On-Demand
Writing:
Informative/Explanatory
Grades 5, 6, 8
Instructional Strategies
KVEC
BRIDGES Project
Bread / Milk / Cheese / Light bulbsOrange juice / Cookies / Tomatoes / Carrots
Matches / Dish soap / Broccoli / Turkey
Tuna / Coke / Water / Potato chips
Green beans / Crackers / Butter / Paper towels
On-Demand !
Developing Informative/Explanatory Topics
W.5.2b, W.6.2b, W.7.2b, W.8.2b
Standard Strategies for Idea Development
Informative/Explanatory
1) examples – may be hypothetical
S – statistics or numbers (should be believable)
A – anecdotes (should be believable)
F – facts (should be accepted by the audience)
E – experts (should be accepted by the audience as a credible source)
Examples should be believable.
2) causal analysis – explaining why something has happened or will happen
S – statistics or numbers (should be believable)
A – anecdotes (should be believable)
F – facts (should be accepted by the audience)
E – experts (should be accepted by the audience as a credible source)
3) process – explaining how something is done or how to do something
S – statistics or numbers (should be believable)
A – anecdotes (should be believable)
F – facts (should be accepted by the audience)
E – experts (should be accepted by the audience as a credible source)
4) description/definition
5) comparison/contrast
Situation/Task Summary – A principal is wondering why students are not eating in the cafeteria.
Dear Mrs. Smith,
On the intercom this morning you asked why kids were not eating in the lunchroom. I know something about that.
We only get a few minutes for lunch, and it takes a while to get to the cafeteria. When we get there, we don’t have much time to eat. I can eat fast. When I compete with my brothers to see who can eat the most the fastest, I always win. Sometimes even I have trouble eating all of my lunch.
We don’t get much to eat either. I thought maybe the older kids got more food, but they don’t. If I get hungry, I can only imagine how some of the 8th grade football players feel at the end of the day.
The food is not very good. My mom doesn’t always put the greatest food on the table, but I will eat it. My mom always says she loves me because I’ll eat anything, even her cooking. I have to tell you that there have been days at school I haven’t been able to eat some things. In some cases, I didn’t even know what it was. Things were better last year.
These are some reasons why kids aren’t eating at school. You can check this out at the cafeteria every day.
Situation/Task Summary – A principal is wondering why students are not eating in the cafeteria.
Dear Mrs. Smith:
I think you’re a great principal. I believe you always want what is best for our school. I know you want students to be able to learn and that you believe eating well helps that happen. I have listened to you on the intercom every day telling students they need to go through the lunch line. I think you need some facts about the problems in the cafeteria.
First, many students don’t go through line because they won’t have time to eat if they do. It takes our class 4 minutes to get to the cafeteria on a good day. When we get there, we’ve had to wait at least 5 minutes to get to the actual food. Then it takes our class of 32 kids at least 4 minutes to get served, and that’s if the lunch ladies are having a good day. Five minutes before we have to leave the lunchroom, our class is called to come throw our trash away. Let’s do the math. On a good day, we’ve had to spend 18 of our 25 minutes of eating time doing something besides eating. Kids who bring food with them have approximately 15 minutes to eat. Kids who go through line have approximately 7 minutes.
Even for kids who are willing to stand and wait in line, there are other problems. The food itself is terrible. The cafeteria is not well heated or air conditioned. That means that food that should be hot will be cold in winter and food that should be cold in summer will be hot. On Fridays, my friends look forward to getting ice cream. This year, ice cream has become ice milk, and even my friend Mike, who will try to eat anything, has had a difficult time trying to lap up a watery ice cream sandwich. Hamburgers—another favorite food—are tough and burned. Some of the buns have been moldy, and the French fries have not been cooked long enough. Some of the chicken nuggets have been filled with air instead of chicken, and the meatloaf, which used to one of our school’s best foods, is now made out of something I’m not sure is even meat.
Another food-related issue is the size of the portions. Hamburgers, which used to fit the standard buns, are now about the size of a snack-size candy bar. Every day we have hamburgers, my friends and I always check the bun to see if we actually have meat in there. With the miniscule hamburger, we get three to four French fries, each about the diameter of a pencil. The serving size of chicken nuggets is now three, and we are no longer permitted to get seconds of anything. With such a limited food supply, we get hungry around 1 p.m. and endure shooting hunger pangs until we can get home. We’re not getting enough to eat, and we are miserable.
After the first two weeks of school, I had lost seven pounds. Most people would call me skinny anyway, and my mom said I was beginning to look emaciated. We decided that I would have to start bringing my lunch. Every day now, I bring milk, an apple or banana, a sandwich, and a cookie. If I’m really fast, I can manage to eat all of it before we have to go back to the room. In my homeroom, there are 32 kids, and 22 of those kids are now bringing lunch. At the beginning of the year, everyone in the class was eating in the cafeteria. I am guessing that most of the rooms in the school are like my homeroom. The quality and quantity of food and not having enough time to eat are all legitimate reasons for students not eating the school’s food. I hope this letter will help you understand why students are not eating in the cafeteria. Thank you for reading my letter.
Antonia
Writing situation:
Your class read an article last week about Random Acts of Kindness. While several of your classmates enjoyed the article and applaud what people have done for others, some students stated that they couldn’t think of anything they could do for people they know.
Writing directions:
Write an article for your class newsletter, explaining how every student could do Random Acts of Kindness every day for almost everyone they meet. As you give suggestions of “kind” acts, be sure to explain why these actions would improve lives.
