Teacher Work Sample - TEAL | USU · Page 1 Updated 8/12/16 Teacher Work Sample ECE/ELED October 3,...
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TeacherWorkSample
ECE/ELEDOctober3,2017
TableofContents
LearningContext…………………………………………………………………………………….…………….……….2FocusStudents……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6Lessonplans…..………………………………………………………………………………………………………………8
Pre-Assessment………………………………………………………………………………………..………..8Lessonplan1:CausesoftheAmericanRevolution—WritingHooks………………….10Lessonplan2:CausesoftheAmericanRevolution—KeyIdeas…..…………………….19Lessonplan3:CausesoftheAmericanRevolution—ConclusionParagraph………22Post-Assessment……………………………………………………………………………………………….24
ReflectionandEvaluation………………………………………………………………………………………….…31
1. LearningContext:
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Schooldistrict:LoganCityDistrict
Nameofschool:BridgerElementary
Title1school?Yes
Demographicsofschool:
BridgerElementarySchoolisanelementaryschoolthatinstructsgradesK-5.Theschoolislocatedat1261North400WestinLogan,UT.ThefamiliesthatarelocatedintheboundaryofBridgerElementarytendtohavealowerSocio-EconomicStatus(SES)thanthesurroundingareas.Parentinvolvementinthisschoolisnothigh;manyparentsworkandcan’tvolunteerduringtheschoolday.BridgerElementarycanimproveontheirattendancerate;manystudentsdonotattendschool.AccordingtotheUtahEducationPACE2015-2016,BridgerElementaryhasachronicabsenteeismat22%.AtBridger,387studentsoutof671(57.68%)areonfreelunch,with74studentsbeingonreducedlunch(11.03%).Intotal,68.70%ofstudentsareonfreeorreducedlunch.
*Resource:DataGateway,UtahStateBoardofEducation.Surveyed31,Oct.2017.
*Resourceforthefollowingdata:DataGateway,UtahStateBoardofEducation.Surveyed2016-2017.
Thetotalenrollmentofstudents:630
NumberofTeachers:31
%Endorsed:96.9%
%GradDegree:34.4%
EnrollmentbyGrade
GradeK:111
Grade1:114
Grade2:114
Grade3:111
Grade4:102
Grade5:78
EnrollmentbyEthnicity
AmericanIndian:15
Asian:14
Black:24
Caucasian:311
Hispanic:236
MultiRace:13
PacificIslander:17
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EnrollmentbyGender
Female:285
Male:345
SubgroupPercentages
EconDisadv:74.9%
ELL:24.8%
EthnicMinority:50.6%
SpecialEd:13.8%
Descriptionofschoolclimate:
BridgerElementarySchoolhastheirownschoolmissionstatement;theirmissionstatementis:toLearn,toLead,toSucceed!Bridgerisadiverseschoolthatfocusesonlearninganddevelopingleadershipqualitiesinbothstudentsandadults.BridgerElementaryisa“LeaderinMe”school;leadershipvaluesaretaughtandexpectedfromthestudentsandteachers.Theschoolfocusesonusingthe7Habits;thesehabitshelpthemtobetheirverybest.Inadditiontoaschoolwidemissionstatement,eachclasshaspreparedtheirownmissionstatement.Atthebeginningoftheschoolyear,studentsandteachersdesignedtheirownpersonalclassmissionstatement.Themissionstatements—bothschoolandclass—arerecitedeverymorning.The7habitsarealsorepeatedeachmorningtohelpstudentsremembertheirimportance.
AllstaffmembersmeetweeklyatProfessionalLearningCommunity(PLC)meetingstodiscussupcominglessonplans,questions/concerns,anddifferentassessmentsthattheyareusingintheclassroom.Throughoutthemeeting,teachersareencouragedtofollowanagendatokeepontrack,andtoensurethattheydiscusseverytopicneeded.TeachersalsomeetweeklywithaninstructionalcoachforITMmeetings.DuringITMmeetings,thegradeteamgoesoverstudentdata,andhowtofocustheirinstructiononmeetingindividualstudentneeds.Teachersdonothaveinstructionalaides;intheirdailyschedule,theyhavetimesetasidefortierIIandtierIII.FromtheinteractionsthatIhaveobserved,thestaffatthisschoolisveryfriendlyandseemtohaveagoodsupportsystem.
Gradelevel:5th
Learningenvironment:
Theattendancerateformy5thgradepracticumclassis94.7%.Mostofourclassattendsclassdaily;however,therearesomestudentswhomissclassregularly.Forexample,Sallyastudentinmypracticumclass,hasmissedmanydayssincetheschoolyearstarted.Shehasmissed13daysoutof38,with5tardies;mostoftheseabsenceshappenedduringthefirstcoupleofweeksofschool.Mrs.ThomastalkedwithSallyabouttheimportanceofcomingtoschooleachday—andbeingontime—andthatiswhenherattendancestartedrising.
Regardingclassacademics,manystudentsneedadditionalsupportonreading.Outofthe30students,20studentsfallintothethreecategories:barelyatbenchmark,belowbenchmark,wellbelowbenchmark.Manystudentsneedindividualizedandintense
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readinginstruction.Toaccomplishthis,RewardsProgram,Precision,andReadingAtoZarebeingincorporatedintotheclassroom.Inmath—withthedatathatiscurrentlyavailable—moststudentsareatgradelevel.
EachmorningMrs.Thomas—mycooperatingteacher—greetsherstudentsbythedoor.Shesayseachstudent’snameastheywalkintotheclassroomdoor.Studentshavepracticedtheirroutinesenoughthattheyknowwhattheyneedtodo.Thereisaclassroomschedulepostedtothewhiteboardthatinformsthestudentswhattimetheyaredoingcertainactivities.Mrs.Thomashasherclassroomrulespostedonthewall,alongwiththe7Habitsthattheschoolencourages.Eachmorningthestudentsrecitetheschoolmissionstatement,PledgeofAllegiance,theclassroomrules,the7Habits,andtheirclassmissionstatement.
Studentengagementseemstocomeandgowiththisclass.Somedaysthestudentsareontaskandareinvolvedwiththelessonstheentireday.Otherdays,thestudentsareofftask,andcan’tquiteseemtocomebacktothelesson—nomatterhowengagingtheitis.Overall,thereisroomforimprovementwithstudentengagement.Thestudentsaremoreengagedduringthemorningcomparedtotheafternoon.Thisschoolonlyhas1recessbreak(duringlunchtime).Severalstudentshaveexpressedwhytheyarenotengagedattheendoftheday.Moststateitisbecausetheyneedabrainbreak.Weincorporatebrainbreaksintotheafternoonschedule,buttheyareonlyaround10minuteslong.Improvingclassroommanagementskills,makingthelessonsmoreengaging,andtakingmorebrainbreaksarethestrategieswecanimplementtoseeifthestudentsaremoreengaged.
Forstudentarrangement,thestudentsdon’thavedesks.Instead,theclassisdividedinto6differentgrouptables.Eachgrouphas6students—4boysand2girls.Thestudentshaveacontainerinthemiddleoftheirtablethathastheirpencils,markers,coloredpencils,etc.Thishelpsstudentslearnaboutthewordcommunity;bothingroupsandasawhole.Studentsarealsolearninghowtotreatallmaterialskindlybecausetheymightbethenextpersontousethatcertainmaterial.
