Unit 1: Launching a Productive Writing Workshop and Raising the Level of Narrative Writing Grade 6
Beginning and Publishing Dates: 9/7/10- 20 days
Goals: On Demand Piece - September 8, 2010- To establish clear expectations about their role in a Writing Workshop classroom (mini lesson, independent writing time, conferences)
- To use repertoire of strategies for collecting possible stories in their writer’s notebooks and not just focuson the mini lesson for that day
- To encourage students to write with volume and stamina both in school and at home (a full page of writing both at school and home)
- To look at mentor authors with a critical eye noticing the different types of craft they used in their books and trying it in their own writing
- To write a focused small moment that is meaningful by zooming in: not a bed-to-bed story (storytell vs. summarizing)
- To work with a partner by listening and giving feedback to each other in ways that support their writing
Immersion/Read Alouds / Writing Charts / Partnership Work
A Writer’s Notebook - Ralph Fletcher
Bad Boy - Walter Dean Myers
Shortcut - Donald Crews
Carrots -Adam Bagdasanan
The End of Summer - Kimberly Gorall
Marshfield Dreams - Ralph Fletcher
Speaking of Journals - edited by Paula Graham
13: Stories That Capture the Agony & Ecstasy of Being 13 or The Color of Absence About Loss Collections of short stories - James Howe /
- Develop chart of ongoing list of strategies we already learned in previous narrative unit for collecting:
- Important people in our lives
- Hobbies/interests
- First times/last times
- Important places
- Ways to Generate Ideas for Personal Narrative Writing
- Ways to Nurture Seed Idea Stories:
- Questions to ask to find Turning Points (page 21 in Raising the Quality of Narrative Writing)
- Leads we Notice in our Mentor Authors:
- Action
- Setting
- Dialogue
6. See additional charts on pg. 4-5 /
- What partners listen for during partner conversations: they listen for if it’s a small moment (a 20-minute story). Partners can ask each other what part of that moment was the most important, i.e., the hot spot.
- Deciding on “seed” vs. “watermelons”
- Giving step-by-step re-enactment of a small moment.
- Conferring with writing partner(s) to revise and edit using checklists
- Work with partner to share their draft and give feedback to each other noticing parts that are confusing.
- Writers share favorite parts of their writing today where they used mentor texts as a “jumping off” point.
Day 1: Teaching point
On demand piece – Prompt:
Say to your students, “I want to get to know you as writers. Take today’s writing workshop and write a focused personal narrative, a small moment true story, that shows what you know about writing. Write about one time when you did something particular, something you remember well so you can show off as a writer. / Day 2: Teaching point
What is a writer’s notebook?
Writers share last year’s writers’ notebooks and past experiences with their notebooks.
Writers will decorate and personalize new notebooks for the 6th grade.
Share as a read aloud- What is a Writer’s Notebook, Anyway?, from A Writer’s Notebook by Ralph Fletcher(pages 1-6) / Day 3: Teaching point
Collecting (Cycle I)
Show chart of strategies used in the past for collecting entries (i.e. lists of important people or places writers love; objects that spark a memory; etc.) See 5th grade writing curriculum guide for launching writer’s workshop and Units of Study, Book 1.
Review a different strategy during Mid-Workshop and review another one during Share at end of workshop / Day 4: Teaching point
Collecting
Model another strategy or two such as hobbies or interests. One way we can do that is by listing them inside a triangle, picking one and then jot down memories of that hobby or interest.
Practice the strategy during active engagement. Teacher adds it to the class chart and writers may or may not try it during that day’s independent writing. / Day 5: Teaching point
Collecting
Model the collecting strategy: first times/last times. Create a list of “first times”. Can begin with phrase first time …
Choose one of the first times listed and story tell what happened by zooming in like a movie in your mind.
During Active Engagement, partners try out some possible first times/last times and story tell it with partner.
Day 6: Teaching point
Choosing a Seed Idea
Writers choose a seed idea by looking over their notebook entries, touching each page, and asking themselves, “What is this moment about?”
- Can I imagine working on this piece for a while?