Make Their Day
“But I don’t have time to do anything else!” One of the most frequent excuses people give for not helping others is not having enough time. For most of us, that’s only an excuse. Most of us could work in Random Acts of Kindness as a part of our regular day and not spend any extra time. I can show you how to do kind things while you’re doing normal things, and I also promise that you won’t have to spend any money. Read on for easy ways to do Random Acts of Kindness every day.
A Happier Home
First, words are free. You can make other people feel better about themselves just by saying positive words. Start your day by telling your big brother he looks cool. If he tries to start an argument, agree with him even if it hurts. You’re being kind to the people who would have to listen to the two of you yell at each other. Next, compliment your little sister’s hair. It doesn’t always look great, but she works hard on it. Finally, tell your mom “thanks” for taking time to fix breakfast. She may not be the greatest cook in the world, but she tries.
A Better Breakfast
At breakfast at school, you will find many opportunities to be kind. You can make people feel the world is a better place just by doing little things for them in the cafeteria. Let someone you don’t know well or don’t like very much get in line in front of you. Then, be ready to lend a hand to anyone who needs help. It’s hard to juggle a plate and milk and anything extra, so offer to help somebody. You will also find many opportunities to pick up things that have been dropped or spilled. By the time you finish breakfast, it will be 8 a.m., and you will probably already have done 10 Random Acts of Kindness.
A Kinder Classroom
When you get to your room, ask your teacher how she is doing. Then, if you can sound as if you mean it, tell her she looks nice today. Next, offer to shelve books, straighten papers, clean the board, or pass out papers. If you aren’t in the habit of volunteering, she may give you a funny look. Volunteer anyway. Your teacher will feel better about her job and about you.
As the school day goes on, through every class, just keep watching for opportunities. You may be able to loan a pencil, find a book, or help a friend with a math problem. Another way you can be kind is to defend someone who’s being criticized or attacked for no good reason or to defend someone who is being picked on. All of these opportunities will qualify as Acts of Kindness, and you will have made life better for several people.
A Terrific Trip
On the bus going home, you could let someone sit by the window or by the aisle. You could also help little kids get up the steps. Have you ever noticed how big those bus steps seem to short, little legs? In addition, you could help little kids take their backpacks off so they can sit in the seats more comfortably. The next kind thing you could do is help students who are trying to get ready to get off gather up their stuff, and tell the other kids to keep their feet and belongings out of the aisle so kids won’t trip as they try to get off.
More Helpful Hints
Finally, you don’t have to stop being kind when you get home. First, offer to fix your little sister a snack when you fix your own. Then you can shock your older brother by telling him he can get on the Internet first. While he’s playing on the computer, go out and get some fresh air, and while you’re in the yard, rake some leaves and pick up some stray branches. If you decide to walk down the road, you can offer to take your neighbor’s dog for a walk. You will make other people and yourself feel good.
To sum up, Random Acts of Kindness are easy to find and do. Basically, you go through a day and just look for opportunities to help people. Most of you probably do many of the things mentioned in this article anyway. Just do more! You’ll feel better about yourself, and the people you have to deal with every day will feel better too. A few minutes of effort a day can generate many hours of positive energy. And more than likely, those people you have helped will turn around and help other people!
On-Demand !
Transitions
A. Hilterbrand Strategies for Teaching Informative Writing 23
W.5.2c, W.6.2c, W.7.2c, W.8.2c
Adding a similar point
also
another
finally
first
furthermore
in addition
last
moreover
next
one
second
to begin with
Adding examples
for example
for instance
including
specifically
such as
Comparison
alike
just as
just like
likewise
resemble
similar
Contrast
although
but
conversely
despite
differs from
even though
however
in contrast
instead
nevertheless
on the other hand
unlike
yet
Cause and effect
accordingly
as a result
because
cause
consequently
due to
effect
reason
result
so
therefore
thus
A. Hilterbrand Strategies for Teaching Informative Writing 23
Wash the door handles every day.
Put soap dispensers by every classroom door and the front doors.
Put up posters, reminding kids not to eat and drink after each other.
The nurse could give out zinc tablets.
Kids who sneeze should cover their mouths with their arms.
Teachers could spray disinfectant in their rooms.
When the weather is warm enough, open windows to let germs out.
Always be sure the soap dispensers in the restrooms aren’t empty.
Kids could remind each other to wash their hands.
Put water instead of pop in the machines. Caffeine can reduce immunity to infections.
Clean the keys on the computers often.
Give kids fresh fruit as dessert during the winter months.
Spray books and backpacks with disinfectant.
Encourage kids to use straws instead of drinking directly out of the milk cartons.
Every time a kid blows his nose, he should throw the tissue away and use Purell or something else like it.
At the end of the day, spray students’ desks with disinfectant, and let the students clean their desks.
If students already have colds, don’t put their coats and bookbags in with everyone else’s.
Encourage all the kids to take vitamins.
Tell the cafeteria ladies to serve fruit or fruit juice.
On-Demand !
Idea Development Strategy: Cause/effect
W.5.2b, W.6.2b, W.7.2b, W.8.2b
Read the situation and directions. Then either make up your own topic sentence or choose one listed below and write a paragraph of at least five sentences, developing the idea.
Writing situation:
Your school is taking part in National Safety Week. During this time, students will focus on safety issues at school.