Anna Penland

ED 139
4/21/14

Writing Unit-5th Grade

Purpose:

The purpose of this unit is so have students recognize different types of strong voice in a
variety of stories and be able to write their own individual narrative using strong and
clear voice after group collaboration and peer work.

Standard:
Common Core Standard: Grade Five:
W.5.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

CCI Goal:

Genre: Narrative:
o Learn how to craft memoir by studying mentor texts.
Craft: Voice:
o Show enthusiasm and energy for a topic.
o Produce narratives that are engaging, honest, and reveal the person behind the
writing.

Mentor Texts: (None of my books had page numbers, so I did my best to explain what words/text
I was going to use to represent effective voice)

1. Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin

o I am starting out the writing unit with this book. Although it is probably a bit below
the students grade level, I still think it is a great representation of voice in a
humorous and engaging manner.
o I will begin reading this book and just allow the student to listen for a bit. Once I get
to the page of the diary that is marked April 20th, I will point out a few words that the
worm (author) uses that help make it clear to us that a worm is telling the story. For
example, the book says, I snuck up on some kids in the park today. They didnt hear
me coming. I wiggled up right between them and they SCREAMED. I love when
they do that
o The voice is clear to me on this page because the worm is discussing things
that humans or other creatures dont normally do. When the author used the
word wiggling it was clear image to me that the worm was moving and that
is how it gets from one place to another. Also, the worm talks about how he
snuck up on some kids. He is showing how worms are quiet and sly and often
people are frightened by the tiny creatures.
o The next part I am going to point out is the page in the diary that is marked May 15th.
This page says, I got into a fight with Spider today. He told me you need legs to be
cool. Then he ran. I couldnt keep up. Maybe hes right.
o This page is showing the worms emotion. The author is expressing how the
worm feels left out because he doesnt have legs and isnt able to keep up with

2.
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the spider. However, we still know the worm is the one doing the talking
because we know worms dont have legs.
o At the end of the book, I will talk about how the worms personality was really
shining through during the entire book. You could tell he enjoyed certain aspects
about being a worm and dreaded others. He used humor to deal with the parts of life
he did not enjoy.
o There were a lot of words and phrases that the author used that made it clear that the
worm was doing the talking(the voice was clear represented) :
o Wiggled
o her face will always look just like her rear end.
o He told me you need legs to be cool. Then he ran. I couldnt keep up.
o Mom says I have to stop eating so much garbage right before I go to bed
o I forgot my lunch today. I got so hungry that I hate my homework.
o Fishing season started today. We all dug deeper.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieska and Lane Smith
I am going to read this entire book to the class, however, we are going to focus on the
voice of the narrator Jack for part of it, but also look at all the different voices represented
in the different stories.
Students are going to be writing down emotions or personality traits that they recognize
while listening to this story to help identify the different voices represented throughout
the book.
Guided questions/thoughts I am going to ask if the students do not identify the areas of
voice I want to focus on:
o On the first page of the book (endpapers) who is doing the talking? How can you
tell who is charge of telling the story?
o Point out that Jack takes control from the very beginning with an overbearing and
controlling personality.
o What can you tell about Jack from reading the second page (introduction?)
He is all over the place. It is clear that he is in charge of telling the story,
but he seems to be bored with the topic at certain points.
o What happens with the story Little Red Running Shorts?
Jack shares the entire story before the characters are able to say anything.
This shows how anxious he is to telling the story. It also shows him being
a bit clueless and oblivious to the fact that he shared the entire story
without even trying.
o What kind of emotion does the Giant show at the end of the book?
He seems angry and hungry. The author shows this through the way the
text is written.
o How would you describe the voice of the Hen throughout the book?
The hens voice is loud and annoying to the other people around it. The
hen is always getting in the way and seems to be bothersome to the rest.
However, the hen seems to be very concerned about the bread!
The author used different fonts to represent a variety of characters voices. They also used
different colors and descriptive words. The author makes it clear who is talking through
punctuation and using different words to communicate in ways depending on who is

