Writing for Understanding Instruction Teacher Plan

Teacher-Ileen Gilbar Class Kindergarten Date -November
Writing genre-Response to Text

Topic / Subject / Text

CENTRAL IDEAS

Content: A family is a group of people who care for and about each other.
(CESU Kindergarten Social Studies Unit)

Reading: Readers listen to read alouds and use evidence from the texts to demonstrate understanding of how families in the books are kind to each other.
RK:10 Demonstrate initial understanding of elements of literary texts read aloud by...
Responding to simple questions about a book’s content

Writing: Given a focus writers respond to the texts by citing evidence from the texts (orally, in writing, and through illustrations) to show how families are kind to each other.
WK:5 In response to literary or informational text, students show understanding of plot/ideas/concepts...
…should be done in instructional, supported writing
WK:6 In response to literary or informational text, students make and support analytical judgments about text by...
Using prior knowledge or reference to text to support a given focus, using pictures (pictures may include labels, which might only include beginning sounds and/or ending sounds)

Focusing Question
How are the families in the text kind to each other?

Focus (answer to focusing question)
Answers may vary.
(Ex. Families spend time doing things together. Families share.
Families do nice things for each other.
Families take care of each other.)

Building Content Knowledge, Understanding of Writer’s Craft

• vocabulary
• guided reading
• text mapping
• paraphrasing
• summarizing
• visualizing/
• imaging
• dramatizing
• oral processing / guided
conversation / think-pair-
share
• experience
• debating
• taking notes (graphic
organizers, T-charts, 2 column
notes, etc.)
• craft lessons (intro, transitions, conclusions, etc)

Vocabulary development– care, kind, share, family, relative, family reunion, text, evidence

Visualizing ways families show kindness- drawings

Acting out- kindness, caring, sharing, etc.

Teacher prepared sorting sheet with pictures (families
being kind and other pictures that do not show families
being kind-off topic types of pictures, eg. clock) Students cut and sort. Then they turn and
talk to a partner explaining their thinking. Share a few
in whole group.

{Extension/differentiation- Ask students to explain why a particular action or statement shows a family or family member is being kind.}

Teacher charts class brainstorming about how families are kind to each other.

Turn and Talk

Shared writing/chart
frames

Texts to use in building content knowledge and understanding of writer’s craft:
(Elizabeti’s Doll by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats, Nabeel’s New Pants, An Eid Tale retold by Fawzia Gilani-Wiliams, Shoes From Grandpa by Mem Fox,
and When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco


Structures
How will students know how to organize their ideas and construct their piece of writing?

• graphic organizers
• teacher-written models
• teacher-and-student
written models
• various types of templates
or frames
( ex: Painted Essay)

Focus Question: How are the families in the text kind
to each other?

Teacher models how families in text(s) are kind to each other.
(Chart) pictures and labels

Frames provided for student writing/drawing (if
needed):
Frame 1
The family in the text was kind to each other.
They________________________ .

Frame 2
The family in the text was kind to each other.
They _____________________ and
__________________________.


Writing / Revising
How will students draft / revise so that their final writing is clearly focused,
organized, and developed to show understanding of the central ideas?
• group write, fully or in
part
• write section at a time
• write full piece
independently
• revise /share full group
• revise /share partners
• proofreading in partners
• proofread w/tubaloos
Teacher models how to write a response to text demonstrating to students that the families in the story are kind to each other and that there is evidence in the text to support this. (Think aloud and then write/draw).

Teacher uses the same text to do a guided group write citing other evidence from the text. The teacher uses the same frame as modeled.

Students and teacher complete a shared writing response with a different text. Students turn and talk after the read aloud in preparation to do this writing. (The teacher model and group write are posted and used to refer back to as needed.)

Students now use a frame to write their own response and cite evidence from the text to support the statement that the family in the story is kind to each other.

(These steps can be altered based on student need. Some students may be able to work independently after the group write. They may be able to be given the focus statement and then write (without a frame) citing evidence from the text to support their thinking. Support is scaffolded and given as needed to students.)

