Language Arts Literacy Writing Grade 1 2005-2006 Curriculum Map

Units 4-6 Revised 2/10/06

Unit
Number
Estimated Dates / 4
January/February / 5
February/March / 6
April/May
Unit Title / The Craft of Revision
The Qualities of Good Writing / Authors as Mentors
Extending Revision / Nonfiction Writing
How-To Books
Number of Lessons / 16 Lessons / 17 Lessons / 6 Lessons
Teach Sessions I – VI
Number of Days Including Assessments / Approximately 25 / Approximately 25 / Approximately 15
Plan a celebration for final day.
Big Ideas / Students learn to revise by improving their best pieces. Some ways to revise are adding detail and dialogue, changing leads and endings, and using “show, not tell”. / Students look closely at the work of one author and let that writer become a mentor. We study the writing of authors who have written “small moment” stories as well as other kinds of texts. / Students teach others to do something by writing How-To books in which they draw and tell a sequence of steps for the learner to take.
Key Content / Students:
·  add details and dialogue
·  revise by taking away
·  revise leads and endings
·  use “show, not tell”
·  learn to answer the question, “What are you working on as a writer?”
·  work with a partner to revise / Students:
·  read exemplar texts, noticing craft techniques
·  speculate about why an author uses a particular technique
·  approach a topic thinking not only about the topic but also about how to write it well
·  recognize the qualities of good writing
·  appreciate craft techniques of different authors
·  draft, revise, learn from writers, and begin new pieces
·  increase stamina
·  use a variety of strategies to tackle difficult and unfamiliar words / Students:
·  choose well-known topics for How-To books
·  plan steps in the procedure in an organized way
·  consider what readers need to know about a topic
·  plan by talking to a partner
·  draw sequence of steps across pages
·  use text features of nonfiction
·  use sight words and relevant vocabulary to write sentences
·  use upper and lower case letters appropriately
·  reread own writing and revise as necessary
Essential Questions / ·  How can I improve my writing?
·  What am I working on as a writer?
·  How can I show instead of tell?
·  How else could I write this? / ·  What can we learn about writing by studying the writing of published authors?
·  How do we write in interesting ways that connect to readers?
·  How do we confer with our peers and our teacher in order to improve our writing? / ·  What can we learn about nonfiction text features (How-To Helpers)?
·  How do we choose topics for nonfiction writing?
·  How do we write to teach others?
·  How can we organize our writing to help our reader?
Routines / Writing Workshop
·  mini-lesson (approx. 10 min.)
·  independent writing (20-30 min)
·  conferring (during independent writing)
·  after-the-workshop share (5-10 minutes) / Writing Workshop
·  mini-lesson (approx. 10 min.)
·  independent writing (20-30 min)
·  conferring (during independent writing)
·  after-the-workshop share (5-10 minutes) / Writing Workshop
·  mini-lesson (approx. 10 min.)
·  independent writing (20-30 min)
·  conferring (during independent writing)
·  after-the-workshop share (5-10 minutes)
Assessment / ·  Assessment Rubric and Checklist for The Craft of Revision
·  Student’s use of revision strategies (cutting, stapling, post-its, and re-sequencing)
·  Student conferences
·  One or more finished pieces / ·  Assessment Rubric and Checklist for Authors as Mentors
·  Student Conferences
·  One or more finished pieces / ·  Assessment Rubric and Checklist for Nonfiction Writing: Procedures and Reports
·  Student Conferences
·  One or more “How-To” books
In-house Materials / Unit 4 – The Craft of Revision
The Conferring Handbook / Unit 5- Authors as Mentors
The Conferring Handbook / Unit 6 – Nonfiction Writing: Procedures and Reports
The Conferring Handbook
Materials to be copied/prepared / Refer to CD-ROM for the following:
Ø Supply list
Ø Paper templates
Ø Assessment Rubric and Checklist for The Craft of Revision
Ø Parent letter
Ø “Ways Writers Revise” chart
Ø “Why I Revise” chart
Ø “Show Not Tell” chart / Refer to CD- ROM for the following:
Ø Supply list
Ø Paper templates
Ø Assessment Rubric and Checklist for Authors as Mentors
Ø Parent letter / Refer to CD-ROM for the following:
Ø Supply list
Ø Paper templates
Ø Assessment Rubric and Checklist for Nonfiction Writing: Procedures and Reports
Ø Parent letter
Ø “How-to Helpers” checklist
Ø Graphic Organizers
Literature / Vera B. Williams- A Chair for My
Mother
Jane Yolen- Owl Moon
Virginia Lee Burton- Mike Mulligan
Cynthia Rylant- The Relatives Came
Mem Fox- Koala Lou / Angela Johnson- Joshua’s Night Whispers
The Leaving Morning
Do Like Kyla
Ezra Jack Keats- The Snowy Day
Peter’s Chair
The Pet Show
Donald Crews- Shortcut
Night at the Fair
Bigmama’s
Joanne Ryder- My Father’s Hands
The Snail’s Spell
One Small Fish / Gail Gibbons- The Pumpkin Book
Apples

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