Performance Task: Informative
DAY 10 CHOOSING A TOPIC/PLANNING Explain the writing performance task for this theme.
Today we’ll begin writing a new informative piece together. You’ll do some parts on your own, and I’ll help you with the rest. The informative piece we write will be about our theme. To write it, we’ll think about some of the things we see in the sky. Last time, I showed you how to write an informative piece about planet Earth. Now it’s your turn to write about something else in the sky that interests you.
Encourage students to work together to choose a topic for the shared writing performance task.
Our work today is to think of something in the sky to write about. First, think about a space object that interests you—the sun, a star, a planet, the moon, the International Space Station. What do you know about it? Why does it interest you? Turn and talk with a partner about those questions.
INDEPENDENT WRITING
Students select a final topic for their independent informative pieces.
DAY 11 PLANNING
E-RESOURCE
E-RESOURCE Create a planning organizer on chart paper or whiteboard (see
sample on page 58). Invite students to think about the parts and how they are organized in preparation for writing the first draft.
Our work today is to think of a space object to write about. First, think of something we can see in space that interests you. Is it a place you’d like to visit? What makes it interesting to you? Turn and talk to a partner about those questions. Then we’ll share our ideas. . . . Who has an idea to share?
I think the sun is really interesting. No one has ever been there. Anyone else?
I would like to know more about the International Space Station. I think it would be fun to live in space and float around.
Great. Let’s think about all the things in space that we read about. Now decide on one of those things for our writing.
INDEPENDENT WRITING
Students add details and draw pictures to their informative pieces.
Days
10–12
Performance Task
Write an informative piece about an object in the sky that interests you.
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LEARNING FOCUS W.K.2
With teacher guidance and support, students share in the writing of informative texts, in which they use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative texts; name what they are writing about; and supply some information about the topic.
DRAFTING TIP
Have students follow this sequence to facilitate drafting:
• Topic
• Picture and fact • Picture and fact
ELL SUPPORT
W.K.2 Writing Based on
students’ needs, you may choose to provide sentence frames to help ELLs draft each section of their informative text.
DAY 12 DRAFTING
Display and review the planning organizer from the prior session. Encourage students to review it and make changes.
We’ll use this planning chart to help guide our thinking as we plan our writing. Now that we’ve decided on a space object to write about, we need to think about some facts. Remember, a fact gives information that is true. Turn and talk with your partner about two facts about your topic that you will share in your informative piece. Taking notes in your writing journals will help you remember your ideas. Who has an idea to share?
I’m going to write about the sun. It is really big and hot. It’s really, really far from Earth.
Draft an outline on chart paper or whiteboard using the model listed in the margin. Use the planning chart to encourage students’ drafting as you write.
Let’s take a look at our planning notes. Can you make a change that will help with your writing? Who can share an idea for a change?
We drew a picture of the sun. I think we should add Earth to show how the sun gives it heat and light.
INDEPENDENT WRITING
DAY 13 REVISING
Display students’ draft. Remind students that revising gives them a chance to make their writing better. Read aloud the first draft of the informative piece with students.
The revising step of the writing process gives us a chance to improve our writing. Remember how I read my words aloud to see if they made sense? Let’s read our draft together and look at the picture. Raise your hand if you notice a place where a change would be helpful, and I’ll mark it with a self-stick note.
Review with students the places in the text that were marked for revising. Guide students to use question words to help them add key details. Work with students to make appropriate revisions.
Let’s have a look at the places you asked me to flag for revising. Who sees a place we could revise? What change would you like to make?
I think we could write a sentence instead of a label for the sun. What sentence would you like to write?
“The sun is a big ball.”
Does anyone have a question or thought about that?
What is the sun made of? Maybe we should add another detail.
Good point. How about: “The sun is a big ball of hot gas.” Asking questions helps us think of more key details to add.
INDEPENDENT WRITING
Students revise their draft informative pieces using self-stick notes to indicate something that they would like to change.
Shared Writing
Performance Task: Informative
Days
13–15
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LEARNING FOCUSES W.K.2, W.K.5
With teacher guidance and support, students share in the writing of informative texts, in which they use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative texts; name what they are writing about; and supply some information about the topic. With guidance and support from adults, students focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
DAY 14 EDITING
Remind students that the editing step is their last chance to make sure the text is correct in every detail. Display the editing tips in the margin as a guide for students as they edit their draft together.
The editing step of the writing process is our last chance to make sure our informative piece is in perfect shape. There are many things that we need to think about as we reread and edit our draft. First, we can look at our picture to make sure it shows enough information. Asking questions will help us think of more details. Next, we’ll make sure our words are spelled correctly, especially words that we were not sure how to spell. We can use the word wall, other books, and what we know about word sounds to help us. Then we’ll check that any plural nouns, such as planets and stars, are spelled correctly, too.
INDEPENDENT WRITING
Students edit their independent informative pieces using editing tips.
DAY 15 PUBLISHING AND PRESENTATION
Encourage students to share and present the final group text as well as the informative pieces they wrote individually or with partners. Celebrate their writing accomplishments.
We’ll start by sharing the informative pieces we made together. Then you will each show the class the piece you created on your own. Later, I’ll put your pieces in our browsing box for you to read later. As we listen to each other, think about our theme of the things we can see in the sky. We’ll have an interesting discussion about this after we read the pieces you wrote.
EDITING TIPS
• Look at your writing and fix any
mistakes.
• Check your spelling.
• Make sure words that need a
capital letter have one.
L.K.1c CONVENTIONS Regular Plural Nouns
L.K.2c CONVENTIONS Letter-Sound Correspondence PUBLISHING & PRESENTATION TIPS W.K.6, SL.K.4, SL.K.5, SL.K.6
1. With the help of an adult, use a variety of digital tools. 2. Use details to describe
people, places, things, and events.
3. Add drawings or other visuals to add details to your text. 4. Speak in a clear, loud voice
when presenting your text to others.
© Mondo Publishing
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