Get your students excited about informational writing! This complete informational writing unit includes daily lesson plans, notebook charts, mentor texts and more. This unit takes your students through the whole writing process. Students will begin with getting ideas and end with a published piece of informational writing. The informational writing lessons included can be used in two ways:
â This unit is also part of the Writing Units Bundle which includes Narrative, Opinion, & Informational Writing Units.
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
What is included in the informational writing unit?
âď¸Writing Minilessons:
There are a total of 24 minilessons. The lessons can be skipped, moved around, modified as needed based on your students' needs.
Study a Mentor Text
Writers are teachers.
Getting Ideas
Prepare for research
Writers research
Look for Big Ideas (Main Ideas for Text)
Sort Information
Plan with Boxes & Bullets
Draft Paragraphs
Paragraphs with Purpose
Use Text Evidence
Balance Facts with Voice
Using a Teaching Tone
Elaboration: Using Mini Stories
Using Figurative Language
Craft Moves & Elaboration Strategies
Expert Words (Domain-Specific Vocabulary)
Transitional Words & Phrases
Introductions
Conclusions
Revise: Add Text Features
Revise: Eliminate Unnecessary Words
Edit
Polish & Publish!
âď¸PowerPoint:Â
For each lesson above, PowerPoint slides are included that can be used to model and teach the lesson.Â
âď¸Notebook Charts/Binder Charts for Students (see full list below):
For each lesson, a notebook chart is included to support student learning.
âď¸More Writing Resources Included:
Rubrics & Checklists
Graphic Organizers
Mini Word Wall
Sort
Teacher Example Essay + Planning
Mentor Text Recommendations
Publishing Paper
 âď¸ Writing Notebook Anchor Charts + Graphic Organizers
Characteristics of an Informational Text
Writing an Informational Text
Wise Readers Ask Questions
Cause and Effect
Sort Out the Details
What does the TEXT say?
Using Text Evidence
Transition Words for Informational Writing
Organizing an Informational Text
See, Think, Wonder
See, Think, Wonder Notes on How to Use the Strategy
Text Features
Informational Writing Editing Checklist
Informational Writing Checklist and Rubric
Solving Our Spelling Problems
Paragraphs with Purpose
Instead of Says
Introductions
Conclusions
Building the Main Idea of a Paragraph
Craft Moves and Elaboration Strategies 1
Craft Moves and Elaboration Strategies 2
Craft Moves and Elaboration Strategies 3
File it Away! (Graphic Organizer/Boxes and Bullets)
Show Me the Evidence (Graphic Organizer for gathering evidence from 3 sources with lines)
Show Me the Evidence (Graphic Organizer for gathering evidence from 3 sources without lines)
Show Me the Evidence (Graphic Organizer for gathering evidence from 4 sources with lines)
Show Me the Evidence (Graphic Organizer for gathering evidence from 4 sources without lines
Sorting My Evidence (Graphic Organizer to sort information)
"My school adopted a curriculum which was just had guidelines as to what should be taught but was lacking resources. I purchased this writing unit and was so pleased with how comprehensive the lessons and graphic organizers are! I will definitely purchase the other units! Thank you!" - Jessica M.
"Your units are amazing and my students have benefited greatly. Before this, I used to hate teaching writing. But this is honestly now one of my favorite subjects to teach." - Brittney B.
"Excellent resource. This is jam packed with information and is everything you promise and more. Thank you for a thorough product." - Ms. Duffy's Dream
đš Click play on the video to see the complete unit.Â
You probably already know that conferring and working in small groups is the most organic and effective way to differentiate your instruction AND meet your students' needs. However, that requires YOU to be working with them. What about when you're not working with them? You want meaningful, rigorous writing opportunities that are skill-specific. That is precisely the purpose of these writing centers.Â
There are 5 Types of Writing Centers with 5 of each writing center. That means you've got 25 Writing Centers to help your students grow! Each writing center also includes an Answer Key so that students can self-check or you can use as a grade if you prefer. The centers are available as color-coded or black and white. This particular set of Writing Centers are based on Scientific concepts.
1. Fix it Up! Editing -Â Students edit a paragraph. The number of mistakes is located at the bottom so students know when they have found them all OR if they need to keep looking. An answer key is included so students can self-check.
Topics:
Cool Critters! (Ants)
Sluggish Situation (African Land Snail)
Amphibians
Salamanders
Poison Dart Frog
2. Transition Mission-Â Students use a transitional words and phrases chart to add transitions to a paragraph. An answer key is included so students can self-check.
