READ 7140 A, Barnes, Su 2008 2
Interdisciplinary Writing Unit Components for READ 7140
Tonja Root, Ed. D.
Introductory Material/Information on Writing Unit for Both Genres/Modes
I. Grade Level: 2nd grade
II. Student Characteristics and Individual Differences:
· School System and School
§ Your name and grade level Heather Barnes 2nd Grade______
§ Name of school system _Lanier County School System______
§ Name of school _Lanier County Elementary School______
· School’s Student Characteristics
o Students
§ _440___ Number of boys
§ _398___ Number of girls
§ 4-11__ Age range
o Ethnicity (number of students)
§ 258_ African American
§ _12_ Asian American
§ _0__ Native American
§ _19_ Hispanic
§ 549__ Caucasian
§ _0___ Other
o Reading Achievement (Give percentages.)
§ Based on: CRCT______
§ _20___ % Above-average or advanced skill level
§ _55__ % Average or intermediate skill
§ _25___ % Below average skill level
o Writing Achievement (Give percentages.)
§ Based on: GA Writing Assessment______
§ _25___ % Above-average or advanced skill level
§ __50__ % Average or intermediate skill
§ _25___ % Below average skill level
· Classroom’s Student Characteristics
o Students
§ _8___ Number of boys
§ _8___ Number of girls
§ 7-8__ Age range
o Ethnicity (number of students)
§ _4_ African American
§ ____ Asian American
§ ____ Native American
§ _2__ Hispanic
§ _10_ Caucasian
§ ____ Other
o Reading Achievement (Give percentages.)
§ Based on: __ CRCT ______
§ _30___ % Above-average or advanced skill level
§ _48___ % Average or intermediate skill
§ _22__ % Below average skill level
o Writing Achievement (Give percentages.)
§ Based on: __ Writing Assessment____
§ _20__ % Above-average or advanced skill level
§ 52_ % Average or intermediate skill
§ _28__ % Below average skill level
o Classroom Organization (Check as many as apply.)
§ ____ Homogeneous
§ _X___ Heterogeneous
§ ____ Self-Contained
§ ____ Team Teaching
§ ____ Departmentalized
§ ____ Parallel Block
§ List other programs:
· Individual Differences
o Students Attending Pull-Out or Supplementary Programs (number of students)
§ ____ Title I
§ ____ Reading
§ ____ Gifted
§ ____ Early Intervention Program
§ ____ Safety Net
§ List other programs:
o Language Proficiency (number of students)
§ _14___ English language
§ __2__ Bilingual
§ ____ Other languages
§ List other languages:
o Students with Individual Education Plans (IEP) (number of students)
§ ____ Blind or visual impairment
§ ____ Deaf or hearing impairment
§ _1___ Developmental delay
§ ____ Emotional or behavioral disorder
§ ____ Learning disability
§ ____ Mild intellectual disability
§ ____ Other health impairment
§ ____ Physical disability
§ ____ Speech
§ ____ Other
III. Student Interest Survey: The students will take a survey at the beginning of the year that has different kinds of questions relating to the different types of writing. It will also ask questions about favorite type of writing, why you like to write, what you like to write about, etc. This survey will be the teacher’s was of assessing the student’s internet when it comes to writing. Examples of questions: What do you like to write about? When is your favorite time to write? Is there a certain place you like to go to write? What type of writing do you prefer: informational, persuasive, response to literature, or narrative? Etc.
IV. Georgia Writing Test: Georgia’s performance-based writing assessments are administered to students in grades three, five, eight, and eleven. Student writing samples are evaluated on an analytic scoring system in all grades to provide diagnostic feedback to teachers, students, and parents about individual performance. The writing assessments provide information to students about their writing performance and areas of strength and challenge. This information is useful for instruction and preparation for future writing assessments. Rubrics are used to score students writing. Teachers collect writing samples by providing many opportunities for students to produce the various types of writing throughout the year. Third grade covers four types of writing: narrative, informational, persuasive, and response to literature. Student writing will be assessed analytically in four domains: Ideas, Organization, Style, and Conventions. Analytic scoring will provide detailed information on student writing including performance levels. For each student in the class, teachers should assemble multiple samples of writing that have been collected from a variety of classroom writing activities. At least one representative writing sample for each of the four types of writing should be collected. Teachers should rate the samples individually to determine the performance level which best represents a student’s usual performance across a variety of writing tasks and types of writing. There are three performance levels represented: Does Not Meet, Meets, and Exceeds.
