Unit 1: Writing Traits
This is the instructional section of the class where students will engage in a writing activity that encompasses pictures as a guide to wrting a story. Firstly, students will be presented with enough pictures where they are to associate several of them that relate to one theme/topic, and all other un-related images, disregarded. For example, drawings like sand, a pale, a swimsuit, a sun and sunscreen bring to mind, the beach. The point of this activity is for students to determine the main idea in order to complete a writing assignment that focuses on a central idea. Often times, students struggle with remaining on the designated topic. This activity, with its use of images allows learners to write a short story that ties in the vocabulary and events related to a day at the beach. A variation of this lesson includes using wordless picture books, where students are to identify one theme and support it with written narrative.
Unit Goals
- Students will use narrative language to describe characters, setting, things, events, actions, a scene, or facts from wordless picture books that has been viewed independently
- Students will recognize the value of writing things for people to read and will carry out their best spacing, spelling, punctuation and handwriting (in classroom) skills.
- Students will create realistic characters (real names and ages) in realistic situations
- Students will use appropriate word choice, demonstrate sentence fluency and organization
Mini Lesson: What Belongs?
This 45 minute mini-lesson is designed for student group instruction in order to ensure that students are provided with instruction that meets their assessed needs.
Step 1: Each student in a group will be given a different theme and will accurately identify drawings or images that exclusively match the designated topic. In groups of 4, students will be presented with the following images and those alike:
Lets ask ourselves.... What Belongs?
Step 2: Once students have correctly identified what belongs, they will write a short story about their topic, mindful that the focus of their writing is based on their theme: birthday, beach, or holiday. The drawings/pictures will serve as a guide to keep them on task and centered on the main idea.
Alternative Lesson
An alternative to this lesson is using wordless picture books. Students will have a selection of picture books and write an accompanying short story. This language activity will emphasize vocabulary (word choice), ideas, organization and sentence fluency. The following are a list of some picture books:
- The Boy and the Airplane by Mark Pett (Simon & Schuster, 2013)
- Rainstorm by Barbara Lehman (Houghton Mifflin Books, 2007)
- Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman
- Trainstop Barbara Lehman (2008)
Ready? Set. Write!
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