Forexternalrewards,Mrs.Thomashasthreedifferentsystemstomotivateherstudents.First,studentshavetheopportunityto“buttonup”eachday.Eachstudentstartsatnumber3(ona1-6scale).Throughouttheday,iftheyarebeingagoodexample,thentheycanbuttonuptothenextnumber.Attheendoftheday,theycancolorinachartaccordingtowhatnumbertheylandedon.Thesesquareseventuallyleaduptoanicecreamparty.Anothersystemthatsheusesisclassmoney;studentsarerewardedmoneyforbeingontaskandfollowingdirection.Thismoneycanbespentataclassroomstorethattheyhaveevery2months.Thelastrewardsystemsheusesisadailytracker.Onthewhiteboard,shehasasmileyfaceandafrownyface.Everytimethestudentsarebeinggoodshegivesthemsometallypointsunderneaththesmileyface.Whentheyareofftask,notfollowingdirections,ortalkingatinappropriatetimes,sheputstallymarksunderneaththefrownyface.Thisseemstobethemosteffectivethroughouttheday;thestudentsalwayswanttowin,andtheysometimesusesocialpressuretogettheoff-taskstudentstostartworkingagain.
Subjectmatteroflessons:SocialStudiesandInformativeWriting
Totalnumberofstudents:30
Studentswithspecialneedsandshortexplanationoftheneeds:
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WithIEPs:4
MostIEPplansinthisclassfocusonreadingskills.Onestudentreceivesspeech/languageservices(discussedbelow).Anotherstudentisata4thgradereadinglevel.Hergoalistoread4thgradeleveltextat80wordsperminutewith95%accuracy;sheiscompletingthesegoalsandwillmostlikelytestoutofherIEPintheupcomingmonth.Anotherstudentneedsadditionalsupportwithdecodingandphonicsskills.Hisgoalistomasterbasicphonicskillsinordertodecodewordsandtoaccessgradelevelcurriculum.ThelaststudentonanIEPneedsadditionalsupportwithmathandsocial/emotionalskills.Tohelphimachievehisgoals,groupsareadjusted,thereareminimizeddistractions,specialseating,andanyadditionalacademicsupport.Thisstudenttendstohaveautistictendencies,andcan’tstayontaskforthemajorityoftheschoolday.
Studentswhoreceivespeech/languageservices:1
Katherinereceivesadditionalinstructiononreadingcomprehension;hergoalistoscore80%orhigherwithreadingcomprehensionassessment.Tohelpherachievethisgoal,weadjustgroupingandreadtestaloudtoher(whenneeded).
Englishlanguagelearners:4
Outofthe4ELLstudents,only1isbeingpulledoutoftheclassroomtoreceiveadditionalinstruction.Alltheotherstudentsunderstandenoughofthelanguage/vocabularytermstocomprehendthecontent.
Giftedandtalented:0
Other(e.g.,504plans--pleasespecify):0
Students’priorknowledgefortheselessons:
StudentswhohaveattendedBridgerpriorto5thgradewillrecognizetheinformativeessayformat.Tohelpteachinformativewriting,teachersdivideasinglepieceofpaperintofourdifferentareas.Thebeginningsquarecontainstheopeningparagraph,thenextsquarecontainskeyideasaboutthesubject,thethirdsquarecontainskeyideadetails,andthelastsquareistheconcludingparagraph.Togetherasawholeclass,theyhavediscussedcompareandcontrastinformativewritingusingthesameinformativewritingroughdraft.
Students’backgroundandinterestfortheselessons:
SomestudentshavenoknowledgeabouttheRevolutionaryWar.However,somestudentsdohavesomeknowledgeaboutthewar.AcoupleofstudentshavetoldmeaboutbooksandfactsthattheyhavereadabouttheRevolutionaryWar.SomeotherstudentshaveshownmeAmericanRevolutionbooksthattheyhavebeenassignedtoread.
Howdidyourknowledgeofthesestudentsandassessmentoftheirpriorknowledgeinformyourlessonplanning?
Basedoffstudents’priorknowledge,Ishouldn’thavetogointodetailabouttheinformativeessaywritingdraft.StudentswhohaveattendedBridgerElementarybeforehaveusedthisinformativewritingformat.OtherstudentswhoarenewtoBridgermightnotbeasfamiliarwiththeformat,butwehavegonethroughittogetherasaclassprior
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totheselessons.RegardingtheAmericanRevolution,thereareafewstudentswhohassomepriorknowledge.However,mostoftheclassdoesnotknowaboutthedifferenttaxacts.IplanongoingintodetailabouttheAmericanRevolution,andafewcausesofthewar.Afterassessingthestudents,Iplanongoingataratethatthestudentsarecomfortablewith.
2. FocusStudents:
Descriptionofstudent1Priorlearning:
Taylorhashadsomeexposuretoinformativeessays.Hehasseenacompareandcontrastessayinclass.Tayloralsohaspriorknowledgeofopeningparagraphs;hewasabletotellmethatthereneededtobeatleast2sentencesinaparagraph.TaylorhasnobackgroundontheAmericanRevolutionaryWar.WhenIaskedhimifheknewanyfactsaboutit,heshookhishead.
Academicability:Inreading,Tayloriswellbelowbenchmark.Heneedsimprovementonhisaccuracy,fluency,retelling,andreadingcomprehension.Taylorhasbeenreceivingintensivereadinginstruction.Regardingmath,heisbelowbenchmark.Whensubtracting,itisdifficultforhimtoregroupthenumberscorrectly.Withdivision,heisstartingtounderstandhowtodividetwo-digitdivisors.However,hehasnotmasteredtheskillyettobeongradelevel.Inscience,thestudentshavebeenlearningaboutchemicalandphysicalchanges.Regardingthissciencestandard,Tayloriswellbelowbenchmark.
Personalbackground:HeisverynewtoBridgerElementary.Hemovedinabouttwoweeksafterschoolhadstarted.TaylormovedfromHawaii,andhashadtoadjusttolivinginanew/differentenvironment.Taylorisasocialstudent—hehasmadefriendsveryquicklyhere.Helovesmath,andworkshardeveryday.Hedoesn’tevergiveup,andheisalwayspayingattentioninclass.Taylorparticipatesinclassdiscussion,anddoeswellwithpartnerandgroupwork.
Otherrelevantcharacteristics:TaylorisanEnglishLanguageLearner.Hecanunderstandmostofthevocabularythatwearediscussinginclass.BecauseheisanEnglishLanguageLearner,hehastoreadatslowerratetoensurethatheisunderstandingthetext/questions.Taylordoeswellwithclasswork—healwayscompletestheassignmentsandturnsthemin.
Influenceofallofthesecharacteristicsonyourteaching:IamgoingtoreadaloudallthearticlesandtextsthatIhandouttotheclass.Thiswillhelpensurethatallstudentshaveacompleteunderstandingofwhatthearticlessay,whatisexpectedofthem,andwhattheirassignmentis.ThiswillbenefitTaylorbecausehewillhaveabetterunderstandingofvocabularyterms,andassignmentinformation.Iamalsogoingtohavestudentsworkwithpartnersand/orgroups.Taylorworkswellwithotherstudents,sohewouldenjoyworkingwithanotherstudentwhenapplicable.Hewillalsobenefitfrom
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thecollaborativelearning;ifheisn’tsurewhattodo,astudent(orteacher)willbeabletohelphim.
Descriptionofstudent2
Priorlearning:Lillyhasexperienceworkingwithinformativeessays.Sheremembersworkingwiththesetypesofessaysinthirdandfourthgrade.Sheknowsthattheyneedanopeningparagraph,twoorthreeparagraphsaboutthetopic,andaconclusionparagraph.LillyhasheardoftheAmericanRevolutionaryWar.Shementionedtomethatshehadheardaboutitbeforeinbooks.
