Introduction: Megan Hamrick
When students are good writers they are connecting to texts, being creative in their own thinking, finding the importance in texts, feeling more understood and overall becoming more independent (Dorfman). I have recently learned that in order to have students receive all the benefits of being a good writers, I must first prioritizes writing in my own life. I found myself a little nervous about how I am going to do that when I truly have never been a great writer. What I have found is, like most students, I have a fear of “not having good stories”. The methods I have learned has not only made me a better writer but boosted my confidence. I have come around to the idea of writers notebooks, because it has worked so well for me and therefore will be successful for students as well! (Buchholz).
I have come to love the idea of a writer's notebook for my future classroom because I have found so many methods to become a good writer and reasonings of why writing is so beneficial in the book Mentor Text by Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli. They have explicitly explained why teachers must be writers in order to benefit the students. “The writing community needs a teacher who is willing to take the risks in the composing process and face the same peaks and valleys that his or her students do.” (Mentor Text, pg. 12). When first reading this I realized this is not at all the way I was taught in school. I never remember my teacher writing in real time or even giving writing an important chuck of the school day. That is why as soon as I read this book I felt relieved that writing would not be the same experience I had as a child. Students should see how important writing is in the teacher’s life to then reflect how they feel about their own writing. Also, by seeing the teacher write in real time and make mistakes, it shows students they do not have to be perfect. In fact, writing should be seen as a process that is done with a community, not completely alone. Writing must start in a fun safe place to tell stories and a writer's notebook is the place to do that. Good writers feed off each other and even texts. I have come to realize that writing time is not always silent time. Not only does talking to peers through stories and strategies help create writing but also helps students connect and feel their writings are important. The goal is not just for students to write well, but have the tools to want to write and feel their thoughts are worthwhile (Buchholz).
Within this unit there are some highlighted methods found from Mentor Texts that can work well with students. Some of these lesson are paired with a mentor text which was also something fairly new to me to learn as a teacher. As strange as it seems to me now, I did not have much experience crossing texts and writings when I was a student. Now after seeing the importance of mentor texts, I cannot imagine most writings without some kind of mentor text. This is so important for students because they can model after a writer’s style in many different ways. They can use a writer's style from a whole book, or use mentor sentences, look for specific writing ideas like crafting a lead sentence, and so many more. I know this is beneficial because after reading Textbook by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, I found myself inspired in my own writing.(Rosenthal) She made me see writing in a different way than I was used to. She formatted her writing in many creative forms that inspired me to be different. It is important for students to see writing in other ways than just the traditional essay form. It can make students use their own creativity and relieves some of the writing pressures.
With everything learned about writing, it is always important to use the Gradual Release Model of Instruction. As seen below:
Image taken from:Ascd. (n.d.). Chapter 1. Learning, or Not Learning, in School. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/113006/chapters/Learning,-or-Not-Learning,-in-School.aspx
Gradual release is a model that ensures success by slowly getting students to independent writing, rather than just have students be thrown into writing. The steps simply include the teacher modeling,whole class involved in guided instruction, having peer on peer learning and finally independent writing. I often see in schools students asked to just start at the independent level, or seeing writing from their teacher (not written in real time) and then asked to write independently. This is what can lead to anxiety about writing and not help students become great writers (Mentor Texts).
Even with all the benefits of writing, there is still not a push for writing in schools. As teachers or future teachers, we have to remember the importance of writing and continue to fight for writing. This can be mean within your school, grade level, or just finding and prioritizing writing in your own classroom. Part of this reason is if writing is not tested at your grade level then other subjects such as reading and math take full control. It is important to remember all the benefits of writing both on the academic level and personal level of students when stepping into a classroom and making our own writers notebooks.
References
Buchholz, Beth. Lectures from Appalachian State University.
Dorfman, L. R., & Cappelli, R. (2017). Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6(2nd ed.). Portland, Maine: Stenhouse.
Roseenthal, A. K. (n.d.). Textbook: Not Exactly a Memoir. New York, New York: Dutton.
Features of Unit:
Group Members: Cassie Hoge, Chrissy Shoaf, Megan Hamrick, Britany Murphy
5th Grade
Whole Group
Identify:
Goals/objectives:
Students will use brainstorming ideas for future narratives using the strategies taught.
Students will pinpoint an idea to write about from previous brainstorming ideas by using the strategies taught.