talking. The reader is engaged and connected to the story because the author has a strong
and clear voice.
3. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieska
o The students are going to be generating a list of things that show the voice during this
narrative of the wolf. However, I will point out a few effective writing areas as well.
o Right away, on the first page of the text, the author uses first person to explain
whose voice is going to be represented throughout this book.
o On the third page, the author has the wolf talk about what the wolf likes to eat.
The way the author words it makes it sound like the wolf is directly talking to
someone else telling a story. He also uses words that are tied to being a wolf such
as eating cute little animals.
o Throughout the entire book, the author uses short, straight to the point sentences.
This is happening because the wolf wants his story shared in the correct way. No
outlandish details and round about stories, he is trying to share his side, but the
author is making sure it is short and to the point.
o Point out that the author is trying to make the wolf seem innocent in the whole
story. He is representing the wolf as the good guy rather than the bad guy
like he is represented in every other three little pigs story.
o The story shows good qualities of a narrative because:
First person
Shows the reader exactly who the wolf iswhat kind of person (innocent
and genuine)
Makes the story relatable (relating eating a pig to leaving a perfectly good
cheeseburger laying around)
Vivid descriptions (When the cops drove up, of course I was trying to
break down this Pigs door. And the whole time I was huffing and puffing
and sneezing and making a real scene.)
..That rude little porker
Story followed a timeline that explained the wolfs side from start to finish
and followed the same timeline as the original story.

Day One:

Topic
o We will begin day one with an introduction into voice. I will get as much
information I can through guided discussion about the students background
knowledge on voice and if they have ever used it in their writing or recognized it
when reading. I will read Diary of a Worm out loud and discuss with the class
the features of good and strong voice.
Resource
o Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
o Chart paper to write definition of voice and descriptions of good voice
o www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com
Teacher Action
o Begin by asking the students what Voice means to them when thinking about
reading and writing.

o Write the students ideas on the board or chart paper.

o Explain to students that we are going to read a book that has a lot of strong voice
and to listen carefully because we are going to be trying to identify the sections in
which the voice is represented. Read out loud to the students Diary of a Worm
and discuss areas of good voice listed above in previous section. Have students
try to pick out areas towards the end of the book that they feel is a good
representation of strong and clear voice of the worm.
o To guide them, ask them how the author made them feel by telling the story
through the worms perspective. What kind of emotions were they feeling as they
were listening to the story? Was the story engaging or entertaining? If you hadnt
seen the pictures, would you be able to tell who the story was being told by?
o Record the ideas below on chart paper sometime before Day Two of this Writing
Unit to hang on the wall for students to refer back to when trying to write their
own narratives with good voice.
o Definition: Voice shows the writer's personality. The writing has a sound
different from everyone else's. It contains feelings and emotions so that it does not
sound like an encyclopedia article. The reader should be able to sense the
sincerity and honesty of the writer. The writer should be writing from the heart.
The language should bring the topic to life for the reader. The voice should be
appropriate for the topic, purpose, and audience of the paper.
Taken from kimskorner4teachertalk.com
o Descriptors:
Write honestly and from the heart
Share his/her feelings about the topic
Speak directly to the reader (without using YOU)
Use language that brings the topic to life for the reader
Care about what he/she has written
Write to be read
Use expression
Give the reader a sense of the person behind the words
Connect with the reader
Taken from www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com
Student Action
o Share background knowledge about voice during class discussion.
o Pick out areas where the worm in the story has a clear voice after given multiple
examples from the teacher.
o Listen and discuss the definition and descriptors of voice.
o Be actively engaged and participate in all group discussion

Day Two:

Topic
o Day two will consist of reading another mentor text book, The Stinky Cheese
Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. Students will be recognizing different
emotions or personality traits that are present throughout the tales in this book.

o Students will then do a quick write about anything they want, but the writing
needs to represent one particular emotion. For example, students could choose to
do a quick write about a very bad day they had and express the emotion of
sadness or being angry.
Resources
o The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka
o

Teacher Action
o Begin the period by revisiting the definition and descriptors of voice with the
students.
o Explain that we are going to be reading another book that has a lot of good voice
represented throughout the different tales.
o The students job while they are listening is to write down any emotion they are
hearing throughout the stories shared.
o After reading, we will discuss as a class the different emotions they were able to
come up with and how these were represented through the words and voice the
author was using when writing these stories.
o Then explain that the students will be doing a quick write (they will have done
these previously in the year and be familiar with the activity). Their job during
their quick write is to write a short story about anything they want, but an emotion
must be represented in the words they write. (Share the example I listed in the
topic section of day two).
o Give the students 3-4 minutes to do their quick write and have them share with a
partner and see if their partner can guess the emotion they were trying to portray.
Student Action
o Listen to another read aloud book presented by the teacher.
o Write down emotions being displayed in the read aloud book in their writing
journals while the teacher is reading the book aloud.
o Participate in the whole class conversation about different sections of the book
that represented different emotions and what words or phrases were used to do so
to show good/strong voice.
o Create a quick write with a short story representing an emotion. Share this story
with a partner and try to guess one anothers emotion being represented through
their quick write.