Topics:
Crocs & Gators
Metamorphosis
Animals Impact Their Environment
Oil Spills
Endangered Species
3. Elaboration Station -Â Students are given a few sentences with facts about the topic. After the facts/evidences, students use elaboration strategies to add on to the paragraph. Sample responses are included.
Topics:
Volcanoes (Informative)
Grizzly Bears (Informative)
Drought (Informative)
College Athletes (Opinion)
Physical Education (Opinion)
4. Paraphrase Practice -Â Each center has a paragraph. Students practice paraphrasing the paragraph. A chart for the STP (Stop! Think. Paraphrase) strategy is provided.
Topics:
Indicator Species
Pollinators
Tracking Twisters
Invasive Species
Animals in Zoos
5. Sort + Write -Â This center includes 5 different science-based sorting activities. Students have directions for each sort. They are given words and phrases to sort for a specific purpose. After they have sorted, they write a multi-paragraph essay using the details and the sort to organize and write their essay. There are a total of 5 sorts. These could also double duty as a science center.
Writing Rocks! (Classifying Rocks)
Life Cycles (Complete + Incomplete)
Heat Energy (3 Types)
Writing Matters! (Solid, Liquid, Gas)
People & Their Environment: Helpful or Harmful?
The centers are included in color + black and white. Ideas for storage and organization are included. Please see the preview for more information and to get a better look at these centers.
If you have any questions as to how you can use these in your upper elementary classroom, please email me at jessica@theliteracyloft.com.
- Jessica
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
These centers are the perfect supplement for our writing units and the monthly text sets.
Biography Project {Grades 2-5} | Distance Learning | Google Slides
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*Google Slides and Print Option*
*Rubric Added!*
About this Product
This product came as a result of my studentsâ love of the biography series âWho WasâŚ?â If you have not looked into this series, I recommend that you do! They are a fun, easy read that offers an engaging way for students to learn about historical figures and important people. Although this product is based on this series, this product could be used for any biography book or project. This is a nice way to integrate Reading, Writing, and Social Studies.
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
How I Used this Product
In my 3rd Grade classroom, I used multiple copies of the same book or books and paired students in partnerships. In my school, we have a 30 minute Reading Intervention Block. I began this project with students who were not pulled out or working with me in small groups during this time. This was a nice way for students to work independently or in partnerships. It also created an extension for what they could already do as readers. Plus, they had so much fun! I let them work on this project in their partnerships. This held several benefits. Many students who were not pulled out or working in small groups tend to be higher level students OR students who have untapped potential. Allowing them to work on a project like this can extend their learning, as well as find new ways to enjoy reading. While other students had special groups or went to see other teachers, it was nice for these students to have their own project too.
The Poster Page is a template that you could use for students to turn in with the essay or you could use this as a planning page and then have students create a larger poster on their own. I assigned it as homework and was pleasantly surprised at what my students turned in. I saw a wonderful increase in engagement by students who had shown little motivation or enthusiasm for reading. You can see the photos in the preview or in the product itself. Please know I updated the pages after the photos were taken with more detail and provided the poster template. Good luck to you with this project! If you have any questions, please contact me!
Launching Writing Workshop Unit | Distance Learning | Google Slides
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đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
This unit is a foundational unit to build craft, community, and confidence in your writing workshop. This is a 10 day unit that focuses on moving through the writing process and having students complete one narrative piece. The narrative unit will go deeper into crafting a personal narrative.Â
What's included?Â
Unit Lesson PlansÂ
Writing Notebook Charts
Google Slides Presentation
Google Slides Interactive Student Presentation
Google Slides Interactive Student Notebook
PowerPoint pdf
Need something else? Let me know in the comments!Â
By the end of this unit, your students will be able to:
Follow routines, procedures, and directions during each part of Writing Workshop. They listen quietly during the minilesson and participate with their partner.
Begin working right away during independent writing time. They solve problems on their own and do not disturb others.
Generate ideas for a personal narrative.
Plan a personal narrative.
Use their writing plan to draft a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Use strategies to spell unknown words.
Effectively communicate and work with a writing partner.
Revise their own work by using a checklist.
Edit their own work by using a checklist to correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Collaborate with a partner to share and work on their writing.
