Grade 2 Unit 1: You Can Count on Me

UNIT OVERVIEW

Unit Essential Question: How can we count on each other to build a community of readers and writers?

This three week launch unit is designed to introduce students to the rituals and

routines of Reading and Writing Workshops and to the rigor of the Common Core

State Standards (CCSS). The three week unit allows for reteaching to mastery and

time to establish routines in the classroom. Within this unit, you will need to assess

all students using Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessments. This workshop

structure will provide students with time for daily, uninterrupted, independent

reading and writing combined with small group work and conferring. Using the

theme, ”You Can Count on Me”, teachers will work with students to establish the

routines and procedures that will be necessary for building a classroom community.

Students will learn that they can count on their teacher to provide a structure and

support for learning through whole class and small group work, partnerships, and

individual conferences on their journey to achieve the Common Core learning

targets. They will learn that they can count on each other while speaking and

listening as they hold conversations. In addition, this theme connects to the science

and social studies standards included in the first three weeks. Although science and

social studies content is not explicitly taught in this launching unit, the content

which will be taught during another part of the day can easily be tied to this theme.

The connections between Reading, Writing, Speaking-Listening, and Language

standards as well as connections to the theme will be made throughout the unit.

To support your teaching this year, it would be very helpful if your students have a

Reader’s and a Writer’s Notebook. You will want to keep a Reader’s and a Writer’s

Notebook to use as a model in mini-lessons. The lessons will include ideas on how

to develop the notebooks.

This unit is not designed to go in-depth with the standards; the purpose is to

familiarize students with the routines and procedures that will be necessary in order

for students to successfully meet the Common Core standards. Students will be

introduced to the Speaking and Listening standards that will lead them to success

in collaborating with peers and adults. Subsequent units will include more thorough

instruction of the standards and provide instructional ideas/strategies for meeting

them.

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

Listed below are the standards that students will be introduced to during this unit.

Students are not expected to master these standards in three weeks! The

expectation for mastery of all the standards is the end of the year.

*The standards that are starred and bolded will be assessed and reported

first quarter.

Reading Literary (RL) and Reading Informational (RI)

Key Ideas and Details

*ELACC2RL1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when,

why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

ELACC2RI1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and

how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

Reading Foundational (RF)

*ELACC2RF4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support

comprehension.

*ELACC2RF4a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.

Writing (W)

Text Types and Purposes

*ELACC2W3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated

event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions,

thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and

provide a sense of closure.

Production and Distribution of Writing

*ELACC2W5: With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.

Language

ELACC2L2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English

capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. *(Indicators a. and d. will be assessed this quarter.)

Speaking and Listening

Comprehension and Collaboration

*ELACC2SL1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse

partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and

larger groups.

*a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in

respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about

the topics and texts under discussion).

*b. Build upon others’ talk in conversations by linking their comments to

the remarks of others.

*c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics

and texts under discussion.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

*ELACC2SL4: Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts

and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.

SUGGESTED STUDENT OBJECTIVES

Discuss and demonstrate responsibilities of Reading and Writing Workshops.

Set up a Reader’s and a Writer’s Notebook and begin to use them

independently.

Choose just right books.

Gain stamina in reading and writing.

Identify the characteristics of literary and informational texts.

Begin to ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of key

details in a text. Tell a story or recount an experience.

Participate in collaborative conversations with partners. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions. Produce seed ideas for narrative and informative/expository writing.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

BALANCED ASSESSMENTS

Unit Performance Task:

Provide the students with this scenario: We have learned how to follow the rules and procedures for Reading Workshop. Your teacher is going to be gone next

week. Write a letter to the substitute telling her what she can count on the class to do during Reading Workshop. (Students may not have been introduced to letter writing conventions in first grade. Don’t hold them accountable for this.)

Give students the opportunity to use the rubric co-constructed in Writing Lesson 10 to self-assess their participation in Writing Workshop. The teacher may also

use this to assess students’ participation in Writing Workshop and application of the Speaking and Listening standard.

SUGGESTED WORKS

As always, we encourage you to preview all texts on these lists before sharing them with your students.

We gathered suggestions from many sources. You may feel that some texts are more suitable than

others for your particular students.

LITERARY TEXTS

Suggested Literary Text Set

Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street by Roni Schotter (600L)

INFORMAL

OBSERVATIONS/

DIALOGUE AND

DISCUSSION

CONSTRUCTED RESPONSES PERFORMANCE

ASSESSMENTS

SELF-ASSESSMENTS

Teacher observation

during classroom

discussions, student work time, and

closing activities

Conferences

Reader’s

Notebook

Writer’s Notebook

Anecdotal notes Running records

Sticky notes done

during guided and

independent reading and writing

Written responses

to lesson topics Writing and

reading surveys

End of unit

performance task Rubric for

workshop

expectations completed by the

teacher

Rubric for workshop

expectations completed by the

students Narrative

checklist

Author: A True Story by Helen Lester (570 L)

Arthur Writes a Story by Marc Brown (320L)

The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli (390L)

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip C. Stead (790L)

Read alouds relating to reading such as Wolf by Becky Bloom (890L), Book,

Book, Book by Deborah Bruss (220L), Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Listen Buddy by Helen Lester (listening skills)

Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe (630L)

The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant (940L)

Goldie Socks and the Three Libearians by Jackie Mims Hopkins

The following stories are related to the theme and science standard.

The Survivor Tree by Cheryl Somers Aubin

This is the Tree by Miriam Moss

Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel (890L)

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (530L)

The following books are additional suggestions that support the theme. You may

choose to read one or more of the following books during your read aloud time.

Have I Got a Book for You by Melanie Watt (460L) Have You Filled a Bucket Today by Carol McCloud and David Messing (710) How Full Is Your Bucket for Kids by Tom Rath, Mary Beckmeyer, and Maurie

J. Manning (560L) Armadillo Tattletale by Helen Ketteman and Keith Graves (640)

Henry and Mudge books by Cynthia Rylant Ruby the Copy Cat by Margaret Rathman (500)

Amos and Boris by William Steig (810)

George and Martha by James Marshall (500) Poppleton books by Cynthia Rylant

Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel

Extended Texts

Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant (780L) or another novel related to the

theme. (Other suggestions include Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, Goony

Bird Green by Lois Lowry, Friendship According to Humphrey by Betty G.

Birney)

Poems

The Rudes

Books to the Ceiling

Adventures with Books

INFORMATIONAL TEXTS

Informational Books

Sky Tree by Thomas Locker

Watching the Seasons by Edna Eckart

A Tree for All Seasons by Robert Bernard (420L)

The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice and Martin Provensen

Biographies

Extended Texts

Primary Source Documents (Speeches, Letters, Political Cartoons,

Postcards, Propaganda Posters, etc. (This would vary by grade level.)

GOOD HABITS, GREAT READERS

Good Habits, Great Readers Shared Reading Teacher’s Guide – Unit 1

Good Habits, Great Readers Writing Teacher Guide

ART, MUSIC, MEDIA

Art

Sky Tree by Thomas Locker

Music

You Can Count on Me by Bruno Mars -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2RpXYeawpo

Media

http://eileenspinelli.com/heart_002.htm (If you read the book, The Best Story by

Eileen Spinelli, share this site with students to familiarize them with this author’s

life.)

http://www.helenlester.com/index.html (If you read the book, Author: A True Story

by Helen Lester, share this site with students to familiarize them with this author’s

life).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK8WWcXB4j0&feature=related (4 Seasons –

One Tree)

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCE

Lesson 1 Reading:

Setting the Stage

For Reading: What

Do Readers Do?

Lesson 2 Reading:

Introduction to

Reading Workshop

Structure and

Building Stamina

Lesson 3 Reading:

How to Buzz

Effectively –

Creating Agreed-

Upon Rules for

Speaking and

Listening

Lesson 4 Reading:

Getting to Know

Our Classroom

Library and Books

We Plan to Read

Lesson 5 Reading:

Choosing Just Right

Books

Lesson 1 Writing:

Setting the Stage

For Writing: What

Do Writers Do?

Lesson 2 Writing

Introduction to

Writing Workshop

Structure

Lesson 3 Writing

Writers Write

From Their Hearts

Lesson 4 Writing

Introduction to

Writer’s Notebook

Lesson 5 Writing

Writers Get Ideas

from Other

Authors

Lesson 6 Reading:

Part 1 – Finding

Our Reading Spots

Part 2 – What

Does Work Time

Look Like/Sound

Like?

Lesson 7 Reading:

Literary and

Informational

Texts

Lesson 8 Reading:

Coming

Attractions:

Genres, Genres,

Genres!

Lesson 8 Reading:

Reading is

Thinking

Lesson 10 Reading:

Keeping Track of

Our Thinking

(Strategies for

Using Post-it

Notes)

Lesson 6 Writing:

Part 1 - What Do I

When I Think I’m

Done?

Part 2 - What Does

Work Time Look

Like/ Sound Like?

Lesson 7 Writing:

Writers Spell the

Best They Can and

Move On

Lesson 8 Writing:

Widening Writing

Possibilities

Lesson 9 Writing:

Developing a Seed

Idea

Lesson 10 Writing:

Co-constructing a

Rubric-What Are

the Expectations

for the Workshop

Time?

Lesson 11

Reading: Reading

Partnerships:

Sharing Our

Lesson 12 Reading

Reading is

Thinking: Asking

Questions About

Lesson 13

Reading:

Reading is

Thinking: Asking

Lesson 14

Reading:

Keeping Track of

Reading: Using a

Lesson 15 Reading:

Completing the

Performance Task

Thinking Literary Texts Questions About

Informational

Texts

Book Log and

Reader’s

Notebook

Lesson 11 Writing:

Revision Toolbox

Lesson 12 Writing:

Writing for

Readers:

Using Conventions

Lesson 13 Writing:

Narrative Writing

Pre-Assessment

Lesson 14 Writing:

Unwrapping the

Narrative

Standard: Planning

Lesson 15 Writing:

Unwrapping the

Narrative

Standard: Planning

ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS

Words Their Way

PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES

A Curricular Plan For Writing Workshop, Grade 2. (This resource with ideas for teaching the

Common Core writing standards can be purchased from Heinemann.)

http://heinemann.com/products/E04305.aspx)

A Curricular Plan For Reading Workshop, Grade 2. )This resource with ideas for teaching the

Common Core reading standards can be purchased from Heinemann.)

http://heinemann.com/products/E04304.aspx

http://tc.readingandwritingproject.com/public/themes/rwproject/resources/curriculum_calend

ars/2011-2012/reading/2nd%20Grade%20Reading%20Unit%2001.pdf (You will find the Second

Grade Reading Curricular Calendar from The Reading and Writing Project. Many of the ideas for

the launching unit came from this resource. You will find additional ideas for building a

community of readers that you may want to include in your next unit.)

Pinnell, G. S., & Fountas, I. C. (2007). The Continuum of Literacy Learning, Grades K-8:

Behaviors and Understandings to Notice, Teach, and Support.Heinemann.

http://readingandwritingproject.com/resources/workshop-materials.html (This site contains

many excellent resources including examples of classroom charts and student writing.)

http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/reader%27s%20notebooks.htm (Reader’s

Notebook ideas)

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top_teaching/2009/11/readers-notebook

http://www.julieballew.com/A_Literate_Life/Photos/Pages/Anchor_Charts.html. (sample

charts)

http://bit.ly/Nh9Nw0 (Scholastic has posted many of Jeff Wilhelm's popular handouts for

establishing "think-aloud" routines and other metacognitive habits with students.)

Writer’s Workshop: The Essentual Guide by Ralph Fletcher

A Writer’s Notebook by Ralph Fletcher

How Writers Work by Ralph Fletcher

Notebook Know-How by Aimee Buckner

The Daily 5 by Gail Boushey & Joan Moser

Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2009). The café book: Engaging all students in daily literacy

assessment & instruction. Stenhouse Publishers.

Launching the Writing Workshop: A Step-by-Step Guide in Photographs by Denise Leograndis

Reading With Meaning by Debbie Miller

Power Reading Workshop: A Step-By-Step Guide by Laura Candler

The Common Core Lesson Book, K-5 Working with Increasingly Complex Literature, Informational

Text, and Foundational Reading Skills by Gretchen Owocki

VOCABULARY

Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, mini-lesson, work time, closing, fluency, stamina, standard,

collaborative, conversation, literary, informational, comprehension, recount, revise, edit

UNIT LESSONS

Reading Lesson 1: Setting the Stage For Reading: What Do Readers Do?