- What part of this moment am I writing about?
for teacher to review. / Day 7: Teaching point
Nurturing/Planning
Model one of these: story Mountain, 3 boxes, or a timeline / Day 8: Teaching point
Drafting
Writers begin to draft by looking at their story mountain or boxes to sketch across 3-pages of stapled drafting paper, asking themselves,
- What was I doing?This ensures they’ll include action.
- What was I saying or others saying around me? This ensures they’ll include dialogue.
Revising Options
- Writers go back and reread to make sure their draft makes sense, asking themselves, “Did I leave out something that’s important for the reader to know? OR “What can I add to my writing to make this part clearer for my reader?” OR “What’s really going on in this part?”
- Developing the heart of the story: Writers ask themselves while rereading their stories:
Editing
Pick one option for the mini lesson based on what the children need. Writers go back to edit their piece looking for:
Options:
- End punctuation
- Capitalization
- Paragraphs
- Punctuating dialogue
Unit of Study: Launching a Productive Writing Workshop Grade: 4 Beginning and Ending Dates: 9/9-10/7/09
Day 11: Teaching pointCollecting (Cycle II)
Model how writers get ideas for personal narratives by thinking about making a list of places they love. Choose one place
and close your eyes to remember one thing that happened there. Write out the moment in the air. / Day 12: Teaching point
Collecting
Writers get ideas for personal narratives by thinking about making a list of last times, choosing one and zooming into the moment using 3-planning boxes and developing each scene making sure to include action, dialogue, and your thoughts. / Day 13: Teaching point
Collecting
Writers get ideas for personal narratives by thinking about making a list of the first time moments. Choose one first time moment, sketch it across 3 boxes and begin to write an entry by stretching each sketch (scene) with writing.
Teach them how to story tell using their sketch. / Day 14: Teaching point
Choosing a Seed Idea
See day 6:
Writers choose a seed idea by looking over their notebook entries, touching each page, and asking themselves, “What is this moment about?”
- “Can I imagine working on this piece for a while?
- What part of this moment am I writing about?”
Nurturing/Planning
StoryMountain, 3 boxes, or a timeline
Day 16: Teaching point
Drafting
Writers begin to draft by looking at their story mountain or boxes to sketch across 3-pages of stapled drafting paper, asking themselves, “”What was I doing?” (this ensures they’ll include action). “What was I saying or others saying around me?” (This ensures they’ll include dialogue). / Day 17: Teaching point
Revising Options:
Writers reread their draft to find places where they can show, not tell their feelings.
Writing Leads to Grab the Reader’s Attention - Read aloud and share leads from Peter’s Chair, Fireflies, or Because of Winn Dixie, and/or own writer’s notebook. Discuss how leads can begin with action, setting, or dialogue.
Writers begin stories with a variety of leads and share with writing partner. / Day 18: Teaching point
Revising - More Options:
Writers need to read over their writing and check for the following items.
- Is this what I am really trying to say?
- Lead(small action, dialog, setting)
- Alternate between action, thought, and dialog
- Did I include all important points from the timeline
Editing
- Writers start a new paragraph when there is a new character, new event/idea happens, new setting, new person speaking, or when time moves forward or backward a lot.
Publish
CHARTS
Strategies for Generating Personal Narrative Writing- Think of a person, place or thing that matters to you, then list small moments you remember. Choose one to sketch and then write the accompanying story
- Think of first times, last times, or times when you realized something important. Write about one of these moments
- Think of a true strong feeling, then list small moment stories pertaining to that feeling. Choose one to sketch and then write about
- Think of true stories that your family tells and retells to each other. Write about one of those
- Keep an ongoing list of story ideas in your writer’s notebook
Questions to Ask to Find Turning Points
- First/last time you did something hard to do
- First/last time you did something you now do every day
- First/last time with a person, an animal, a place, an activity
- A time you realized something important about yourself or someone else
- A time you realized a huge change in your life almost happened
When to Use Paragraphs in Narrative Writing - Guidelines
- New character comes along
- New event happens; new idea is introduced
- New setting
- New person is speaking
- Time moves forward (or backward) a lot
Writing Unit 1: Launching a Productive Writing Workshop and Raising the Level of Narrative Writing Grade 6
Beginning and Publishing Dates: 9/7/10- Length of Study: 20 days
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