Lesson Sequence
What steps will I follow so that students are able to effectively
show their understanding in writing?
1. Build background knowledge about how families are kind to each other (acting out, visualizing, brainstorming, teacher-made kindness sort, turn and talk, etc.).
2. Class chart (connected to student brainstorming) – It may include examples of the following: -Families spend time doing things together. -Families do things for each other.
-Families share with each other.
3. Read Aloud When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco and model how to respond to a text and cite evidence (using pictures and words) that the family in the book is kind to one another. (Use teacher-made frame.)
4. Create another chart as a class using the titles and cover pictures of the texts we read. Add to this chart as we read aloud and discuss the evidence in the text that shows they are kind to each other. The chart would include evidence from each text (illustrations and words).
5. Reread the text previously read and modeled. Work with students to create a group writing piece that cites other evidence that the people in the family are kind to each other. Use teacher made frame. (Turn and Talk within this lesson.)
6. Read Aloud. Students and teacher complete a shared writing response with a different text. Students turn and talk after the read aloud in preparation to do this writing. (The teacher model and group write are posted and used to refer back to as needed.)
7. Read Aloud a different text. Students can use a frame as they work independently to cite evidence from the text to support the statement that the “The family in the text is kind to each other.” Students illustrate and write their response. (Teacher/adults may scribe as needed.) The illustration piece could be done with crayons, colored pencils, watercolors or even craypas. Another option might be to create these illustrations on computers using a paint program.
Students share work using projector/ELMO.
8. Reread book. Students use a thumbs up signal when the evidence they cited is read aloud. Is there any other evidence that the family is kind to each other? If so make note of it on the chart.
9. Students could respond to an additional text without a frame.

**Some students may be able to work indepently more quickly than others. Several lessons have been built in that support students in listening to the text, finding evidence to answer our focus question, and to show understanding orally, in writing and through drawing. Some of these lessons may be used with small groups that need extra support/practice while other students work independently after the read aloud.

Assessment: How are students doing? What are my next steps as a teacher?
1) Assess students using CESU kindergarten writing rubric. (I would add “evidence from the text is included”. This could be added to details.)
2) As a teacher I would look at what seemed to work and what didn’t work. (Reflecting in order to make improvements.)
3) I would also look at the district prompt that follows this unit and student work to see if students were able to transfer what they learned. The district on demand prompt uses Cynthia Rylant’s The Relative’s Came. The prompt is “How do the families in the story show they love each other?”

Next Steps: Gradual Release of Responsibility
1) Have students support ideas with evidence from the texts during other units (read alouds and guided reading).
2) Teacher note- Continue to identify other books and “test drive” to see if they could be used even more effectively in this unit.
3) Encourage students through mini-lessons, conferences, etc. to support their statements in their own writing with evidence. (transfer of skills)
4) Consider putting frames on computer and having students write within the frame. Add an illustration. This might be dependent on student computer comfort/skill, time of year, and support available.
5) Help children understand and explain in greater detail how particular actions show kindness.
6) Reread texts (use in other units including All About Me and Our Caring Classroom. Make connections with students about how they are kind to others). Each student will share one kind thing that they have done for someone else that day. Then another day they will share one kind thing someone has done for them and how it made them feel. Kindness and caring are ongoing themes in our classroom. We would reread these books and review ways to show kindness and caring.
7) Create a class book later in the year – “Kindergarten Kindness”. This could be tied into a technology unit and students could post their art work and thoughts about kindergarten kindness on a class web page.
8) Several of these books could also be used again when looking at characters.


Test Drive
When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco

Focusing Question: How are the families in the text kind to each other?

The family in the text was kind to each other. They brought lots of food to share and they played baseball and croquet together.


Other ways they were kind to each other:

Everyone got together for a big family reunion.
They held hands.
They gathered together to look at photos.
The children listened to the grown-ups tell stories.
The grandma taught the children how to catch “Lightning” in a jar.
The grandma and little girl sat on the porch swing together.