Writing Workshop Mini-Lesson Template
Unit of Study: Narrative Writing/Repeating words
Mentor Text: Saturday and Teacakes
* It’s important to have previously read the book Saturday and Teacakesto the class and to also have a sample story that you have written that doesn’t include repeated words or phrases.
Connection / Yesterday we learned about… writing using repeated phrases to add interest to our stories.Today I’m going to teach you about/how to… write using phrases that repeat the same word(s)several times.
Teaching / Now I’m going to show you how to….use phrases that repeat the same word several times. [Look at specific pages in Saturdays and Teacakes…1) “pedal, pedal, pedal – pages 3-4 with child riding bicycle past fence and horses; 2) “pedal, pedal, pedal” – pages 7-8 with child sitting under tree with dog and bicycle; 3) “criiick-craaack-criiick-craaack” on p. 9-10 and 13-14; 4) “mixed and mashed and mixed and mashed” on p. 19-20.]
Now that we saw how Lester Laminack used repeating words and phrases in his writing, let me show you how I can use that in my writing. [Show students your writing on chart paper. Demonstrate where you might add repeated sounds or actions to emphasize something that was hard to do or which took a long time.]
Active Involvement / Now it’s your turn to try….Look through your writing notebook and find one of your stories. [Give students time to find a story] Turn/talk to your partner and share a word or words that you would like to repeat several times so that you can add more interest to your story.
Link / Today I taught you how to…write using a phrase that repeats a word severaltimes to add interest to our stories.
When you go off to write today, and every time you write, you’re going to…try to include using a repeated phrase, such as a word that is repeated several times in order to add interest to your story.
Teaching Share / After students write independently, have a few students come up to share who have been observed using this craft correctly in their writing.
Notes / --For older students, provide additional examples
--Use an action word (falling, falling, falling or shiver, shiver, shiver)
--Extend lesson to Shared Writing and have students help put in the repeated word
--Extend into Shared Reading
--Use Saturday and Teacakesfor many other crafts (audible, visual, etc.)
Tammy Dudley ‘09