Academicability:Regardingreading,Lillyisbelowbenchmarkacrosstheboard(accuracy,fluency,retelling,andreadingcomprehension).Sheisreceivingdifferentiatedinstructionduringtier2.Inmath,Lillyisatgradelevel;sheunderstandsaddition,subtraction,wholenumbers,anddecimals.Inscience,thestudentshavebeenlearningaboutchemicalandphysicalchanges.Lillyisatgradelevelwiththissciencestandard.
Personalbackground:LillyisnewtoBridgerElementary;shecamefromThomasEdisonSouth.Inherfamilyhousehold,sheliveswithherfather,step-mother,step-sister,andheryoungerbrother.Lilly’smompassedawaywithinthelastfewyears,andLillyhasstruggledwithacceptingherdeath.Shehasbeeninangermanagementclasses,andrecentlystatedthatshewouldliketobeenrolledinthemagain.
Otherrelevantcharacteristics:Lillylikesworkingwithpartnersandgroups.Shelovesbeinginvolvedinclass;sheisconstantlyraisingherhandtoansweraquestion,askaquestion,orshareapersonalexampleregardingthetopic.Sheturnsinherhomeworkmostofthetime,andalwaysturnsinherclassworkcompleted.Sheisveryrespectful,andworkswellwithothers.
Influenceofallofthesecharacteristicsonyourteaching:Lillylovestoparticipateduringclass.Iamgoingtoincorporatestudentparticipationasmuchaspossibleintomylessons;thisincludesaskingquestions,workingwithpartnersorgroups,andindependentparticipation.ThiswillgiveLillytheopportunitytosharehercommentswithothers,andwillhelpstudentengagementthroughoutthelessons.
3. LessonPlans:
AmericanRevolutionaryWarPre-Assessment
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ApproximateTime40minutes
Requiredmaterials,resources,andtechnologyà ClasssetofCausesoftheAmericanRevolutionà ClasssetofBritishTaxActschartà ClasssetofWritingHooksà Blankwhitepaperà ClasssetofWhiteboardsandDryEraseMarkersà WritingFolders:insidetheyhavealistoftransitionwords
à VocabularyPowerPoint(https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ao1BPKVNUYZ7DYkijYtdVHfjAxvpBnPsJRE6YF2uiX4/edit?usp=sharing)
Toassessthestudents’beginninglevelofunderstanding,Iwillhavethemanalyzethementortexts,“CausesoftheAmericanRevolution”and“BritishTaxActs”chart.Theywillalsowritetheirowninformativeessay.Beforetheybeginwritingtheirpaper,togetherasaclasswewillgooverthePowerPointlistedabove.Studentswillthendotheirbesttoanswerthewritingprompt.Iwanttoseetheirlevelofunderstanding,soIwon’tgivethemanyhintsaboutwhattowrite.Intheupcominglessons,wewillgooverthesamearticles,andwriteaninformativeessay.Studentswillbeworkingindividually,withpartners,withgroups,andwiththewholeclass.Iwillbasemyinstructionontheresultsoftheiressaysthattheywroteduringthepre-assessment.Throughoutthelessons,Iwillmonitorhowthestudentsarewriting,answerquestionsthatstudentshave,andwillhavethemturninsampleworkformetoassesstheirlevelofunderstanding.ResultsBasedofftheirpre-assessmentwritingsamples,Idecidedthatwewouldwriteaninformativeessayasaclass.Theunitwillhavethemworkindividually,withpartners,groups,andasawholeclass.Manystudentscameuptomeduringthepre-assessmentandtoldme,“Idon’tknowhowtostart.”Manystudentsdidn’tknowhowtowriteopeningparagraphs,sothatisgoingtobethemajorfocusofmyinstruction.Wewillspendtwodaysonwritinghooks.Basedoffoftheresults,forthepost-assessment,Iwillrequirestudentstowriteoneopeningparagraph.Wewillstilllearnhowtowriteaninformativeessay,butIwillnotbeassessingthemonanentireinformativeessay.StudentWritingSamplesBelowareexamplesofdifferentstudent’spre-assessments.Focusstudents’pre-assessmentscanbefoundinthereflectionandevaluationpartofthisworksample.
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Lesson1LessonTitleCausesoftheAmericanRevolution—WritingHooksSubjectandgradeLevelThisunitisgearedtowards5thgradeSocialStudiesandWriting.Approximatetime40minutes,twowritingperiodsRationaleformethodsCurrently,theentirefifthgradeisfocusingonteachinginformativewritingtotheirstudents.Iamfollowingtheleadofthefifth-gradeteamandconcentratingmyunitoninformativewritingandSocialStudies.Whilestudentsarewriting,theywillbefocusingmostlyoncontent—thelearningoutcomeisforthestudentstounderstandwhatcausedtheAmericanRevolutionaryWar.Anotherlearningoutcomeisforstudentstoknowhowtosetupaninformativeessay.Studentswillwritewhattheyknowinanorganizedmanner;showingthattheyunderstandtheconceptsfoundinthetext.MyrationaleforthismethodcomesfromthebookWritingEssentials.ThistextwasfrequentlyusedthroughoutLevelIIIWritingMethodsCourse.Theauthorstates,“Writersneedtofocusontheirmessage(content)beforeform(editingandgrammar)toachievequalityandcoherence”(Romano2004;Graves1994;Krashen2003).ContentstandardsThislessonalignswithNCSSSocialStudies5.2.2:Studentswillunderstandthechronologyandsignificanceofkeyeventsleadingtoself-government.StudentswillevaluatetheRevolutionaryWar’simpactonself-rule.Thislessonalsointegratesinformativewriting;refertostandardCCSSW.5.2b:Writeinformative/explanatorytextstoexamineatopicandconveyideasandinformationclearly.Developthetopicwithfacts,definitions,concretedetails,quotations,orotherinformationandexamplesrelatedtothetopic.Academiclanguage/vocabularyobjectives
§ LanguageSkill:Studentswillneedtoknowwhatitmeanstoproduceawritinghook.Studentswilllearnhowtocreateanopeningparagraphthatgrabstheirreader’sattention.
§ Discipline-specificVocabulary:colony(acountryorareathatisincontrolbyanothercountry),colonist(someonewholivesinacolony),boycott(refusetobuyorhandleobjects),committee(agroupofpeoplewhoworkonaspecificjobtogether),massacre(whenmanypeopledie),intolerable(toohardtolivewith),parliament(atypeofgovernment).
Requiredmaterials,resources,andtechnologyà ClasssetofCausesoftheAmericanRevolutionà ClasssetofBritishTaxActschart
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à ClasssetofWritingHooksà Blankwhitepaperà ClasssetofWhiteboardsandDryEraseMarkersà WritingFolders:insidetheyhavealistoftransitionwordsà Blanklinedpaperà FinishedInformativeEssayWritingDraft(teachercopy)à MovieTrailer:“CharlieandtheChocolateFactory”(2005)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFVGCUIXJls)à SmartBoardorProjectorà VocabularyPowerPoint
(https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ao1BPKVNUYZ7DYkijYtdVHfjAxvpBnPsJRE6YF2uiX4/edit?usp=sharing)
à WritingHookPowerPointo TechnologyJustification:ThisPowerPointwillhelpstudentswiththeirabilitytostay
ontask.ThePowerPointisfast-pacedandinteractive;thisallowsstudentstonotgeteasilyoff-task.ThePowerPointcanalsobepresentedasagame;manystudentslovegames,andthenumberofstudentsparticipatingwillincrease.Itwillalsoincreasestudents’comprehensionofwritinghooks.Studentsaregoingtobeexposedtomanydifferentsentencesusingthethreetypesofwritinghooks.TheywillhaveabetterunderstandingofwhatawritinghookisbythetimetheyfinishthePowerPoint.Thisisalsoagreatwaytogetstudentfeedback;byposingaquestionandhavingstudentsrespondontheirwhiteboards,youcangetaquickassessmentofwhois/isn’tunderstandingthematerial.