Materials

Chart paper for “What do writers do?” chart

Read aloud relating to reading such as Wolf by Becky Bloom, Book, Book,

Book by Deborah Bruss, Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Standard diplayed- ELACC2SL1: Participate in collaborative

conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts

with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (A copy of this

standard with indicators a, b, and c to post can be found in the launch unit

resource folder.)

Notes

If this lesson is done before expectations for sitting in the meeting area have

been established, you will want to take the time to establish these

procedures with the students and list them on a chart. It is important for

students to be involved in creating the expectations. It might be similar to

the one below.

Gathering in the Meeting Area

We come quietly to the group area.

We sit with our legs crossed.

We keep our hands to ourselves in our lap.

We listen to the person talking or reading.

This is the first reading session – students will be introduced to the Reading

Workshop structure on Day 2. This lesson differs from the format of other

lessons because there is not a work time in which students read.

This lesson idea came from Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller. It is not

necessary to have the book for this lesson. If you would like further

information, refer to pages 29-31 in Reading with Meaning.

Students will have opportunities to discuss ideas with partners during the

Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop mini-lessons. You may want

students to “turn and talk” to someone next to them for the first few days of

school. Then consider assigning “peer” or talking partners, and have partners

sit next to each other when coming to the meeting area.

Opening

Call students to the meeting area. The purpose of the lesson is to find out

what students already know about the habits of readers and set the stage for

reading. You will begin a class chart that will be added to throughout the

week as students learn more about the habits of readers. Students will also

be introduced to the Speaking and Listening Standard ELACC2SL1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

I believe this is a class of students who want to learn all about reading. Is

that true? I love to teach children all about reading, so this is going to be perfect. I’m thinking you all know a lot of

things about reading already. Let me show you what I mean. (Choose either question 1 or 2 to ask the students)

1. Think about somebody you know who loves to read. Can you get a

picture of that person in your head? Good. Now, this person you know

who loves to read, what do you see him or her doing? What do you

know about this person as a reader?

2. Students, you learned about reading in kindergarten and first grade. I

know you have learned a lot about what readers do. What do you

know about yourself as a reader? What do you do when you read?

Guide students in providing responses. (ex. Readers… have book clubs, go to

the library, reread books, sound out words, read out loud, etc). As students

respond, record their responses on a chart with the heading, “What do

readers do?”

Tell students that over the next few days you want them to be investigators

and watch carefully for people who are readers and notice what they do.

Provide time each day throughout the week, perhaps at the start of each

day, to ask students what they noticed readers doing and add to the chart.

This ongoing list will allow students to become familiar with habits they

already have as readers as well as habits that they will learn throughout the

year. During this launching unit the teacher will model the habits of readers

and share why readers do this. Students will begin practicing what readers

do.

Discuss with students that the class is a community of readers. They will all

be practicing the habits of readers and helping each other become stronger

readers. Tell students that in your classroom community this year, they will

have many opportunities to talk to each other and help each other learn.

Show them the Speaking and Listening Standard ELACC2SL1: Participate

in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2

topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. Ask

students to work with you to put the standard in their own words or to

replace key words with synonyms so there is a clear understanding of its

meaning. (It is helpful to circle the nouns and underline the verbs.) For

example, ELACC2SL1 says: Participate in collaborative conversations

with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and

adults in small and larger groups. You would guide students in coming

up with synonyms for participate, collaborative conversations, diverse, and

peers. It is helpful to write the synonym(s) on sticky notes and post them on

the actual standard. Another suggestion is to have students provide a

gesture for the nouns and verbs to help them remember the meanings. This

engages students and provides a clear understanding of the vocabulary.

Tell students that you now want them to practice this standard as they talk

to a partner about one of the habits on the chart that they do as readers.

Show students how to sit knee to knee and eye to eye.

Ask students to turn to a partner and tell him or her something on the chart

that he or she does as a reader or something he/she sees other readers

doing.

Tell students you are going to read them a story and you want them to think

about how important reading is to the character(s) in the story. Select and

read a book such as Wolf by Becky Bloom, Book, Book, Book by Deborah

Bruss, Wild About Books by Judy Sierra or another read aloud that relates to

reading. Ask students to turn and talk to a partner about what they noticed

about the readers in the text. Discuss the habits of the readers/characters in

the books.

Work Time

This lesson does not have a defined work time because this portion of

Reading Workshop has not been introduced. (Students will be introduced to

their work time responsibilities in the next lesson.)

Closing

Praise students for how much they already know about readers! Remind

students to be on the lookout for what readers do so they can share what

they notice the following day. Review the Speaking and Listening standard

and tell them they will be participating in collaborative conversations

throughout the rest of the day!

Writing Lesson 1: Setting the Stage for Writing: What Do Writers Do?

Materials

Writing survey (located in launch unit resource folder)

Chart paper for “What do writers do?” chart

Read aloud -Author by Helen Lester, Arthur Writes a Story by Marc Brown,

You Have to Write by Janet S. Wong and Teresa Flavin, Rocket Writes a Story

by Tad Hills or another book in which the character is a writer

Opening

We discussed what readers do, now we are going to think about what writers

do. To help us think about what writers do, we are going to read a story.

Choose a read aloud to read to students which involves the character writing

a story or sharing an experience as a writer. Author by Helen Lester is an

excellent choice because it talks about her journey as a writer. (Other

possible read alouds include Arthur Writes a Story by Marc Brown or You

Have to Write by Janet S. Wong and Teresa Flavin or Rocket Writes a Story

by Tad Hills). Tell students that as you read, you want them to think about

the struggles the author had to go through as well as the accomplishments of

the author. After reading the story, you may say something like, “There are

so many things we can learn from the character and his/her journey to

become an author. We learned that writing may be hard sometimes and our

ideas may not come right away. When we keep at it and work to make our

writing the best it can be, we are real writers.

Discuss what writers do. Ask students to think about what they did as writers

last year. (This will be a great formative assessment to indicate what

students remember about writing.) In addition, discuss what the writer in the

story you read did when he/she experienced success as a writer. Create a

chart with the students’ responses. You will add to this chart throughout the

unit as students continue to learn about and practice what writers do. Listed

below are sample charts.

What do writers do?

They make lists.

They write every day.

They add pictures.

They go back to their writing to make it

better.

They read a lot.

They get ideas from other writers and

the world around them.

Work Time

Tell students that you want to find out about their writing lives so you are

going to give them a survey to help you get to know them as writers. (This

survey is located in the launch unit resource folder.) Ask students to go to

their seats. Before you give students the survey, model completing the

survey using a document camera or whiteboard. Read each question and

think aloud about how you would answer the question. Jot down some of

your ideas. For example, if you were answering question number two on the

survey, you might mention specific times when you write lists, letters, etc.

Give each student a copy of the survey. You will need to guide students

through completing the survey by reading one question at a time and giving

students an opportunity to respond before moving on to the next question.

Closing

Review the Speaking and Listening standard you “unwrapped” with students

in the reading session. Ask students to talk about their writing lives with a

partner by sharing one of the answers to the questions on the survey.

Review with students that they are a community of writers who all know a lot

about writing already! They will have the opportunity to grow as writers this

year and share their writing with their classmates.

Reading Lesson 2: Introduction to Reading Workshop structure and

Reading Stamina

Notes

This lesson introduces students to the Reading Workshop structure. Although

there is not time set aside during this lesson to complete a reading survey,

you may want to ask students to complete the reading survey (located in the

launch unit resource folder) or a survey similar to this after Reading

Workshop or at another time. This will allow you to find out more about

students’ reading lives.

http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/Reading%20Workshop.

htm (This is a great site for teachers who want more information about

Reading Workshop.)

Materials

Baskets of books on each table containing at least 4-5 books for each child in

the group (These books should represent a range and variety of levels and

genres.) Use spring DRA scores to determine the range of levels to put in the

baskets. Select books from your classroom library or book room.

Chart paper or whiteboard for writing the structure of Reading Workshop

(You may want to create this chart prior to the lesson.)

Chart paper for creating a bar graph showing the amount of time students

read independently each day (sample below)

Standard displayed - ELACC2SL1: Participate in collaborative

conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts

with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

Reading survey (optional)

Opening

Call students to the meeting area. We have been getting to know each other

and working on building our classroom community during our time together

so far. Yesterday, we started a chart “What do readers do?” Did anyone see a

reader do something that we need to add to our chart? (Add any new habits

to the chart.)

Today we are going to start something new which will be an important part

of our community too. We will have opportunities to talk to partners during

our time together, just like we did yesterday. Show and review the Speaking

and Listening standard ELACC2SL1: Participate in collaborative

conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts

with peers and adults in small and larger groups. Ask students to work

with you to put the standard in their own words or to replace key words with

synonyms/gestures so there is a clear understanding of its meaning.

Introduce the unit theme, You Can Count on Me, and share the unit E.Q. with

the class. (How can we count on each other to build a community of readers

and writers?)

Each day, you will be able to count on me to provide a special time together

in our room called Reading Workshop. This is a time when we will read and

practice what we are learning about reading. It is a time to enjoy books and

grow as readers. Many teachers choose a signal (playing music, shaking a

rain stick, ringing a bell, etc) to let students know it is time to go to the

meeting area for Reading Workshop. Let the students know what your signal

will be.

Write “Reading Workshop” on a chart or SmartBoard notebook (something

that can be displayed while students become familiar with the rituals and

routines of your classroom). Beneath the title add: We can count on…

Sample Chart

Reading Workshop

We can count on…

Mini-lesson – shared reading, read aloud, procedures,

skills, and strategies

Work Time – independent reading, small groups,

conferences

Closing – reader’s chair, partner share, group share

*If you do literacy work stations or Daily Five during the work time, add this to the

chart.

*You may want to include photos on your Reading Workshop chart – of students

sitting in the meeting area, students reading independently, students sharing

during the closing, etc.

As you discuss each part of the workshop, add to the chart what students will

be doing.

Mini-lesson- shared reading, read aloud, procedures, skills, and strategies (We learn something that will help us grow as readers.) – Explain to students that you will also be

introducing them to standards during the mini-lesson. You may want to give a short

explanation to let students know the meaning of “standards”.

Practice Time– independent reading, small groups, conferences… (We practice what we are learning about reading.) Point out that you will also be working with students to find out

what they know about reading (DRAs, running records, etc.).

Closing – reader’s chair, partner share, group share (We share our thinking about what we read or learned as readers.)

Explain that today students will practice the whole workshop structure,

beginning with a read aloud. Choose any read aloud relating to the theme

(see suggested titles in the Suggested Works section of the unit). A Sick Day

for Amos McGee by Phillip C. Stead is an excellent choice because it

illustrates the importance of routines and how they can support daily work

within a community. Discuss what you will count on students to do during the

mini-lesson portion of the workshop (sit quietly, listen, think, etc.).

Tell the students that the purpose for reading today is to enjoy the book and

think about how it relates to the theme, You Can Count on Me. How do the

characters count on each other?

After reading the book, discuss how the book relates to the theme. Discuss

the importance of students being able to count on each other to follow the

routines and procedures. In addition, talk about out how important it will be

for you to be able to count on them. If you are reading A Sick Day for Amos

McGee, point out that when the students become so comfortable with these

routines, they won’t need to get on a bus to find you if you have a sick day!

Refer back to the standard, and point out how the students just practiced the

standard when you had your large group discussion about the text, A Sick

Day for Amos McGee.

Tell students that they are now going to practice the second part of Reading

Workshop, the work time component. Remind them that you will count on them to practice reading quietly and independently and they can count on

you to circulate around the room and talk to a few students about their reading. Before releasing students, model going to the table, choosing a book

from the basket, and reading quietly. Point out that if students finish reading the book they chose, they can reread it or choose another book from the basket.

Tell students that reading independently will help them build their reading

muscles and stamina (the energy and strength that allows somebody to do

something for a long time) so that they can become stronger readers.