You probably already know that conferring and working in small groups is the most organic and effective way to differentiate your instruction AND meet your students' needs. However, that requires YOU to be working with them. What about when you're not working with them? You want meaningful, rigorous writing opportunities that are skill-specific. That is precisely the purpose of these writing centers.
There are 5 Types of Writing Centers with 6 of each writing center. That means you've got 30 Writing Centers to help your students grow! Each writing center also includes an Answer Key so that students can self-check or you can use as a grade if you prefer. The centers are available as color-coded or black and white. This particular set of Writing Centers are based on Scientific concepts.
1. Storytelling vs. Summarizing - Students decide whether the writer is storytelling or summarizing the story.
2. Storytelling Revision - Students rewrite the summary as a story. They are to add details, characters, dialogue, thought shots, and other narrative writing elements to slow it down and make the writing sound like a story.
Topics:
New Girl
What's in the basement?
Camp Out!
Roller Coaster
Bee Sting!
New Pet
3. Fact Adjectives - Students are given cards that has a photo with directions on writing with fact adjectives. They are to write inside their writing notebook or on a sheet of notebook paper.
Topics:
Cats on a Computer
Girl on the Phone
Elephant & the Mouse
Best Friends
Stocking Up Squirrel
Little Monkeys
4. Speaker Tags -Â Students think about what is happening in the conversation and how the character might speak. They will then write a speaker tag to complete each sentence.
Topics:
It's a Deal!
Homework?
Recess Wars
Kings' Quarrel
Phone Call
Book Spill
5. Transitions -Â Students will write a transition word or phrase to complete the sentences. A transitions chart is also provided.
Topics:
Snowboarding
Rooster's Ride
Camp Commotion
To the Hospital
Something in the Water
It's Just a Game
The centers are included in color + black and white. Ideas for storage and organization are included. Please see the preview for more information and to get a better look at these centers.
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
If you have any questions as to how you can use these in your upper elementary classroom, please email me at jessica@theliteracyloft.com.
- Jessica
These centers are the perfect supplement for our writing units and the monthly text sets.
Personal Narrative Writing Unit {My Life is a Story}
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This Personal Narrative Unit is perfect for kicking off Writerâs Workshop at the beginning of the year, while also providing enough content to support the Narrative Writing Common Core Standard at any other point in the school year. The lessons in this unit will build excitement for writing and set foundations for the rest of your academic year. This unit also contains lifelong tools which could supplement other writing units and the overall writing process.Â
*Writing Unit Calendar with Teaching Points *Blank Planning Calendar *Mentor Text Suggestions and Links *20 Lesson Ideas for the Unit
(The lessons in this unit are NOT always in a specific lesson template or written to precisely tell you what to do. However, there are detailed descriptions and ideas for each teaching point, including how the teacher can model, how students will practice, and what students will do independently. This unit will look different in every classroom as your own personal teaching style, experience, and perspective filters through. I have included a brief explanation for each teaching point and how it would/could look in the classroom. I have also noted when to use the anchor charts for each day as well as included pictures of notebook work that may help also. This unit of resources will hopefully âfill your fistâ as Katie Wood Ray would say, with writing strategies to help your writers build a love for writing! You can check out my blog for anchor chart ideas and information on teaching writing.
*20+ Writing Notebook Anchor Charts for the Writerâs Notebook to help support applying the writing strategies into their work by providing anchor charts at your studentsâ fingertips.
*20 Anchor Charts to be used for: teaching the lesson, laminated as posters, put in sheet protectors and on a binder ring as part of your writing center or any other creative way you find use for them!
*Narrative Writing Checklist and Grading Rubric
*Standards for 3rd-5th grades (to glue in notebook)
*Publishing Paper
Whether you are using this in your classroom to start off the year or as a way to improve your studentsâ writing process, I hope you and your students enjoy this unit as much as we did! If you have any further questions or needs I would love to hear from you!
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
This mini-bundle of resources includes: Informational Writing Student/Peer Checklist Informational Writing Teacher Rubric for grading purposes (2 versions) Narrative Writing Student/Peer Checklist Narrative Writing Rubric for grading purposes (2 versions) Opinion Writing Student/Peer Checklist Opinion Writing Rubric for grading purposes (2 versions) Language Arts Short Response Rubric Character Feelings and Traits Notebook Charts Transitional Words and Phrases Notebook Chart Words We All Should Spell Correctly Chart Writing an Opinion Essay Chart Writerâs Celebrate! 3-2-1 Style
This product is one that I see myself continuously updating and adding new material. hope you enjoy and I would love to hear your feedback about this product! I am always open to ways I can improve my products:)ď
How to use the Checklists: The checklists are used to help students understand what is expected of them as they move through the writing process. In addition, the checklist requires them to reflect on themselves as a writer. In my classroom, I introduce the checklist shortly after we have started the unit so they can monitor themselves as we go along. As we move towards publishing our final draft, the âIâm doneâ declarations dwindle. I have found the checklist reiterates specific things students can work on as a writer. Furthermore, they are required to consult one another through peer editing and revising.