Beginning of Writing Units for Both Genres/Modes
I. Genre of Writing: Narrative- Simulated Journal
II. Content Area Connections:
A. Content area:
B. Topic and/or concept:
C. Previous content area lessons:
III. English Language Arts GPS: ELA2W1 The student demonstrates competency in the writing process. The student
h. Prewrites to generate ideas orally.
i. uses planning idea to produce a rough draft.
j. Rereads to self and others, revises to add details and edits to make corrections
k. Creates documents with legible handwriting
IV. Content Area GPS: SS2H1 The student will read about and describe the lives of historical figures in Georgia history.
a. Identify the contributions made by these historic figures: James Oglethorpe, Tomochichi, and Mary Musgrove (founding of Georgia); Sequoyah (development of a Cherokee alphabet); Jackie Robinson (sports); Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights); Jimmy Carter (leadership and human rights).
V. Explanation of Terms:
Audience is who you are writing your story to.
Characters are the people in your story.
Conclusion is how your story ends.
Drafting stage is when your paper is only in the first stage and it is not ready for anyone else to read it yet. The emphasis is on the content, not grammar and mechanics. Skip lines in this stage of the writing.
Editing stage is the process of the writing stage where you will read your letter word-by-word and the writing will be put in the final form. We will be looking at the mechanics of the paper in this stage
Events are the different things that happen that make up your story.
Form is the type of writing including informational, persuasive, narrative, and response to literature
Graphic Organizer is something that is used to help you organize your thoughts and ideas
Narrative is a form of writing tells a story.
Persuasive writing is when the writer is trying to convince the reader about something. It could also argue a position and will sometimes be called “argumentative”. The main purpose of persuasive writing is to change the reader’s mind or bring the reader’s point of view closer to the writer’s point of view.
Prewriting stage is also called the getting-ready-to-write stage. There are four important things to think about when dealing with the writing process which include: choosing a topic, considering the purpose, form, and audience, and generating and organizing ideas for writing
Problem is what is going on in your story; it can be positive or negative. It is kind of like the main idea of your story.
Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as misspellings and mistakes in grammar and punctuation.
Publishing stage is where you will be sharing your story with the class, making a book or reading from the authors’ chair.
Purpose is why you are writing the story.
Revising stage is the stage where the write rereads the rough draft, shares the rough draft in a writing group, and revises on the basis of feedback received from the writing group. The writer reads, the listener compliments, the writer ask questions, the listener answers the questions.
Setting is where your story takes place. Could be time, place, weather, climate, etc.
Simulated journal is when you assume the role of a historical personality or book character and write from that person’s point of view.
Topic is what you are writing about.
VI. Pre-assessment:
For the pre-assessment prompt for narrative writing, I would have the students write a story in the point of view of the principal. I would want them to write the story as if they were living in the life of the principal for a day. This story needs to be written from the principal’s point of view and needs to tell some kind of story. I will give them blank paper and lined paper for this assignment. The blank paper is for them to use for brainstorming ideas and the lined paper will be to write the story on. The will also need a pencil and an eraser. They will be given 40 minutes to write this story
Sharing Stages of Narrative Writing, READ 7140
Grade level: 2nd grade
Content area connection
· Content area: Social Studies
· Topic and/or concept: Contributions made by Historical Figures in Georgia
· Previous content area lessons: The students will have previously learned about the contributions made by different historical leaders in Georgia.
Genre of writing
· Narrative Writing
· Simulated Journal
Stage of writing
· Prewriting
English Language Arts GPS: ELA2W1 The student demonstrates competency in the writing process. The student
h. Prewrites to generate ideas orally.
i. uses planning idea to produce a rough draft.
Content Area GPS: SS2H1 The student will read about and describe the lives of historical figures in Georgia history.
a. Identify the contributions made by these historic figures: James Oglethorpe, Tomochichi, and Mary Musgrove (founding of Georgia); Sequoyah (development of a Cherokee alphabet); Jackie Robinson (sports); Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights); Jimmy Carter (leadership and human rights).
Student Materials
Graphic organizer
Cayton, J. (2008). Story map. Unpublished manuscript, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA.
Checklist for prewriting stage
Barnes, H. (2008). Checklist for narrative simulated journal prewriting stage. Unpublished manuscript, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA.
