the elements of a
narrative in their piece.
Share 5. Students share their thinking about their
writing piece. Based on the
rubric/checklist, what areas they need to
work on/revise.
Conventions-Editing
Mini-Lesson 1. Explain how authors prepare their work
for publishing by editing their writing to
make it as polished and clear as possible.
Today they will edit their own writing.
2. Talk about how writing can feel
unfriendly to read and difficult to
understand if there are capitalization,
word usage, punctuation, and spelling
errors. It makes sense that when we are
publishing our work, we want our
writing to be understood.
3. Model a routine for students to follow.
• Use a special editing pen. Read
each sentence twice: First read:
Check the beginning capital and
ending punctuation, replace, or
take out any words that aren’t
right.
• Second read: Use your pen to tap
each word as you read it. Correct
the spelling of any words you
know. Circle words you’re not
sure of so you can look them up
later.
Independent Work 1. Reiterate that authors edit their writing to
prepare it for publishing and that during
writing time today they will continue to
edit there piece.
Share 2. Invite a few students to share how they
used the checklist and the editing
changes they made.
Conventions-Editing/Publishing
Mini-Lesson 1. Refer back to the editing checklist from
the day before where students checked
their own spelling. Today they will work
with another writer to proofread and edit
each other’s writing for spelling
mistakes.
2. After proofreading and editing their own
writing for misspelled words, most
authors ask someone they know to help
them double-check their writing because
someone reading a story with “new eyes”
will often notice misspelled words more
easily than the author.
3. Use a piece of student writing or your
own work that needs editing. Model how
students will help each other with
proofreading and editing misspelled
words. Explain how you already edited
it for misspelled words but, now need
“new eyes” to help find anything you
missed. Read and think aloud along with
the students. When they notice a
misspelled word, put a small circle
around it.
Independent Work 4. Partners read each other’s writing, using
a colored pencil to put a small circle
around any misspelled words they notice
while reading. When they are finished,
they talk with their partner about the
misspelled words they found. Writers use
the strategies they know to correct any
misspelled words.
Share 5. Students can share how having another
writer proofread their work helped them.
Extending the Lesson
• Students decide how they want to publish
their piece, either typing or rewriting.
They need to consider what paper to use,
whether or not to make it into a book
with pages and illustrations or a one page
piece. Will they decorate the paper or
mount it etc.?
Student Reflections on Writing Personal
Narrative
1. By reflecting, or thinking back, on how
their writing went while working on a
project, writers can make decisions and
set goals for what they want to
accomplish with their writing in the
future.
2. Explain that today; students/authors will
have a chance to think back on their
writing and journey as an author.
3. Model the act of reflection by looking
back through your writing, stopping to
read pieces of it here and there. Reveal
your process of self-reflection by
modeling reading, thinking, and writing
aloud as you reflect on your growth as a
writer. (Example: I notice that most of
my sentences used to be short and
choppy, but here, toward the end of my
notebook, my sentences are longer and
more interesting.)
Independent Work 4. Ask students to look back through their
writing during this unit and
reflect/answer the following questions:
• How have I changed as a writer?
• What do I want to work on to make
my writing better? (This is your
goal.)
• What do I like about my writing?
• What do I need to help me work
toward my goal?
Share 5. As partners finish their reflections, they
share them with each other.
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 17
WEEK SIX (continued)
Celebration
Think about different ways your class can celebrate. Consider:
1. Invite guests-parents, siblings, former teachers etc. so that each child has someone there for them.
2. Prepare four children to read their writing or an excerpt from their writing to the whole group.
3. Pre-assign each child to one of four groups. Prepare the rest of the children to read their writing or an excerpt from their writing to their small group.
4. Set up room to allow for all present to hear first four children and then divide into four groups.
5. Prepare refreshments and baskets of note cards, enough for 3-4 per child, and set up in prominent places around the room.
After a few students read aloud to the whole community, students and guests move to a corner of the room and the students can read/share their stories with the
group.
After the reading, provide everyone with snacks. Ask parents and children to circulate, writing notes to the readers. They can respond to writing they already
heard and also read more children’s writing during this time. (Students keep their writing with them and guests/classmates can ask to read their pieces.)
Be sure to write a note to each child telling him/her what you have noticed that he or she can do uniquely well.
Other considerations:
1. Students could travel in small groups to other (assigned) classrooms reading their stories.
2. Authors’ Tea-students create programs, invite guests, everyone takes turns reading, and then refreshments are served. This can become quite lengthy, so
it is better to do ½ of the students one day and ½ another day.
3. Students could be seated around the room or in the library and the guests gather at individual student stations to hear their stories, and then move on to
another student.