The Rubrics Reading and Writing grades are not so quick and easy anymore. Although I have the abstract mind of a Language Arts Teacher, when it comes time for grades and assessments- the âmeasurementâ of my studentâs progress can be a bit gray and I have struggled with giving my studentsâ a fair grade. The Writing rubrics included in this product are aligned to the checklists and allow you as the teacher to attach a grade to their final writing piece in an objective manner.Â
The Language Arts Short Response Rubric is a new one I am trying out this year and am very excited about!!! No longer are our assessments simply multiple choice-you got it or you donât, a quick and easy grade. Questions and tasks are open-ended, which requires studentsâ to think more critically. In many standardized district or state assessments, students are required to respond to a task in an essay form AND ALSO a short response. As a teacher, assigning grades isnât so easy anymore. I have often wondered how my classroom assessments are aligning to the district and state assessments as well as the standards overall. Alas, this product was born.
I donât know about your students, but when my kiddos get a short response it isâŚdefinitely short!! They either answer in 2-3 words or a sentence or two that may or may not answer the question. ď No more! This rubric will help you get students in the habit of answering short responses in complete sentences and require them to efficiently and quickly reflect on their work. Because after all, it is a SHORT responseď I use these at least once a week with a question about the current text or Read Aloud we are using in the classroom. They respond in their Reading Response Journal (or Reading Notebook). An added bonus is that throughout the year you can watch your students grow and become not only better readers, but also better writers
The Charts Charts, charts, charts-I Love Charts. The problem is that we run out of wall space in our classrooms. I have found that students are sometimes more likely to use charts when they are at their fingertips- in their notebooks. I try to create the charts that they can continually refer to in their Reading and Writing work into half sheet versions they can simply glue into their notebooks. This product includes charts students can use in both Reading and Writing as well as a sample of charts found in the product My Opinion Matters!Â
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
***This bundle has been updated as of 1/11/2016 with the new Opinion Writing Charts***
This bundle contains our Narrative, Opinion, & Informational Writing Units. Click the links below or inside the preview to check out the individual units.
If these units do not include something particular you are looking for, please email us. We are always looking for ways to improve the quality of our products!
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
Get your students excited about opinion writing! This complete opinion writing unit includes daily lesson plans, notebook charts, mentor texts and more. This unit takes your students through the whole writing process. Students will begin with getting ideas and end with a published piece of opinion writing. The opinion writing lessons included can be used in two ways:
âď¸What is included in the opinion writing unit?
Unit Lesson Plans
PowerPoint
Notebook Anchor Charts
Full Size Anchor Charts
Teacher Examples
Rubrics & Checklists
Sorts
Mini Word Wall
âď¸ About this Product
This opinion essay unit provides basic opinion writing teaching points and resources based on the Common Core Writing Standards for Grades 3-5. The lesson plans are divided into three parts:
1. Basic Teaching Points: Lessons that can be carried from writing a self-selected opinion piece to writing in response to text. These begin with generating ideas and end with a published piece of opinion writing.
2. Bonus (mini) Mini Lessons: Lessons to be used in small group, conferring, or whole group depending on the needs of your students.
3. Writing in Response to Text: Lessons to be used when writing in response to text or a prompt
This unit provides topic ideas and resources for any opinion piece. You could use a text as a basis for the opinion piece or use this unit to simply kick off opinion writing in your classroom. The writing lessons do not need to be taught in the exact order. Also, some of the teaching points you could use as small group lessons if you find that only some of your students need the lesson.
âď¸Writing Minilessons:
The minilessons can be skipped, moved around, modified as needed based on your students' needs.
