Writing for Understanding

Writing for Understanding Teacher Plan

Teacher: Steve Crimmin Class: 3rd_Date: 8-1-09 Writing genre: Report

Central Ideas

Content: European exploration and settlement of the Americas produced costs and benefits for Europeans and native people.

Reading: Reading and re-reading for background, to build understanding,

and to find information to support a focus.

Writing: In writing a report, it is important to state a focus that responds

directly to the question, to support that focus accurately and thoughtfully

with evidence from the text, and to conclude effectively.

Focusing Question

What are the costs and benefits of exploration?

Focus (answers to focusing question)

· Some explorers lost their lives, but thousands of native people lost their lives and their land.

· Trade benefitted both Europeans and native people to some extent.

· European nations became wealthy by exploiting the natural resources of the Americas.

Building Content Knowledge

· Examine world maps from the time of Columbus to modern times.

· Explore vocabulary (exploration, cost, benefit) using Frayer Model.

· Establish a two-column wall chart (Costs – Benefits) with examples in words and pictures.

· Readers’ Theater (Columbus, We Have a Problem) as a prelude to reading Encounter by Jane Yolen. (Pay attention to lengthy author’s note at end of story). Briefly discuss the text. What does it all mean?

· Have students imagine alien beings landing in their yards, planting flags, and claiming the land for the King of Pluto. Have students write about how that would feel and how they would respond.

· Read articles about Columbus and practice finding supporting information.

· Practice highlighting, taking notes, or marking supporting information.

Lessons on introduction, transitions, etc., as part of painted essay introduction and again as needed.

Structures

· Introduce painted essay model and color template.

· Create teacher model of a completed cost-benefit report about Columbus for students.

· Introduce Vermont report rubric. Discuss model in relation to rubric, and score model.

Writing/Revising

· Student pairs will research an explorer. Each partner will write an individual report about that explorer.

· Following the painted-essay model, students will write one paragraph at a time, pair share, proofread, and revise.

· Sharing with full group also will be encouraged.

Lesson Sequence

· Begin by examining examples of early maps to show how Europeans at the time of Columbus viewed the world. Compare with modern maps of Europe and the Americas.

· Frayer Model: Exploration, Costs, Benefits

· Establish 2-column wall chart (Costs – Benfits) to track examples of each as we encounter them in our reading. Record examples in words and pictures.

· Readers’ Theater. I will read “Columbus, We Have a Problem,” while students follow along. Students partner-read the script. Divide class into two groups, assign roles, and have groups perform the piece.

· Teacher read-aloud of Encounter by Jane Yolen, including lengthy author’s note at end of story. Provide copies of text for students to follow along. During first reading, students will be encouraged to mark places (?) where they have questions. Discuss. During a second reading, they will mark places with C for cost and B for benefit. Discuss.

· Ask to students to imagine aliens landing in their backyards during a family picnic. The aliens plant flags and claim the land for the King of Pluto. Have students write about how they would feel and how they might respond. Share responses.

· Introduce report focusing question: ”What are the costs and benefits of exploration?”

· Explain that students will use the painted-essay model to structure their reports. Each student will use watercolors to create a painted essay template.

· Hand out teacher written model report. Working in pairs and guided by their templates, students use colored pencils to appropriately color introduction, focus, etc.

· Teacher models process of reading and highlighting information from text to support the focus, “Columbus’s voyages of exploration resulted in costs and benefits for the native people and the explorers.”

· Pairs of students read about a famous European explorer and use index cards or sticky notes to collect background information for introductory paragraph.

· Students work on writing introductory paragraph that catches reader’s attention, includes two or three sentences of background information, and a focus statement regarding costs and benefits. Pairs share, proofread, revise, and receive teacher feedback, Self-assess using paragraphs from model.

· Follow the same procedure for supporting paragraphs and conclusion, with emphasis on finding two or three costs and benefits related to the journeys of each explorer.

· Students format and type completed drafts.

· Each student reads finished report aloud for third-grade audience.

Assessment

· Students self-assess using model and rubric.

· Teachers assesses using rubric, paying attention to structure, depth of information, effectiveness of conclusion and “so-what” statement. Look for common strengths and weaknesses. Sort reports into three groups: got it, almost there, and major problems.

Next Steps

· Prior to writing another report, plan small group instruction for students based on needs determined during assessment (structural problems, depth of supporting information, so what, etc.).

· Retain extensive focus on building background for next focusing question.

· Give more leeway for got-it students to write individual reports on next focus.