(https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AZosMws0wY001AgPTPA3h8VaT2oAoKHDHPe2FtFcKr4/edit?usp=sharing)
LessonobjectivesGivenmentortexts,thewholeclasswillbeabletowriteanopeningparagraph(usingoneofthewritinghooksdiscussedinclass)abouttheAmericanRevolutionfortheirinformativeessay.InstructionalProceduresInquiry:20minutesIntroduceinformativeessaysandconnectpriorknowledge.Class,youhavebeenworkingwithinformativeessays.WerecentlycomparedandcontrastedBenandMrs.Tibbetsfrom“NightoftheSpadefootToads.”Yesterdaywhenwewerewriting,wewroteabouttheRevolutionaryWar.Today,wearegoingtolearnmoreaboutinformativeessays.Specifically,wearegoingtolearnhowtowriteanopeningparagraphforaninformativeessay.Summarizethetwoarticlesthattheclassreadthedaybeforeduringthepre-assessment(“CausesoftheAmericanRevolution”and“BritishTaxActs”chart).GooverthevocabularyPowerPointwithstudents;havestudentsreadtheirdefinitionsoutloud.Movietrailersarelikeopeningparagraphs.Theymustgettheaudience’sattention,explainthetopic,andtheycan’tgiveawaytoomuchinformation.Iftheydid,noonewouldwanttogotothetheaterandwatchthemovie.Let’swatchthismovietrailer.Watch“Charlieandthe
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ChocolateFactory”movietrailer.Doesthismakeyouwanttoknowmoreaboutthemovie?Why?Callonafewstudentsandhavethemexplainwhytheywantedtowatchamovie.Relatethemovietrailerbacktoopeningparagraphsbasedoffstudentinput.Wewanttodothesamethingwithouropeningparagraph—wewantthereadertokeepreadingouressay.But,wedonotwanttogivethemalltheinformation.Otherwise,theywon’twanttokeepreadingtherestofouressay.Class,whenwearewritinganopeningparagraph,wewanttogetthereader’sattention.Therearemanywaysthatwecangetareader’sattention.Thesedifferentwaysarecalledwritinghooks—theygrabthereader’sattention.Writinghooksarefoundatthebeginningofanopeningparagraph.Therearethreetypesofwritinghooks:questions,interestingfacts,andsoundeffects.GothroughtheexamplesontheWritingHookworksheet.Wearenowgoingtopracticeidentifyingandcreatingwritinghooks.Model:30minutesGothroughwritinghookPowerPoint.Studentsshouldidentifyontheirwhiteboardwhattypeofwritinghookisbeingdisplayed.Ifstudentsarecorrectlyidentifyingtheirhooks,havethempracticewritingtheirownhooksusingthekeyideasfromthePowerPoint(lastfewslides).Iftheclassissuccessful,havethemmoveontocreatingawritinghookfortheirowninformativeessay.Class,nowwearegoingtopracticewritinganopeningparagraph.Wewanttouseahooktograbthereader’sattention.Let’spractice.Lookatmyopeningparagraph.Itsays,“TheRevolutionaryWarhelpedbuildournation.TheBritishgovernmentmadethecolonistsmad,andtheyfoughtback.Therearemanyreasonswhythewarstarted.HerearetwocausesoftheAmericanRevolution.”Class,howcanImakemyopeningsentencebetter?Classcouldrespondwithaquestion,interestingfact,orsoundeffect.Re-writeyourownopeningsentence(usingahook)dependingonstudentinput.SharedCollaboration/IndependentWriting:25minutesNow,wearegoingtocreateourownopeningparagraph.Everyonegrabyourwritingjournalwithourarticlesfromyesterday.Youareusingyourdraftfromyesterday.Remember,wearetryingtohookourreaders,somakesureyouuseoneofthewritinghooks.Allowstudentssufficienttimetoworkonopeningparagraph.Duringthistime,theteachershouldberotatingthroughdifferentstudentstoensurethateveryoneisunderstandingtheexpectation/objective.Afterthestudentshavecompletedtheiropeningparagraph,havethemsharewithapartnerorcheckwiththeteacher.
Adaptations/accommodationsForEnglishLanguageLearners,IwillincorporateaPowerPointthathasdefinitionsofvocabularywordsthattheymightnotbefamiliarwith.Ialsoprovidedimagesofthethirteencoloniesandaworldmap.ThishelpsthestudentsvisuallyseewhattheUnitedStateslookedlikeatthattime.Studentsthatwillbenefitfromthisare:Chris,Walter,Taylor,andKevin.LookingatpicturesoftheRevolutionaryWar,anddifferentpicturesofthetimeperiod,willhelpstudentsgrasptheconceptbetter.ThiswillalsoimprovecomprehensionforELLs(andanyvisuallearners).ThiswillbenefitTaylor—oneofmyfocusstudents—becauseheisalwaysengagedthroughoutthelesson;however,hestruggleswithvocabularywords.Thiswillgivehimexposuretothenewwords,andhewillbeabletorefertothevocabularydefinitionwhenheseesitinthetext.Knowingvocabularytermswillalsohelphimwithreadingcomprehension.MichaelhasanIEPandstruggleswithbeingabletofocusonatask.Forthisstudent,hewillberequiredtolistenabouttheRevolutionaryWar,andhaveateacherwriteafewsentencesabout
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it.Hecan’tstayontaskforverylong,andhedoesn’tlikewriting.Katherineneedsadditionalsupportwithcomprehensionofatext;shewillhavetheoptionofhavingthetextreadaloudtoher.TherestofthestudentsonIEP’swillhavethetextreadaloudtothem.Thiswillhelpgivethemachancetoaskquestionsaboutvocabulary,andwillhelpthemtobetterunderstandthetexts/assignments.Lillyisoneofmyfocusstudents;tohelpherwiththislesson,Iwillgiveheradditionalsupportifsheneedsit.Lillyisastudentwhoisatgradelevel,andoccasionallyasksclarifyingquestions.AssessmentIwillknowthatstudentshavemettheobjectivewhentheycanaccuratelywriteanopeningparagraphusingawritinghook.Toassessiftheymetthelessonobjective,Iwilllookattheirwritingsamplesanddetermineiftheycorrectlyusedawritinghook.Iwilluseformativeassessmentthroughoutthislessontoseeifstudentsunderstandwhatthethreedifferenttypesofwritinghooksare.Studentswillberequiredtoparticipateduringthewritinghookactivity.Duringindependentwriting,IwillbecheckingforunderstandingasIreadstudent’sopeningparagraphs.Iwillalsobeconferencingwithstudentswhoneedadditionalhelpduringthistime.MentorTextsBritishTaxActschartCausesoftheAmericanRevolution
WritingHooks FinishedInformativeEssayWritingDraft
WorksCitedUCBerkely
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WritingHooks
Start With…
« A question: Ask the reader a question
about the topic. o Example: Have you ever been to Disneyland? Let
me tell you about some interesting facts.
« Sound effect: Use onomatopoeias
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o Example: Boom! Crash! The wind was howling
outside my home.
« An interesting fact: Surprise the reader
with a fact from the text. o Example: Did you know that the first man to
walk on the moon was Neil Armstrong? Thisisthefinishedinformativewritingdraft—teacher’sexample.AsIteachthelesson,Iwillcompletethisonablankinformativedraft.Thiscompleteddraftisprovidedtoshowanexampleofwhatotherinformativedraftsmightlooklike.