Study a Mentor Text
Getting Ideas
Collect Entries
Writers rehearse
Reasons and Evidence
Structure of Opinion Writing
Make a Plan Using Boxes & Bullets
Using Transition Words
Hook the Reader (Opinion Statement)
Reason Paragraph (Planner to Paragraph)
Precise Word Choice
Expert Words (Domain-Specific Vocabulary)
Elaboration
Craft a Conclusion
Revise: Eliminate Unnecessary Words
Edit
Polish & Publish
Bonus Minilessons
18. Strong, Bold Thesis Statements
19. Addressing the Audience's Concerns
20. Address Counterclaims
21. When, Why, How to Use Transitional Words and Phrases
22. Choosing Convincing Reasons
23. Endings: Restate Opinion + Call to Action
24. Strong Evidence
25. Color Code the Text to Identify the parts of an essay
26. Using repetition
Writing in Response to Text
27. Unpack the Prompt
28. Close Read a Text to Collect Evidence
29. Use Charts and Text Features as Evidence
30. What Makes Strong Evidence?
31. Citing Text Evidence
âď¸ PowerPoint:
For each lesson above, PowerPoint slides are included that can be used to model and teach the lesson.
âď¸Notebook Charts/Binder Charts for Students (see full list below):
For each lesson, a notebook chart is included to support student learning.
âď¸ More Writing Resources Included:
Rubrics & Checklists
Graphic Organizers
Mini Word Wall
Reasons + Evidence Sort
Teacher Example Essay + Planning
Mentor Text Recommendations
Publishing Paper
âď¸ Writing Notebook Anchor Charts
The anchor charts included in this product are meant for students to have anchor charts at their fingertips in their Writerâs Notebooks. I donât know about you, but wall space is always an issue in my classroom. Not only that but storing and keeping track of large chart paper can sometimes stretch our organizational skills to the limits! I have found one of the best ways to support my students is to treat their notebooks like a tool in which they can find the strategies and skills taught whenever they need it. In this way, what we teach our students is not just a one-day occurrence, but they have a âforever tool.â
Characteristics of Opinion Writing
Writing an Opinion Essay
Topic Ideas for an Opinion Essay
Getting Ideas for an Opinion Essay
Debatable Topics
Opinion Vocabulary
Reasons vs. Evidence Sort
Opinion Writing Structure (2 Reasons)
Opinion Writing Structure (3 Reasons)
Transition Words for Opinion Writing
Transition Words from Pig Parade Mentor Text
The Hook
Paragraphs with Purpose
Color Code Your Text
Word Choice
Opinion Sentence Stems
Writers Use Expert Words
Transitional Phrases for Evidence & Elaboration
Crafting a Conclusion
Instead of Says
Using Text Evidence
Quoting or Paraphrasing the Text
Using Quotations from a Text
Opinion Writers Checklist
Peer Editing
Thesis Statement for an Opinion Essay
Planning a Thesis Statement
Rebuttal, Response, & Counterclaims
Repeat Your Opinion
Close Reading Strategies
Writers Choose Strong Evidence
Consider Your Audience
Language & Tone to Validate Your Argument
Opinion Writing Editing Checklist
Solving Your Spelling Problems
Opinion Writer's Checklist
Sorting My Evidence
4 Square Graphic Organizer
Writers Celebrate 3-2-1 Style
Â
Do you need opinion writing prompts and text sets to go with this unit?
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
Are your students struggling to write complete sentences? This digital activity provides an interactive and focused practice in a short amount of time to construct complete sentences. Each Google Slide has a moving gif. Students use the gif (moving image) to write a complete sentence that describes the picture. This simple activity gives them an opportunity to practice writing complete sentences without worrying about a longer piece of writing.
What is included?
36 Google Slides with a gif
Paper Response Sheet (in case you want students to write their answers by hand)
Answer Key with Sample Responses
How can I use this resource?
The possibilities are endless for this digital activity. Some ideas to get you started:
writing center
literacy station
early finisher task during independent writing
homework
small group
daily warm-up for writing workshop
sub plans for writing
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
About this product:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CC.RA.W.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
This product is a fun way to get your students excited about persuasive writing. Your students will write this piece from the point of view of an elf working in Santaâs Candy Cane factory. They are an elf who is put in charge of the factory when things take a turn for the worst. Your elves really want to keep their jobs (it is getting close to Christmas!)