Challenge students to read quietly for at least five minutes! (Many teachers

begin a bar graph charting the amount of time students read independently

each day. This is a great way to integrate math and show students how they

are building reading stamina!) The sample charts below came from

http://www.julieballew.com/A_Literate_Life/Photos/Pages/Anchor_Charts.ht

ml.

Work Time

Have students practice leaving the mini-lesson area quietly, choosing a book

from the baskets for independent reading, and reading independently. The

teacher will move around the room to briefly talk to students about their

books, get to know them as readers, and assess who may need support.

Closing

Introduce students to the signal you will use for transitioning from

independent time to the closing (music, rain stick, etc.) Discuss expectations

for transitioning to the meeting area, and ask students to come back to the

group area.

Remind students that during the closing portion of the workshop, they will

share their thinking and what they learned as readers. Ask students to turn

and tell a partner what they learned about Reading Workshop. Point out the

positive behaviors you noticed students exhibiting during the work time

portion of the workshop and that you realize you will be able to count on

them to continue this positive behavior every day. Refer back to the essential

question, and tell students that the class is already beginning to build a

community of readers!

If you are using a graph to show students how they are increasing their

reading stamina, show students the graph, and indicate how much time

students read. Challenge them to read even longer the next day!

Writing Lesson 2: Introduction to Writing Workshop Structure

Notes The following clip is housed on You Tube and is meant as instruction for

teachers unfamiliar with the writing workshop - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-PNCEDxT88&feature=related

Materials

Writing paper

Chart paper for writing the structure of Writing Workshop (You may want to

create this chart prior to the lesson.)

Standard displayed -ELACC2SL4: Tell a story or recount an experience

with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking

audibly in coherent sentences.

Opening

Call students back to the meeting area. This morning, we learned how

Reading Workshop will help us grow as readers. Now, we are going to learn

how Writing Workshop will help us grow as writers.

Remind students of the unit theme, You Can Count on Me, and share the unit

E.Q. with the class. (How can we count on each other to build a community

of readers and writers?)

Each day, you will be able to count on me to provide a special time together

in our room called Writing Workshop. This is a time when we will learn what

writers do and practice writing.

Write “Writing Workshop” on a chart or SmartBoard notebook (something

that can be displayed while students become familiar with the rituals and

routines of your classroom). Beneath the title add: You can count on…

Write each part of the workshop on the chart and talk briefly about what the

students will be doing during each component. (You may choose to create

the chart before the lesson and refer to the chart as you discuss the Writing

Workshop structure.)

Mini-lesson- Writing Workshop will begin each day with a signal to come to the meeting area for a mini-lesson. (Tell students what the signal will be.) The mini-lesson will usually last around 10-15 minutes. You can count on me to teach you

something about writing, like how writers get their ideas or how they make their writing better. I will count on you to come to the meeting area calmly and ready to

listen carefully and participate in discussions.

Practice Time– After the mini-lesson you will have time to write. You can count on me to confer, or talk to some of you about your writing each day. I will count on

you to write the whole time without interrupting group work or conferences. Closing – When you hear the signal again, you will know that it is time to come back to the meeting area for the closing. We will have about 5 to 10 minutes at the

end of the work time for some people to share their writing. I will count on you to use the Speaking and Listening standards with each other, listen respectfully, and

be ready to tell the person sharing what you noticed he/she did in his/her writing.

Sample Chart

Writing Workshop

You can count on…

Mini-lesson

* procedures, process, craft

* shared, modeled, or interactive writing

*use of mentor text

Work Time

*independent writing (planning, drafting,

revising, editing, publishing)

*guided writing

*conferences

Closing/Sharing Time

*author’s chair

*partner share

Tell students that today they are going to practice each part of Writing

Workshop. Ask students to return to their seats and tell them they will

practice coming to the meeting area for a mini-lesson. Summon students to

the meeting area. You may choose a ritual to signal students, such as a

quote or chant about writing, shaking a rain stick, ringing a bell, or music.

(You may wish to choose the same signal you introduced during Reading

Workshop.) Students practice coming to the meeting area as many times as

it takes for them to transition smoothly.

Mini-lesson

Review the expectations for students during the mini-lesson portion of

Writing Workshop. Begin with telling students that all writers have stories to

tell and that they are going to get to tell stories from their lives to partners.

Tell them that before they tell their stories, you are going to take a look at

another standard for Speaking and Listening so they will know what is

expected of second graders when they tell stories.

Show and review the Speaking and Listening standard ELACC2SL4: Tell a

story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant,

descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. Discuss

the meaning of the standard. It is helpful to circle the nouns and underline

the verbs and help students understand the meaning of unfamiliar words

such as relevant and coherent by providing synonyms. Writing the synonyms

and posting them next to the vocabulary will support students’

understanding.

Share a story with students about your life. (Choose something routine such

as a trip to the store, giving your pet a bath… so students get the idea that

stories come from things that happen to them every day.) Point out how you

included appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details and spoke audibly

in coherent sentences as you told a story about something that happened to

you.

Ask students to think about something in their lives, something that

happened to them (going to the store, playing with a friend, playing a

game…). Invite students to take turns telling their stories to their partners.

Remind students that today and every day when they want to write stories,

one strategy or tool they can use is to think of something that happened to

them. Tell them that they will have time to begin their stories during writing

time today. Remind students of the expectations for writing time. Send one

group of students to their seats at a time, pointing out how the students are

going quietly to their seats, getting paper, thinking about what they told their

partner, and beginning to write.

Work Time

Students will go to their seats and write their stories. This is a formative

assessment. This is your opportunity to observe the writing behaviors of your

students. Point out that writers need to build stamina for writing just as

readers do and that you will be watching to see how long they can focus on

writing. Continue to focus on building writing stamina throughout the unit.

Closing

Using the agreed-upon signal, call students back to the meeting area. Explain

that they will now practice the closing portion of Writing Workshop. You may

choose to ask students to share the stories they wrote with partners. Review

with the students what they learned about Writing Workshop today.

Collect the students’ stories. You may choose to give them back to students

later so they can continue writing, or keep them for a beginning of the year

writing sample. You will give students a prompt during week three as a

narrative pre-assessment.

Reading Lesson 3: How to Buzz Effectively – Creating Agreed-Upon Rules

for Speaking and Listening

Materials

Baskets of books on each table containing at least 4-5 books for each child in

the group (These books should represent a range and variety of levels and

genres.) Use spring DRA scores to determine the range of levels to put in the

baskets. Choose books from your classroom library or book room.

Chart paper with the heading “Our Agreed-Upon Rules for Speaking and

Listening”

Poetry poster from GHGR, The Rudes (or an enlarged version of the poem)

Display the standard - ELACC2SL1: Participate in collaborative

conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts

with peers and adults in small and larger groups. Add a. Follow

agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in

respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time

about the topics and texts under discussion).

Opening

Revisit the theme, You Can Count on Me! Remind students of the workshop

structure and tell them that you will count on them to practice what they

learned yesterday when they go through each part of the workshop structure

today. Before beginning the lesson, ask students if they noticed any habits of

readers that need to be added to the chart, “What do readers do?”

Tell students that today, they will help create rules that will help them when

they talk with partners about their reading and thinking. Point out that this is

very important because when they talk to a partner they will grow each

other’s thinking! Ask students if they have encountered any problems when

they were talking to a partner (partner not listening, not paying attention,

talking too quietly…).

Display and review the Speaking and Listening standard that students were

introduced to on Day 1 ELACC2SL1: Participate in collaborative

conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts

with peers and adults in small and larger groups. Tell students that

today you are going to introduce them to another part of the standard - a.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in

respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time

about the topics and texts under discussion). Explain that “agreed-

upon rules” means that students will have to come up with the rules for

discussions. If students said that they encountered problems when talking

with a partner, point out that the agreed-upon rules they are going to create

will allow them to have better conversations with their peers. Display the

blank chart and write a heading such as, “Our Agreed-Upon Rules for

Speaking and Listening” at the top.

Role play having a conversation with another adult or a student.

We are going to think about the rules we need to have when we share our

thinking and discuss books with each other. Now watch me as I have a

conversation with ____ about the book we read. (Choose a book that you

have read to the students.) Watch for behaviors which would help our

conversation and other behaviors which would not help our conversation.

Demonstrate some inappropriate listening and speaking behaviors (fidgeting,

getting up, changing the subject, etc). Discuss with students what they

noticed and how the behaviors prevented you from having a productive

conversation. Then demonstrate appropriate behaviors, especially how to

listen to comments made by the other person and respond to them, building

from them, and basing your own comments on what was just said.

Guide students to come up with a list of agreed-upon rules for speaking and

listening, and list these rules on the chart. The chart may be similar to the

one below. (This anchor chart will be displayed and referred to throughout

the year.)

Our Agreed-Upon Rules for Speaking and Listening

Sit knee to knee when talking to a partner.

Look at the speaker.

Talk one at a time.

Think about what the speaker is saying.

Talk about the topic or text (stay on topic).

Tell students that they are going to practice these rules as they talk to a

partner about a poem.

Display the poem, The Rudes. (This poem is on the poster that came with the

GHGR materials and is also written on the following page). Tell students that

you are going to read the poem together and give them an opportunity to

turn and talk to a partner to share their thinking. Tell them that you are

going to read the first stanza and then ask them to talk to a partner about

how well the Rudes are following our agreed-upon rules.

Continue reading the poem, giving the students opportunities to turn and talk

to partners. Ask a few students to share what their partners told them.

(Asking students to share what their partners said instead of what they said

makes them accountable for listening.)

Discuss the “agreed-upon” rules that the Rudes did not follow and how you

would not be able to count on them in your classroom community!

Rudes

The Rudes don’t know or even care

When they are getting in your hair.

They interrupt when you are talking;

Their behavior is absolutely shocking!

They pinch, they hit;

They scratch, they spit.

They don’t play fair when they are “it.”

The Rudes, they are so terribly rude!

They open their mouths when their food’s half-chewed.

They pick their noses in public places;

They stick out their tongues and make ugly faces.

They bite, they fight;

They seem to delight

In showing you how to be impolite.

Rudes love to eat soup, but how they slurp!

There’s never “excuse me” whenever Rudes burp!

They don’t remember a “thank you” to say

When you give them a gift on their special day.

Rudes stare, they swear;

They seldom share.

They make fun of you and pull your hair.

They’ll call you names like stupid and dumb.

You know, Rudes are really quite troublesome!

And that’s not all! Listen carefully now:

Rudes try really hard to get you somehow

To join their club

And be a Rude;

If you say “no”, you’ll be pursued.

They’ll try their best to get your attention.

To them, rude behavior is a nifty invention!

They’ll teach you all the tricks of the trade

So you can march in their Rude parade.

They’re crude, they’re shrewd;

They want you as a Rude.

Will you join their club? Will you be a Rude?

Babs Bell Hajdusiewicz

Work Time

Review the expectations for independent reading. Tell students their

purpose for reading today is to really think about what is happening in the

book they are reading (literary text) or what they are learning

(informational text) so they can talk to a partner about what they read.

Praise them for the amount of time they spent reading during

independent time yesterday, and challenge them to increase their stamina

and build their reading muscles. Set a new goal for independent reading

time.

Closing

Call students back to the group area. (If you are using a graph to record the

amount of time students read independently, point out how long students

read, and record the time on the graph.)

Review the agreed-upon rules, and remind students to follow them when

they talk to a partner. Have students turn and talk to a partner about a book

they read during independent reading time. Tell students that today, they

just practiced another habit that readers have – they talk to others about

books. Add this to the “What do readers do?” chart started on Day 1.

Give students a chance to reflect on how well they followed the agreed-upon

rules. Ask them to identify other times during the day when it will be

important to use the “agreed-upon rules.”

Tie the lesson to the theme, reminding students that they will be able to

count on the Reading Workshop structure each day, and you will count on

them to follow the procedures you taught them during each part of the

workshop and the agreed-upon rules.

Writing Lesson 3: Writers Write from Their Hearts

Notes

Lesson 4 introduces students to a Writer’s Notebook. If the notebook you

choose for students to use does not have pockets, you may wish to introduce

students to writing folders today. They will need a place to store the heart

maps they create.