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Lesson2
LessonTitle
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CausesoftheAmericanRevolution—KeyIdeasSubjectandgradeLevelThisunitisgearedtowards5thgradeSocialStudiesandWriting.Approximatetime40minutesRationaleformethodsCurrently,theentirefifthgradeisfocusingonteachinginformativewritingtotheirstudents.Iamfollowingtheleadofthefifth-gradeteamandconcentratingmyunitoninformativewritingandSocialStudies.Whilestudentsarewriting,theywillbefocusingmostlyoncontent—thelearningoutcomeisforthestudentstounderstandwhatcausedtheAmericanRevolutionaryWar.Anotherlearningoutcomeisforstudentstoknowhowtosetupaninformativeessay.Studentswillwritewhattheyknowinanorganizedmanner;showingthattheyunderstandtheconceptsfoundinthetext.MyrationaleforthismethodcomesfromthebookWritingEssentials.ThistextwasfrequentlyusedthroughoutLevelIIIWritingMethodsCourse.Theauthorstates,“Writersneedtofocusontheirmessage(content)beforeform(editingandgrammar)toachievequalityandcoherence”(Romano2004;Graves1994;Krashen2003).ContentstandardsThislessonalignswithNCSSSocialStudies5.2.2:Studentswillunderstandthechronologyandsignificanceofkeyeventsleadingtoself-government.StudentswillevaluatetheRevolutionaryWar’simpactonself-rule.Thislessonalsointegratesinformativewriting;refertostandardCCSSW.5.2b:Writeinformative/explanatorytextstoexamineatopicandconveyideasandinformationclearly.Developthetopicwithfacts,definitions,concretedetails,quotations,orotherinformationandexamplesrelatedtothetopic.Academiclanguage/vocabularyobjectives
§ LanguageSkill:Studentswillneedtoknowwhatitmeanstosummarizekeyideasaboutthetopic.
§ Discipline-specificVocabulary:Studentswilllearnaboutkeyideas,andhowtobrieflysummarizethem.Lookingatatopic,studentswillbeabletounderlinerelevantinformationandwritekeyideasaboutthetopic.
Requiredmaterials,resources,andtechnologyà ClasssetofCausesoftheAmericanRevolutionà ClasssetofBritishTaxActschartà ClasssetofWritingHooksà RevolutionaryWarWritingDraftà FinishedInformativeEssayWritingDraft(teachercopy)à WritingFolders:insidetheyhavealistoftransitionwordsà SmartBoardorProjectorà ColoredPencils—2differentcolors
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LessonobjectivesGivenmentortexts,thewholeclasswillbeabletosummarizekeyideas,underlinerelevantinformationabouttheirkeytopics,andcreateakeyidealistregardingtheAmericanRevolutionaryWar.InstructionalProceduresInquiry:2minutesConnectpriorknowledgefromthepreviouslesson.Writers,yesterdaywelearnedaboutwritinghooks,andwroteouropeningparagraph.Today,wearegoingtoworkonchoosingourtwomainkeyideas,andunderliningimportantdetailsaboutthemfromthetext.Model:20minutesExplainwhatkeyideasare.Whenwritingourinformativeessay,wewanttofocusonkeyideasthatwillhelpusanswerourwritingprompt(orquestion).Wehavealotofinformationinourtext.Weonlywanttofocusonkeyideasthatwehavedecidedareimportanttothequestion.Refertotheteacher’sinformativeessayexample.Let’slookatmyinformativeessay.Ichosetwoacts—theteaactandthestampact.ThesearetheactsthatIthinkareimportantthathelpanswerthequestion.Gothroughtheprocessofhowtounderlinerelevantkeyideasinthetext.Remindtheclassthattheyarejustwatchingyou—theywillhavetheopportunitytodoitlaterwithapartner.Rememberclass,youarejustwatching,youwillhavetheopportunitytodothislaterwithapartner.Let’stalkabouttheteaact.Insidethisbox,Iwanttoputkeyideasaboutthetopichere.I’mgoingtousethetexttohelpmefillinthebox.Let’slookatthetext.Refertothetwodifferentmentortexts.Weareonlylookingforinformationabouttheteaact.Onthe“BritishTaxActs”chart,I’mgoingtounderlineallthefactsthatareimportant.Ionlywanttounderlineinformationthatisrelevanttotheteaact.Idon’treallylikeanyoftheinformationfoundinthefirstboxinthechart,soIamnotgoingtounderlineit.But,Idoliketheinformationinthesecondbox.So,Iamgoingtotakemybluecoloredpencilandunderlinetheinformationinthesecondboxonthechartarticle.Ialsoreallylikealltheinformationinthethirdbox,soIamgoingtounderlineallofthesentences.Let’slookatthesecondarticle,“CausesoftheAmericanRevolution.”IamgoingtounderlinealltheimportantinformationthatIfindinthisarticle.Ionlywanttounderlinetheinformationabouttheteaact.I’mgoingtounderlinethesentencethatsays,‘GreatBritainletjustafewshopsinthecoloniesselltea.’Ialsoreallylikethesentence,‘Hetoldpeopletofightback.’Thishelpsusknowthatthecolonistswerenothappywiththeteaact.TheywantedtofightbackagainsttheBritishgovernment.I’malsogoingtounderlinethesentence,‘theythrewtheteaintothewater.ThepeoplecalledthistheBostonTeaParty.TheBostonTeaPartymadeKingGeorgeIIImad.Hemadestrongnewlaws.’Lookingattherestoftheparagraph,Isawthatitmentionedanewact.Wearen’tgoingtounderlinetherestofthisparagraphbecauseitstartstalkingaboutanewact.Weonlywantinformationabouttheteaact.Nowthatwehaveunderlinedalltheimportantinformationabouttheteaact,wearegoingtowritethekeyideasintoourfirstboxonourwritingdraft.Idon’twanttowritetheentiresentence;weonlywanttowritejustafewwordsaboutwhatthesentenceisabout.Insidetheboxwearegoingtocreateabulletlistthatbrieflysummarizesthesentencesthatweunderlined.Goingbacktothefirstarticleweunderlined,wearegoingtowriteinsidethebox,
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‘Colonistsboycotted,Britainsentmoretroops,Colonistsunhappy,Ledtomanyfights.’Thatwasjustasummaryofthesentencesweunderlinedinourarticle.Now,let’sgotoournextarticle.Insidethebox,thefollowinglistshouldbeinbulletformat.Wearegoingtoput‘Fewshopsselltea,colonistsfightback,threwteaintowater,madeKingGeorgeIIImad.’Now,wearegoingtopracticeunderliningimportantandrelevantinformationwithyourowntexts.Havestudentsgetouttheirmentortextsandinformativeessaydraft.
SharedCollaboration/Independent:18minutesEveryoneneedstochoosetwodifferentcoloredpencils.Wearegoingtobeworkingaspartners.Ihavechoseneveryone’spartnertoday.Ipre-assignedstudentsintoboy-girlpartners.Beforehavingstudentsbreakintopartners,explainwhattheywillbedoing.Whenyougetwithyourpartner,eachofyouwillchooseoneact.Theactthatyouchooseneedstobedifferentfromyourpartner’s.Eachofyouisgoingtounderlineimportantsentencesaboutyouractinbotharticles.Thenyouwillwritedownthekeyideasfromthesentencesinyourbox.Onceyouhavedonethat,youwilldiscusswithyourpartneryouract,andwhatsentencesyouunderlined.Whileyourpartneristellingyouabouttheiract,youwillbewritingdowntheinformationtheyfound,andunderliningthesentencestheyfoundintheirarticles.Askforanyclarifyingquestions.Assignthestudentstheirpartners,andhavethemworktogether.Duringthistime,Iwillbewalkingaroundtheclassroomandmonitoringpartners,andaddressinganyquestionsthatarebroughtup.
Adaptations/accommodationsForEnglishLanguageLearners,workinginpartnerswillbenefitthem.Theywillbepairedwithastudentwhoisanon-ELLstudent.Theywillworktogethertounderstandthementortext,howtounderlinerelevantinformation,andwhatthekeyideasare.CollaborativelearningisagreatwaytogetELLstudentsinvolvedinclasswork.Studentsthatwillbenefitfromthisare:Chris,Walter,Taylor,Kevin,andKatherine.Taylorisoneofmyfocusstudents;heispairedwithastudentwhoisslightlyhigherthanhim.Bypairinghimwiththisstudent,hewillbeabletotutorTaylorandhelphimunderstandtheconceptifherequiresadditionalsupport.MichaelhasanIEPandstruggleswithbeingabletofocusonatask.Forthisstudent,hewillberequiredtolistenaboutkeyideas,andhowtounderlineimportantinformationinatext.Hecan’tstayontaskforverylong,sohewilljustlistentotheinformationinthelesson.TherestofthestudentsonIEP’swillhavethetextreadaloudtothem.Thiswillhelpgivethemachancetoaskquestionsaboutvocabulary,andwillhelpthemtobetterunderstandthetexts/assignments.Lillyisoneofmyfocusstudents;tohelpherwiththislesson,Iwillgiveheradditionalsupportifsheneedsit.Lillyisastudentwhoisatgradelevel,andoccasionallyasksclarifyingquestions.TohelpLilly,Iwillpairherwithastudentwhoisatasimilargradelevel.Bythesetwoworkingtogether,theywillbeabletolearnfromeachotherbysharingideas.AssessmentIwillknowthatstudentshavemettheobjectivewhentheycanunderlinerelevantinformationabouttheirkeytopics.Toassessiftheymetthelessonobjective,Iwilllookattheirmentortextstoseeiftheyunderlinedimportantinformation.Iwillalsorefertotheirinformativeessaydraftandreadtheirlistofkeyideas.Iwilluseformativeassessmentthroughoutthislessontoseeifstudentsunderstandhowtowritekeyideas,andiftheyunderlinedrelevantinformation.Duringindependentwriting,IwillbecheckingforunderstandingasIreadstudent’skeyideas.Iwillalsobeconferencingwithstudentswhoneedadditionalhelpduringthistime.
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WorksCitedUCBerkley
Lesson3LessonTitleCausesoftheAmericanRevolution—ConclusionParagraphsSubjectandgradeLevelThisunitisgearedtowards5thgradeSocialStudiesandWriting.Approximatetime40minutesRationaleformethodsCurrently,theentirefifthgradeisfocusingonteachinginformativewritingtotheirstudents.Iamfollowingtheleadofthefifth-gradeteamandconcentratingmyunitoninformativewritingandSocialStudies.Whilestudentsarewriting,theywillbefocusingmostlyoncontent—thelearningoutcomeisforthestudentstounderstandwhatcausedtheAmericanRevolutionaryWar.Anotherlearningoutcomeisforstudentstoknowhowtosetupaninformativeessay.Studentswillwritewhattheyknowinanorganizedmanner;showingthattheyunderstandtheconceptsfoundinthetext.MyrationaleforthismethodcomesfromthebookWritingEssentials.ThistextwasfrequentlyusedthroughoutLevelIIIWritingMethodsCourse.Theauthorstates,“Writersneedtofocusontheirmessage(content)beforeform(editingandgrammar)toachievequalityandcoherence”(Romano2004;Graves1994;Krashen2003).ContentstandardsThislessonalignswithNCSSSocialStudies5.2.2:Studentswillunderstandthechronologyandsignificanceofkeyeventsleadingtoself-government.StudentswillevaluatetheRevolutionaryWar’simpactonself-rule.Thislessonalsointegratesinformativewriting;refertostandardCCSSW.5.2b:Writeinformative/explanatorytextstoexamineatopicandconveyideasandinformationclearly.Developthetopicwithfacts,definitions,concretedetails,quotations,orotherinformationandexamplesrelatedtothetopic.Academiclanguage/vocabularyobjectives
§ LanguageSkill:Studentswillneedtoknowwhatitmeanstoproduceaconclusionparagraph.
§ Discipline-specificVocabulary:Studentswilllearnthataconclusionparagraphneedstostartwithatransitionword.Conclusionparagraphsmentionthetopicthattheytalkedabout,anditwrapsuptheiressay.
Requiredmaterials,resources,andtechnologyà ClasssetofCausesoftheAmericanRevolution
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à ClasssetofBritishTaxActschartà ClasssetofWritingHooksà RevolutionaryWarWritingDraftà FinishedInformativeEssayWritingDraft(teachercopy)à WritingFolders:insidetheyhavealistoftransitionwordsà SmartBoardorProjector
LessonobjectivesGivenmentortextsandexamples,thewholeclasswillbeabletowriteaconclusionparagraphtotheirinformativeessayregardingtheAmericanRevolutionaryWar.InstructionalProceduresInquiry:5minutesConnectpriorknowledgebydiscussingwhatwehavelearnedsofarabouttheRevolutionaryWar(somepossibleexamples:sugaract,teaact,stampact,colonists,boycott,GreatBritain,etc.).Writers,yesterdaywelearnedabouttakingourkeyideasfromourlistandre-writingthemincompletesentences.Today,wearegoingtoworkonwritingourconclusionparagraph.Model:20minutesExplainwhatshouldbeinaconclusionparagraph.Aconclusionparagraphisfoundattheendofanessay.Thisparagraphshouldwrapupyouressay.Thefirstwordinyourconclusionparagraphshouldbeatransitionword.Thishelpssignaltoyourreaderthatyouaregoingtoconcludeyouressay.Inyourwritingfolders,youhavealistoftransitionwords.Youcanuseanyofthetransitionwordsfromtheconclusionsection.Thetransitionwordshouldmakesensewiththewordsaroundit.Let’slookatmyconclusionparagraph.Whatshouldbethefirstfewwordsofmyconclusionparagraph?Havestudentsrespond.Answer—atransitionword.Lookingatthelistoftransitionwords,Iamgoingtouse“Inconclusion.”Thistransitionwordmakessensewithmyessay.Writedown“Inconclusion,”onyourinformativeessaydraft.Next,IwanttowrapupwhatItalkedaboutinmyessay.I’mgoingtowrite,“TheRevolutionaryWarwascausedbymanythings.Twothingsthatcausedthewarare:thestampactandtheteaact.Thecolonistsboycottedthesethingsandthisledtoafight.”Writesimilarsentencesonyourinformativeessaydraft.Yourconclusionparagraphmightbelikemine,oritmightbecompletelydifferent.Theexpectationforyourconclusionparagraphisforyoutouseatransitionwordatthebeginningoftheparagraph,todiscusswhatyouressayisabout,andtowrapupyouressay.Now,it’syourturntowriteyourownconclusionparagraphonyourdraft.Ifyouneedextrahelp,youmayworkwithapartner,orworkwithme.SharedCollaboration/IndependentWriting:15minutesDuringthistime,studentsareworkingonwritingtheirconclusionparagraph.Studentshavetheopportunitytoworkwithapartnerorteacherduringthistime.Ifstudentsfinishearly,theymaystarttorevisetheirparagraphs.Adaptations/accommodations
