3rd Grade Narrative Writing Unit

Writing for Understanding Instruction
Teacher Plan

Teacher___Jessica Toulis_________________Class _Grade 3/Social Studies
Date June 29, 2011 Writing genre Narrative

Topic / Subject / Text


CENTRAL IDEAS


Content: Important historical events have helped shape the town of Shelburne.

Reading: To make sense of text, we re-read, paraphrase, and discuss. Successful readers infer meaning to help them understand (comprehend) text.

Writing: When writing a narrative writers develop the central conflict thoughtfully with vivid details. Writers can write from multiple perspectives.



Focusing Question


Early settlers of Shelburne faced many challenges. What is one challenge early settlers faced when settling in Shelburne?


Focus (answer to focusing question)

Native Americans and British Tories were a challenge to the early settlers because they did not want them to settle on the land.

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)

• read aloud various books and excerpts

• study mentor texts

• discuss – talk, talk, talk

• partner reading

• create history of Shelburne timelines

• illustrate an important event in Shelburne history with as much detail as possible

• read and perform Reader’s Theater scripts

• write short scripts (Reader’s Theater) to read and act out

• public notes

• complete graphic organizers

• write short paragraphs trying out new writing techniques (craft)

• watch photostory

• share and pull apart model

• write model together

• guest speaker from Historical Society

• field trip to the Shelburne Museum

• make observations and discuss objects from Vermont History box


Structures

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

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

• anchor charts with public notes
• graphic organizers
• teacher written model narrative
• teacher-and-student written model narrative


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

• share my teacher model of a “moment in time” narrative choosing a historical event in Shelburne
• group write a “moment in time” narrative choosing a different historical event in Shelburne
• independently write a “moment in time” narrative with a focus on the historical event in Shelburne, the burning of Moses Pierson’s house
• revise/share with partners
• proofread with partners
• revise/confer with teacher
• write final draft after revision and editing are complete


Lesson Sequence
What steps will I follow so that students are able to effectively
show their understanding in writing?

Content Knowledge:
• Read aloud and discuss excerpts rewritten from Shelburne history books (paraphrased in kid friendly language), discuss – talk, talk, talk, whole group discussion, think/pair/share

• Students partner read above excerpts and then think/pair/share

• Watch “The History of Shelburne” Photostory with students have them fill out graphic organizer “I noticed… and I wonder…” – discuss with a partner, add ideas from partner to their graphic organizer (Give 2 Take 2)

• Have a special guest speaker come from the Shelburne Historical Society to share/speak to us about some of the important events in Shelburne’s history; have students discuss in small groups what they learned from presentation and then reflect on their learning in their notebook and then share aloud, take public notes as they share and have students add ideas to their reflection from the public notes (this will be done immediately after the presentation)

• Create history of Shelburne timeline with students, writing cards for each important date and illustrating each event

• Choose one important event in Shelburne’s history (burning of Moses Pierson’s house) that students will eventually write their narrative about to have students illustrate with as much detail as possible, read it aloud several times as they draw, they will also have their own copy in front of them to refer back to; share/talk through drawings in small groups


• Have students fill out graphic organizer, with a partner, brainstorming details about the burning of Moses Pierson’s house. Details will include what the house may have looked like, the objects that were in the house, what the yard looked like, how the people involved in this story would have looked and felt; create public notes with all of their ideas

• In small guided groups students write short scripts (Reader’s Theater) to read and act out (to their classmates) an important event in Shelburne’s history; some groups will write and perform a script for the burning of Moses Pierson’s house

• Share and discuss objects from Vermont History trunk

• Go to the 1790’s house at the Shelburne Museum and make observations through drawing and writing

• Discuss and record appropriate vocabulary for this time period


Reading:
• Read and discuss narratives (mentor texts), study structure of narratives as well as narrative elements

• Read and discuss narrative (How to Get Famous in Brooklyn by Amy Hest and Waiting to Sing by Howard Kaplan, study show not tell technique

• Read and discuss poem (Foul Shot by Edwin A. Hoey from the anthology Opening Days), study slowing down a moment technique as well as vivid images of an event (The No-Nonsense Guide to Teaching Writing by Judy Davis and Sharon Hill p. 108)

• During Reader’s Workshop read and perform Reader’s Theater scripts

• In guided reading groups students will read, discuss, and complete a short writing activity with a focus on perspective, they will use a part of the book, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

• During read aloud have guided conversations about narrative perspectives, discuss how the story may be different written from another character’s perspective

• Lessons on reading like a writer (Notebook Know How by Aimee Buckner, chapter 4)

• Read and discuss good narrative leads

• Review definition of historical fiction; read and discuss small excerpts from historical fiction

Writing:
• Sharing mentor text with vivid, rich, tiny details and have students pull apart what made the writing so successful (i.e.The Boy)

• Lesson on strong verbs (Notebook Know How by Aimee Buckner pp. 63-67)

• Lessons on understanding the structure of story to write well (Notebook Know How by Aimee Buckner pp. 84-94)

• Act out show not tell scenario with students and then discuss and create anchor chart

• Students practice slowing down a moment writing technique with an event that happened in their life (i.e. reaching the peak of a rollercoaster, jumping in an icy cold lake, waiting for a friend to come for a play date, approaching the finish line at the end of a race, etc.)

• Students write short paragraphs practice showing not telling

• Have students write a short paragraph about an exciting moment in their lives that includes more than one person when finished have students write that same moment from another character’s perspective

• Help students develop their ideas through discussion (talk about the possible feelings of the people involved in this moment in history; have them describe outloud the way that they visualize the place, people, and events involved; have students take the perspective of one character that they will write from and describe to someone exactly what they were doing and the actions they took during this historical moment)

• Teach narrative leads (action, dialogue, flashback, shocking moment, feeling, etc.) – try 10 Strategy in notebook

• Share a teacher written model of a “moment in time” narrative of an event in Shelburne’s history; discuss and have students mark up the text with a focus on the following: the conflict or struggle the character is immersed in and drives the action of the story, the rich, vivid, tiny details (showing not telling), as well as slowing down and exploding a moment

• Write a teacher-and-student model of a “moment in time” narrative of an event in Shelburne’s history, use narrative structure and think through, practice and discuss strategies we have been working on as we write

• Have students write a short “moment in time” narrative from a perspective of choice about the attack on Moses Pierson’s house in the late 1700’s(teacher model and teacher-and-student model will be completed using other historical events in Shelburne); students write in chunks and then stop and discuss with peers as they go, as well as talk about next steps for their writin g piece





Assessment:

How are students doing? What are my next steps as a teacher?

• Ongoing formative assessments throughout the lessons by listening to student discourse and through reviewing graphic organizers and notebook entries
• Formatively assess narratives in chunks as they are being written
• Students self-assess against narrative rubric
• Teacher assess against narrative rubric and have individual student conferences to discuss


Next Steps: Gradual Release of Responsibility
Students will complete a culminating Shelburne’s Story scrapbook project writing reflections on our year long study. As a part of this they will write a reflective piece on what they learned about the history of Shelburne. While doing this they will use the content knowledge and some of the writing skills that were taught in this unit.

Because of the complexity of this type of writing for 3rd graders this unit will be done at the end of the school year. We will not have an opportunity to write more than one narrative. They will however write narratives again as they progress through the grade levels. The skills that were taught and practiced in this unit will hopefully be internalized and carry over for my students so that they will use and build from them in 4th grade and beyond.