Students will write a full narrative and revise using the strategies taught.
Students will foster a love for their writing notebooks.
NC ELA Standards:
W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. a. Organize information and ideas around a topic to plan and prepare to write. b. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. c. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. d. Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events. e. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. f. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. g. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, with consideration to task, purpose, and audience.
References: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/curriculum/languagearts/scos/adopted-ela-standards.pdf
Mentor Texts (10+):
“Hands” by Sarah Kay
“The Best Story” by Eileen Spinelli
“Cat in the Hat” by Dr. Seuss
“Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White
“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst
“The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend” by Dan Santat
“The Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt de la Peña
“Storm in the Night” by Mary Stolz
“Roller Coaster” by Marla Frazee
“All the Places to Love” by Patricia McLaughlin
“Enemy Pie” by Derek Munson
“Wilfrid Gordon Mcdonald Partridge” by Mem Fox
“Rainstorm” by Barbara Lehman
Writers notebook Invitation:
The goal is to make the students excited about their notebooks. It needs to be stressed that these are not for a grade but more of a place for them to vent, reflect, and be themselves in. As a teacher, your responsibility is to teach students strategies/methods they could use, give them ideas to write about, show the various forms of writing, MODEL, encourage them to share parts or all of their writings.
Launching: “Today we are going to begin our Writers Notebook. I want you all to be able to decorate the notebooks however you would like. I want them to be meaningful to you. So, when you go home today, I want you to talk to the adults at home and see if there are any pictures from home that you could bring in to use while decorating your notebooks. Tomorrow, I am going to bring out markers, crayons, construction paper, scissors, glue, and anything else you may need to help you decorate the notebook with. These writer notebooks are going to be for you. They are for you to experiment with, be creative in, challenge yourself, and react however you would like to about things within the class or even outside of the class. These notebooks are not for a grade I just want to see you involved and enjoying to write, draw, or express yourself as you would like to! Even though we have not decorated the front yet, we are going to go ahead and jump into our first writing. For our first writing, I want you to just make a list! Any type of list, it can be things you want, places you want to go or have been, a bucket list, list of colors you like, songs you like, list of your favorite things to do; literally a list of anything! If you get tired of that list or can not think of anything else to list then try starting a new list. I want writing to be seen as something everyone can do so to start it off we will be practicing even the smallest forms of writing.”
Personal Example of Writer’s Notebook:
Brainstorming Lessons: Lesson 1
Students have such a hard time finding anything interesting to write about. This is one activity to help brainstorm ideas before picking a story to write about.
Hook: Have students listen to the poem "Hands" by Sarah Kay to start off lesson. Re-read the poem and ask students to think about their own hands and possible memories they think of that come to mind.
Purpose: Students will begin to think about stories from their own lives.
Brainstorm: Ask students to share with the class idea that came they thought of while listening to the poem.
Model: Draw a hand on the board to demonstrate to students all the stories that come to mind about your life. Have students draw their hand in their notebooks and feel free to write anything that comes to mind while sharing. Remember it is important to show students writing in real time. Once you have made your own hand- circle parts that could later turn into real stories. Saying things like "this part is really important to me and a great memory but I am not confident that I can turn that into a good writing piece" to model for students. Or “I am going to write a few things to the side about this story because I have so much to say about it.”
Share/Guided Writing: Ask students to get into groups either at their tables or different groups of your choice and continue to work on their hands. At this time make it clear to students to talk to one another and share ideas. Model how to engage while students are talking. Encourage students to write any ideas that come to mind while other students are sharing. This activity shows students that writing time is not always quiet time. It also shows students that being inspired by other writers ( like their classmates) is what all writers do.
Reflection: Ask students to reflect this strategy and share as a whole class.
Did this strategy help spark ideas?
Did this help you think of stories you have never thought of until now?
Resources: Dr. Beth Buchholz from Appalachian State University. Format inspired by Mentor Texts by Lynne R. Dorfman and Rose Cappelli
Example Writing:
Brainstorming lesson: Lesson 2
Good Stories come from the Heart
Hook: Begin by asking students “What makes a good story?” Talk as a group and write answers on the board for everyone to see. Wrap up the discussion and read the book The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli (a video read aloud of this book can be found here). After reading, talk with students about what kinds of writing topics can come from the heart and write those on the board. Encourage students to choose broad topics.