Humble ISD 2011-2012
4th
Grade Personal Narrative – Unit of Study
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 18
Rubric for Fourth Grade Personal Narrative Unit of Study: Teacher Assessment of Student Performance Score
Generating Ideas
• Generates personal writing topics • Understands what mentor texts are and how to use them as a writer • Writer approaches writing with a topic, a plan to use a craft technique, or an intention to write in a particular way
Selecting Ideas
• Demonstrates the ability to select a topic from several choices and develop this idea further
Qualities of Good Writing
Idea Development-Details-Word Choice-Voice
• Narratives are focused and with the right amount of detail • Writer chose unusual details-things not everyone knows • Writer knew where to “zoom” in and extend the small moment or focus of the story • Writer’s words “show” and create a vivid picture for the reader. • Demonstrates the ability to look “inside” for more information about their thoughts and feeling-enhances their voice in writing by revealing inner feelings • Demonstrates the ability to use their senses to add dimension and interest to a story • Experiments with putting words together in interesting ways to make writing more descriptive • Uses dialogue with the intention of adding meaning to writing
Organization
• Demonstrates awareness that most stories have a beginning, middle, and end • Demonstrates understanding of using paragraphs to organize writing
Mechanics
• Uses end punctuation and correctly spells high-frequency words • Proofreads and edits text • Proofreads and edits spelling with a peer editor
Evaluation
• Demonstrates the ability to self-reflect on writing growth and to set a new writing goal
4 Advanced
3 Proficient 2 Basic 1 Below Basic
Standard Consistently meets and often exceeds.
Regularly meets. Beginning to meet. Working below level.
Errors Rare to none Limited Many N/A
Teacher Support
Rarely needs support to meet standard.
Occasionally needs support. Demonstrates proficiency.
Frequently needs support. Needs strong instructional support.
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 19
Eleven By Sandra Cisneros
What they don’t understand about birthdays and what they never tell you is that when you’re eleven,
you’re also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and five, and four, and three, and two, and one. And
when you wake up on your eleventh birthday you expect to feel eleven, but you don’t. You open your eyes and
everything’s just like yesterday, only it’s today. And you don’t feel eleven at all. You feel like you’re still ten.
And you are – underneath the year that makes you eleven.
Like some days you might say something stupid, and that’ the part of you that’s still ten. Or maybe some
days you might need to sit on your mama’s lap because you’re scared, and that’s the part of you that’s five. And
maybe one day when you’re all grown up maybe you will need to cry like if you’re three, and that’s okay.
That’s what I tell Mama when she’s sad and needs to cry. Maybe she’s feeling three.
Because the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or like the rings inside a tree trunk or like my
little wooden dolls that fit one inside the other, each year inside the next one. That’s how being eleven years old
is.
You don’t feel eleven. Not right away. It takes a few days, weeks, even, sometimes even months before
you say Eleven when they ask you. And you don’t feel smart eleven, not until you’re almost twelve. That’s the
way it is.
Only today I wish I didn’t have only eleven years rattling inside me like pennies in a tin Band-Aid box.
Today I wish I was one hundred and two instead of eleven because if I was one hundred and two I’d have
known what to say when Mrs. Price put the red sweater on my desk. I would’ve known how to tell her it wasn’t
mine instead of just sitting there with that look on my face and nothing coming out of my mouth.
“Whose is this?” Mrs. Price says, and she holds the red sweater up in the air for all the class to see.
“Whose? It’s been sitting in the coatroom for a month.”
“Not mine,” says everybody. “Not me.”
“It has to belong to somebody,” Mrs. Price keeps saying, but nobody can remember. It’s an ugly sweater
with red plastic buttons and a collar and sleeves all stretched out like you could use it for a jump rope. It’s
maybe a thousand years old and even if it belonged to me I wouldn’t say so.
Maybe because I’m skinny, maybe because she doesn’t like me, that stupid Sylvia Saldivar says, “I
think it belongs to Rachel.” An ugly sweater like that, all raggedy and old, but Mrs. Price believes her. Mrs.
Price takes the sweater and puts it right on my desk, but when I open my mouth nothing comes out.
“That’s not, I don’t, you’re not…Not mine,” I finally say in a little voice that was maybe me when I was
four.
“Of course it’s yours,” Mrs. Price says, “I remember you wearing it once.” Because she’s older and the
teacher, she’s right and I’m not.
Not mine, not mine, not mine, but Mrs. Price is already turning to page thirty-two, and math problem
number four. I don’t know why but all of a sudden I’m feeling sick inside, like the part of me that’s three wants
to come out of my eyes, only I squeeze them shut tight and bite down on my teeth real hard and try to remember
today I am eleven, eleven. Mama is making a cake for me for tonight, and when Papa comes home everybody
will sing Happy birthday, happy birthday to you.
But when the sick feeling goes away and I open my eyes, the red sweater’s still sitting there like a big
red mountain. I move the red sweater to the corner of my desk with my ruler. I move my pencil and books and
eraser as far from it as possible. I even move my chair a little to the right. Not mine, not mine, not mine.
In my head I’m thinking how long till lunchtime, how long till I can take the red sweater and throw it
over the schoolyard fence, or leave it hanging on a parking meter, or bunch it up into a little ball and toss it in
the alley. Except when math period ends Mrs. Price says loud and in front of everybody, “Now, Rachel, that’s
enough,” because she sees I’ve shoved the red sweater to the tippy-tip corner of my desk and it’s hanging all
over the edge like a waterfall, but I don’t care.
