Now Add the Descriptions and Definitions
Objective
Big Idea
Hook
Common Core Connection
This lesson is the seventh lesson in the unit and meets one of the expectations of W1.8 (Research Writing) by teaching students to add descriptions and definitions to their informational research paragraph. The students have worked in previous lessons to create a topic sentence and details based on research information that I selected for the students based on their interests.
Lesson Overview
The students are adding descriptions or definitions to the paragraph. There is a guided practice for the whole group to work on a model, and the later section allows the students to work with a partner to create describing or defining sentences for their specific research project.
The students work with their Peanut Butter Jelly Partner and Transition often throughout the lesson.
Introductory Activity
I post some pictures of my students working on their research from the previous day on the projector. This is just one way I try to excite the class. Then I ask them to talk to their partner about how they might describe or define a detail sentence. Hopefully they will talk about how their is a connection between the sentences. While students are talking I am assessing their knowledge and determining how much scaffolding or extra instruction I will need to add to the lesson.
Then I share the lesson plan so my students know what to expect. Then we chant the lesson goal. I can describe or define a detail sentence.
Guided Practice
Student Reflection
This is the time in the lesson when I try to work on speaking and listening. I select about three students to read their work in front of the class. It is very important to break it down and ask each student to read their detail then the describing or defining sentence. This allows the others to evaluate their work based on the connection to the detail. If it is not broken down like this the evaluation process is overwhelming. So, the students listening give the reader feedback on the connection between the detail and the sentence that describes or defines the detail.
Closing
The closing is the time when I try to assess the students knowledge from the lesson. So, to make it quick and simple I ask them to discuss with their partner what they learned about the sentences that describe or define the detail. I am hoping they say there must be a connection. Then I share my expectations and some of the things I heard them say.
Last, we chant the lesson goal to refocus the lesson on the goal. We say, "I can describe or define details."
