Week Anchor Lesson: Getting to 1 Feelings and Emotions through Pre-Writing Model: Brainstorm, “ What does Conne ‘ Belonging ’ mean to me? ” ct Guided: Students generate their own personal brainstorm. Model: Respond beside each point, ‘ how Proces it makes me feel, ’ in a different colour. s Guided: Students repeat process with their own writing. Model: Circle the 3 ideas that are the best and most powerful ideas. Guided: Students repeat process with their own writing. Students discuss top three examples with a group of 4. With a third colour, add other people ’ s ideas from the group share. Model: Using brainstorming, respond to Transf the journal prompt, “ What does belonging orm mean to me? ” Guided: Students respond to journal prompt, while referring to example on overhead or display.
Week 2 Anchor Lesson: Analyzing Peer Writing for Strengths Connect Students look at 3 samples of journal entries (ranging in ability levels, but all having an area of strength) and generate what makes them powerful. Process Using a graphic organizer (think- group-share) groups come up with 5 criteria to share with the class. These ideas are recorded on chart paper. Transform After discussion, students brainstorm and respond to the journal entry, “ What can belonging look like and feel like in our classroom? ” Follow up Examples: Continue to refer to student generated to lessons based on criteria writing continued journal student responses Writing organized paragraphs need Carrying over writing skills to other content areas
What Makes a Powerful ? My Ideas… Group Class Ideas Ideas… o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ o _________ Schnellert, 2010
Week Anchor lesson: Sorting and 3 Classifying Criteria Connect In groups of 4, students are given an envelope with all the powerful journal entry criteria brainstormed in week 2, typed up in strips. Student group the ideas by concept or theme and come up with a title or reason for each group. Process Grouped strips are attached to coloured paper with the category title. The class analyzed each group ’ s proposal, and lists titles on overhead. They choose the criteria that represent the class the best. Transfor The groups then go back and regroup the remaining criteria using the same process. A m vote can be taken if class consensus cannot be reached. Examples: Follow Brainstorming using specific examples and details up Using highlighters to mark beginnings and endings lessons of paragraphs based Ongoing lessons on cooperative learning on student need
Week 4 Anchor lesson: The Art of Noticing Connect Students are asked to identify a piece of writing that they believe meet one of the criteria categories particularly well. This can be done in partners or small groups. Process Model: Read aloud piece of writing. Model: Refer to posted criteria and read piece again looking for example. Guided: Students continue reading in partners and look for more examples of criteria. Guided: Students in partners come up and underline examples they find and label it with criteria title. Independent: Students bring out their own writing and underline phrases or sentences that demonstrate criteria, and labeled criteria beside it. Each student share a quote and the class Transform guess which criteria it meets. Students choose one of the criteria discussed to focus on in their next writing piece. Examples: Follow up Looking for examples of criteria in their writing lessons based Setting goals related to criteria before writing on student need
Our Journal Criteria Good d Ev Even n WOW! Start rt Better ter Thinking It Through -feelings, real events, thoughts pictures, drawings Sounds Great -exciting, good explanations, interesting/ descriptive, detail, good use of words Final Touch -Good sentences, organized, easy to read, neatness
Week 5 Anchor lesson: Making Revisions in Your Writing As a class, define ‘ revision, ’ by discussing, “ how Connect can I as a writer better get my message across? ” Set the goal for the lesson: to look at our work and identify one criteria area to focus on to make our writing better. Process Model: Choose one really good sentence from your piece that is descriptive or powerful. Model: Using pre-prepared graphic organizer of titles and criteria created, write the phrase you found into the ‘ Good Start ’ section of the organizer. Guided: Using A/B partners, discuss what could be done to make the sentence more descriptive. Discuss with the class and revise the sentence based on their advice. Repeat the process and have the students Transform choose a sentence to write in their organizer and revise. Finish the class by having students share the first and the revised versions of their sentences. Follow up Examples: Continuing to write and revise aspects of pieces lessons Student- teacher conferences to take to ‘ WOW ’ based on stage student Student- peer conferences to describe types of need revisions made
Week 6 Anchor lesson: Graffiti and Conversation Connect Review generated criteria as a class Process Students choose from 2 criteria categories to target while writing that day. Class is divided in 6 groups. Each graffiti ‘ palette ’ had a content-based prompt in the center. Students have 10 minutes to write before rotating to the next topic. Students examine results, taking turns reading quotes from palettes. Transform Students choose one of the prompts to write about independently, including using a journal organizer which includes ‘ thinking space ’ for pre-writing. Follow up Examples: Brainstorming powerful ideas and possible lessons based on prompts for writing in other content areas student need
Week 7 Anchor lesson: Cracking Open Your Topic: Getting Beyond Listing Connect Look at a list of topics generated by the class and discuss in partners how to choose a topic that yields the best personal writing. Model: Brainstorm initial ideas about a content Process concept. Guided: Students choose a topic from the list to write about and brainstorm their initial ideas. Model: Think aloud which ideas you have strong examples and details for and write down them down being sure to connect the topic and the idea with it. Repeat modeling process several times. Guided: Students follow same process. Model: Write an entry using brainstorm and details or examples. Transform Students write their own entry following process. Examples: Follow up Targeting specific aspects missing from writing lessons Using background knowledge- choosing a topic you based on have a strong opinion on student Stretching out moments in our writing need Effective endings including opinions, questions and observations Extending pieces with personal stories and examples
Week Anchor lesson: Getting Ready 8 for Evaluation Connect Review class generated criteria and categories. Process As a class, discuss if there is anything to add, based on mini lessons taught throughout the unit. Talk about the column, which would clarify the ‘ I ’ m There ’ category in the 4 descriptors of: ‘ Good Start, ’ ‘ Getting There, ’ ‘ I ’ m There ’ and ‘ WOW. ’ Transfor Student look at their own work to find m sentences that for the specific criteria. Evaluati Students chose 3 pieces of writing to take on to the almost published form taken through the stages from a ‘ Good Start ’ to ‘ WOW. ’ An in-class ‘ demand ’ write combined with journal pieces were used to constitute their mark for the term. Rubric reviewed with class and students were given a copy to refer to while taking pieces to final copy.
Our Journal Criteria Good od Even WOW! W! I ’ m m Start art Bette ter Ther ere Thinking It Through -feelings, real events, thoughts Pictures, drawings Sounds Great -exciting, good explanations, interesting/ descriptive, detail, good use of words Getting Up & Organized --ideas well organized, interesting beginning, well developed middle, powerful ending, one main idea in each paragraph Final Touch -Good sentences, organized, easy to read, neatness
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