“Rachel,” Mrs. Price says. She says it like she’s getting mad. “You put that sweater on right now and no
more nonsense.”
“But it’s not – “
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 20
“Now!” Mrs. Price says.
This is when I wish I wasn’t eleven, because all the years inside of me – ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five,
four, three, two, and one – are pushing at the back of my eyes when I put one arm through one sleeve of the
sweater that smells like cottage cheese, and then the other arm through the other and stand there with my arms
apart like if the sweater hurts me and it does, all itchy and full of germs that aren’t mine.
That’s when everything I’ve been holding in since this morning, since when Mrs. Price put the sweater
on my desk, finally lets go, and all of a sudden I’m crying in front of everybody. I wish I was invisible but I’m
not. I’m eleven and it’s my birthday today and I’m crying like I’m three in front of everybody. I put my head
down on the desk and bury my face in my stupid clown-sweater arms. My face all hot and spit coming out of
my mouth because I can’t stop the little animal noises from coming out of me, until there aren’t any more tears
left in my eyes, and it’s just my body shaking like when you have the hiccups, and my whole head hurts like
when you drink milk too fast.
But the worst part is right before the bell rings for lunch. That stupid Phyllis Lopez, who is even dumber
than Sylvia Saldivar, says she remembers the red sweater is hers! I take it off right away and give it to her, only
Mrs. Price pretends like everything’s okay.
Today I’m eleven. There’s a cake Mama’s making for tonight, and when Papa comes home from work
we’ll eat it. There’ll be candles and presents and everybody will sing Happy birthday, happy birthday to you,
Rachel, only it’s too late.
I’m eleven today. I’m eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one, but I wish I was
one hundred and two. I wish I was anything but eleven, because I want today to be far away already, far away
like a runaway balloon, like a tiny o in the sky, so tiny-tiny you have to close your eyes to see it.
From Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros.
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 21
Sleepover Party (without paragraphs)
It was my birthday and mom said I could have a sleep over party with four friends. Mom asked
me a bunch of questions like what did I want for dinner, what movie should we rent, and what
kind of cake? The day before the party we went shopping for snacks. We bought Reese’s
Peanut Butter Cups, Twizzlers, and cheese puffs. Finally the day came. Trevor, Ryan, Alex, and
Luis came home after school. We played baseball in the backyard for hours, had pizza, and then
settled down to watch our movie. After a while we started looking for the Reese’s Peanut
Butter Cups. We looked everywhere but couldn’t find them until Luis noticed they were in the
bag on top of the heater. We all reached in to grab some. They were smooshy and melted, but
still good. Our hands were covered so we cleaned up in the bathroom. By the time we were
done, we had chocolate on everything. When the movie was over we turned off the light and
tried to sleep. Right away Ryan started telling jokes like he always does and we started
laughing like crazy. We couldn’t stop. Finally we did. It was 3:00 a.m. before we stopped
laughing. Then Mom yelled downstairs, “Wake up! Pancakes.” It felt like one minute had gone
by but it was nine o’clock in the morning. We went upstairs and sat around the table fighting
over who would get the next pancake. Mom kept cooking pancakes until we were stuffed. Ryan
started telling jokes again, but this time we were too full or too tired to laugh. We just said,
“Save it for later.” Pretty soon everyone’s parents came. When they were all gone, Mom asked
if I wanted more pancakes. I told her no and went back to bed.
Craft Lessons by Fletcher and Portalupi, page 143.
Curric\writing\Units of Study Rev 8/11 22
Sleepover Party (revised)
It was my birthday and mom said I could have a sleep over party with four friends. Mom asked
me a bunch of questions like what did I want for dinner, what movie should we rent, and what
kind of cake? The day before the party we went shopping for snacks. We bought Reese’s
Peanut Butter Cups, Twizzlers, and cheese puffs.
Finally the day came. Trevor, Ryan, Alex, and Luis came home after school. We played baseball
in the backyard for hours, had pizza, and then settled down to watch our movie. After a while
we started looking for the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. We looked everywhere but couldn’t find
them until Luis noticed they were in the bag on top of the heater. We all reached in to grab
some. They were smooshy and melted, but still good. Our hands were covered so we cleaned up
in the bathroom. By the time we were done, we had chocolate on everything.
When the movie was over we turned off the light and tried to sleep. Right away Ryan started
telling jokes like he always does and we started laughing like crazy. We couldn’t stop. Finally we
did. It was 3:00 a.m. before we stopped laughing. Then Mom yelled downstairs, “Wake up!
Pancakes.” It felt like one minute had gone by but it was nine o’clock in the morning.
We went upstairs and sat around the table fighting over who would get the next pancake. Mom
kept cooking pancakes until we were stuffed. Ryan started telling jokes again, but this time we
were too full or too tired to laugh. We just said, “Save it for later.” Pretty soon everyone’s
parents came. When they were all gone, Mom asked if I wanted more pancakes. I told her no
and went back to bed.
Craft Lessons by Fletcher and Portalupi, page 144.