writing unit - bnyhus intasc standard 7

8/9/2019 Writing Unit - BNyhus InTASC Standard 7

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Brittany Nyhus

Writing Unit Plan

Overall Unit Theme: Word Choice in Descriptive Writing

Grade: 5

Common Core Standards:

• Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiencesand events precisely.

• Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using

eective techni!ue" descriptive details" and clear event se!uences.

Continuum Goals:

• #xperiment with literary language $powerul nouns and ver%s" igurative

language&

• 'elect meaningul topics

Mentor Texts:

Guts: The True Stories behind Hatchet and the Brian Books %y (ary Paulsen

Beginning o chapter on page )*" read the excerpt o Hatchett and then continue to Pg ))

+ )5 ,-here was still snow in patches and was studying a large plot o old snow/0Pg 12315 , went to sleep in an old vehicle used or a shelter.0

pic4ed this text %ecause it so perectly its writing a%out events that havehappened to us and that have made an impression on our lives. -his passage in

particular was a%out how (ary Paulsen has survived many moose attac4s in his

lie experiences. want students to write a%out something that they 4now well"and that is meaningul to them. -his text its in with those ideas.

Loot %y ude Watson

Page 631

,No thie li4es a ull moon. 7i4e mushrooms and owls they do their %est wor4 in thedar4.0

-he prologue o Loot ma4es the reader eel emotions. 8ou can see thedesperation" the increased heart rate" the !uic4ness and adrenaline runningthrough the characters. ude Watson doesn9t :ust come out and say these things;

instead her writing gives us these emotions. nstead o :ust using" elt happy" or

sad in their papers want students to convey emotions in their writing through thestory" and through their choice in words. Watson really helps the students see how

authors portray emotions.

Tripping Over the Lunch Lady and Other School Stories edited %y Nancy <ercado

Science Friction %y David 7u%ar Page =* + =6 and page =)

,>xygen met hydrogen. Pha%oom?0

,#xcellent. 9m not :ust a science gee4" 9m also a math gee4. eat pro%lems li4e that orlunch.0

-his text is helping students see how literary language can %e used in writing.

>nomatopoeias" metaphors" strong ver%s and ad:ectives can all %e ound in thisselection. -he story relates to what students are eeling in those upper

elementary@middle school grades so li4ed the content. #ven more than that" the

story is pac4ed ull o examples or showing students what good literary language

loo4s li4e in text.



Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone %y .A. owling

Page " Page 61" Page 6326

,Nothing li4e this man had ever %een seen on Privet Drive. Ee was tall" thin" and very old :udging %y the silver o his hair and %eard which was %oth long enough to tuc4 into his

%elt.0

, the motorcycle was huge it was nothing to the man sitting astride it.0,When he was dressed he went down the hall into the 4itchen. -he ta%le was almost

hidden %eneath all Dudley9s %irthday presents.0

chose these passages %ecause they clearly paint a picture o what people loo4li4e. >ur narratives may include people" at least mine does. want students to see

how to descri%e people so clearly that we can exactly what they loo4 li4e. n the

next passage the students see how you can write a%out someone9s personality or

the way they act. thin4 this will %e powerul or students as they start to writenarratives" especially i they include individuals.

Overall project + write a%out something meaningul using literary elements and ocusing on

word choice

Day 1-opicF Choosing a meaningul -opic

esourceF <entor -ext + Guts %y (ary Paulsen-eacher GctionsF eading mentor text to students and modeling how choose topics to write

a%out. will generate a list in ront o the students and explain my rationale %ehind why would

write a%out these events.'tudent GctionsF 'tudents will listen to the reading o the mentor text and engage in class

discussion. -hey will also %e %rainstorming topics that are meaningul to them and that they may

want to write a%out.

<aterialsF <entor -ext" lipcharts@mar4ers" paper and pencils

Day 2

-opicF Words give us eelingesourceF <entor -ext Loot

-eacher GctionsF eading mentor text" as4ing students !uestions and acilitating a discussion

a%out words that have emotion. will also share resources that students can use to ind words ormore emotions.

'tudent GctionsF #ngaging in class discussion. -hey will %e generating lists o emotions that the

author is portraying through the text without explicitly stating Hscared9 or Hhappy9. -he students

will also %e discussing the emotions that match the topic they choose to write a%out" and how toexpress that emotion in their writing. -hey will continue %rainstorming and move towards

pic4ing a topic to write a%out.

<aterialsF 7ists o words that express emotion in writing" mentor text" lipchart@mar4ers

Day

-opicF Conerring with 'tudentsesourceF None needed

-eacher GctionsF will %e wal4ing around and conerencing with students" as4ing where they are

at" ma4ing sure they have pic4ed a topic.

'tudent GctionsF 'tudents will use this time to inaliIe a topic i they have not already done so



and %egin drating their piece o writing.

<aterialsF None needed

Day !

-opicF Using literary language

esourceF <entor text Tripping Over the Lunch Lady-eacher GctionsF eading the mentor text and pointing out onomatopoeia" metaphors" and

igurative language.

'tudent GctionsF #ngaging in class discussion" inding more Hliterary language9 examples.Conversing with peers to igure out how they can incorporate literary language into their pieces

o writing. 'tudents will continue writing 4eeping in mind the idea o literary language.

<aterialsF <entor -ext" highlighters" copies o text

Day "

-opicF Using vivid descriptors" ocusing on people

esourceF <entor -ext Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

-eacher GctionsF eading o the mentor text" personal example o writing and how descri%edthe person within my writing. will model writing a%out a speciic person in ront o the student

using vivid descriptors. 'tudents will write and revise the descriptions o the people or charactersin their narrative.