Day Three:

Topic
o On the third day, we arent going to read another mentor text. Rather the students
are going to work in small groups to create a paragraph or two with good voice
(Whos Voice is This?). They will receive a variety of pictures of faces on people
or different situations that would require different voices. Once the students write
these in groups, the teacher will hang each of the pictures on the board in front of
the room. Then read out loud each of the paragraphs written by the different
groups and see if the other students are able to recognize and guess which voice
paragraph matches a certain picture. Once they have guessed it correctly, we will

discuss how we were able to match the two together and what descriptors of voice
we can find in the groups paragraphs.
Resources
o Variation of idea taken from www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com
o http://www.kimskorner4teachertalk.com/writing/sixtrait/voice/picture.html
Teacher Action
o Explain the task of Whos Voice is This to the students.
o They will be working in groups of 3 or 4 and each group will be given a different
picture.
o Their task is to create a paragraph or two that represents what kind of voice this
picture would need.
o Share each of the groups short pieces out loud and have the students guess which
writing piece matches which picture.
o Lead a discussion in what descriptors of good voice were represented in the
writing pieces shared aloud.
Student Action
o Participate in Whos Voice is This activity.
o Write a paragraph that would be a good representation of the voice that is
represented in the picture given to their group.
o Guess what voice paragraphs match different pictures and participate in group
conversation about what voice descriptors were used to make the voice strong and
clear to match the picture.

Day Four:

Topic
o Read the third and final mentor text out loud for the students, The True Story of
the 3 Little Pigs!
o Point out certain sections in which the wolf had a strong voice throughout the
story. Have the students work in partners and talk about how the author portrayed
the wolf in contradiction to the original story.
o Ask the students what characteristics make up a narrative. Have each groups of
partners create a list of things to keep in mind when creating a narrative. Come
back together has a whole group and make one giant list of things to keep in mind
when writing a narrative.
Resources
o The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!
o Chart paper to record what makes a narrative have good voice
Part of speech-often first person
Explicit and juicy details
Dialogue
Vivid descriptions and phrases
Connect with the reader
Give the reader a sense of who you are (whoever you may be in your
narrative)

Make the story easy to follow

Teacher Action
o Read aloud the third and final mentor text.
o Explain to students that they will be working in partners to try and come up with
the voice the wolf was using and how the author was trying to portray the wolf.
How is this different than the voice in the original story of the three little
pigs?
What makes this voice different?
o Give the students a definition of narrative. Talk about how all the stories that have
been read over the past four days have been a type of narrative in which one
character has overpowering voice and how that is represented in the stories.
o Create a list of how the students can make sure they are using good voice when
writing a narrative. Hang on the wall for students to refer back to.
Student Action
o Work in partners to come up with how the author portrayed the wolf in the book.
o Create a list of how they can use strong and clear voice when writing a narrative
after being informed exactly what a narrative is.

Day Five:
o Topic
o Share narrative written by teacher. Talk about the different voice features that are
represented throughout.
o Give the students a graphic organizer to form their thoughts and ideas about what
kind of narrative they want to write.
o Students will have time to brainstorm and fill out graphic organizer during class.
o Resources
o Teacher model story
o Graphic organizer
o Teacher Action
o Share the story that I wrote with the students that should represent good voice.
o Explain to the students that they are going to write their own narrative. It can
something similar to the book that we read the day before and my narrative
(sharing a different portrayal of a character in a fairy tale) or it can be about
anything they want to be as long as they use strong and clear voice.
o Hand out the graphic organizers to the students and allow work time to being
brainstorming ideas for their writing.
o Student Action
o Begin brainstorming and writing down ideas for their narratives on the graphic
organizer provided.

Day Six
o Topic
o Students will begin the process of writing their narrative.
o Teacher will check in and conference with students throughout class period.

o Resources
o Graphic organizer to use while writing narrative
o Teacher Action
o Tell students they will get the writing time today to begin writing their own
narrative.
o Check in and conference with as many students as possible during the class
period.
o Student Action
o Work on writing their narrative.

Assessment:

o Self-Assessment/Informal Assessment/Formal Assessment:

Students will be asked to self-assess themselves after writing their narrative.
They will be provided with the same rubric I will be using to asses them on their
narrative and score themselves before I give the results for my assessment.
(Rubric attached on different page)
There are multiple informal assessment opportunities throughout this writing unit.
The first informal assessment I will be doing is when the students have a group
discussion on what their background knowledge of voice is. I will be able to pick
out who has a more clear understanding and those who may need a little extra
help.
I will also be able to use the students quick write as an opportunity for informal
assessment and self-assessment. I can ask the students to assess how well they
think they represented voice on a scale from 1-5 after they have completed the
quick write. I can then collect this quick rights and glance over them to see which
students are picking up on the ideas of voice and who is still struggling.
Another section I could use informal assessment is when the students are
participating in the Whos Voice is This activity. They are working on groups, but
I can still walk around and listen to conversations while they are doing this and
gather information about who is understanding the concepts.