This set includes the following items: - Teacher Lesson Outline - Student Scenario Page - Three Planning Pages - Transition Words Sheet (plain and holiday versions) - Hook Santa In Printable - Endings Printable - Two Letter Outline Printables
Current Event Newspaper Assignment-What's the SCOOP? | Google Slides + Print
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About this Product:
Current Events are a nice way to integrate Social Studies, Reading, and Writing. Additionally, they are a wonderful way to keep your students connected to the community and world around them.Â
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
This resource addresses the following Common Core State Standards:
Common Core Reading Anchor Standard 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. Common Core Reading Anchor Standard 2: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
Common Core Reading Anchor Standard 3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.Â
Common Core Reading Anchor Standard 4: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. Common Core Reading Anchor Standard 6: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of the text.
This product includes:
Whatâs the Scoop? Directions, Rubric, and Checklist? This page gives the student directions for their assignment and then offers a checklist/rubric. In this way, students know exactly what is expected of them and how they will get their grade. This is also helpful for the teacher when grading the assignment.
Whatâs the Scoop? This part of the assignment requires students to find a newspaper article and then answer Who, What, When, Were, and Why questions based on the article.Â
The Authorâs Craft This portion of the assignment requires students to think about the authorâs perspective, angle, and word choice in the text/about the topic. Students will identify the authorâs tone (positive, negative, neutral) and then give examples of the authorâs word choice. Students will also identify two new words, give the sentence from the article that used the word, meaning of the word, and create a new sentence using the word.Â
Sum it Up! Students will use the article as well as the answers to the previous questions to write a summary of their article.Â
Informational Text Set {Polar Bear Problems} | Distance Learning | Google Apps
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Reading and Writing from 1 text set!
What are monthly text sets? The monthly text sets are two or more texts based on the same topic. Each monthly text set can be used for both reading and writing. The topic of each text set is high-engaging nonfiction topics. Each text set supports opinion or informational based writing in response to reading.
What is included in each text set?Â
2 (or more) related informational articles
Reading Comprehension Questions
Writing Prompt to be used with the texts in an essay format
Writing Plan Example
Teacher Example Essay (editable)
Differentiated for Grades 3-5Â Â
Polar Bear Problems Students read articles about polar bears. Using the texts, they write an informational essay about the topic. Standard-based reading comprehension questions help you integrate reading while using the same text you are using in writing.
Try the free text set here: https://theliteracyloft.co/FREETextSet
These text sets go perfectly with the Informational and Opinion Writing Units:
Check out the Monthly Text Set Bundle and save up! The bundle includes ALL of the text sets that are currently available.
What topics are included for each month? The topics included are thematically related to that month. However, the text sets can be used at any time of the year based on your needs.
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
These charts are for studentsâ use in their writing notebooks, but also for teachers! At the beginning of the year, one of the most important things we can do for our students is teach them how to get ideas for their own personal narratives. This will lead to better writing in other genres. More importantly, this will get students excited about writing! I like to focus on these key points at the beginning of the year: Â Volume, Stamina, & Confidence
This chart is a simple tool students can glue into their notebook as a reminder of ways they can generate ideas for entries, drafts, or stories. Also, teachers can use these as teaching points for mini lessons at the beginning of the year. I would strongly advise teachers to teach students HOW to use this tool & model ways to get ideas, before giving to students. I have included 4 copies:  One half-page (so 2 on a page) for students with my examples One half-page (so 2 on a page) for students with a blank t-chart One full page with a blank t-chart One cute colorful one which could be displayed in the writing center or however you choose.  By giving students a resource to get ideas, you may be less likely to hear, âI donât have anything to write aboutâŚâ  And when you do, you have a simple response:
âLetâs take a look at some ways writers get ideasâŚâ  This chart could also be displayed in the classroom for students in the writing center. I would love to hear how this works for you! I appreciate any feedbackÂ
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5. Â
1. Teaching Points for the Unit - These are suggested teaching points you could use to teach this project. They do not need to be taught in this order and you may find your students need different teaching points. Please note this does NOT include full lessons, only teaching points aligned to standards
2. What Should my Field Guide Include? - a Content Guide for students (and teachers) to help guide the research and the content of the field guide
3. My Research Notes - a graphic organizer to help students record what they learn about the animal. This will also help students to organize their research, thus organize their writing.Â
4.My Research Notes with Guiding Questions - This version of the graphic organizer includes questions from the Content Guide to help students think about what to include in each section.
5. My Research Notes BLANK - This version allows students to think more critically and could be used with other projects. Students would determine what that category would be.
6. Field Guide Template - This is a template you can use for the rough draft of the Field Guide. You could also use this as the studentsâ actual field guides if you wanted to. In our classrooms, we used this as a template for the rough draft and then used large 11 x 18 in manila paper to recreate the template in a larger format.Â
7.Field Guide Pictures - Classroom photos to help you and your students see the end product.
8.My Field Guide Rubric - This is included to make your grading life easier!!! Writing can be so subjective sometimes- hopefully, this rubric will help you zip through grading studentsâ final projects!
9.Writers Celebrate! 3-2-1 Style - These cards can be used at the end of the unit as part of a gallery walk. Students can lay out their final masterpieces on top of desks or in a display area. Students walk around leaving comments for other classmates.
This is a resource to help you integrate Writing into the content area of Science or vice versa. Additionally, you might be able to integrate technology by using websites and videos to support your studentsâ research. Another possible way to use this resource is by having students create their final product in a power point presentation. There are NOT supplemental resources included in the product, but this may give you some ideas on how you can suit this resource to best fit your classroomâs needs.Â
In order to implement this into your classroom, students will need to choose an animal to research. You may choose to limit the choices your studentsâ can make or limit to only wild animals or limit to animals found only in your state. One teacher tip I have for you is that if you do not want your students to choose pets, state that at the beginning of the unit. I gave my students a little too much freedom and some of the field guides became about pets. You might be okay with this if you are using this unit to get your kids writing! In my 4th grade classroom, we aligned this to various animals we discussed in class. As we began this unit, I noticed my students needed more guidance with topics an informational writer might discuss when writing about an animal. The questions we came up with are included in the âWhat should my field guide include?â page.Â
This is also meant to be a research project. Students will need to have access to books, articles, or websites about their particular animals. Whenever we begin any type of unit in my classroom, I head to our school library and fill baskets with that type of text. For this unit, you might want to choose two types of texts: 1)Texts based on the topics your students are writing about 2) Texts that students can use as a mentor text. I also suggest you choose a Mentor Informational Text to teach the lessons and model the writing techniques.Â
On Day 1 of the Unit, you might collect brochures, field guides, magazines, and other informational texts to help define the characteristics of Informational Text. Through your class discussion or minilesson create a classroom chart. Doing this simple study together will help set the foundation for the rest of the unit and create a point of reference for you and your students.Â
Another thought about implementing this into your Informational Writing curriculum is using the research to create an Informational Essay. In this way, you are still meeting the writing standards, in a fun and innovative way! Your students will have fun teaching their others all about their topic! If you use 11x18 paper to fold into the field guide as shown in the pictures, there is a spot for a sheet of paper 8.5 x 11 or notebook paper.Â
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
Please know the there is a blank template for notes and the field guide. This might allow you to use the field guide and teaching points for other informational writing topics. Have fun and Happy Writing!!Â
Reading & Writing Bundle
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$64.80
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This unit has been updated 8.14.2017 to include Book ReviewsÂ
What is included?
This bundle includes my favorite and most used Reading and Writing Unit resources in a package that saves you 20%. This reading and writing bundle includes the resources listed below. You can click on any of the links to take you to the resource and see the preview.
Each of the included units includes Reading and/or Writing Notebook Anchor Charts to help support your students' needs.
Why Reading/Writing Notebook Anchor Charts?
The charts in the units are meant to be used inside studentsâ reading or writing notebooks. This is why they are shown two on a page. I donât know about you, but we have copy budgeting issues at my school and I am always trying to find ways to save paper and copies! Plus, my students use composition notebooks for every subject and we have a special section for Notes and Teaching Charts where we glue these in.
More importantly, I use a lot of anchor charts in my classroom. With the amount of charts I make- it would be impossible to keep all of them up throughout the year and sometimes students forget they are there. Having them right in their notebooks allows easy accessibility to help during independent Reading or Writing. You might also find these useful for parents to use at home.
Since I began using anchor charts inside our Reading and Writing Notebooks, I have noticed my students are able to work better independently. They have the tools they need to support their learning. The charts have also been helpful in planning and presenting my lessons. For example, when we are talking about âtheme,â I have examples and ways to find it by using the chart. This helps to bring a large and broad topic down to a concrete idea.
This set also includes a variety of graphic organizers for both reading and writing. I would love to hear your feedback on this product and requests for any other anchor charts you might feel would be useful to you and your students!
This ELA + Math Morning Work is available for the following grade levels:
đ Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.
Are you not seeing what you are looking for? Please email me at Jessica@theliteracyloft.com if you would like different Reading and Writing Unit resources bundled for a 20% discount.Â