Materials

Blank heart maps for students or paper for student to create their own heart

maps (launch unit resource folder)

A sample of the teacher’s heart map

The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli (or another personal narrative read-aloud)

Opening

Signal students to come back to the meeting area. Today during our reading

time together, we created agreed-upon rules for speaking and listening. We

are going to practice these rules during our writing time as we share ideas

for writing with each other.

Tell students that today you are going to help them discover where writers

get ideas for their stories. Let them know that you are going to read a book

to help them think about how writers “wake up their stories” or get ideas.

Read a story to spark students’ ideas for writing. It could be any personal

narrative in which the author has written about an experience that happened

to him/her. (The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli is a great choice because the

character is a little girl who is looking for ideas for her story, and her mother

tells her that the best stories come from the heart.) After reading the story,

discuss where the author may have gotten the idea for the story.

Tell students that a writing community is made up of writers who share and

listen to each other’s stories and ideas. Point out that writers often write

about the people, pets, and places that are in their hearts.

The people in your heart can be family members, friends, or anyone else who

makes you feel special and loved. When you think about the places in your

heart, picture places that you love to be, places that are fun, and places that

make you feel comfortable and safe. It could be a vacation place or at home.

Tell students that they are going to create a heart map to help them

remember the special people and places they can write about. Show students

your heart map and share the people and places that are close to you. (You

may also choose to model and invite students to include “things they do in

their spare time” and “favorite memories” on their heart maps.)

Tell students that you want them to use the agreed-upon rules for speaking

and listening to share the people and places in their hearts with a partner.

Review the Speaking and Listening standard and the agreed-upon rules that

students created.

Ask students to sit quietly and think about the kinds of things they might put

on their heart maps. Have them turn to a partner and share three things that

they will put on their heart maps. Remind students that they will include

many more things.

Before sending students to their seats, review the expectations for

independent time.

Work Time Students begin designing their heart maps. Teacher circulates and confers

with students as needed.

Closing

This would be a great day to introduce the author’s chair. You will want to

develop a system to ensure that every voice has an opportunity to share in a

one or two week period. One option is to create a visual to display in the

share area. This might simply be a chart with students’ names with a place to

put a checkmark when students share. Another option is to put Popsicle

sticks with student names in a can and draw out one or two names each day.

(If a child chooses not to share, choose another child.)

Before inviting 2-3 students to share their heart maps, review the agreed-

upon rules for speaking and listening. Explain that the students who sit in the

chair have a very important role, but the audience’s role is just as important.

Discuss audience etiquette for listening to the speaker.

Reading Lesson 4: Getting to Know Our Classroom Library and Books We

Plan to Read

Notes

There are two parts to this lesson.

Part 1: Getting to Know Our Classroom Library (The content of this

lesson is dependent on the

organization structure utilized by the classroom teacher and the routines and

procedures pertaining to the

library that the teacher wishes to implement in her classroom.)

Part 2: Getting to know a Book Before Reading

Materials

Baskets of books on each table containing at least 4-5 books for each child in

the group (These books should represent a range and variety of levels and

genres.) Use spring DRA scores to determine the range of levels to put in the

baskets. Select books from your classroom library or book room.

A classroom library organized in a variety of ways, by level, by genre, by author, by subjects, etc.

Chart paper (You will create an anchor chart, “How to Preview a Book”.) Books for modeling how to preview a book

Opening

We have been learning about and studying what readers do. (Point out the chart

created on Day 1 and add any new ideas to the chart.) Yesterday we learned that readers talk to others about what they read. Today I am going to teach you what readers do to get ready to read. We will continue to practice the agreed-

upon rules that we created yesterday. Let’s review them before we get started. (Review the posted Speaking and Listening standard a. Follow agreed-upon

rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion) and the agreed-upon rules that students created.)

Part 1 If your classroom library is not your regular meeting area, you may want to

meet in the library area of your classroom for this part of the lesson, since you

will be talking about the organization of your classroom library.

Explain to the students that you organized all of the books in the classroom library in a way that makes them easy to find and put back in the right place. Demonstrate how the library is organized (author, genre, topic, level, etc.) and

discuss how the books are stored and/or labeled. Model how you would choose a book and use the organization system to help you. Show how you would put a

book away, using a book you have on hand, and demonstrate what you would think of/look for to know where the book should go when finished.

Ask students to think about a book or type of book they might want to find.

Invite them to turn and talk to a partner about the strategies they might use in

order to find that book in your classroom library.

Tell students that tomorrow they will get an opportunity to go to the classroom

library to choose books to read, so you want them to remember what they

learned about how to find books.

Part 2

We learned how our library is organized, now we are going to think about how

readers choose the books they read and how they get ready to read them.

Tell students that when readers go to a bookstore or the library, they look at

certain things to help them find books that are interesting. Readers can look at

certain features the authors and publishers put in the books to make people

interested. By looking at these features, you will get an idea of what the book

will be about and whether or not you might want to read it. Let’s look at these

features together.

Choose a book, and model how you look at the title, front illustrations, back

blurb, excerpts of reviews, awards, etc. and discuss how each helps a reader

know a little more about the book. Begin an anchor chart, “How to Preview a

Book” and add these features to the chart.

Model and point out that readers can also read the table of contents to see what

the titles are for the chapters, flip through the book to look for any pictures to

see how the book is organized, and read the first page to get an idea of what

the book will be about. Add these ideas to the chart.

Ask students to decide if they are interested in reading the book you previewed

in your demonstration. Ask them to turn and tell a partner if they would want to

read this book and share why or why not.

Tell students that now that they are in second grade, they will get to make the

decisions about the books they read just as grown up readers do. Point out that

today and whenever they are reading they can preview the book to determine if

it is interesting. This will also help them get ready to read, because they will be

familiar with the book. Tell students that during their work time, they will choose

a book from the basket at their table and preview it before reading. If they

decide it is not interesting, they can put it back in the basket and choose

another one. Remind students that they are working on building stamina during

independent reading time. Challenge them to read for a longer amount of time

than they did the previous day.

Work Time

Students choose books to read from the baskets on their tables, preview

them, and begin reading. The teacher will observe students, noting which

ones are really taking time to preview the books they are reading and how

students are spending their independent reading time.

Closing

Before calling students back to the group area, tell them you want them to

bring back one of the books they previewed and started reading.

Call students back to the group area. (If you are using a graph to record the

amount of time students read independently, point out how long students

read, and record the time on the graph.)

Review the chart, “How to Preview Books”. If you noticed a student doing a

great job of previewing a book, point out what you noticed this student doing

and ask him/her to share how that helped him/her as a reader. Tell students

that you want them to talk to a partner about the features they looked at

when they previewed the books. They will share how previewing the book

helped them decide if the book was interesting and helped them get ready to

read. Remind them to follow the agreed-upon rules they created on Day 3 as

they talk to a partner.

Tie the lesson back to the theme, You Can Count on Me by telling students

that you will now be able to count on them to choose books that interest

them by previewing the books first.

Writing Lesson 4: Introduction to the Writer’s Notebook

Notes

The following short clip gives teachers an overview of the Writer’s

Notebook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQEonEcBpaQ&feature=relmfu/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQEonEcBpaQ&feature=relmfu

Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street by Roni Schotter is a great book to read

aloud prior to the lesson. It is about a girl who keeps a Writer’s Notebook.

There is no wrong way to organize notebooks!

Decide which type of notebook you want your students to have for their Writer’s

Notebook (composition book, spiral notebook, 3-ring binder, two-pocket folder,

etc.).

It could be divided into sections with a tab divider for each section (Works in

Progress, Conference Notes, and Writer’s Tools or Writing Topics, Practice

Pages, and Conference Notes/Reflection).

It could be a 3-ring binder; hole punch a two-pocket folder, and include it in

the binder. (As depicted in the website

http://teacherweb.com/SC/bells/madden/apt4.aspx).

Amiee Buckner in Notebook Know-How suggests her students begin their

daily entries in the front of their notebook working page by page to the back;

while at the same time they are asked to write the mini-lessons and

strategies taught during Writing Workshop starting in the back of the

notebook and working their way to the front.

Whatever the notebook set up you would like in your students’ Writer’s

Notebook, model yours the same.

Decide how you want your students to maintain their notebooks. Where do

you want to keep them? Will the students personalize the cover? How often

will children write in them? Will they take their notebooks home? In addition,

you will want to teach them other procedures such as dating each entry and

skipping lines.

The following links provide information about Writer’s Notebooks:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/936.cfm

http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/Writer's%20Notebook.htm –

(You may choose to show

the notebook before and after pictures to the students.)

Materials Your Writer’s Notebook with completed stories/entries to share

Some type of notebook for each child (marble composition notebooks work well)

Chart paper for creating the chart, “In our Writer’s Notebooks we can…”

A Ziploc bag for each student

Opening

Begin by sharing the following (this is just a sample, please use wording that

is most comfortable to you to support the purpose of the lesson): So far, the

activities we have been doing in Writing Workshop have helped you start

living like a writer. You learned that writers tell their stories to others and

writers get ideas from their hearts - the special people and places in their

lives. As you start living life as a writer, you will notice that all of a sudden,

you see things like you’ve never seen them before. You listen for sounds and

words that strike you. You wonder about things and question why things are

the way they are. When you live life as a writer, you may develop a little

voice in your head that says, “Write that down.‟ When it happens, you’ll want

to write down your ideas and thoughts, so you don’t lose them. You want to

capture and write your ideas in a place where you can come back to them

again and again. This very special place to keep your ideas is called your

Writer’s Notebook. It is a very important tool that writers use. Today you will

write in your very own writing notebook and practice living as a writer.

Tell students that they will use this notebook throughout the year to collect

ideas and practice what they learn about writing. They can keep and record

observations, note things they wonder about, record memories and family

stories that can become the seeds that grow future writings.

Show students the Writer’s Notebook you are keeping. If you have been

keeping a Writer’s Notebook, show the different types of entries you have

made. If you are just starting in your notebook, tell the students you will

model for the class how you will begin and maintain your notebook.

Begin a chart: “In our Writer’s Notebooks we can…” Let students know the

expectations such as writing the date before each entry. You will continue to

add to this chart as you introduce new strategies for writing in the notebook.

In our Writer’s Notebooks we can…

write stories about the people and places in our hearts.

We used the heart map to help us think of the special people and places in

our lives. We are going to use our maps to wake up stories in our minds. I

am going to show you how I choose a special person from my heart map and

think of something I did with this person. Then I will tell you my story. Model

choosing a special person from your heart map.

Tell students that before you tell your story, you are going to look at the

Speaking and Listening standard introduced previously to make sure you

include what is expected. Show and review the Speaking and Listening

standard ELACC2SL4: Tell a story or recount an experience with

appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly

in coherent sentences. Discuss the meaning of the standard and provide

synonyms for unfamiliar words such as relevant and coherent.

Model thinking aloud about some things you did with that person, choose one

idea, and then tell a story about your time with that person.

Model setting up a page in your Writer’s Notebook. Write the date at the top.

Begin with a sketch of your story. (Make sure you emphasize that a sketch is

a quick drawing and that the majority of writing time should be spent

writing.) Then begin writing a few lines of your entry, demonstrating how to

skip lines and showing the students how you can write the story you just

told! Add “write stories about the people and places in our hearts” to the

chart.

Tell students to get out their heart maps and choose one person on the map.

Ask them to think of something they did with that person –a story of a time

with that person. Ask students to take turns telling their stories to their

partners. Remind them to make sure they are including relevant and

descriptive details and speaking audibly. Remind the partner who is listening

that it is his/her job to listen. If something does not make sense or if he/she

thinks the storyteller has left something out, the listener will need to ask

his/her partner for clarification.

Tell students that whenever they need an idea to write about, they can think

of a time they had with a special person. Encourage students to write a short

entry in their notebooks, telling the story they just shared with a partner. Tell

them they can sketch first, if it will help them. Remind them to write the date

at the top of their entry.

Work Time Students will write and the teacher will circulate around the room and

observe students as they are writing. Meet with students who seem stuck,

and remind them they can write the story they just shared with a partner.

Closing Ask a few students to share something they wrote in their notebooks.