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ForEnglishLanguageLearners,workinginpartnersorwithateacherwillbenefitthem.Theycanaskforhelpwithcertainpartsofconclusionparagraphthattheydon’tunderstand.WorkingwithpartnersisagreatwayforELLstudentstostayontaskwithclasswork.Studentsthatwillbenefitfromthisare:Chris,Walter,Taylor,Kevin,andKatherine.Taylorisoneofmyfocusstudents;hesitsnexttostudentswhocanhelphimifhehasanyquestions.Ialsoplanonmonitoringhiswritingthroughoutthelesson.Lillyisanotherfocusstudents;tohelpherwiththislesson,Iwillgiveheradditionalsupportifsheneedsit.Lillyisastudentwhoisatgradelevel,andoccasionallyasksclarifyingquestions.Iwillmonitorherduringindependentwritingtoensurethatsheisunderstandingkeyconcepts.TherestofthestudentsonIEP’swillhavethetextreadaloudtothem.Thiswillhelpgivethemachancetoaskquestionsaboutvocabulary,andwillhelpthemtobetterunderstandthetexts/assignments.AssessmentIwillknowthatstudentshavemettheobjectivewhentheycanaccuratelywriteaconclusionparagraph.Thestudentsneedtobeabletostartwithatransitionword,mentiontopicsintheiressay,andwrapuptheiressay.Toassessiftheymetthelessonobjective,Iwilllookattheirwritingtoseeiftheymetthecriteria.Iwilluseformativeassessmentthroughoutthislessontoseeifstudentsunderstandhowtowriteaconclusionparagraph.Duringindependentwriting,IwillbecheckingforunderstandingasIreadtheirwriting.Iwillalsobeconferencingwithstudentswhoneedadditionalhelpduringthistime.WorksCitedUCBerkley
AmericanRevolutionaryWarPost-AssessmentApproximateTime40minutesRequiredmaterials,resources,andtechnologyà ClasssetofSonsofLibertyà ClasssetofWritingHooksà ClasssetoftheWritingPromptà ClasssetofOpeningParagraphRubricà ClasssetofAmericanRevolutionaryWarPostTestà WritingFolders:insidetheyhavealistoftransitionwords
Toassessthestudents’levelofunderstanding,Iwillhavethemcreateanopeningparagraph.Afterevaluatingtheirpre-assessment,manystudentsstruggledknowingwhattowrite,andhowtobeginwritinganinformativeessay.Basedofftheseresults,Idecidedthatwewouldwriteaninformativeessayasaclass.However,Iwouldnotexpectthemtobeabletowriteanentireinformativeessayontheirown.Theyaregoingtoneedadditionalwritingunitsoninformativeessays.Ifocusedmostofmyinstructiononwritinghooks.Theirpost-assessmentfocusesonstudentswritingonlyanopeningparagraph.Togetherasaclass,wewillreadthearticle,“SonsofLiberty.”Afterreading,studentswillindependentlywriteanopeningparagraphbasedoffthe
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writingpromptthattheyreceived.Ihaveprovidedthemwithanopeningparagraphrubric—thiswillhelpremindstudentswhatshouldbeinanopeningparagraph.ResultsManystudentswereabletouseawritinghookfortheiropeningparagraph.Moststudentschoseaquestionwritinghook.Manystudentsusedthewrongpunctuationfortheirwritinghook;mostusedaperiodinsteadofaquestionmark.Somestudentswereabletostatewhattheirinformativeessaywasgoingtobeabout.Otherstudentswroteaboutsomethingdifferent.Somestudentsusedawritinghook,andsimplyansweredthequestionthewritingpromptasked.Moststudentswereabletomeettheobjective—towriteanopeningparagraphusingawritinghook.Studentscanstillusepracticeusingwritinghooks,andshouldbecontinuallyrefreshedduringwritingtime.
MentorTextsAmericanRevolutionaryWarOpeningParagraphRubricWritingPromptTheRevolutionaryWar:SonsofLiberty
American Revolutionary War 1. Who (hint: country) did the colonists fight? 2. Name two items that the colonists boycotted (refused to
buy?) a. _______________________ b. _______________________
3. List two tax acts. a. _______________________ b. _______________________
4. Write one fact that you learned about the American Revolutionary War. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Opening Paragraph Rubric � Start with a writing hook
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� Mention the writing prompt question (what is your essay going to be about?)
� Have at least 2 sentences in your opening paragraph.
� Use neat handwriting (I need to be able to read your paragraph)
� Edit (capital letters, spelling, complete sentences)
Writing Prompt: How did the Sons of Liberty help with the Revolutionary War?
*Use the Opening Paragraph Rubric to help you write your opening paragraph! * __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Revolutionary War: Sons of
Liberty
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Who were the Sons of Liberty? The Sons of Liberty was a secret organization in the American Colonies that protested
against British taxes and laws before the American Revolutionary War. By the time the revolution (war) began, there were chapters—or small groups—of the Sons of Liberty in all thirteen colonies.
How were they first formed?
The Sons of Liberty formed out of a number of smaller protest groups in 1765 in response to the Stamp Act. The first group was formed out of nine people who wanted to get rid of the Stamp Act. They became the "Loyal Nine.” After more people joined their group, they changed their name to the “Sons of Liberty.”
Protesting the Stamp Act
The first big action of the Sons of Liberty was to protest the Stamp Act. They took direct action by irritating the stamp tax suppliers who worked for the British government. The suppliers became so scared of the Sons of Liberty that many of them quit their jobs. They also gathered in large groups and protested—or disagreed—in the streets. Their protests worked, and the tax was soon repealed—or removed—by the British government.
Who joined the Sons of Liberty?
The Sons of Liberty had many members in their group. Some groups included: lawyers, dockworkers, farmers, doctors, tavern owners, traders, and publishers. Some of the more famous members include Samuel Adams (who is often considered the founding member of the Sons of Liberty), John Adams, Benedict Arnold, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, Joseph Warren, and Paul Revere. How did they help the War?
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The Sons of Liberty helped others resist against the British. They did not like how the British made unfair taxes without representation. They played a major role in colonies battling the Stamp Act in 1765. They used mobs, fear, force, intimidation, violence to help make the British government weak. The Sons of Liberty successfully made the British government weak, and helped pave the way to America’s independence from the British. Without them, the Revolutionary war would not have happened. They helped colonists boycott (stop buying or using certain items), and fight the British. The Sons of Liberty separated after the Revolutionary War was over.
StudentWritingSamplesBelowareexamplesofdifferentstudent’spost-assessments.Focusstudents’post-assessmentscanbefoundinthereflectionandevaluationpartofthisworksample.