Differentiation:

o If there are students who are struggling with the concept of voice, I will provide more
guidance for them in a variety of ways.
On Day Two, when the students are picking out different emotions and
personality traits, I will provide the struggling students with worksheets with a
wide variety of emotions and personality traits are listed on them and they can just
circle ones they recognize throughout the story and share those when discussion
comes about.
On Day Three when the students are working on groups, I will have pre-selected
those groups. There will be a mix of student abilities in each group to promote
the ones who are struggling with support and to avoid all the advance ones to be
in the same group.

 I will also make sure to conference with the struggling students before the begin
writing their narrative. I will look at their graphic organizers and we will work
together to make sure they have filled it out to their best abilities before they
begin the writing process. The students can also have their own personal list of the
descriptors and definitions of voice/narrative on their desk if it will help them.
I will also provide a variety of topics or ideas for these students to choose from to
write their narrative about.
o Some of the students may be more advanced or need an enhanced assignment of some
sort.
These students can pick any topic or idea they want to write their narrative about
without any opinion from me.
There is no limitation on how long the narrative will be if there are students
excelling and want to write a longer narrative.
I will also challenge the students to include multiple voices in their narrative if
they are excelling with this assignment. That will require them to think a little
above and beyond by including more than one voice, but still making it
strong/clear and doing the same type of assignment as the rest of the class.

Teacher Model:
Im sure everyone has heard of the tale of Cinderella. Of course everyone thinks she
deserves everything she got in that story. Her step family was so awful to her, right? WRONG.
Im here to share my side of things. Thats right, Im the evil stepmother of Cinderella and Im
going to tell you the truth. Its about time somebody heard it!
We all know the sob story about Cinderella having to stay home and clean and not being
able to attend the ball. Well, that wasnt exactly the case. Everyone in our house split up the
chores for the weekend. It was not our fault that Cinderella spent her day trying on different
dresses for the ball rather than do her part in chores! She always thought she was so beautiful,
and it was true, she had an amazing appearance. But she was so full of herself it was almost
unbearable! So it wasnt that disappointing when me and my daughters left for the ball and left
Cinderella behind. She had to do her chores still and did she really deserve to meet the Prince
anyways? I sure didnt think so.
I honestly have no idea where this good Fairy Godmother part of the story came from.
There was a Fairy Godmother, but by no means was she good.
My lovely daughters and I were off enjoying the ball with the magnificent Prince who
seemed to be enchanted by my beautiful daughters, but my cellphone kept ringing! Cinderella
would not leave us alone! She insisted that she needed to come to the ball. I told her that if she
just finished her last few chores, she could come spend time with the rest of us. Cinderella wasnt
impressed with my response and came up with a plan of her own.
She called up that Fairy Godmother of hers, the mean one that is, and asked her to meet
her at the ball. Thats when everything happened so fast that no one had time to react.
Cinderella pranced with, wearing my gown, grabbed the Prince and took him out to the back
where the Fairy Godmother was waiting. Before the Prince could object, the Fairy Godmother
waved her magic wand and BAM, Cinderella was the Princes new love of his life.
It was an unfair situation, but there was no turning back. Even though the Prince had
fallen for my daughters, Cinderella ended up winning over his heart with a bit of magic from the
Fairy Godmother. Of course she came up with the twisted tale that you all have heard before

about the evil step family and the glass shoe. But now you know the truth, Cinderella was not
the victim at all!
Reflection:
I had not written a narrative in a long time. I knew I wanted to create something similar
to the last mentor text to give the students an idea of how simple and short a narrative can be, but
how voice can be used effectively. I used my graphic organizer to organize my thoughts before I
began writing. However, I noticed that I changed my direction once I actually got started
writing. I didnt want to make the writing piece too long because I need to make sure I keep the
students attention when I share it with the class. I also wanted to make it short and to the point.
I chose to do another misinterpreted character in a fairy tale to show the students that we can
write from anyones viewpoint or voice. I think it would be interesting to use my model in an
actual classroom and see if it helps the kids formulate ideas and if they refer back to my writing
piece or not. It was fun to put myself in the kids shoes though!

Graphic Organizer for Support

Name ____________

Date_____________

Narrative Writing Planning

Title

Settin
g

Chara
cters

Point of
View:
Whos
Proble
Soluti