Internet sites
A to Z kids stuff, (2008). Retrieved May 13, 2008, from A to Z Kids Stuff Web site: http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/georgia.html
Heard Elementary Academy, Georgia on my mind. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Tomochichi Web site: http://www.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us:8081/ISMF/2007/Heard/2nd%20Georgia%20on%20Our%20Minds/Geogia%20on%20our%20Mind_files/page0002.htm
Intellectual Properties Management, Martin Luther king speeches. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from MLK Online Web site: http://www.mlkonline.net/
Fact Monster, (2008). Narrative essays. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Homework Center: Writing Skills: Narrative Essays Web site: http://www.factmonster.com/homework/writingskills4.html
HowStuffWorks, (2008). History: Oglethorpe: kids' cruz. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from History: Oglethorpe Web site: http://www.kidscruz.com/HIST_O.HTM
Fact Monster, (2008). Jimmy carter. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Jimmy Carter Biography (U.S. President) Web site: http://www.factmonster.com/biography/var/jimmycarter.html
Fact Monster, (2008). Jackie Robinson biography (baseball player). Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Jackie Robinson Web site: http://www.factmonster.com/biography/var/jackierobinson.html
Fact Monster, (2008). Sequoyah. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Sequoyah- FactMonster.com Web site: http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0844467.html
Teacher Materials
Scoring Rubric
Barnes, H. (2008). Rubric for narrative stimulated journal writing for prewriting stage. Unpublished manuscript, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA.
Internet Sites and Books
Hochman, S. H. (2007, August 22). The Carter center. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Jimmy Carter-biography of the 39th president of the United States Web site:http://www.cartercenter.org/news/experts/jimmy_carter.html
The Nobel foundation, Nobleprize.org. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Martin Luther King-biography Web site: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html
Golden Ink, (2008). Our GA history. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from James Oglethorpe Web site: http://ourgeorgiahistory.com/people/oglethorpe.html
Golden Ink, (2008). About North GA. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from Sequoyah (a.k.a. George Gist) Web site: http://ngeorgia.com/ang/Sequoyah(a.k.a_George_Gist)
Frank, A.K. (2004). History and Archaeology. Retrieved May 13, 2008, from New Georgia Encyclopedia: Mary Musgrove (ca. 1700-ca. 1763) Web site: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-688
Tompkins, G.E. (2008). Teaching writing. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
Grouping Arrangements:
Explanation of Instructional Grouping Options:
Whole Group instruction: I will be using whole group instruction for the prewriting process. The students will be completing their own graphic organizer as I complete one on the overhead projector. I will be using whole group instruction where I can model/scaffold for the students how to complete the graphic organizer and monitor their progress while they are working. I feel that this will really be within their zone of proximal development because they will see the teacher doing it and will eventually know how to do it without guidance. I will be circulating the room to make sure that all the students are filling out their graphic organizer as I do on the overhead projector. There is a lot of evidence that whole group instruction works well in the classroom. It helps keep the children interested and on task.
Independent Instruction: I will be using individual instruction after we have completed the practice activity as a class. I will be using individual instruction when the students are working on their individual story maps for their simulated journals. The teacher will monitor the students by walking around and giving individual help to students. The teacher will also be giving student’s feedback in relation to what they are currently working on.
· Explanation of Grouping Options Relating to Students’ Developmental, Cultural, and Linguistic Needs:
o Developmental: There is one student in my classroom who is below average in reading. He has difficulty in reading, but it does not seem to threaten his grades in other subject areas. He understands what is being read, but cannot physically read at the correct grade level; so this can be a hindrance to him at times. I have seated him next to a student who is an excellent reader and I allow them to partner up for reading when necessary. This helps the below average student because he is able to read with a partner and ask for help when needed; which makes him more comfortable with his reading. I encourage the below average student to try reading by himself before asking his neighbor for help or just asking for help with certain words that he is unable to read.
o Cultural: I have a few students in my classroom who are from low socio-economic statuses. These students do not have the same experiences as some of the other students in my class. Some of the other students have traveled and learned from experiences, but these children have not been able to do that. They obviously have not had the same life experiences as other students; therefore, I will have to make sure that I explain in depth what I am talking about and make sure that these students get a clear picture of what I am trying to explain. Showing pictures or using websites may help when explaining different things.