Purpose: Sometimes, we get this thing called writers block, and it happens to everyone. When we get writers block, it seems very difficult to come up with something to write about. We just have to remember that writing comes from the heart. So today, I am going to teach you how to make a heart map. With a heart map, you can remind yourself of what is in your heart when you are searching for something to write about.
Brainstorm: Let’s think of some things that we may put in our heart map that can give us lots of story ideas. Have students share orally and then write suggestions on the board. Some examples might be sports, after school activities or clubs, family, friends, etc. Share a quick story with a few of the ideas the class comes up with. Again, remind students that these ideas need to be broad, not specific moments in their life.
Model: Draw a large heart shape on the whiteboard. Begin to write and draw symbols for things/people/places that you love (Students can include pictures or chose to leave them out). Share a story that comes from one of those ideas. I think I am going to write Family in my heart map. Oh! I also love the beach, I think I’ll add that also. That makes me think about when my parents adopted my little brother, and that summer my whole family took a trip to the beach to celebrate his birthday. It was his first time going to the beach and it was so much fun to watch him experience him seeing the ocean for the first time. See how those two broad topics helped me think of that story? Let’s try it together now.
Shared/Guided Writing: Have students get into groups of 2 or 3 to share ideas for what may go into their heart map. Some of the following questions could be used to guide the conversation: What activities do you do after school? What people do you spend a lot of time with? What are some of your favorite places to go? Have groups share a few things they came up with and write them on the board. If a student tells about a specific time where he hit a homerun during the championship baseball game, help that student to narrow the topic down to “baseball” or “sports.”
Independent Writing: Ask students to pull out their writer’s notebooks and create their own heart map. Provide a heart template for those students who may need one. Tell students that they may include pictures in their heart map if they wish. Once students finish their heart map, ask them to write a short draft using one of the topics they came up with.
Reflection: Have the students get with a partner to share their writing. Ask them to discuss the following questions: Did the heart map help you find a writing topic? What will your next story be about? Which topic do you have multiple stories for? Did listening to the ideas of your group members help you come up with your own ideas
Example Writing:
Narrowing the Focus lesson 1: Inverted Triangle
Hook: It is important to know how to find a topic that you can use to write about that is not too broad. Sometimes broad topics can make it difficult to focus on the point of our stories. Read Drawn Together by Minh Le and have children decide what the focus of the story may be. Have children think about how the author may have come to the decision to write about such a small part of his life, in such an important story.
Purpose: The activity we are about to do helps us take a big idea and and lessen the amount of information until we get to the main point that you want to write about. This story is going to be something that no one else can ever write. Your story is going to be original. There will be no other stories like yours in the entire world. This activity will help you create a topic that is personal to you. You can start with something like your couch at home and then add stories that give the “inside scoop” on a memory you have that the thinking of the couch may have sparked. Today’s “I can” statement will be “I can structure a story using the inverted triangle strategy to create a story topic that is personal to me.”
Brainstorm: Teacher will write five things in a list that may be good topics to use for her inverted triangle. As Mentor Text states, these five things will be possible “seeds” for growing a story around a more specific topic. (weather, vacation, school, my house, Grandmas)
Model: An inverted triangle can be used to help us focus on a specific topic to write about. Read Wilfrid Gordon Mcdonald Partridge by Mem Fox. Draw an inverted triangle. Start with what kinds of things Mem Fox could have began with. (His house, Neighbors, Memories) and then lesson the topics until you read what his story was about. (Neighbors → Nursing home → Miss Nancy → Finding Miss Nancy’s memory at the nursing home) Teacher will then create an inverted triangle of her own. She may start with weather→ rainy days→ going to the lake → the first time I rode a boat on the lake in the rain.
Shared Writing: Now make your own inverted triangle. Start with a topic that you can narrow down. You can start with some of the ideas you have been given, or something that you have chosen on your own. Teacher should circulate the room to help children narrow down their topics. Teacher may ask scaffolding questions to get students to a more specific topic. If students are struggling teacher can do one or two more topics from their list to help students better understand the end goal. Have students share their inverted triangles with a partner or with the class. They may use the document camera to show their inverted triangle. Students can write multiple inverted triangles using a previous list they have made, their heart maps, or ideas that have just come to mind.
