Interdisciplinary Writing Unit

1. Interdisciplinary Writing Unit Kelly Houlihan READ 7140 Maymester 2011

2. Unit • Grade Level: 4th • Genre of Writing: Informational • Content Area: Social Studies • Topic: Native Americans

3. Pre-Assessment • Students will be given a writing topic and 30 minutes to write. The teacher will use this writing piece to evaluate the each students’ writing level, strengths and weaknesses. A rubric will be used to evaluate each students’ writing piece. Students will be given an opportunity to share their writing piece with the class. • Student Materials: • lined paper (provided by teacher) • pencil (1 per student) • Teacher Materials: • white board (to display topic) • white board marker (to write topic on the board) • grading rubric (created by teacher) “Today our class got a new student, his name is Marvin and he is from Mars.”

4. Teacher Directions: 1. Teacher will distribute lined paper, with directions, to each student. 2. Teacher will write, “Today, our class got a new student. His name is Marvin. He is from Mars.” on the white board. 3. Teacher will also write on the white board: fiction: not real; pretend 4. Teacher will read the following to the class: Directions: Today, we are going to write a fictional story. Your story must be 3 paragraphs. You are to skip lines and raise your hand if you need help. The sentence you must begin your paper with is: “Today, our class got a new student. His name is Marvin. He is from Mars.” Student Directions: Directions will be read to the students orally. The directions are also written at the top of the lined paper they received for this writing prompt. Name_____________ Date______________ Directions: Write a 3 paragraph fictional story. The sentence you must begin your paper with is: “Today, our class got a new student. His name is Marvin. He is from Mars.” X X X X X

5. Instructional Grouping • Instruction • Practice Activity: Writing Prompt • “Today our class got a new student, his name is Marvin and he is from Mars.” • Students will work in pairs to develop a story. The teacher will then call on volunteers to share sentences for the class wide collaborative writing piece. • Whole Group • 1. Teacher can monitor students’ progress • 2. Teacher can be available for questions or to aid students • 3. All students are involved • 4. Lesson progresses in timely manor

6. Grouping based on Developmental Levels Students with any level of developmental need(s) will remain in the classroom and participate in the class wide activity. Each of these students will be grouped with another student or student(s) in the class for assistance in completing the activity. The teacher will provided one on one assistance to a student with developmental need(s) in any of the 5 stages of the Writing Process, as necessary. The teacher will allow the student to dictate to another student or use a computer for any of the 5 stages of the Writing Process.

7. Grouping based on Cultural or Linguistic Backgrounds Students who have a specific cultural or linguistic background will remain present in the class wide instruction. These students will be assigned a “study buddy” in the class, that they know to go to for any questions. The teacher will also be available for one on one questioning and help. ELL students also have access to the computers in the classroom, as well as talking to other ELL students in the classroom for clarification or questioning.

8. Prewriting • 1st stage; organizing, gathering information • Graphic Organizer is used • Genre-Informational • Form-Essay An informational essay is a piece of writing that informs the reader(s) about a specific topic; the details should be factual and should be supported.

9. PREWRITING GRAPHIC ORGANIZER Topic: Introductory Paragraph: *Topic Sentence Details: Body Paragraph 2: *Topic Sentence Details: *Detail 1: *Detail 2: Body Paragraph 1: *Topic Sentence Details: *Detail 1: *Detail 2: Body Paragraph 3: *Topic Sentence Details: *Detail 1: *Detail 2: Closing Paragraph: *Topic Sentence Details:

10. Prewriting Rubric Points Earned: _____/6

11. Accommodations or Modifications Accommodations and/or Modifications for Needs of Students with Differing Developmental Levels: Students with differing developmental needs remain in the regular classroom for writing. The teacher can provide one on one assistance before the activity, for example if building background knowledge is necessary. The teacher can also provide the student with a list of topics or ideas to include in his or her paper. Highlighting key concepts on a personal copy for the student to keep in his or her notebook can be beneficial. Various questioning strategies are important as well; for example: “Who is your audience?” “What is the main point of your paper?” “How many details can you list?” “Is there a main character?” “When did this take place?”

12. Accommodations and/or Modifications for Needs of Students from Differing Cultural and Linguistic Backgrounds: The teacher will begin with a discussion continuum. This strategy allows the class to participate in a whole group discussion; ideas, thoughts and steps of the Writing Process are shared. ELL students can take notes and build background knowledge. During a discussion continuum, ELL students are given the choice to participate. This type of class wide discussion allows all students to ask questions or get clarification. The teacher can remind ELL students to review the topic before the discussion so that he or she can contribute (Rojas, 2007).

13. Drafting • 2nd stage; “rough draft”, skip lines Name___________ Date___________ Rough Draft X X X X

14. Drafting Rubric Points Earned: _____/8

15. Revising • 3rd stage; make additions, deletions, & rearranging of words and sentences Remember your Revising Marks!!

16. Revising Rubric Points Earned: _____/6

17. Editing • 4th stage; focus on editing mechanics: capitalization, punctuation, spelling, etc. Remember your Editing Marks!!

18. Editing Rubric Points Earned: _____/8

19. Publishing • 5th stage; refer to revisions and editing marks to make final writing piece. • Students are encouraged to display piece in a creative way.

20. Publishing Rubric Points Earned: _____/8 Comments:

21. References (Content & Modifications) Georgia Department of Education. (2008). Assistive technology resource guide. Retrieved from http://www.gpat.org/resources.aspx?PageReq=GPATConside Lipkewich, A.E. (2001). ABC’s of the writing process. Retrieved from http://angelfire.com/wi/writingprocess/elemwplinks.html Rojas, V.P. (2007). Strategies for success with English language learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

22. References (Graphic Organizer & Rubrics) Houlihan, K. (2011). Informational graphic organizer. Unpublished manuscript. Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA. Houlihan, K. (2011). Informational prewriting grading rubric. Unpublished manuscript. Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA. Houlihan, K. (2011). Informational drafting grading rubric. Unpublished manuscript. Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA. Houlihan, K. (2011). Informational revising grading rubric. Unpublished manuscript. Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA. Houlihan, K. (2011). Informational editing grading rubric. Unpublished manuscript. Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA. Houlihan, K. (2011). Informational published grading rubric. Unpublished manuscript. Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA.