LESSON PLAN FORMAT CI 5426 Sec.

1
Writer’s Workshop Mini Lesson
(Adapted from the U. of M. Elementary Lesson Plan Template for Explicit Instruction
Based on the edTPA Teacher Performance Assessment)

Name: ​Samantha Schwab

Date Taught: ​11/26/19
Time Needed: 3​ 0 Minutes
Grade of Students:​ 3rd
Number of Students in Whole Group:​ 28
Number of Students in Small Group:​ 5

Lesson Rationale​: Summarizing an informational text—using text features and

important words to retell the main idea and supporting details of the text—has been
shown to be a highly effective way to improve reading comprehension and motivation for
students, particularly for scientific texts (Guthrie, McRae, & Klaudia, 2007).
Paraphrasing is an important part of summarizing informational texts, and can deepen
students’ comprehension while also helping them develop their own writing voice (Kettel
& DeFauw, 2018). One effective strategy is the RRLC strategy: read, reread, list,
compose. This strategy promotes paraphrasing and avoids student plagiarism because it
involves writing a summary of a text from a list of important words gleaned from the
text, rather than simply referencing the text itself (Kettel & DeFauw, 2018). Based on
their writing so far for their animal reports, we have identified 10/28 students who
directly copy phrases from their research texts in their reports at least 80% of the time.
We will break these 10 students up into two small groups of 5 students each to teach
them this paraphrasing skill.

Minnesota English Language Arts Academic Standards Addressed:

W.3.6.8.8. Research to Build and Present Knowledge: Recall information from

experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on
sources and sort evidence into provided categories.

Content Objectives​: Today we will be paraphrasing information from sources for our
informative reports. When we paraphrase a text, we are putting the information from the
text into our own words.

Academic Language Objectives: ​Students will be able to paraphrase information from

a text in writing using the preposition in and a reference to the type of text. Students will
use the sentence stems, “In this book ____,” or “In this article ____.”

Provisions for Individual Differences: ​Students in each group will be at similar levels
of ability for this particular skill, since we will be pulling small groups based on data
from their writing samples. Each student will be pulling information from the same text,
but each will have different supporting details that they chose to include in their reports.
Therefore, each student will be writing something different based on a subject that is
engaging and motivating to them. Students will also be paraphrasing different lengths of
excerpts from text depending on their overall writing ability level: students with more
writing ability will paraphrase a longer and more complex passage than students who
struggle more. Teachers will support students with spelling as they write their ideas,
differentiating for each student depending on their ability. Students will also have the
opportunity to summarize the text orally before they write it, in order to help clarify their
thinking and connect with the text using different modes of expression.

Materials Needed​ (Attach graphic organizers, models, visuals, etc.):

● Informational texts about the animals students are researching at their reading
level
● Notebook paper
● Pencils
● Example text to model RRLC strategy
(​https://worksheetsplus.com/Reading/AnimalAyeAye.html​)

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks to Support Learning

Orientation/Engagement/Motivation: ​(Specify what you will say and do as well as the

questions you will ask)
**​Explicitly explain the purpose or objective of the lesson to the students as stated above.

Continue on by saying, “I want you to start by thinking of a time when you had an idea,
or when you wrote something you were really proud of. When you have an idea, put your
thumb up. You might think of something you wrote in class, or an idea for a fun new
game to play with your friends, or something you wanted to create. Now I want you to
think about what it would feel like if someone copied that idea that you had, and took
credit for it as if they thought of it all by themselves. That might make you feel mad, or
frustrated, or disappointed, or sad, or all of those at the same time. When we read
something in a book, and copy down exactly what that author wrote without using our
own words, that is like we took credit for their idea. To avoid that, we need to paraphrase
it, or put what we read into our own words.”

Presentation/Explicit Instruction/Guided Practice/Feedback: ​(Be specific)​:

Tell the students, “In order to paraphrase our articles or books we picked out for our
research, we will use a strategy called RRLC: Read, Reread, List, and Compose. We will
read the book, or section of the book, or the article. Then, we will read it again. This
helps us to make sure we understand what we read. Then, we will make a list of
important facts from the text. When I make a list, I do not write complete sentences. I do
not even write very many words; instead, I try to write no more than three words for each
bullet point. This helps me make sure that I am only getting the most important facts,
without taking too many of the author’s words. Then, I will use the list I made to write
my summary. I can take the points I made in my list, and turn them into my own
sentences, and put all those sentences together so that I have a summary of the text that is
in my own words.”

Model this strategy with a model text about an animal. Explicitly model each phase of the
RRLC process. Then, direct students to try the model themselves with their research text
about their chosen animal. The teacher will coach individual students as the group works
independently.

Closure ​(Specify what you will say and the questions you will ask)​:
Say to the students, “Today we paraphrased information we researched from articles or
books for our animal adaptation report. We put the information into our own words,
while still keeping all the important details. The reason why we paraphrase information
from texts is because we would be plagiarizing, or stealing, someone else’s writing.
Paraphrasing also helps us make sure that we fully understand what we read, and can
write about it in a way that we can understand. Now, whenever you want to use a piece of
information you read in something you are writing, you can use the RRLC strategy to
paraphrase what you read. This makes sure that it is your words we are reading, not
someone else’s.”

Students will utilize the checklist below to self assess their work. Students will then
“publish” their work by reading their paraphrased summaries of their text to a partner.

Formative Assessment:​ (Attach answer sheets, rubrics, etc.)​:

***​Attach student work to the lesson plan. Include your checklist, rubrics, notes, etc. to
document that you actually used your assessment tools to provide feedback to students.

Paraphrasing Self Assessment Checklist

Answer Components Score (1=present, 0=not present)

Key Details Included from Text

Uses Own Wording (NOT copied from text)

Summary makes sense

Students will utilize this checklist to self assess their paraphrased summaries.

(The following are two representative work samples from the lesson and their
self-assessments).
Reflection:

1. What were the students able to do?

The students were able to read their article twice, write a list of at least five key points,
and compose a summary of the article. The students were able to paraphrase the article
instead of directly copying their ideas. Even though our lesson ended up being slightly
shorter than I anticipated (the classroom teacher had a time-sensitive activity planned),
and even though the other students not in my group were doing a highly engaging activity
(completing a Thanksgiving-themed connect the dots) the students in my group were able
to write a complete paraphrased summary of their article, and were engaged throughout
the lesson. The students were able to share their summary with a partner. They were also
able to fill out the self-assessment rubric I provided, and verbally explained their
reasoning for how they filled it out to me (ie— “I put a check for this first one because I
kept all the most important parts from the article. I put a check for paraphrasing, because
my sentences are not the same sentences as the author, even though they are both about
the same things. I did not copy! And I read my article out loud so I know it makes sense.
My partner could understand it.”). The students also communicated with one another
while they were practicing: comparing their lists (“I have six points and you have seven,
what did I miss?”) and commenting on each other’s summaries (“oh, I like how you said
that! I said it a little differently”).

2. What did I do to help them be successful?

I think a big thing I did to help them be successful was having an engaging opening that
helped students personally connect to the lesson. I opened the lesson by having them
think of a time when they thought of something new or created something they were
proud of, and how they would feel if someone stole that idea. They were very vocal about
how they would feel (“Really mad!” “Kind of sad and disappointed.” “Frustrated! That
was my idea!”). I tied that into how the author of a book or article would feel if someone
copied what they wrote. This helped the students immediately buy into why paraphrasing
is so important (“I don’t want to steal their idea!”) and engage with the lesson.

I also think what helped them be successful was having a strategy that they could use.
Paraphrasing is a tricky skill, and I think if I had used vague language (such as simply
telling them to reword a quote) they would not have been successful. Being able to follow
the four steps I discovered through the research (read, reread, list, and compose) helped
them know exactly what to do. Writing a list of key ideas from the article made
composing a paraphrased summary in their own words much easier for them, I think. I
did change the word “compose” in the strategy to “write” in the middle of the lesson
because I found that the students were confused about what “compose” meant, and that
they were organically using the word “write” (ie—“okay, I wrote my list, now it’s time to
write”). By changing the word “compose” to “write,” a word they better understood, I
helped them understand and internalize the strategy.
Conducting the writer’s workshop in a small group (5 students) also helped them be
successful. It was easier for me to individually coach students as needed while the other
students practiced, so each student got the help they needed right when they needed it. I
also think it promoted a sense of community in the group, and encouraged them to
communicate and collaborate with each other about the articles. It also helped me to
differentiate the lesson: I could better gauge their strengths and challenges in a small
group, and alter my language and support accordingly.

3. What else could have been done in the lesson? What would I change or add?

For this lesson, I had the students write their list and summary in the notebooks they are
using to write their animal reports. I chose this because I wanted this lesson to be useful
to them, as the articles they were paraphrasing were ones they could use in their reports. I
knew that if they had their summaries in the notebooks they were writing the reports in,
this could help them keep everything together and utilize what they wrote in the future.
However, I think that a graphic organizer could also be an effective support to help
students in this lesson. The students were successful when writing in their notebooks, but
I think a graphic organizer would be a helpful tool as well. A graphic organizer for this
lesson could have written directions and the RRLC strategy printed on it that they could
refer to, and could provide explicit places for them to make their list and write their
summary. They could attach this graphic organizer directly into their notebooks, or even
keep it with the text for future reference when writing their animal report drafts.

4. What did I learn and how will I apply that to future lessons?

One thing that this lesson reinforced for me is the importance of telling students why they
are learning something and why it is important. Just teaching them how to paraphrase
without giving them the context of why it is such an important skill (because we are
copying someone else’s idea by plagiarizing, and that it also helps us fully understand
what is being said in the text so we can use it later) ensures that students will
independently use the skill in the future, because they will understand its value. Indeed, I
taught a reading comprehension lesson with this same group later on with the objective of
teaching them how to summarize an informational text. I noticed during this later lesson
that the students I had taught how to paraphrase in my writers workshop were
independently utilizing the RRLC strategy and paraphrasing the main idea/key details of
the text for that lesson. They were able to remember the strategy and cross the skill over
from one lesson to the next. In future lessons, I will be sure to begin and end each lesson
by explaining why the skill they are learning is so important, helping students to
understand and value their learning.
 Writing Conference Reflection

The writing sample I analyzed for this was part of my student’s (E) report on

animal adaptations. This writing sample was part of a long-term class project as part of an

integrated writing and science unit about animals. For this project, E researched how fur

helps polar bears survive. The ultimate report that E is working on will synthesize

information about several different animals and how fur helps them adapt and survive in

the wild.

I utilized the 6-Trait Writing Rubric developed by Culham (2003) to analyze my

E’s writing. I chose this rubric because it is appropriate for E’s age (she is a 3rd grader)

and addressed six different aspects of her writing (her ideas/content, organization, voice,

word choice, sentence fluency, and use of writing conventions). I felt this assessment tool

would give me a clear picture of E’s strengths and potential areas of growth for E as a

writer. Through using the rubric, I identified three areas of strength for E: ideas and

content, organization, and sentence fluency. The other three areas (voice, word choice,

and conventions) showed room for improvement. (The rubric I filled out for E’s writing

sample with my reasoning is attached alongside her writing sample below). I came to the

writing conference with a copy of E’s writing sample, her original notebook with her

work, and a copy of the rubric with my notes.

I began the writing conference by asking E what she likes about her writing. This

seemed to be a difficult question for her to answer; she said, “I don’t know, I just do.” I

gave her time to think about it, but when she could not come up with an answer (she

shrugged her shoulders after about a minute), I told her what I enjoyed about her writing.
I told her that she is really clear in her ideas, and they are organized very well. I told her I

was able to learn new things about polar bears and how fur helps them survive from

reading her paper. She seemed to enjoy this, smiling and saying “you’re a teacher! I

taught a teacher!” She then said, “yeah I tried to have it make sense,” acknowledging that

organization is something she had been focusing on while writing her report.

I then asked her if she was done with this piece of writing, or if there was more

she was going to add. She said, “no this is just a draft.” She said that she has plans to add

research more animals, and find out how they use fur to adapt. She said she knows that

she is going to look up camels next, because she recently saw them at the zoo with her

family, but she was not sure what animal she would do after that (“I’ll decide after

camels”). When I asked what she was going to change about the writing itself, she said

“well, I think I can write it more neat. There are some words I wasn’t sure how they were

spelled, so I could check those.” I said that this was something I had noticed, too, but that

she had sounded out the tricky words really well. She told me she knows how to look up

the words in the books she used for research (“in the glossary”), and would do that later

on during choice time.

She then told me that she wants to paraphrase some of the details she took from

the books and articles she researched. We had just come from my writer’s workshop mini

lesson on paraphrasing, so it was fresh in her mind. She told me she paraphrased one

quote, but pointed to two other sentences where she “took too many words from the

book.” I coached her through paraphrasing those sentences on the back of my copy of her

writing. We used the RRLC method I taught in my small group. At the end of our
conference, she took the paraphrased quotes with her with plans to integrate them into her

next draft.

In general, I think the writing conference went very well. E said that she had not

had one before, but she responded well to my questions and thought critically about her

writing. She required a little prompting at first, when I asked what she liked about her

writing. But when I started talking about what I liked in her writing, that seemed to help

her be able to think about her writing and come up with things to say. At first, because of

the prompting, it felt like I was speaking too much, but by the end it was largely being led

by E. I would just occasionally ask a question or prompt her thinking further, which felt

like a good balance to me.

One thing I would refine about this conference would be the question I led with. I

started the conference by asking her what she liked about her writing, which was a

challenge for her. I think I could have scaffolded this a little better, since it was her first

writing conference. I could begin by summarizing her writing for her, or saying

something I noticed she did well. Or I could use a different question, such as “what were

you thinking about when you decided to write this? Why did you pick animal fur?”

Starting with an easier question could help her begin to think about her writing and

engage in metacognition in a more natural way. Overall, though, I found this conference

to be successful, and E told me at the end that it was “very helpful, and fun!”
 Writing Trait Score (1-5) Reasoning

Ideas and Content 5 Writing is clear, focused,

 and contains relevant and
interesting supporting
details.

Organization 4 Introduction is inviting,

conclusions sums up the
writing. However,
transitions are lacking.

Voice 3 Attempted connection with

audience (successful in
introduction) that is lacking
in the rest of the writing.

Word Choice 3 Word choice is adequate

and conveys appropriate
meaning; detail and
descriptive language is
lacking.

Sentence Fluency 5 Writing has a good rhythm,

and sentence length is
varied.

Conventions 3 Spelling is largely correct

and, if incorrect, phonetic
(“gard” instead of “guard”,
for example). Punctuation
is appropriately used.
Paraphrasing is attempted.