Write: After students have created a few triangles, encourage the students to write a flash draft one or more of the narrowed down topics they have chosen. Make sure the students are giving the “inside scoop” on their topics. “Anyone can write about rain, but only you can write about the time the rain did this at this time.”
Reflection: Have students share with their table partners or their writing groups about the topic they have just completed a flash draft on. Have the students also explain their inverted triangle and how they got to the story that they chose to write about. Have the student ask the writer questions like; Would you have ever decided to write about this without your inverted triangle? Does the inverted triangle help you produce more meaningful stories?Do you think you can use the inverted triangle in other ways?
Example:
Narrowing the Focus lesson 2:
Adding Details using Pictures
Hook: Today, we are going to read a book with no words, only pictures. We are going to look at the pictures and add our own words using as much detail as possible. This book is called Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman. (Here are a couple examples of students doing this with the book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhwSHiVfl7M, https://vimeo.com/23378241)
Purpose: Sometimes when we write, we forget to add important details that make our stories interesting. Many times, the events between the beginning and end of a story end up sounding like a list. When we visualize our story in our minds, it helps us to remember what things were appealing to our senses at that time. Once those things are fresh in our mind again, we can turn those pictures into details in our stories.
Brainstorm: Let's look at one picture from the book Rainstorm. What do you think the main character is thinking? What does he see, hear, smell, touch, taste? Have students talk about this in partners and then have them share their thoughts with the whole group. Write all student’s responses on the board. Some possible student responses may include:
He might be thinking about what he is going to do since he can’t go outside
He sees the raindrops splash on the ground. He sees his breath on the cool window.
He may hear thunder, maybe it’s a thunderstorm.
He might smell soup coming from the kitchen.
He feels the splintery wood on the window pane.
Do this with a couple more pages from the book and continue to write student responses on the board.
Model: Using the student responses, write a detailed paragraph describing what is happening in the picture:
“I heard a loud crack of thunder as I made my way to the window. I placed my hands on the wooden, splintery window sill and peered outside. I watched the huge raindrops splash on the ground as my breath fogged up the window. What can I do today if I can’t go outside? I thought to myself.”
Shared/Guided Writing: Have the students find a partner. Using the sensory observations that students came up with on the other pages or using a different page of their choice, instruct students to form a detailed paragraph. Have a few pairs share when everyone is finished.
Independent Writing: Instruct students to choose a topic from their writers notebook and visualize the story in their minds. Remind them to think about what they were seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling at the time.
Reflection: When students finish their independent writing, come together as a whole group and discuss the following questions:
Did reading a book with no words help you to visualize what was happening in the story?
What would our writing be like without sensory details?
Do you think sketching a story line before hand will help you to add more details to your writing? Why or why not?
Dorfman, L. R., Cappelli, R., & Hoyt, L. (2017). Mentor texts: Teaching Writing Through Children’s literature, k-6 (2nd ed.). Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
Lehman, B. (2007). Rainstorm. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Example:
Narrative Writing Craft and revision lesson 1: Crafting a Lead Sentence
Hook: The first sentence of your story will be the sentence that catches the reader’s attention and makes them want to read more. The lead sentence is powerful! We can use mentor text like Charlotte's Web and The Cat in the Hat to give us some good examples of what a good lead sentence may look like. Even books like Beekle, which starts off with “He was born on an island where imaginary friends were created. Here they lived and played each eagerly waiting to be imagined by a real child. ” leaving readers wondering who he was, and The Last Stop on Market Street provide good examples of a strong lead sentence to start off stories.
Purpose: Today I am going to show you guys how you can borrow some books from your favorite authors to help your stories have strong lead sentences. Lead sentences provide a hook for your readers. Your first sentence should be a sentence that captures the reader's attention and makes them want to read more. Some authors start their book off with the setting, some the weather, and some a normal sentence that leaves readers wondering. There are TONS of different ways for authors to form a “perfect” lead sentence. Today we are going to form a lead sentence that helps the reader visualize the setting that the character is in.
Write the first sentence from the Cat in the Hat with three words that describe the setting underlined.
“The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house, all that cold, cold, wet day.”
The students will take a minute to make a list (which they have learned to do) of ways they can describe the weather or setting of a place. They can use places, describing words, nouns, or adjectives. Including but not limited to:
home rainy flowering
cold brisk windy
freezing dawn twilight
sunny cloudy colorful
bright afternoon beautiful
Model: Now write a sentence like the one from the mentor text using forms of the words from your list. This should have your own twist to it.
