TE 405 Writing Lesson Plan

Craft-Based Writing Workshop Project

Name: Amelia Leng Date: April 26th, 2017

Mentor Name: Lee Ann McElmurry

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

Title/Topic: Scaredy Squirrel Opinion Writing with Planning

Grade Level: 1st Grade

Big Ideas/Driving Questions:

Do you think Scaredy Squirrel should stay in his tree or leave his tree? Why or why not?

Common Core State Standard (CCSS):

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.1
Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about,
state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.

Genre Focus for Teaching: Opinion Writing

Mentor Text and Author: Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt

Learning Objectives:
During this writer’s workshop, students will be able to write their opinion on a topic supported by
reasoning, as evidenced by the graphic organizers and the papers they will be writing in class.

Teaching Point:
Good writers first organize their points so that they have more structure in their writing. They
focus on their big idea, which in this case is an opinion. This is then supported by sub-topics with
evidence, and a conclusion at the end. In your writing, you are going to use a graphic organizer to
organize your writing, with two reasons why you think Scaredy Squirrel should or should not stay
in his tree, just like Melanie Watt gave reasons in her book supporting both sides.

Content Rationale:
It is important for students to know how to provide evidence to support their opinions when
writing. Opinion writing in something in the CCSS that if one of the 3 major types of writing in
elementary school. Students are also learning the way writing is supposed to be structured, which is
also an important skill moving forward (introduction, reason, reason, conclusion).

Instructional Strategy Rationale:

The strategies that I’m using to teach this lesson give the students two clear options on what they
can argue; should the squirrel stay in his tree, or leave his tree? When first graders are developing
their opinion pieces, it is important to guide them at first with options on what they’re going to
argue. The book also provides evidence for both sides, so they do not have to come up with their
own evidence, but just remember what they book said about the side they choose to defend. The
anchor chart is for students to use as a reference when looking for reasons to support their opinion.
The graphic organizer is intended to get students in the habit of organizing their ideas before they
write in complete sentences.

Background and Context:

There are no students in special education in my class, but there are two students with an IEP for
speech. There are students who do require social, academic and linguistic support in most cases in
our classroom. For students that need linguistic support, I will help them by putting words they will
probably be writing in this activity on the board or on a post-it note for them. I will make sure to
particularly tend to these students, but I am also going to make it clear to them that spelling is not
as important and I am more interested in their ideas and their opinion. The good things about this
lesson for students that need social support is that this is an independent, quiet activity. The
students have privacy boards so that they are not distracted by their neighbors. I stated this in my
accommodations, but for students who need academic support, i might have them only fill out of
the graphic organizer, and not write on the lines on the back. I would rather have them focus on the
idea of forming an opinion and reasons than worry about writing on the back and finishing. There
are two girls who I know will specifically do this because they are two of the lowest in the 1st grade.

Setting Norms:
When I call students to the carpet, I will set the norms as we always do in class. The two major ones
are “check your body” and “voices on zero”. I will remind them raise their hand if they want to
share out or answer a question (my mentor has had problems with them blurting out all year long)
and to be quiet and respectful when one of their classmates is talking or if I am talking. They can
only talk to the person sitting next to them if I instruct them to do so.

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence (Assessment)

Formative Assessment:
The students are going to write this piece by first organizing their points with a graphic organizer.
They will be told they do not need to use complete sentences when completing the graphic
organizer, but they do when they write on the lines on the back. The first box is the opinion, the two
following indicated boxes are the evidence (two reasons), and the bottom box is the closure or
concluding statement. My formative assessment will include looking to see if the students
successfully use the graphic organizer to brainstorm (anchor chart will show examples and
guidance) and write a complete opinionated thought on whether the squirrel should stay in his tree
or go outside.
Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences (Procedure)
 Number
Instructional Sequence/Procedures: What activities will take place during
of
this lesson? (Note: Use bullet points to outline your ideas.)
Minutes
Opening/Activator:

“Good writers use evidence to back up their points/opinions. In your

writing, you can provide evidence and facts like Melanie Watt used in
2 min
Scaredy Squirrel, to help your readers decide what they think the squirrel
should do.”

MINILESSON

10 min

Mentor Text:
I will be reading the whole book; it’s not long. While we are reading, I want
students to pay attention to the good things about staying in the tree and
the bad things about staying in the tree. We will fill in the anchor chart
continuously as we go. I am going to be using very kid friendly language,
and will be using a “questioning” tone when talking about the positives of
staying in the tree and the negatives, so that students are also questioning
themselves what they think is right. I want me make sure I am not biased
while reading. Students can raise their hands to volunteer after I would ask
questions such as, “How do you think Scaredy Squirrel feels right now?”

Modeling:
 ● I will demonstrate by using the overhead projector to put the
worksheet on the board for all students to see. I find this works a lot
better than just holding it up. I will do a quick brief example of the
graphic organizer only for the sake of time (opinion, reason 1,
reason 2, and conclusion).
● I want them to see that the graphic organizer is for organizing our
thoughts before we write and it does not have to be in complete the
sentences. The back, however, does need to be in complete sentences
with punctuation.

Guided Practice:
● They have been working on opinion writing, so they have
background knowledge on how to do it. Students will help me
decide what to write for my opinion and my reasons.
● They are not familiar with the term “conclusion” so I am expecting
questions about what that means.

Independent Practice: Share how you will have your students “make a plan”
for their writing time in workshop and specify what you will do while they are
writing.
● Students will receive their own worksheet, one side with a graphic
organizer for planning, and one side with lines for them to write
their piece.
● Making a plan for their writing is something that the students have
done with how-to pieces, but not opinion writing. They have done
structured opinion writing, but for this workshop I want them to
organize their points out first and then write. 35 min
● They do not have to write in complete sentences on the graphic
organizer, but they do on the back.
● While they are writing, I will be circulating the classroom, offering
help with ideas and with spelling. When I notice that lots of students
are asking me how to spell the same word, I will write those up on
the board.

Share Time: What will students do to share their writing with one another and
give/receive feedback?
Students who finish early are allowed to share quietly with a partner who is
also finished why the rest of the class is finishing. Even if some students are
not done, I will have to tell them that they can finish it at home if they want
to (at that point I will have enough samples of student work) or finish it if 5 min
they have time later.
Students who want to share at the end will use the overhead projector and
microphone to read their writing to the class. I will take around 5
volunteers; this depends on time.

Closure/Summary: How will you wrap up the lesson?

3 min
I will wrap up the lesson while the students are all seated on the carpet
after viewing classmates work. We will talk about how when you have
opinions about something, it’s important to know the reasons why you feel
that way to “back-up” what are you saying. We also will talk about how it
is okay to try new things, such as Scaredy Squirrel trying to go outside for
the first time even though it was new and scary.

Anticipated Total Time Required ~60 min

Other Important Information:

Materials:
Teacher: Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watt, anchor chart, markers, overhead projector
Students: Graphic Organizer for planning (front), lined sheet for writing (back), pencil

Modifications and Accommodations:

There are two students in the class who are academically two lowest in the 1st grade, and if i see
that they are struggling, I might instruct them to only focus on the graphic organizer to think about
their ideas and forget about the backside. This way, I know they are still focusing on the idea of
having opinions and having reasons for those opinions.
Students who share at the end are are quiet talkers might need to use the microphone.

Extension Ideas:
Free-Write Activity Prompt: What is something you’re scared of? In your opinion, why is this thing
scary?

Student Work: Reflection and Analysis

Addresses the following questions in 2-3 pages:

Reflection:
What are the learning benefits for students who participate in a writing workshop model?
(In your response to this question, be sure to address the benefits from each part of the
workshop including mini lesson, writing time, conferring, and sharing)

Why participate in a writing workshop as a teacher of writing (e.g., why should teachers
do their own writing, use mentor texts as sources of learning and information for how to
improve their writing, and get feedback on their own personal writing?
 Students who participate in a writing workshop model are preparing for a mindset that

they will have throughout all of their schooling. Writing in a process, and not something that should

be rushed. Having students plan, write, edit, revise, and share is all part of the process and

something that is important to model to our students starting from a young age. The mini-lesson is

a great way to get students thinking the way you want them to, and using an anchor chart can

display those ideas visually to them. An anchor chart is a great tool for students to use for reference

and guidance in their planning and writing. By reading a book out loud first that model the writing