'tudent GctionsF #ngaging in reading o the text.

<aterialsF <entor text" paper" pencils" overhead

Day #

-opicF Guthors change their word choices

esourceF #xcerpt rom ohn (reen nterview + 'ee %elow-eacher GctionsF #xplaining the importance o revising what has %een wrote. Conerring with

students a%out how they can ma4e their writing %etter through revisions.

'tudent GctionsF evising their writing pieces" peer editing will %e an option i the students sochoose.

J. Eow many drats do you doKG. -hat really depends on how you deine ,drat.0 %elieve that all writing is rewriting+

even when you9re writing something down or the irst time" it9s still an act o translation

in a way %ecause you9re trying to use text to %ring lie to this thing that exists in your

mind. Gnd 9m a %ig %eliever in revisionF almost always delete most o my irst drats$oten as much as *L&. But there are many mini3drats along the way" so it9s hard to tal4

a%out the process !uantitatively. do try to save the ile with a dierent name each time

9ve made some dramatic changes ear might later regret" so that9s some measure"may%e" o how many drats there are. -he inal copy o Aatherines on my hard drive is

called ao421; the inal copy o -Mi>' is called o4ay62.

J. Do you tal4 a%out what you9re wor4ing on with your editor or wieK

G. 8es" %oth. 9ve %een wor4ing with my editor and pu%lishing" ulie 'trauss3(a%el" or

more than a decade now" and oten show her scraps and chapters and excerpts and all

variety o uninished things. But when get on a roll" she usually doesn9t hear rom me



or a while" %ecause li4e to send her at least something o a inished manuscript once we

agree that 9m on the right trac4.

also read a lot to my wie" 'arah" who has inormed and shaped all my %oo4s inuncounta%le ways. $<any o the most !uoted lines in %oo4s are actually 'arah9s" and in

general our conversations a%out art and meaning and everything else are hugely

important to me.&

Di$$erentiationF Mor students who need extra assistance will provide extra materials with

literary language" words to use or emotions" and strong ver%s and ad:ectives. -hese will %eavaila%le or all students" %ut those who need extra assistance will %e explicitly guided towards

the materials. Peer conerencing will %e important or scaolding students to a higher level. #ach

day we will close the writing %loc4 with a ive to ten minute discussion a%out what was done.

-his may %e in the orm o a whole class discussion or individual peer conerences. n the pastwhen wor4ing with struggling readers and writers 9ve noticed they have the most diicult time

coming up with content + when they actually have to write it down. will provide a list o

!uestions that the students can answer to organiIe their thoughts. the students still don9t eel

comorta%le or are una%le to write their answers they can record themselves spea4ing andtranscri%e their thoughts at a later time.

n order to extend the thin4ing o higher level students will have them ocus on word choice aswell as ma4ing their voice come through.

%ssessment:

Part o my assessment will ta4e place during the discussion ending every writing %loc4 that mentioned a%ove. -here will also %e time or mysel to coner with students" and students to

coner with peers.

'tudents will %e assessed with a chec4list over a ru%ric. -heir participation and on3tas4 %ehaviors

will also %e recorded. want students9 writing to %e authentic and not :ust created to the parameters o a ru%ric which is why included a chec4list o what they need to include.

Chec&list:

-he narrative is a personal story meaningul to the writer Writer revamped and edited the content o their narrative

Writer can highlight how they included thoughtul word choice

7iterary language is included $i.e. metaphors" onomatopoeia" similes" strong ver%s" ad:ectivesetc.&

Writing is clear and complete; the narrative has an ending

Writing has %een edited or spelling and punctuation errors

'xample (arrative:

-he Cat Named #ddie

t was all in owa. -he com%ines were rolling" leaves were changing" and the urgemeyerhousehold was a%out to have a special guest. 'et way %ac4 in the country" down a dusty gravel

road lined with corn ields our house was a perect spot to drop o unwanted stray cats. -his

heartless act o Hcat dumping9 as my amily and called it made me curl my ists with anger atthose who would a%use and then a%andon an animal.

always was an animal lover. With a heart that melted li4e %utter when held a new%orn piglet"

or saw a puppy was determined to love every animal came across. When irst met #ddie it

was no dierent.



<erooowwww? Could %e heard through the glass door. 'itting on the cold concrete was a pint

siIed 4itten. Ee loo4ed li4e a Eolstein cow" and had eyes that could turn the %iggest hater o cats"

into a cat lover. Mriendly rom the start" and s4inny as can %e" #ddie was determined to weaselhis way into our hearts; %ut not %eore he caused some trou%le.

#ddie was riendly" %ut not ready to completely trust humans again ater a harrowing experience

with some less than 4ind owners. >ne morning went loo4ing or #ddie to give him his %rea4ast. Ee was nowhere to %e ound. searched high and low" or so thought. t wasn9t until

heard his plaintive <eoooowwww? -hat loo4ed high enough. #ddie had ound his way to the

very top o an electrical pole" his white tipped tail inches rom the high wire. We called" weca:oled" we shoo4 ood; all were met with sad meows. -he pole was too high or a ladder + the

only thing we could do was wait. <iraculously #ddie ound his way down o the pole. -he next

day he was sitting %y the %ac4door wanting ood" meowing constantly.

Gter his harrowing clim%" we decided #ddie would %e %etter o a housecat. #ddie waswelcomed into the amily and moved rom the country house to a third loor apartment. Ee still

has a love or heights" and causes my heart to stop when he peers through the posts o my

%alcony. -his s4inny cat with his %lac4 spots" and soulul eyes was luc4y enough to %e dropped

o at a house where a amily would ta4e him in" and love him + and give him way too muchood.

writing unit - bnyhus intasc standard 7

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