Writing Lesson

Alli Schie
LESSON RATIONALE
Students will need to learn the writing process to be able to effectively communicate with
others in a proper manner about different content.

READINESS
I. Goals/Objectives/Standard(s)
a. Goal- Students will construct writing that properly displays the use of adjectives.
b. Objectives-
i. Students will be able to describe different objects and people using
adjectives.
ii. Students will be able to form a proper sentence containing adjectives.
c. Standard- 2.W.6.1c Adjectives/ Adverbs –Writing sentences that use adjectives
and adverbs.
II. Management Plan

 Space- students will be at the carpet during the minilesson and then at their seats
during the writing workshop. I will meet with students at the kidney-shaped table
in the back of the room.
 Materials:
o leaves
o Miss Twiggley's Tree by Dorothea Warren Fox
o cut-out paper leaves
o pencils
o dictionaries
o thesauruses
o paper
o large cut-out tree poster
o tape
o personalized writing folders
 Time:
o Anticipatory set- 5 minutes
o Minilesson- 10 minutes
o Writing- 20 minutes
o Conferences- 3 minutes for each small group
o Sharing- 2 minutes
o Closure- 8 minutes
 Expectations- Students will be given clear expectations and instructions at the
beginning of the lesson. While I am conferencing, students will be productively
writing by themselves. Students will be rewarded for good and respectful
behavior. If a student starts to get off track, I will go stand by the student and
remind him/her why we are doing this writing activity or regain his/her interest in
some way.
PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION
III. Adaptation to Individual Differences and Diverse Learners-

 My student with ADHD will be provided with the stimulant of a physical object
(leaf) to touch and observe. Which will allow him to stay on task.
 Students will be challenged and guided to create more complex writing and use
elaborate words. Students who struggle with word choice will be given many
examples and support during the conference.
 A student with autism will be given clear instructions, expectations, and step-by-
step directions along with a written schedule of events.

IV. Lesson Presentation (Input/Output)

 Minilesson (Word Choice)

o Anticipatory set- Read Miss Twiggley's Tree by Dorothea Warren Fox
followed by a grand conversation
o Purpose Statement- "Today, we are going to learn about and practice using
adjectives because they are important when trying to accurately describe
something and they can help others understand how you feel".
o Introduce Trait- "When we want to describe something, we talk about
what it looks like, what it smells like, what it feels like, what it sounds
like, and what it tastes like. The words we use are called adjectives. An
adjective is a word used to describe a noun". "For example, I could say
'the student sat in a sticky desk'. The word 'sticky' would be the adjective.
Can you think of some adjectives that were used to describe Miss
Twiggley's tree in the book?" I will allow time for students to answer. "If I
wanted to describe a person, I could say 'Anayja is very sweet and pretty'.
The two adjectives that I used were sweet and pretty." What were some
adjectives used to describe Miss Twiggley?" I will allow time for students
to answer. "Can you go back into the text and find me a sentence used to
describe either Miss Twiggley or her tree?" I will allow students to find
evidence.
o I will pass out a crunchy fall leaf to each student. I will start by saying
"One adjective to describe this leaf would be orange. I could also say that
it is crunchy. Now, I want you to examine these leaves and think of some
adjectives that you could use to describe them". I will give students
approximately one minute. Then, I will have students share their
adjectives.
o Check for understanding- I will be checking for understanding by
observing if students can identify adjectives in the book and if they can
provide adjectives to describe the leaves.
 Writing- Students will have pulled a name of a classmate out of a hat and they
will be planning and writing a few sentences containing adjectives on a cut-out
leaf to describe that person in a positive way. When they are finished with that,
students will construct a paragraph using adjectives to describe anything that
 interests them. They will be able to use a thesaurus or dictionary (they have had
practice using these before) to discover new and exciting words to incorporate
into their writing.
o Conferences- I will be pulling 3 students aside during the workshop and
taking anecdotal notes to get an idea of their writing topic and
what adjectives they will be using and possibly giving them ideas for more
elaborate words or pushing them to create a more complex sentence.
o Sharing- Once all students are finished writing and I have met with all
students, I will have them talk with their neighbors about what topic they
chose to write about and why and any new and exciting adjectives that
they discovered while writing.

V. Check for Understanding- I will assess if students have learned if they were able to
appropriately use adjectives in their sentences on their leaves.

VI. Review learning outcomes/Closure- I will have students tape their leaves to my
"kindness tree" which will be displayed somewhere in the classroom. Then, the
students will be able to read the nice comments that others made about them. Then I
will ask students "So how did the adjectives that were written about you make you
feel?" I will allow students to answer. Then, I will ask "Now, why do you think that
using adjectives can be important?" I will then allow students to answer and
encourage them to practice using adjectives as they go about their day and at home.

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT

I will frequently check their writing folders and their writing on their chosen territory to
see if they have been incorporating adjectives properly.

REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS

1. Were students actively engaging in the activities and writing?

2. Were students using adjectives correctly in their writing?
3. Were the adjectives they used elaborate or simple?
4. Were the students able to develop a topic in which is meaningful to them and they are
able to write deeply about?
5. Did students stay on task during the workshop? Why or why not?
6. Did students benefit from the conference?
7. How can I direct my teaching using the information gathered from the conferences?