#971. Mini Lesson Writing

Reading/Writing, level: 1-2
Posted Sat Mar 6 18:38:43 PST 2010 by Misti Snow (Misti Snow).
St. Vrain Valley School District, Longmont
Materials Required: Some Birthday by Patricia Polacco
Activity Time: 40 minutes
Concepts Taught: Writing to enhance understanding of content

Mini Writing Lesson

Grade: 2nd

Journal Writing using Some Birthday by Patricia Polacco
Duration:

20 minutes
Standard and Objective

Standard: Students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audience.

Objective: Students will use writing activities to better understand content.
Materials Needed: A Class Set of Some Birthday books by Patricia Polacco
Chart Paper
Student Writer's Notebooks
Pre Assessment
Bring the students to the meeting place for writing workshop. Begin by addressing what writers do to get readers engaged. After brainstorming what authors do get readers engaged, discuss how writing after reading an interesting book can help one understand the content better. Ask students if they have read a piece of literature and then responded with a writing activity afterward to better understand the material. This will activate prior knowledge and get students thinking about writing and responding.
Teaching the Lesson and Guided Practice
Explain to the students that they are going to hear a wonderful piece of literature written by Patricia Polacco. Display the book, Some Birthday, by Patricia Polacco. Explain to the students that after the read aloud they will be responding in their writer's notebooks to ensure understanding of the text. The teacher then reads the book out loud to the students. After the book is read, the teacher will use the chart paper to model how the journal entries will be done in each student's writer's notebook. Each student will use a page in their journal to create a double entry journal. There will be two columns. One column will be used for writing quotes from the text. The second column will be used for the students to respond to the quote and explain the connections that were made. The students will clarify in their journal what type of connection was made, text to text, text to self, and/or text to world.
Independent Practice
The students will then take their writer's notebooks and books and work on their own journal entries using the two column note format explained above.
Closure

After the students have finished working in their writer's notebook, the class will gather together again at the meeting area and discuss the book. Students will then share their quotes and connections for a culminating closure to the lesson and writing time.