The sun only shined. It was too hot to play. So we sat in the house on that hot, blistering day.
The trees did not blow and the clouds did not cover. It was too hot to spend any time outside of the house.
Shared/Guided writing: Have the students make their own sentences using the lead The Cat in the Hat. Have students work for a few minutes. Allow a student or a few students time to share and then allow students to continue writing. This will help students form ideas to write sentences for their text. Students may also choose to work in partners to share ideas and gain ideas from their peers.
Independent Writing: Students will independently form their own leads to a piece of work that has already been written. Students will add a lead that includes the setting or words to describe the setting.
Reflection: Go around the room and allow children to share their lead sentences with their classmates. Then think about:
Did the way your peers start their text leave you wanting to read more?
How did using mentor text help you begin your stories?
Do you think adding a strong lead made your text more appealing to you?
Did the words you use help you/the reader picture the moment?
Ending: Have the students think of a book that they like that has a good hook and submit it for a TOTD. If students cannot think of one, have them write why they think this activity could be important.
Example:
Narrative and Writing Craft Lesson 2: Appealing to Senses
Hook: There are tons of ways to engage your audience in your writings! Today, we are going to read “Storm in the Night” by Mary Stolz. As I read, I want you to listen and jot down characteristics of the story that draws your attention. After I finish reading the book, I want you to discuss with your neighbor some of the characteristics that you listed out. Once they have finished discussing, create a list on the board of all the different characteristics they noticed throughout the book. Draw attention to how the author appeal to senses throughout the text.
Purpose: Writers, today we are going to focus on improving our writings by using senses within our stories. Senses include seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling, and smelling. We are going to learn how to include and identify these senses and then try to incorporate them into one of our writings in our WN to strengthen it and make it more appealing to the audience!
Brainstorm: Take a couple minutes to pull sentences from the text that appeal to one of the senses. Write the sentence and sense it appeals to in a chart.
Example:
Sense:
“They were in the dark. Except for Ringo’s shining mandarin eyes and the carrot- colored flames in the wood stove…” (pg5)
“Grandfather was big and bearded.” (pg 9)
See
“Thunder like mountains blowing up.” (pg5)
“Grandfather had a voice like a tuba.”(pg9)
“In the house a door creaked. A faucet leaked.” (pg10)
“Ping, ping, ping, ping, ping….”(pg12)
Hear
“Thomas had a chin as smooth as a peach.” (pg9)
“The air smelled peppery and gardney and new.” (pg17)
Smell
“Thomas stroked his cat and said nothing.”(pg25)
“Well, I lay there shivering at every clap of thunder…”(pg23)
“...holding his cat close.”(pg18)
Feel
Taste
Model: Model for the students a how to add these senses into sentences.
After students have practiced identifying the senses, show students how to add sensory words into text.
Example:
“The cat meowed”. - The big, fluffy, orange cat meowed. (see)
“It was a normal day…”- It was a bright and sunny day as the wind blew. (see/hear)
It was a dark rainy day and the gust of wind sent tree limbs crashing to the ground.” (see/hear)
“The band played so loud that you could hear them a mile away.”- The thump of the drums and melody of the trumpets could be heard a mile away as the band played.
Shared/Guided Writing- Read a piece from your writers notebook. List the senses on the board. Next to the senses, try to come up with words of phrases that could be added into the text at certain parts to make the increase the sensory in the story. Ask and prompt the students questions to make them think. For instance, “In the part, I I stated that the water was gorgeous. What are some senses we could use to describe the water or the weather and temperature?”
Independent Writing- Give the students the opportunity to work on one of their writings out of their WN. Challenge them to use sensory words to make the story more appealing and engaging for their audience. Students may want to include these sensory words on sticky notes and add them in at a later time, or try an alternative method to strengthen their writing instead of senses.
Reflection- Give students time to share with a partner some of the changes that they made or feelings they had towards adding senses into their text? Was it challenging? Do you think it strengthened you writing? What do you like/not like about it? Some students may want to share some of their revisions with the class.
References:
Dorfman, L. R., & Cappelli, R. (2017). Mentor texts: Teaching writing through children’s literature, K – 6 (2nd ed.). Portland, Maine: Stenhouse
Before Strategy:
After Strategy
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