Science Unit 1 Writing Process Prompts and Daily Writing

Writing Process Tasks

After Science Chapter 1, Lesson 1- Living Things and Their Needs (RI2, RI5)

  • For each heading, identify and record the topic sentence and determine how the other sentences support or do not support the topic sentence.

After Science Chapter 1, Lesson 2- Life in the Desert

  • As a group, identify what special animal and plant adaptations are needed to survive in a desert biome. Support students in writing a topic sentence that appropriately relates to brainstormed adaptations. (e.g., Plants and animals need special adaptations to survive in a desert biome.) (W2a)
  • Students record topic sentence and one detail they select from brainstormed adaptations. (W2b)
  • Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns (L1b)

After Science Chapter 1, Lesson 3- Life in the Grassland

  • As a group identify what special animal and plant adaptations are needed to survive in a grassland biome. Support students in writing a topic sentence that appropriately relates to brainstormed adaptations. (e.g., Plants and animals need special adaptations to survive in a grassland biome.) (W2a)
  • Students record topic sentence and two details they select from brainstormed adaptations. (W2b)
  • Guide students in adding linking words and phrases to connect their two details. (e.g., also, another, and, more, but). (W2c)
  • Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions (L1h)

After Science Chapter 1, Lesson 4- Life in the Forest

  • As a group identify what special animal and plant adaptations are needed to survive in a forest biome. Support students in writing a topic sentence that appropriately relates to brainstormed adaptations. (e.g., Plants and animals need special adaptations to survive in a forest biome.) (W2a)
  • Students record topic sentence and three details they select from brainstormed adaptations. (W2b)
  • Guide students in adding linking words and phrases to connect their two details. (e.g., also, another, and, more, but). (W2c)
  • Guide students in developing and writing a concluding statement (e.g., Clearly, surviving in a forest biome requires special adaptations.) (W2d)

Student Directions

Life in the Arctic Tundra Writing Task

Part 1:

You will review your notes and sources and plan, draft, revise, and edit your writing. You may use your notes and go back to the source. Now read your assignment and the information about how your writing will be scored, then begin your work.

Your Assignment:

Your teacher is creating a bulletin board display in the school library to show what your class has learned about biomes. You decide to write an informational article on the arctic tundra. Your article will be read by students, teachers, and parents.

Develop a main idea about the arctic tundra. Choose the most important information from your source to support your main idea. Then, write an informational article that is one paragraph long. Clearly organize your article and support your main idea with details from your source. Use your own words except when quoting directly from the source. Be sure to give the source title or number when using details from the source.

REMEMBER: A well-written informational article

  • Has a clear main idea
  • Is well-organized and stays on topic
  • Has an introduction and conclusion
  • Uses transitions
  • Uses details from the source to support your main idea
  • Puts the information from the source in your own words, except when using direct quotations from the source
  • Gives the title or number of the source for the details or facts you included
  • Develops ideas clearly
  • Uses clear language
  • Follows rules of writing (spelling, punctuation, and grammar usage)

Now begin work on your informational article. Manage your time carefully so that you can

  1. Plan your informational article
  2. Write your informational article
  3. Revise and edit the final draft of your article