Strategy: Organization (Repeating Line) Book Title: When I Was Five Author: Arthur Howard Grade Level: 1-3

Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.3 Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3 Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. Summary: In When I Was Five by Arthur Howard, the young boy in the book recounts his favorite toys, companions, and events. Now that the young boy is six, he contrasts his old favorite things with his new favorite things. When I was five is a repeating phrase that occurs throughout the book and helps to organize the content into a poetic-like structure. Goals: The students will identify the repeating line in text as an organizational strategy. I can tell why an author might use a repeating line in his/her writing. The students will use the repeating line to organize big picture ideas. I can use a repeating line to organize my ideas about a big picture event. Anticipatory Set: Call students together and explain that often, as authors, it is difficult to pick just one topic to write about. Sometimes, authors want to talk about many events that are related. Tell students you would like to show them a strategy that Arthur Howard uses in his writing to tell about many things. Ask students to look for a pattern they see in Arthur Howards writing. Read the book, When I Was Five aloud to students. Input: Task Analysis: Ask students to share patterns they noticed in When I Was Five. Explain that Arthur Howard uses the repeating line When I was five to share many different events from the characters experience being five years old. 1

Remind students that this strategy might not work as well in a small moments story when they focus on one event. Rather, the repeating line will help them organize big picture events with a collection of small moments. Ask students to think of a big picture time with many small moments they might want to write about. (i.e. holidays, seasons, birthdays, days in school, etc.) Write a list of students ideas on a large piece of chart paper or a whiteboard. Give students examples to get them thinking (i.e. On the first day of school, In December, On Christmas morning, When I was seven) Model creating a thinking web with the big picture idea in the middle. Tell students you are working on a piece about the first day of school. Write On the first day of school in the middle of the web. Show students how to add small events, ideas, and details about the big picture event. Say, On the first day of school, I remember what I had for breakfast. I had waffles and orange juice. Ill add that to the web. Add additional details you recall from the first day of school (see sample web). Refer back to When I Was Five and reread the section that begin When I was five this was my favorite kind of car through the end of the sentence. Show students how the author grouped all of his favorite things together. Tell students you want to begin writing about the beginning of your day. Use a different color marker to show grouping of the similar items (circle or star relevant bubbles on the web). Model using the repeating line from the middle of the thinking web to begin the story. We are writing about the first day of school, so I will begin the story with the repeating line: On the first day of school Use the ideas and details from the grouping to begin writing the story (see yellow stars on example map). Model thinking aloud while selecting the details to form into sentences. I remember the waffles I had for breakfast and forgetting to pour the syrup I was so nervous! Those details are related because they are both about breakfast so I will write them both in a sentence. On the first day of school I poured my orange juice in my favorite cup and made waffles for breakfast, but I forgot the syrup! Give students 3-5 minutes to look through their writers notebooks to independently brainstorm a topic to use with the Repeating Lines strategy. Allow students to discuss their ideas with peers. Refer to the brainstormed list from the beginning of the lesson if students are having difficulty. Provide each student with a piece of paper to make a thinking web. Guide students through the process of selecting a phrase to use as their repeating line. 2

Explain that the students will work independently to brainstorm their own ideas, events, and details about their big picture event. Remind students that when they finish brainstorming, they should group their ideas together and begin writing using their repeating line. Remind students that the repeating line is not a strategy to use in every story, but that it can be helpful to organize big picture stories. Ask students: What questions do you have? Encourage students to try the Repeating Lines strategy in their own writing. Dismiss students to do independent writing. Allow students to share their writing at the end of the writing workshop.

Materials: For each student: Pencil, writers notebook, blank paper for thinking web For teacher: When I Was Five by Arthur Howard, whiteboard or chart paper, 2 different colored markers, large paper or whiteboard to create thinking map Modeling: Model creating a thinking map using a big picture idea as a repeating line. Show students how to group similar details in thinking map to organize ideas. Model using thinking map to begin writing a story using the repeating line as an organizational strategy. Guided Practice: The teacher will model and guide students through the process of grouping similar ideas on their thinking maps before they begin writing their stories using a repeating line. The students will also begin creating their own thinking maps with teacher guidance and assistance. Independent Practice: Students will create individual thinking maps about a topic of their choice. During independent writing time, students will practice using the map to group ideas and write their stories. Assessment: The teacher will formatively assess students understanding of the repeating line as an organizational technique by reviewing students thinking maps and stories. The teacher will also check for understanding during class discussion and writing conferences. Text Information: Howard, A. (1999). When I was five. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Inc. ISBN: 9780152020996 Alternative Text for Older Students:

Rylant, C. (1982). When I was young in the mountains. New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN: 9780140548754 References: Calkins, L., Hartman, A., & White, Z. (2003). The conferring handbook (pp. 56-59). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Dorfman, L. R., & Cappelli, R. (2007). Mentor texts: Teaching writing through children's literature, K6 (pp. 133-155). Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.