like I did, you can show students what you are looking for and provide them with a push-start in

the writing direction. Writing time should be the longest part of the workshop, so that students do

not feel rushed while they are brainstorming, planning, and writing. For this writer’s workshop

unfortunately, I needed them to try their best to finish the worksheet in the 35-40 minute timespan,

but normally I would give this lesson of a few days of a time span. My mentor teacher told me that

the worksheet I created was fantastic and professional (she asked to keep a blank copy), but

something she would probably teach over a 2-3 day period. Because of the time constraint, we were

not able to confer, but this part of writer’s workshop is equally as important as the rest. A student

needs to know that not everything they write will be perfect on the first try, and by going back,

correcting our mistakes, and adding more parts/taking away unnecessary parts we can perfect our

writing. We were able to share at the end, and this is something I tell students at the beginning of

the workshop because I think it boosts their motivation not only to finish, but also to do well. The

goal of sharing is to make students feel proud of their writing.

As a teacher of writing, it is important to participate because we can model writing to our

students, provide examples, and help them brainstorm ideas. I participated in my workshop by

helping the students reference the anchor chart for ideas, spell words, and explain to them the

different parts of the graphic organizer. Teachers should not just assign writing and sit at their

desk, because it is so beneficial to our students when we are a part of the process.
Analysis of Student Writing:

Student #1 Graphic Organizer

Student #1 Writing
Student #2 Graphic Organizer
 Student #2 Writing

Look at the writing samples you collected from two of your students. In what ways did
the students incorporate elements of the craft and genre in their writing?

The first student filled out her graphic organizer perfectly. She is only the top students in

the class, and went above and beyond in her writing. Her opinion was clearly stated followed by 2

reasons, and a concluding statement that was worded differently that her original opinion (“and

that is why…”). Even though she did not have to write in complete sentences, she did anyway but

didn’t use correct capitalization, which is fine. The points she included on the graphic organizer

were included on the back, but she also included many other reasons why she thought Scaredy
Squirrel should not stay in his tree. The second student was the opposite. He wrote out his two

points on the front in the graphic organizer, but on the back he listed two different points.

Nevertheless, his graphic organizer was filled out perfect and he was still convincing and backing

up his opinion on the back, and included his concluding statement even though it was at the

beginning. His conclusion on the graphic organizer was similar to the first student’s (“so he should

not stay in the tree”). Both students showed me they could develop an opinion and back it up from

evidence from the book and from their own background knowledge.

Using each student’s work as a guide, what teaching point would you address next with each
student and why?
When looking at the writing samples below, I could develop a teaching point for each

student. Even though Student #1 is one of the top writers in the class, she did write way too much

and it made it seem as if she was rambling. The point of the lesson was to structure out our writing

using the graphic organizer. Although what she wrote was wonderful and she is clearly gifted, it is

important to follow directions and do what the assignment is asking. This is something she could

learn through the editing and revising process. She also did not use capitalization, and almost all of

her sentences started with lowercase letters. Proper punctuation and capitalization is also

something a teaching point could be crafted around, but it could also be a negative effect of her

listing too many points and rambling.

Student number two is the opposite. He needs to use the points he wrote in the graphic

organizer in his actual writing, and not think of this are two separate things. I think more practice

and further instruction with this will show him that we use the ideas we brainstorm to write. A

teaching point could also be developed around the conclusion part of his writing, because he put his

conclusion statement at the beginning of the writing instead of at the end. This would make his

points a lot more clear and concise and make sense in the correct order.

Analysis of teaching: During your writing conferences, what did you notice that your students
needed? How did you respond (i.e., what was your teaching point)?

I wasn’t able to have actual conferences with my students, but I did walk around while

students were working to offer advice and guidance. A lot of students had trouble with the

conclusion. My teaching point was that a conclusion is at the end, and it’s so that we can remind

our reader what our main idea was at the end. AFTER we give them our reasons. I told them to

start it out “And that is why I think…”. Some students needed help thinking of ideas, but I turned

a lot of them back to the anchor chart as a reference, which helped spark ideas for their reasons. I

think that for the most part, I was able to model for students what was expected of them, and

answered questions they needed help with. When I noticed the same question was being asked by

multiple students, I would go up in front of the class to further explain the question they had (I did

this with explaining what a conclusion meant). Looking back i think this lesson may have been

more effective if students did the graphic organizer one day and then did the writing the next, but I

know that they understand that we plan before we write, and they have to back up their reasons

with evidence after looking at the student work.