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4. Reflectionandevaluationoflessons,includinganalysisofassessmentdata.Analyzestudentlearning: PerformanceofStudent1:TaylorAfterlookingatTaylor’spre-assessment,Iknewthatheneededtohaveanexplicitlessononhowtowriteanopeningparagraph(andaninformativeessay).Manystudentsintheclassroomaren’tsurehowtowriteanopeningparagraph/informativeessay,sotheywouldbenefitfromthisaswell.Afterthefirstlessononwritinghooks,Taylorwasstillconfusedabouthowtowriteone.Theseconddaywedidwritinghooks,IhadaPowerPointwherestudentspracticedwritingdifferenttypesofhooks.Afterthislesson,Taylorsuccessfullycreatedawritinghookforhisinformativeessay.Therestoftheopeningparagraphdidn’tmakesensegrammatically,butthecontentmadesense.Hetriedtomakeasentencethathookedwiththenextparagraphaftertheopeningparagraph.Taylordidwellwiththerestoftheinformativeessay.Hissentencesdon’talwaysmakesense,butIamassessingcontentnotgrammar.Overall,Taylorimprovedhiswritingskills.Helearnedhowtowriteanopeningparagraph,andhasbeginningknowledgeofthestructureofaninformativeessay.Hecouldstillusemorereinforcementandpracticewithwritingskills,andhopefullybytheendoftheyearwillhaveamajorgrowthinwriting.Student1WritingSamples:Taylor
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PerformanceofStudent2:LilyLillydidwellduringthiswritingunit;shelearnedabouttheAmericanRevolutionaryWar,andshewasabletodemonstrateherlearningofwritinghooks.Lillyhadahardtimeunderstandinghowtowriteahookthatwouldworkwellwithheropeningparagraph.Duringourlessonwithwritinghooks,Iassessedheranswers.Shewasansweringthequestionscorrectly;however,whenitcametimetoapplythewritinghooktoherinformativeessay,shewasconfused.Iconferencedwithher,andhelpedherchoosewhichtypeofwritinghookshewantedtostartwith.Afterthisconversation,Lillysuccessfullywroteherwritinghook.Throughouttheotherlessons,Lillydidn’tgettooconfused.Sheunderstoodtheassignment,andwouldonlyoccasionallyaskclarifyingquestions.ToassessifLillyhadlearnednewwritingtechniquesduringtheunit,shewroteanopeningparagraphforthepost-assessment.Lillystartedheropeningparagraphwithawritinghook.Shedidputalittletoomuchcontentanddetailfortheopeningparagraph,butoveralltherewasalargeimprovementfromthebeginningoftheunittotheendoftheunit.Atthebeginning,Lillyhadnoideawhatshewasgoingtowriteinheropeningparagraph.Bytheendoftheunit,Lillyknewhowtowriteanopeningparagraph,andhowsheshouldstartit.Student2WritingSamples:Lilly
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Analyzeteachingeffectiveness:• Whatdidyoudodifferentlythanwhatyouoriginallyplanned?Why?
AfterIdidmypre-assessment,IrealizedthatIwouldneedtoadjustmylessonplansandexpectedtimeline.Becausethestudentshaddoneacompareandcontrastpaperthepreviousweek,Ithoughtthattheywouldbeabletodoaninformativeessay.However,aftermypre-assessment,Irealizedthatmanystudentsdidn’tknowwhattowrite.Manystudentscameuptomeandsaid,“Idon’tknowwhattowrite.”Butafterconferencingwiththem,Ifoundthatmanystudentscouldanswerthewritingprompt.Studentshadahardtimebeginningtheirinformativeessay.Myoriginalfinalassessmentwasgoingtohavethestudentswriteanentireinformativeessay.Afterseeingtheresultsfrommypre-assessment,Irealizedthatmyoriginalassessmentwouldbetoochallengingformoststudents.Iadjustedmyassessmentandlessonplans,andfocusedonhowtowriteanopeningparagraph.Mytimelinechangedbecauseaftergivingthestudents30minutestowritethepre-assessment,manystudentshadonlywrittenoneortwosentences.Irealizedthatmytimelinewouldhavetochangebecausemanystudentsneededmoretimetoprocessandstrategizeonwhattowrite.
• Whatworked?Manystudentslovedthe‘WritingHookPowerPoint’;thewholeclasswasengagedthroughouttheentirelesson.IcreatedthePowerPointintoagame,andmanystudentslovedthataspectofit.AnotherpartthatworkedwasshowingtheCharlieandtheChocolateFactorytrailer.Studentsreallyunderstoodwhatanopeningparagraphwas;anopeningparagraphneededtogivealittleinformationtohooktheirreader,butnottellthe‘entiremovie’intheiropeningparagraphor‘trailer.’Ialsothoughtthatmywritinghookexamples(paper)wasagoodresourceforstudents.Manyreferredtotheirwritinghookexamplepaperwhenwritingtheiropeningparagraph(informativeessaydraftandpost-assessment).
• Whatdidn’twork?Whydoyouthinkitdidn’twork?Myfirstlessondidn’tgoaswellasIoriginallyhopeditwould.Atfirst,Iplannedtoonlytakeonedayexplainingwritinghooks.Iplayedthemovietrailer,discusseddifferentwritinghooks,andwentthroughthethreetypes/examplesonthepaper.Ishowedmyopeningparagraphtothestudents,hadthemchooseawritinghookformetouse,andexplainedtothemhowIrevisedmyopeningparagraphtoincludeawritinghook.Afterthis,Ithenhadstudentscreatetheirownopeningparagraph.Thisdidn’tworkaswellasIthoughtitwasgoingto.Manystudentswereconfusedabouthowtowriteawritinghook.Idecidedtotakeonemoredayonwritinghooks.Ihadstudentspracticewritinghooksontheirwhiteboards(basedofftopicsthatIhadchosen),andthenhadstudentsindependentlywritetheirownwritinghook/openingparagraph.Manystudentssucceededafterpracticingwritingthethreedifferenttypesofwritinghooks.Ithinkthatthisdidn’tworkaswellasIoriginallyplannedbecauseIdidn’tgivestudentstheopportunitytopracticewritingthethreedifferenttypesofhooksbeforemovingtoindependentwriting.
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• Howwouldyoumodifytheunitbasedonthefocusstudents’performance?Iwouldensurethatstudentsareunderstandingwhatinformationtoputintotheirparagraphs.Throughouttheunit,bothofmyfocusstudentsneededadditionalhelponwhattowriteintheirparagraphs.TheyusuallyhadanideaofwhattodoafterIconferencedwiththem.Afewotherstudentsfacedsimilarproblems.Tohelpprovideadditionalsupportwiththis,Imightbreakdownwhatgoesinsideaparagraphevenmore.Iwouldexplainthedifferentpartsofaparagraph(inaninformativeessay),andwhatthepurposeofaparagraphis.AnotherwaythatIcanchangeitisbywritingaboutatopicthatstudentsarepassionateabout.IamnotsurethatTaylorwasreallyinterestedintheRevolutionaryWar.Whilehedidpayattentioninclass,hedidn’tseemveryexcitedaboutitwhenIconferencedwithhim.Icouldhavestudentschoosetheirowntopicandwriteaninformativeessayabouttheirchosentopic.Thiscouldworkwellafterstudentshavepriorknowledgeaboutwritinghooks,openingparagraphs,andinformativeessays.
• Inwhatotherwayswouldyoumodifytheunitinthefuture?Why?Whatwouldyoudodifferentlyinthefuture?OnethingthatIcoulddodifferentlyinthefutureishavestudentschooseonearticle(outoftwoorthreeotherarticles)thattheywanttowriteaboutduringtheirpost-assessment.Studentsthathaveasenseofautonomywillbemorelikelytoputmoreeffortintotheirwritingiftheyhaveachoice.Thearticlescouldstillbeaboutonetopic,butthedifferentarticlescouldfocusonvariouspartsaboutthetopic.Thiswouldhelpwithstudentengagementduringtheindependentwritingportionofthelessons.Inthefuture,Icouldaddonelessontowardtheendoftheunitthatfocusesonstudentseditingtheirpaper.Ididn’tputanyemphasisonrevisingtheirinformativeessaysthroughoutthisunitbecausemyrationalewasfocusingontheircontentratherthantheirgrammar.However,Idowantmystudentstoknowhowtoeffectivelyreviseandeditanessay.Inoticedthatmanystudentshadpunctuationerrorsandgrammarerrorsthroughouttheiressays.Byincorporatingabrieflessononhowtoedit/reviseapaper,studentscanbegintostrengthentheirgrammarskills.