Let Me Show You How ... (Author study, Day 2 of 5)

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Objective

With guidance and support, SWBAT write an informational paragraph with a topic sentence, details, and a closing.

Big Idea

They can't read minds: show them!

Lesson Author

Mariana Robles

Riverside, CA

Grade Level

First grade

Subjects

Writing

English / Language Arts

Writing Process

Information Resources

Nonfiction (Reading)

Standards

W.1.2

Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

Introduction

6 minutes

First graders must learn how to write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure (W.1.2). The corresponding CCR Anchor standard states that they need to be able to effectively select and organize content. The use of graphic organizers to write informational paragraphs meets the requirements of both standards. My goal is to lead them to independent mastery through gradual release of scaffolding. This gradual release will lead to true independence.

The five lessons in this cycle about informational paragraph writing mirror the gradual release process: it begins with explicit teaching, modeling (as in this lesson), followed by guided practice, targeted instruction, and independent work.

In this section of the lesson, I told them that I wanted to review how to use the graphic organizer they had created the previous day to write an expository paragraph. I explained that they would write by themselves the next day.

Guided practice

10 minutes

Student engagement

I worked under the document camera, so that they could see each step of the writing. Modeling can be done whole class or with a small group, and I choose the grouping depending on my goal for the lesson.

As I model, I state the steps and ask students for suggestions, for example:

What should we do on every assignment? (date and name)
Who knows a good way to start the paragraph? (state the main idea to emphasize it)
What conventions do I need to remember as I write? (capital letter and period)
That is a good sentence; can someone think of a way to make it better? (adjectives)

When I start teaching a genre, I do it whole class. When part of the class has mastered the basic characteristics of the text type we are studying, I do some lessons with smaller groups, targeting their needs. Some of those lessons will be extension lessons for advanced writers; some will be remedial. At the time I taught this particular lesson, most of my class had a basic understanding of the text type and I was using this time to review and to talk again about closing sentences, which was a widespread weakness.