 Name:______________________________________
Rubric for Craft-Based Writing Workshop Assignment
Points
Score Comments
Available
Part I: Process (5 points): Meets all deadlines
Process/Participation ● Analyze/select possible
genre focus for your
● Meets all deadlines. teaching by looking at the
● Prepared for class including CCSS and mentor texts (In
completing reading and homework class week of March 27)
assignments, bringing materials, ● Bring mentor texts to class
writing in writer’s notebook and for teaching (Due week of
5
lesson plans to class. April 3)
● Participates actively in class. ● Bring a draft of the lesson
● Attends field placement. you will teach to class to
● Completes all activities in field work on revisions (Due
week of April 10)
placement. ● Rehearse your lesson in
● Attended class weeks 10, 11, 12, 13, class (Due week of April
14 17)
Part II: Planning & Teaching (10 points): Lesson Design Stage 1:
Planning/Teaching ● Title/Topic
● Planning: ● Grade Level
○ Select appropriate mentor ● Big Ideas/Driving Q
text and craft-based teaching ● CCSS: Select one writing
point for grade level. standard only.
○ Goals and teaching point for ● Genre Focus for Teaching
lesson plans align with ● Mentor Text
writing workshop model. ● Learning Objectives
○ Includes all parts of lesson ● Teaching Point
● Teaching: ● Content Rationale
○ Lesson taught to whole ● Instr. Strategy Rationale
10 group. ● Background Content
○ Turn in final lesson plan. ● Setting Norms
○ Collect student work samples Lesson Design Stage 2:
to analyze. ● Formative Assessment
○ Teaching meets all
Lesson Design Stage 3:
requirements on lesson plan
● Procedures: detailed
template instruction sheet.
Lesson Design Stage 4:
● Gather pictures or photo-copies (do
not use the school’s photocopy ● Other Information
machine) of student work, with Teach the mini-lesson as part of a
identifiers removed, to use in the complete writing workshop
experience (mini-lesson, writing
analysis of student writing in Part III
time/conference time, sharing)
(Collect when you teach your lesson) (Teach lesson the week of April 17)
Part III: Analysis (10 points) Analysis
10
Meets all requirements on instruction sheet Addresses the following questions
 including analysis of the value of the in 2-3 pages:
workshop model AND analyses of student Reflection:
work with next teaching points identified. ● What are the learning
From Assignment Sheet: benefits for students who
participate in a writing
Reflection:
workshop model?
● What are the learning benefits for ● (In your response to this
students who participate in a writing question, be sure to address
workshop model? (In your response to the benefits from each part
this question, be sure to address the of the workshop including
benefits from each part of the mini lesson, writing time,
workshop including mini lesson, conferring, and sharing)
writing time, conferring, and sharing) ● Why participate in a writing
● Why participate in a writing workshop workshop as a teacher of
as a teacher of writing? writing?
Analysis of Student Writing: Analysis of Student Writing:
● Look at the writing samples
● Look at the writing samples you you collected from two of
collected from two of your students. In your students.
what ways did the students incorporate ● In what ways did the
elements of the craft and genre in their students incorporate
writing? elements of the craft and
● Using each student’s work as a guide, genre in their writing?
what teaching point would you address ● Using each student’s work
next with each student and why? as a guide, what teaching
(Include an image of each student’s point would you address
writing sample in your response). next with each student and
Analysis of teaching: why?
● (Include an image of each
● During your writing conferences, what student’s writing sample in
did you notice that your students your response).
needed? How did you respond (i.e., Analysis of teaching:
what was your teaching point)? ● During your writing
Additional Requirements: conferences, what did you
● Photos/scans of student work is notice that your students
included in the response. needed?
● Correct grammar and mechanics. ● How did you respond (i.e.,
● Clear written communication. what was your teaching
point)?
● Headers used for clarity.
Additional Requirements:
● Evidence of understanding in ● Student work included
discussion of the material.

25 Total Points