Share how you have personalized your notebook (e.g., pictures, quotes,

colored paper, special lettering). Inform students that tomorrow they will

personalize their notebooks, so their homework for tonight will be to gather

items to bring to school for this special activity (see below for sample letters

to send home). So for homework, they may want to bring in pictures,

photos, ticket stubs, quotes they’ve collected, favorite poems, invitations,

newspaper clippings, small objects, etc. to include in their notebooks.

IMPORTANT HOMEWORK! As writers, we are ready to start using our notebooks! We need to decorate them to make them very special. Tomorrow we will be decorating our notebooks, so this evening I want you to think of materials you can bring in to decorate the covers and backs of your notebooks. The materials can be anything from special pictures, fabric,

magazine cut-outs, handmade decorations, ribbon, to awards— basically anything that has meaning to your life. Your notebook will be very personal, so your cover should reflect you. Put your materials in the Ziploc bag I give you and bring it to school tomorrow. This will be an exciting passage as we move into establishing more habits of the “writerly‟ life!

Find Three Artifacts from YOUR LIFE! Raid your junk drawers, your closet, or your room.

Look for items that bring back memories: ticket stubs, pictures, postcards, or even candy wrappers. Anything that represents YOU!

**Remember, you are going to be taping/gluing these things into

your writer’s notebook. Get permission before you bring items to school!

Due:________

Reading Lesson 5: Choosing Just Right Books Materials

Baskets of books on each table containing at least 4-5 books for each child in

the group

Individual “book bags” or containers for students to store their just right books. Containers may be magazine boxes, plastic tubs, book bags from the school supply store, or simply a gallon Ziploc bag labeled with the student’s

name. (A Cobb teacher shared that her school purchases book totes from

www.discountmugs.com and the item is "Tote 35”.) Blank chart for writing characteristics of Just Right books (You may want to

prepare the chart ahead of time.)

Display the standard - ELACC2RF4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Opening Yesterday you learned about the books we have in our classroom library. You

also learned how to preview books to see if they are interesting and to help you get ready to read. Today you are going to learn how grown up readers (like they are, now that they are in second grade) make decisions about how

their reading lives will go. One of the decisions readers make is the types of books they read.

Show students the Reading Foundational standard ELACC2RF4: Read with

sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. It is recommended that the standard be displayed for students to see it as

discussed. Ask students to work with you to put the standard in their own words or to replace key words with synonyms so there is a clear

understanding of its meaning. It is helpful to put the synonym(s) on sticky notes and post them on the actual standard. Explain that readers can’t just pick up any book and read it with accuracy, fluency, and understanding –

they must choose books that are just right for them!

You might say to students, “Today I want to teach you that readers try on books like one might try on a shirt, checking to see if this book fits, if it is just right. We use the five-finger rule (more than four words they can’t read

on a page of a second grader’s book with a hundred words would definitely mean the reader is not reading with 96% accuracy). We also know that a

book should be a smooth read, that when reading aloud we should read like we are talking smoothly. Readers find books that are interesting and make them feel strong as readers.”

Tell students that they can choose a book that is an old favorite or a new

book that they are interested in reading. Once you choose your book, read a few pages. Could you read it smoothly? Did you “read it like you talk?” Did you get stuck on more than four words on a page?

Demonstrate for students how good readers choose a just right book. You might say, “I am going to pretend that I am shopping for just right books.

Watch how I choose my books and notice how I decide if the books are just right.” Model how you choose a book that you are interested in and then demonstrate giving the book a try to see if it is a smooth read. Make sure

you think aloud about what happened in the section you read, demonstrating that you understood the text.

Ask students to turn and talk to a partner about what they noticed you doing

when you chose just right books. Ask students to share their ideas and make

a class chart called: Choosing a “Just Right” Book. (This will be posted so

that students can refer to it when they are choosing books.) Some teachers introduce students to the phrase, I PICK, to help students remember the criteria for choosing just right books.

Choosing a “Just Right” Book I – I choose a book. P - Purpose – Why do I want to read this book?

I - Interest – Does this book interest me? C - Comprehend – Do I understand what I am reading? K- Know – Do I know most of the words? Do I read with fluency and accuracy?

Tell students that you will be giving them each a container in which to put their

just right books. Let them know that when they go to independent reading

today, they will choose a few books from the basket to put in their containers. While they are reading, you will call groups of students to the classroom library

to shop for just right books. Work Time

Students will select just right books to read from the baskets on their tables while waiting for you to call them to the classroom library to shop for books.

Closing Let’s share some things you noticed about yourself as readers today. (Ask

students to discuss these questions with a partner and then call on a few students to share.)

How did you know your books were just right?

Did anyone find a book that was not just right? How did you know this was not right for you?

How did your just right books help you read fluently, accurately, and with understanding?

Summarize the lesson by revisiting the standard and reviewing that choosing just right books will help students become stronger readers who read with

fluency, accuracy, and understanding. Tie this back to the theme, You Can Count on Me by telling students that from now on, you will count on them to choose books that are just right for them! If you are using a graph to record

the amount of time students read independently, record the time on the graph.

Many teachers set up a schedule for students to exchange books. These

sample charts came from Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (http://tc.readingandwritingproject.com/).

Additional resources for lessons involving choosing just right books:

http://60hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/FrameNotebookRead.htm

Writing Lesson 5: Writers Get Ideas from Other Writers

Notes

If you asked students to bring items in to decorate their notebooks, a good time to

do this would be for morning work so that you don’t take up the writing time. If

children have not had an opportunity to decorate their notebooks, you may want to

take a little time prior to this lesson to let students decorate their notebooks.

Materials

Writer’s Notebooks

Heart maps

Read aloud to spark ideas for writing such as Fireflies by Julie Brinkloe

Chart started the day before - In our Writer’s Notebooks we can…’ (You will add

to the chart during the lesson.)

In our Writer’s Notebooks we can…

write stories about the people and places in our

hearts.

write about ideas we get from other writers.

Opening

Review that yesterday students learned about the special tool writers use –

the Writer’s Notebook. Refer to the chart you began yesterday. Praise

students for the wonderful stories they told and began writing. Tell them that

today they will continue to tell and write stories.

Tell students that since they will have another opportunity to tell a story to a

partner you are going to review the Speaking and Listening standard

ELACC2SL4: Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate

facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent

sentences. Discuss the meaning of the standard.

Tell students that you are going to share with students another way writers

come up with ideas for their stories. Writers get ideas from other writers.

Add this to the “In our Writer’s Notebooks we can” chart.

Read a mentor text such as Fireflies. (Typically, you will NOT read a book

during Writing Workshop. You will read it during your read aloud time and

then revisit it to make your teaching point. Since the purpose is to spark

ideas, it is appropriate to read it here.)

After you finish, say to students, “This book reminds me of a time in my life

when…” Tell a short story that is connected to the mentor text. Point out how

you included the appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, and

spoke audibly.

Model writing the story you shared using your Writer’s Notebook. Add the

date, and don’t skip pages. Just write the first few sentences and explain that

you would add the rest of your story to complete the notebook entry. Tell

them you won’t do that now, because you want to hear their ideas.

Ask the students to turn to their partners and tell a story about something

that this book reminds them of. If they struggle with relating to this book,

they may choose a person or place on their heart maps and tell a story about

it. Remind students to make sure they include the relevant and descriptive

details, and speak audibly. Add “write ideas we get from other writers” to the

chart.

Tell students that when they go to write today, they can either continue

writing the story they started yesterday or write the story they shared with a

partner today. If they decide to do that, they will write the date on the next

line and continue writing. If they choose to write the story they told a

partner, they will go to a new page and write the date. Share the decision

you would make, and begin modeling how you would continue your story or

begin a new story.

Remind students that whenever they are not sure what to write about, they

can look at their heart maps and think about a time with a special person or

at a special place or write about ideas they get from other writers.

Work Time

Students will continue writing the stories they started yesterday, or begin

a new story about a time in a place they listed on their heart maps.

Closing

Use the agreed-upon signal and gather the students back in the meeting

area. Invite a few students to share their notebook entries.

Practice your ritual for students putting away and getting out their Writer’s

Notebooks.

Reading Lesson 6: Finding Our Reading Spots and What Does Work Time

Look Like/Sound Like?

Materials

Map of the classroom on a large poster or chart

Small Post-it notes

Students’ bags/boxes of “just right” books

Chart paper (You will be creating the chart: What does independent reading

look like and sound like?)

Display the standard - ELACC2RF4: Read with sufficient accuracy and

fluency to support comprehension. Add a: Read on-level text with

purpose and understanding

Notes

Before asking students to come back to the meeting area, give each student a

small Post-it note, and tell each student to write his/her name on the Post-it note

and bring it back to the group area. They will place it on the floor next to them in

the meeting area until you are ready to use them.

Opening

Part 1

We have learned so much about what readers do so far this year! Last week

you learned what readers do and how readers get ready to read – they

choose “just right” books and they preview books before they read. Today,

you are going to learn what readers do so they can really focus on what they

are reading.

Review the standard that you introduced on Day 5 ELACC2RF4: Read with

sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. Point out indicator a: Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. Explain that you will be talking more about “on-level text” later and that you

will give them examples, but today you will be focusing on reading with purpose and understanding. Explain that readers cannot read with purpose

and understanding if they can’t concentrate or focus on what they are reading. In addition, they will not be able to read accurately and fluently if they can’t focus!

Ask students if sitting close to other readers at their tables has distracted

them or prevented them from focusing. Tell them that sometimes readers don’t like to sit at tables. They like to choose a special reading spot. There are many different places for readers to enjoy their books. Some readers like

to sit at tables and other readers enjoy sitting on the floor. Some readers like to sit near other readers, and some readers like to find spots where they are

all alone so they are not distracted by other readers. In Reading Workshop, readers get to make their own decisions. Today you will each decide where you would like to read. Think about yourself as a reader. Are you the kind of

reader who likes to sit at a table or on the floor? Today you need to make that decision.

Show the students a map of the classroom that you have already sketched out. Make sure that you included the tables and all of the possible spots students could read. Tell students to think about a spot that might be just

right for them. Let them know if you agree that they have selected good reading spots, you’ll let them place their Post-it notes on their chosen spots

on the map. Be sure to emphasize that the map can, and will, be changed if needed – and that being in a reading spot is a privilege. Let them know that

if they do not get their first choice today, you will give them an opportunity to choose new spots at another time during the year. Call on students, one at a time, to choose a spot. (Consider pulling Popsicle sticks with students’

names on them so that they perceive the selection as fair and random.) They will place their Post-it notes on the map to indicate their spots, get their book

bags/boxes of “just right” books, and go to their spots.

Part 2 When students have had about 5 minutes to read in their new spots, ask

them to leave their books in their spots and come back to the meeting area.

Ask students if their new reading spots helped them focus so that they could

comprehend/understand what they were reading. Point out that sometimes

just having a reading spot is not enough. Readers need to respect other readers during independent reading time.

Tell students that readers must spend the whole time focusing and practicing

during independent time so that they can become stronger readers. One of

the things that will help us grow as readers is to focus on what we are reading the whole time. While readers are reading, they are thinking about

what is happening in the book or what they are learning about. If our

principal came into the room and saw people really focused and reading to themselves, what do you think that would look like and sound like? Think about what the students in our classroom who were focusing in their new

reading spots looked like and sounded like. Let’s create a chart together to help us think about what independent reading time should look like and

sound like. If students are having a difficult time coming up with ideas, choose a student to go to his/her reading spot and model what it looks and sounds like. Record students’ responses. It may look similar to the chart

below.

What does independent reading look like and sound like?

It looks like…

Students are staying in

their reading spots.

Students are previewing

books before they read.

Students’ eyes are on the

books.

Students are reading

books from their book

bags.

Students are rereading

books.

Students are thinking.

It sounds like…

It is quiet.

The teacher may

be talking quietly

to another student

about reading.

What is the

purpose?

It expands our

vocabulary.

It helps us

understand

and learn.

Ask students to turn and talk to a partner about one thing they will do to

make sure they are focusing while reading.

Ask students to go back to their reading spots and continue reading, making

sure they look and sound like what you wrote on the chart.

Closing

Review with students what independent reading should look like and sound

like, and ask students to turn to a partner and share what they did during

independent reading time to make sure they (and other students) were able

to focus in order to comprehend what they were reading. Tell them that you

will review this chart tomorrow and keep it posted so they will remember

what you will count on them to do each day during independent reading

time. If you are using a graph to record the amount of time students read

independently, record the time on the graph. Point out how much students’

stamina is increasing!

Writing Lesson 6: What Do I Do When I Think I’m Done? What Does

Writing Time Look Like/Sound Like?

Materials

Chart paper to create the chart, “What do I do when I think I’m done?”

Chart paper to create the chart, “What does Writing Workshop look

like/sound like?”

A writing piece that the teacher has started writing

Writer’s Notebooks

Display the standard - ELACC2W5: With guidance and support from

adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed

by revising and editing.

Opening

We’ve begun gathering ideas so that you will always have something to write

about. Today I’m going to teach you what writers do when they think they’re done.

Display the standard ELACC2W5: With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed

by revising and editing. Tell students you are going to focus on just the first part, “With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic…” Explain that they have started focusing on a topic when writing in

their notebooks. Explain that during Writing Workshop the expectation is for them to always be working and focusing on a topic, and you are going to

show them how they can do this today.

Show students a piece that you have begun writing. Have it written on chart

paper or use a document camera so that everyone can see it. You may say

something like, “Here is the story I started yesterday. I finished it last night.

Now I think I’m done! However, I’m not done. When writers write, they have

things they can do when they think they are done. They can add to the

picture/sketch, add to the writing, start a new piece, or go back to an old

piece.”

Create an anchor chart with these steps on it. See the samples below.

What do I do when I think I’m done?

I can add to the picture. I can add to the writing. I can start a new piece. I can go back to an old piece.

Think aloud how you could add more to your writing and model for students

how you would do that by either adding on to the end of your story or going

back and inserting more information.

Writers, close your eyes. Imagine you are writing and drawing. Imagine you

are done. Oh, now remember this mini-lesson. Ask yourself, Can I add to my

picture? Can I add to my words? If not, imagine starting a new piece of

writing or going back to another piece of writing.

Open your eyes. Today and every day no one will say, “I’m done.” I will hang

this chart up today and keep it in this spot to remind you of the choices you

have when you think you are done.

Tell students you will keep the chart up in the room so that when they think

they are done they can refer to it to remember what choices they have.

Remind them to go back and reread the piece they started the day before

and decide their next step for writing.

Work Time

As students are writing, circulate around the room, noticing the choices

students are making when they think they are done. Confer with individual

students.

Mid-Workshop Teaching Point

Compliment students for what you are noticing them doing (going back and

rereading their piece, adding more to the picture or story, starting a new

piece…). Tell them that you want them to help you create a chart to help

them focus and remember what their independent writing time should look

like and sound like, just like you did in the reading mini-lesson. Create a

Looks Like/Sounds Like chart with students. See the sample below.

Writing Workshop

Looks Like

Writers writing

Writers sharing tools

Writers thinking

Sounds Like

Writers using one inch

voices or working quietly

Teacher and students

talking about writing

Closing

Call students back to the meeting area. Ask students to turn and tell a

partner what they looked like and sounded like during the writing time as

well as what they did when they thought they were done.

Review the standard. Discuss how finding something to do when students

think they are done and following the expectations for what Writing

Workshop should look and sound like helped them focus on a topic.

Reading Lesson 7: Literary and Informational Texts

Materials

15 – 20 literary and informational books which span a variety of genres

Include two books on the same topic, where one is a literary text and the

other is an informational text. (Choose books relating to trees such as The

Giving Tree and an informational book about trees. Another option would be

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon and Bats by Gail Gibbons. Stellaluna also relates

to the theme, You Can Count on Me.)

Opening

Yesterday we each found our reading spots and determined what

independent time should look like and sound like so we can focus on our

reading. Today we are going to learn more about the types of books readers

choose to read during their independent reading time.

Ask students if they know the difference between literary texts and

informational texts. As students respond, lead them to a deeper

understanding of these two broad categories. Chart students’ responses

using a Venn diagram (see sample below).

Show the literary and informational texts on the same topic you selected

prior to the lesson. Read enough of each book so that students can see that

one is an informational text, and the other one is a literary text. Ask students

what they notice about the way each text is organized. Review the Venn

diagram, and add additional characteristics of each type of text. Point out the

way each text is organized and the predictable characteristics and features

they can count on when they read each type of text. (Literary texts are

organized by beginning, middle and end and include story elements such as

characters, setting, problem, and resolution. Informational texts are

organized around specific topics and main ideas and often include text

features such as captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, and indexes as

well as images.) Discuss the similarities and add them to the chart.

When readers read a literary text, they can use what they know about this

type of text to make predictions about what they expect to happen in the

story. Readers can also use what they know about informational texts to help

them make predictions about the kinds of things they expect to learn.

Display and review the standard you showed students the day before

ELACC2RF4: a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.

Discuss how knowing the characteristics of literary and informational texts

will help them read with purpose and understanding.

To reinforce the lesson, hold up different books in a variety of genres, one at

a time. Flip through a few pages so students can see how it is organized as

well as the images or text features in the book. If students think the book is

informational, they are to show you a thumbs-up sign. If they think it is a

literary text, they are to point their thumbs down. After showing each book,

ask students how they know it is a literary or informational text. Continue

this process with a few more books until you feel that students have an

understanding of each type of text.

How will knowing the differences between literary and informational texts

help us understand and make predictions about what we will read? Turn to

your elbow partner and discuss.

You may wish to include this optional activity to help students better

understand why knowing the features of each type of text will help them

make predictions as they read. Show students a popcorn packet with the

word popcorn blacked out. What is in here? How did you know that? I don’t

see the word popcorn any place on the packet. Students will give responses.

You were able to predict that popcorn was in the bag because you knew the

features of a popcorn packet. That is exactly the same way knowing the

features of literary and informational texts will help you. You can predict

what you expect to happen in the text, or predict what you expect to learn.

You will also know if it is a text you want to read or if it will provide the

information you need.

During the work session, students will read independently. Tell students to

determine the type (literary or informational) of text they will be reading

before they start reading, and predict what they expect the text to be about

or what they expect to learn. After reading, they will check to see if their

predictions were accurate.

Work Time

Students go to reading spots and read books from their book bags/boxes.

Teacher will confer with individual students to formatively assess students’

understanding of the characteristics of literary and informational texts. Ask

students to classify the books they are reading and show the evidence that

enabled them to classify each book as a literary or informational text.

Closing

Ask students to sit knee to knee with their partners and share a book title

and the classification – either literary or informational. Each student will

share one or two characteristics which makes the book a literary or

informational text with his/her partner. Close the lesson by asking students,

“What did you learn about yourself as a reader today?”

Writing Lesson 7: Writers Spell the Best They Can and Move On

Materials

Chart paper for creating the chart, “When I don’t know how to spell a word, I

can…”

Writer’s Notebooks

Teacher’s Writer’s Notebook or chart for model writing

Opening

Yesterday we learned that during independent writing time, writers are always working. They are either thinking, working on a piece, adding more to a piece, or beginning a new piece. I noticed that sometimes students are

concerned about spelling all of the words correctly.

Display the standard ELACC2W5: With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed

by revising and editing. (You will focus on just the first part, “With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic…”) Explain that when writers stop often to worry about their spelling, they lose focus.

Today I am going to teach you what writers do when they don’t know how to

spell a word. They spell the best they can, and move on, or use resources in the room. Point out that this is very important because you will be counting on them to solve their own writing problems since you will be busy conferring

with individuals or groups of students.

Model writing a few lines of a story of your choice. When you are writing,

choose a few “tricky” words. Model how you say the words slowly and stretch

out the words so that you can write the sounds that you hear. Let students

know that they can go back and fix their spelling later and that they will get

more work done by spelling the best they can and moving on.

In your demonstration, show students that if you think a word does not look

right after stretching it out, you can circle it so that you can go back to it

later and use the dictionary to check the spelling.

In addition, model the other strategies you want students to use. This may

include how to spell unknown words from known words. For example, if you

can spell “look”, you can spell book, took, cook, etc. Model using the word

wall and other resources to help you spell.

Ask students to turn and tell a partner what they can do if they do not know

how to spell a word.

Ask a few students to share what their partners told them. As they are

sharing, create a chart such as the

one below.

When I don’t know how to spell a word, I can…

say the word slowly and write the sounds I hear.

check the word wall.

read the room (use resources on the walls).

try writing it another way.

circle it and move on.

Work Time

Students will continue writing about a topic of their choice.

Teacher will confer with individual students.

Closing

Signal students back to the meeting area.

Choose a few students who applied the mini-lesson to share their stories. Ask

them to share what they did when they did not know how to spell a word.

Review the chart and tell students that now they have strategies to help

them spell the best they can and move on.

Reading Lesson 8: Coming Attractions: Genres, Genres, Genres!

Notes

This lesson is a preview of genres. Children are not expected to LEARN genres

during this lesson. The purpose is to introduce children to genres and to let them

know the expectation that they will read from many genres.

Materials

Small cups of popcorn (one for each student)

Basket of books which spans a variety of genres.(Use the books you used in

the previous lesson or books students read in kindergarten and first grade so

they will be familiar.)

Genre posters or chart paper to create your own genre posters

The links below offer genre posters. The posters from

http://www.sanchezclass.com/home.htm contain pictures of books that may

be familiar to second graders. You will also find additional genre posters at

these sites.

o http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/genres.htm

o http://www.sanchezclass.com/docs/Genre%20Poster%20-

%20Action%20Adventure.pdf

o http://www.sanchezclass.com/docs/Genre%20Poster%20-

%20Realistic%20Fiction.pdf

o http://www.sanchezclass.com/docs/Genre%20Poster%20-

%20Mystery.pdf

o http://www.sanchezclass.com/docs/Genre%20Poster%20-

%20Fantasy.pdf

o http://www.sanchezclass.com/docs/Genre%20Poster%20-

%20Informational.pdf

o http://www.sanchezclass.com/docs/Genre%20Poster%20-

%20Poetry.pdf

o http://www.sanchezclass.com/docs/Genre%20Poster%20-

%20Traditional%20Literature.pdf

Choose one of the poems below to use with this lesson. Adventures with Books Author Unknown Books are ships that sail the seas To lands of snow or jungle trees And I'm the captain bold and free Who will decide which place we'll see

Come let us sail the magic ship Books are trains in many lands Crossing hills or desert sands And I'm the engineer who guides The train on its exciting rides. Come, let us ride the magic train Books are zoos that make a home For birds and beasts not free to roam And I'm the keeper of the zoo I choose the things to show to you Come, let us visit in a zoo Books are gardens, fairies, elves Cowboys and people like ourselves And I can find with one good look Just what I want inside a book Come, let us read! For reading's fun OR Books to the Ceiling by Arnold Lobel Books to the ceiling, Books to the sky, My piles of books are a mile high. How I love them! How I need them! I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.

Opening

Review with students what they learned previously about the characteristics

of literary and informational texts by referring to the chart you created with

them the day before. Tell students that today they will learn even more

about different types of texts. Read one of the poems above to the students.

An important part of becoming a reader is reading many different kinds of

texts. Texts include books, newspapers, magazines, stories, and poetry. You

also find many types of texts on the Internet. The categories of literary and

informational texts are very broad. Books are further classified into more

specific categories called “genres”.

Pass out small cups of popcorn. Let’s think about when we go to the movies.

I eat popcorn, and I decided to share some with you today. I always want to

get to the movie in time to see the previews. Do you? What are previews?

What is the purpose of the previews? Previews tell us what is coming. We are

going to PREVIEW some of the genres of literary texts today. Let’s see if you

already know some of them. I bet you do.

Begin with the poem you read to students. Point out that the poem is an

example of the poetry genre. Ask students what they notice about the poem

(rhyming words, repetition…). Show students the poetry genre poster or

begin creating a poster of the characteristics of poetry.

Choose a book from the basket which represents one of the genres you wish

to preview. Use the genre poster or create a poster for that genre. Explain

the characteristics of the genre. Mention examples of books the students

may have already read that fit into that genre category or offer suggestions

from the classroom library. Repeat this process with the other genres you

choose to preview.

Display and review the standard ELACC2RF4: a. Read on-level text with

purpose and understanding. Discuss how knowing the characteristics of

each genre will help them read with purpose and understanding.

To check for understanding, ask students to work with a partner. You will give each partnership a set of genre response cards representing the genres you previewed, such as the ones below. Ask students to spread the cards out

face up. Hold up a text and describe it briefly. Ask students to turn and talk about how they would classify the book or selection. Ask them to touch the

appropriate genre card. Have them discuss the reasons for their choice. Quickly check on each partnership’s choice before moving on to the next

book.

Book Genre Response Cards

Fantasy Realistic Fiction

Informational Mystery

Poetry Traditional Literature

Work Time

Students will go to their reading spots and read books from their book

bags/boxes. Ask them to try to determine the genres they are reading.

Teacher will confer with individual students. Ask each student to identify the

genre he/she is reading and to share the evidence that enabled him/her to

classify the book.

Closing

Children will return to the meeting area. Preselect two to three children to

share the genres they were reading and the evidence that enabled them to

classify the books. Remind students that you will be focusing on genres

throughout the year and learning more about them. Discuss how knowing

those genres will help them predict what they expect to happen in the text or

what they expect to learn. Close with the question, “What did you learn

about yourself as a reader today?”

Writing Lesson 8: Widening Writing Possibilities

Notes

The curriculum map requires students to participate in routine writing (summaries, writing-to-learn tasks, response to a short text or an open-ended question). This

lesson will help set students up for this.

Materials

Writer’s Notebooks

Chart paper for creating the chart, “What do writers write?”

Opening

Display the standard ELACC2W5: With guidance and support from

adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed

by revising and editing. (Focus on just the first part, “With guidance and

support from adults and peers, focus on a topic…”

Remind students that they’ve been focusing on topics from their hearts and

getting ideas from other authors to write true stories. Tell students that

today you are going to teach them that there are more kinds of writing than just stories.

Review the reading lesson about genres. In reading we learned that authors

write books from different genres. They do not just write stories. Some

authors write fantasy stories, while others write realistic fiction or mysteries.

Other authors write poetry or informational books. Let’s make a list of some

of the things authors write. Ask students to help you create a list.

Sample Charts

What do writers write?

List

Letter

Story

Poem

Play

Thank You Note

Summary

Book Review

Responses to questions

Informational Piece (Directions, How-to,

All-About, Articles…)

Tell students that they will have opportunities to do many of the types of

writing they listed on the chart, but today you want them to think about

possibilities for informational pieces they could write. Point out that when

writers write informational pieces, they often choose topics they already

know a lot about. Tell them that today in their notebooks they will create an

“expert” list.

Model writing an “expert” list in your Writer’s Notebook. Turn to the next

page in your notebook and write, “I’m an Expert.” Think aloud about what

you know a lot about or what you could teach someone. Make a list of those

ideas in your notebook. Choose one idea and orally tell students what you

would write or begin writing a few sentences in your notebook. Review some

of the characteristics of informational books that you listed on the Venn

diagram in the Day 7 reading lesson.

Ask students to think about things they know a lot about and could teach

someone. Ask students to turn and talk to a partner about their ideas.

Add to the chart, “In our Writer’s Notebooks we can…”

In our Writer’s Notebooks we can…

write stories about the people and places in our

hearts.

Write about ideas we get from other writers.

write about what we know (expert list).

Tell students that today you want them to make an “expert” list in their

notebooks. They may choose to write an informational piece about one of the

ideas, or they could continue working on a story they began previously.

Work Time

The students will create an “expert” list in their notebooks and then work on

writing about a topic of their choice.

The teacher will circulate around the room and support students as they

create their “expert” lists and begin writing.

Closing

Signal students back to the meeting area. Review the standard and the fact

that writers can develop different types of writing about a topic. Ask a few

students to share their “expert” lists or an informational piece based on a

topic from the expert list.

Reading Lesson 9: Reading is Thinking

Materials Extended text appropriate for “think alouds” (Gooseberry Park by Cynthia

Rylant or another book related to the theme) Chart paper for creating the chart, “Reading is Thinking”

Opening

Review with students what they have learned so far as readers. Tell them that today they are going to continue to focus on what readers do.

Review the fluency indicator that was introduced previously ELACC2RF4a.

Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. Tell students that

today the focus will be on understanding what they read.

Write the heading, “Reading is Thinking” on a sheet of chart paper. Ask students to discuss with a partner the kinds of thinking they do while reading. Ask students to share what their partner told them, and record

their responses on the chart. (See the sample chart below.) Introduce the extended text you chose to go with the theme, You Can Count on Me. This

lesson refers to Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant, but you do not have to use this book.

Tell students that as you are reading the book you are going to share some of the thinking you do. Let them know that you will be thinking about the

characters because that is one of the things readers think about when they

are reading literary text. Readers figure out who the characters are and learn as much as they can about them. This helps us better understand the story. Tell them that as you read, you want them to think about which character(s)

the other characters can count on.

Read aloud the first few pages of the first chapter, and then stop to share your thinking. In particular, include how you make a movie in your mind to picture what’s happening, what you notice about how the characters behave,

think, and feel, what you are learning about the characters, and questions you have about parts you don’t understand or unfamiliar words. After

stopping a few times to demonstrate your thinking, read another portion of the text and then ask students to turn and talk to a partner and share their thinking. Continue reading until you are finished with the first chapter.

Review with students the kinds of thinking they saw you doing and the kinds

of thinking they did with their partners. Add new ideas to the chart.

Sample Chart

Reading is Thinking When we read we…

make movies in our minds about what’s happening in the book. make predictions about what might happen next.

notice how the characters behave, think, and feel. ask questions about parts we don’t understand or unfamiliar words. reread parts we don’t understand to clear up confusion.

use clues in the text to figure out the meaning of new words.

Ask students which character they think can be counted on and why. (It will

be important for students to give specific examples in the text to support their thinking.) If reading Gooseberry Park, students might respond that

Stumpy’s babies will be able to count on her because she is working very hard to prepare a nest for them to keep them safe and warm. They might also say that Stumpy can count on Kona because he is a “good friend, a fine

friend.” Point out that you are going to continue reading Gooseberry Park throughout the unit and that you would like to keep track of their thinking

about the characters to determine which ones can be counted on. Prepare a chart similar to the one below to track the students’ thinking about the

characters as you are reading the extended text.

Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant

Which characters can be counted on?

Character Evidence From the Text Page Number/Chapter

Kona Stumpy said that “Kona is a good friend, a fine friend.”

Stumpy Stumpy decorated her nest

with her collection to make

it a good place for her babies.

Tell students that today and every day when they are reading, they must be

thinking about what they are reading! Tell students that you want them to notice the kinds of thinking they do today when they read their own books independently.

Work Time

Students will read independently. Teacher will confer with individual students and ask them to share the

thinking they are doing as they are reading.

Closing

Review the standard – and tell students they are going to share the thinking

they did to read with purpose and understanding with a partner. Revisit the

chart, Reading is Thinking and remind them that you want them to do this

kind of thinking every time they read!

Writing Lesson 9: Developing a Seed Idea

Materials

Students’ Writer’s Notebooks (Students will bring their notebooks to the

group area for the mini-lesson.)

Teacher’s Writer’s Notebook

Post-it notes

Introduce and display the standard - ELACC2SL1c: Ask for clarification

and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under

discussion

Opening

We have been doing a lot of writing in our notebooks. The purpose of our

notebooks is to help us get ideas for writing. Today I am going to teach you how to use your notebooks to find a seed idea. You will take this idea and turn it into a draft.

Display and discuss the standard ELACC2W5: With guidance and support

from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. Explain to students that they will be able to count on you to confer with them during Writing Workshop time to give

each student guidance and support. Let them know that they will have opportunities to share their writing with peers to get their feedback. Point out

that they will learn more about revising and editing in a few days.

If you have not yet shared your procedures for conferring, this would be a good time to do so. Explain that the student’s job will be to talk about his/her writing and the teacher’s job is to help the student grow as a writer. You

might let them know they can count on you to ask questions such as the

following: o What are you working on as a writer? o What kind of writing are you creating?

o What are you doing to make this piece of writing work? o What will you do next?

o How will you go about that?

Identify the notebook as a source for ideas to write about. Refer to entries as

"seeds." Students will choose and begin to nurture a seed. Compare your notebook to the pre-writing stage and explain that today’s lesson is to move

forward in the writing process and work toward the drafting stage.

Discuss the idea of a seed (how a plant seed is like a writing seed). We will

find a seed in our notebook and grow it into an important piece of writing.

Model for students how you look through your notebook and heart map to

find possible seeds. Using a Post-it note, mark the seed that could become a

draft. Move the Post-it to another page if a better seed presents itself. Think aloud how the final seed was chosen. Stress that it must be meaningful and

one which the writer can write a lot about. Tell students that you will take one of your ideas and turn it into a story or informational piece. You may choose to share something in your notebook that you started writing about

and show students how you add to it to make it into a draft.

Connect to the reading lesson in which you created a Venn diagram

comparing and contrasting informational and literary texts. Point out that if they are writing an informational piece about something they know about, they will want to include characteristics of informational writing. If they want

to write a narrative, they will include characteristics of literary text. (Point out that a personal narrative may not have a problem and resolution, it

might just be a sequence of events.)

Many teachers choose to have students draft outside of their notebooks.

They keep the notebooks for gathering ideas. Some teachers choose to have their students use pages from a yellow legal pad or other drafting paper.

Another option is to create booklets of 5-6 pages with a small box for sketching at the top. This allows students to write across pages and encourages them to produce more writing. Determine where students will

write and store their drafts (writing folder, pocket of 3-ring binder…).

Ask students to watch you as you begin your draft. Point out that it is important to skip lines so the writer has room to go back and add more or make changes. Ask students to look through their notebooks or heart maps

for an idea they want to turn into a draft and mark it with a Post-it note.

Before inviting students to orally share their stories or informational ideas

with a partner, display and introduce the last part of Speaking and Listening

Standard 1- ELACC2SL1c: Ask for clarification and further explanation

as needed about the topics and texts under discussion. Explain any

unfamiliar words, and let the listeners know that it is their job to ask the

speaker questions if there is something they don’t understand.

Work Time

Students will begin drafting their pieces. The teacher will confer with

students who are having difficulty getting started. If there are more than a

few students in this category, consider gathering them for a guided writing

group/group conference to guide them in getting started.

Closing

Call students back to the meeting area. Review the standard ELACC2W5:

With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic

and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.

Tell students that you are going to select a few students to share what they

have written so far. Explain that the other students will be offering guidance

and support. Ask them to listen for what the authors did well. (It really helps

to display the students’ work using a document camera if you have one

available.) In addition, review the Speaking and Listening standard

introduced during the lesson and remind students to ask the writers

questions if they need clarification.

Reading Lesson 10: Keeping Track Of Your Thinking (Strategies for Using

Post-it Notes)

Notes

You will use the extended text you began reading yesterday. Although this is

the last mini-lesson that uses the extended text, you will want to continue to

read the text during a read-aloud time at another time during the day and

continue to track the characters in order to determine which ones can be

counted on and why (evidence from the text).

Materials

Post-it notes

Chart paper for creating the charts, “Post-it notes can be used to mark…”

and “Reading is Thinking”

Students will be jotting during the mini-lesson, so they will need to bring

pencils and a clipboard to the meeting area.

Opening

You are already growing as readers and thinkers! Yesterday we started reading our extended text, Gooseberry Park, and discussed what we noticed

about the characters and which characters the other characters can really count on. Today we are going to continue reading Gooseberry Park, and I am

going to show you how to keep track of your thinking so you can remember

and talk about all of your ideas.

Review the standard ELACC2RF4a. Read on-level text with purpose and

understanding. Tell students that sometimes readers use Post-it notes to

keep track of their thinking and to help them understand the text. Point out

that this will also help them when they are sharing their thinking with a

partner.

Let students know that as you are reading, you will demonstrate how you

stop and use Post-it notes to jot down your thinking. Begin reading the next

chapter in the extended text. Stop and discuss some thoughts at various

points, perhaps a question, something you noticed about the character, a

prediction…). Write each thought on a Post-it note as you briefly discuss it.

Place the Post-it note on the page corresponding to that thought. You may

wish to set up guidelines with your students as to where to place the Post-it

notes on each page. You may also wish to set up “rules” about using the

Post-it notes (such as not for notes to one another) and set up procedures

for getting and storing notes within the classroom. Another important

consideration is taking Post-it notes out of the book when the book is

finished. (You may wish to have students carefully take out their Post-it

notes and place them on a page of their Reader’s Notebook, which will be

introduced later.)

Tell students that you are going to let them give it a try. (It would be

helpful if you could display a page or two of the text you plan to share with

students when they write down their thinking. This could be done by using a

document camera or by scanning or copying the page/pages you plan to

use.) Read a portion of the text and ask students to jot down their thinking.

Tell students that you are going to give them an opportunity to discuss their

thinking with a partner, but before you do, you want to introduce them to

another part of the Speaking and Listening standard to help them have even

better conversations. Introduce them to indicator b: Build on others’ talk in

conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others.

Discuss what this means. Demonstrate what this would look like by asking a

student to share his/her Post-it note and model building on the student’s

idea and linking your remarks to his/her idea. Invite another student to build

on the idea that the student shared.

Ask students to turn to a partner and take turns sharing their thinking.

Remind students to build on their partner’s idea before introducing a new

thought. Discuss some of the thinking the students wrote down on their

Post-it notes. Create a chart such as the one below to guide students when

they are using Post-it notes independently.

Ask students if anyone did some thinking about who the characters were

able to count on. Discuss which characters they now think can be counted on

and the evidence in the text that makes them think that. Add their ideas to

the chart you started the day before (“Which characters can be counted

on?”).

Remind students that whenever they want to keep track of their thinking,

they can jot down their thoughts on a Post-it note and go back to it later.

Collect students’ Post-it notes, and keep the Post-it notes you used during

your demonstration. You will use these in the next lesson. You may want to

put the students’ Post-its on a chart such as the one below.

Give each student a few Post-it notes, and invite them to jot down their

thinking when they are reading independently. Remind students that they

can jot down questions they have, something they noticed about the

characters, a prediction, or something important that happened.

Work Time

Students will bring their book bags/boxes to their independent reading spots.

Observe students as they read and jot down their thinking. Confer with a few

students.

Closing

Ask students to bring their books with Post-it notes back to the reading area.

If you noticed students jotting down their thinking on a Post-it note, invite a

few of those students to share their thinking.

Invite students to turn and talk to share their thinking about the books they

were reading (using their Post-it notes if they recorded ideas on them).

Revisit the standard and discuss how jotting down their thinking helped them

read with purpose and understanding. Ask students the question, “What did

you learn about yourself as a reader today?”

Writing Lesson 10: Co-constructing a Rubric – What Are the Expectations

for the Workshop Time?

Notes

The rubric made in today’s lesson should not be done ahead of time and handed

out. The point of this lesson is for students to co-construct the rubric together with

the teacher so they have ownership. This assessment can be used by the students

and the teacher at the end of the unit. A class will be unable to move forward with

the rigor of the Common Core until the expectation of behavior and effort are set

and practiced.

Materials

Chart paper – or any equipment used to project and write a class expectation

rubric (example: document camera, computer attached to whiteboard, etc)

Opening

Tell students that they have been doing a great job coming to the meeting

area, listening to a lesson, going back to their seats, writing, and then

sharing. Point out that this is the structure of the routine, called Writing

Workshop, which was introduced on Day 2.

You have learned the responsibilities that I can count on you to follow to

make our classroom a community that works together. One of the ways we

can make sure we remember to follow these responsibilities is to develop a

rubric.

Display the blank rubric with the heading “You Can Count on Me During

Writing Workshop” on chart paper or on a paper projected under the

document camera or projected on the screen. You will also divide it into three

sections and label them Mini-Lesson, Work Time, and Closing.

Ask students to turn and talk to a partner about the responsibilities they

have learned for each component of the workshop.

Begin with the Mini-Lesson section and ask students to share the

responsibilities they discussed with partners. Write in three or four points

that address the important behaviors you will be looking for throughout the

year. Make sure you include expectations that address the Speaking and

Listening standard presented so far. Continue this process with Work Time

and Closing. Keep in mind that this is a working document and ideas will be

added as needed. Add only the expectations in which you have discussed

thus far or adjust criteria for your particular needs.

This is a sample. Include the language your students use and the

expectations you have discussed.

You Can Count on Me During Writing Workshop

Meets

Standards

(I always do

Approaching

Standard

(I sometimes do

Needs

Instruction

(I need to work

this.) this.) on this.)

Mini-Lesson

I come to the

meeting area

quickly and quietly.

I sit quietly and

keep my hands to

myself.

I follow the agreed-

upon rules for

discussion.

I build on others’

talk in

conversations.

I ask questions as

needed.

Work Time

I go quietly to my

spot and get

started right away.

I am focused and

write the entire

time.

I put forth my best

effort.

When I think I’m

done I begin

writing something

new, or add to a

piece I am working

on.

Closing

I come quickly and

quietly to the

meeting area.

I listen to the

speaker.

I give feedback to

the writer.

Tell students that they can use this rubric to make sure they are following the responsibilities during Writing Workshop.

Work Time

Students will work on their writing as the teacher either confers with

individuals or brings together a small group with similar writing needs for

support.

Closing

Ask a couple of students to share their writing. Ask students to review the

responsibilities on the rubric and reflect on how they did. Ask them to turn

and talk to a partner about how well they did and how they would rate

themselves. Make additions to the rubric if necessary.

You may wish to print a copy of the rubric for each student and give it to

them at the beginning of the next Writing Workshop. You will want them to

fill it out at the end of this unit.

Reading Lesson 11: Reading Partnerships – Sharing Our Thinking

Materials

Prior to teaching the lesson, determine reading partners. Consider pairing

students together who are reading at similar reading levels so they can

read/discuss the same books at times.

Students’ independent reading books

Post-it notes

Chart paper for creating the chart, “Reading Partnerships”

Notes

The focus of this lesson is introducing students to partnerships in which they share

their thinking about the books they read during independent time. Daily

opportunities to discuss reading and thinking during a partnership time after

independent reading will give students an opportunity to practice and apply the

Speaking and Listening standards and deepen their comprehension of texts. There

are many additional mini-lesson possibilities for teaching students about what they

can do during their partnerships. Resources include The Daily Five by Gail Boushey

& Joan Moser and Unit One – Taking Charge of Reading from the Reading and

Writing Project.

http://rwproject.tc.columbia.edu/public/themes/rwproject/resources/curriculum_m

aps/c_2nd_grade/2nd_grade_reading_unit_1.pdf Reading for Real by Kathy

Collins is another excellent resource.

Opening

In our last lesson, you learned how to use Post-it notes to keep track of your

thinking. Today

we are going to begin something special that will happen during the last five

minutes of our work time each day. You will each get a reading partner and

you will get together with the same partner each day to share your thinking.

You will not keep the same partner all year, but you will keep the same

partner for a while.

Review the Speaking and Listening standard ELACC2SL1a, b, and c and

remind students that they will practice these expectations when working with

a partner.

Review with students what they learned about using Post-it notes in the

previous lesson. Tell students that one purpose of using Post-it notes is for

them to keep track of their thinking. Another purpose is to be prepared for

talking to a partner.

Use one of the Post-it notes in which you recorded your thinking in the

previous lesson and a Post-it note in which a student recorded his/her

thinking using the book read during independent time. These will be used to

model the expectations for partner work. (You will choose a student prior to

this lesson and ask him/her to bring the book he/she was reading in the

previous lesson and the Post-it note used to record his/her thinking.)

Tell students that they are going to be researchers. Their job is to watch you

and the student as you discuss what you read. You will model what you want

students to do in partnerships (Sit elbow to elbow, listen, follow agreed-upon

rules, build on each other’s ideas, and ask questions for clarification). During

your conversation, share your Post-it note and your thinking about your

book. You may choose to use some of the suggestions below in your

demonstration. Ask the other student to share his/her Post-it note and

his/her thinking about the book he/she read.

o This part is important because…

o This part makes me wonder…

o This part surprises me because…

o As I read this part I realized…

When you have both finished sharing, tell the student with whom you are

demonstrating that since your partnership time is not up and you are finished

with your discussion, you can read a few pages of your books to each other.

Demonstrate doing this. When you have finished your demonstration, ask

students to tell you what they noticed you and your partner doing.

Ask students to tell someone next to them what they noticed as they

researched what you and your partner did. Create a chart similar to the one

below.

Reading Partnerships

Readers:

sit elbow to elbow.

share Post-it notes and ideas about what they are reading.

share their thinking.

o This part is important because…

o This part makes me wonder…

o This part surprises me because…

o As I read this part I realized…

follow agreed-upon rules.

build on each other’s conversation.

read a part of the book to a partner.

Ask students to turn and tell someone next to them what they will do during

partner time today. Tell students that partners don’t just show up to partner

time without any ideas – they get ready for partners by thinking about ideas

and jotting a few of them down while they read. Review some of the things

they might jot down on their Post-it notes.

Work Time

Give students time to read independently and then invite students to get

together with their partner for about five minutes. (You will need to decide

ahead of time where you want partners to work – will they pick their own

spots?)

Closing

Signal students back to the meeting area. Discuss how working with a

partner helped them grow their thinking. Have students share what they did

to make their time effective. Point out what you noticed students doing to

make their partnerships successful. Ask students what they learned today

that helped them become stronger readers.

Revisit the “Reading Partnerships” chart you created and tell students that

whenever they are working with their reading partner, they will follow the

guidelines on the chart they created.

The charts below were posted in classrooms to help students think about how they

might share their thinking during partner conversations.

You may choose to have students reflect on their partnerships after students have

worked together for about a week. Sample reflection sheets are below.

Writing Lesson 11: Revision Toolbox

Materials

Chart paper for the chart, “Writers Revise” (You may want to create this prior

to the lesson and refer to it as you are revising your piece.)

Teacher’s draft to use for demonstration

Students will bring their drafts to the meeting area during the mini-lesson.

Special pens (one for each student) designated for revising (Lucy Calkins

suggests using purple pens which represent royalty.)

Opening

Remind students about the Writing Workshop rubric they created to help

them remember what you will count on them to do during each portion of

Writing Workshop. Give them feedback on how well they are doing! (You may

choose to give each student a copy to put in his/her Writer’s Notebook or

writing folder.)

Tell students that today you are going to teach them something writers do

when they are proud of their work.

Review the standard ELACC2W5: With guidance and support from

adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed

by revising and editing. Tell students that up to this point they have been

focusing on a topic and should be proud of the drafts they are creating. Tell

students that when writers look back at their work and say, “I like what I

wrote,” they then ask themselves, “How can I make this writing even

better?”

Writers are like cooks. A cook doesn’t just pour in some ingredients and then

suddenly the food is done. Instead, the cook adds things, takes things away,

and changes things until the cooking (like writing) is the very best it can be.

Today I am going to show you how real writers revise. Explain that revise

means to “see again.” When writers revise they reread their piece to see

what they can do to make it even better. For example, Helen Lester, the

author of Tacky, the Penguin, wrote the following in her book Author; A True

Story. (If you have the book, show students this page. If not, you may wish

to project this so all students can see. You can also visit her site:

http://www.helenlester.com/.)

Usually when I first think a book

is finished, it really isn’t.

I keep going over the story

again and again, looking for ways

to make it better with little

changes here and there. I do

this until the book has to be

printed. Then it’s too late to

do anything more!

Model for students how you revise. Use a draft that you have developed from

a seed idea. Display your draft on a chart or under a document camera so all

students can see the process.

First I reread, and as I do this, I’m thinking, “Is there anything I could add to

make it even better and clearer for my reader?” Writers do this to help their

readers visualize and create movies in their minds of what they are reading.

Demonstrate going back to your piece and creating a plan about what you

want to revise. Show students how you reread, make a movie in your mind,

and add words that make your writing even clearer. Show students how to

use a carat to insert words. In addition, demonstrate crossing out words to

show students how you delete words you don’t need and circle words that

you will want to check for spelling later. Emphasize that writers don’t erase.

Point out that you are using a special revision pen and that they will get to

use one too!

Explain that they now have a “toolbox” of items or things they can do to

make their writing clearer for their readers. Review that students can use a

carat to add more to parts of their piece, cross out words that are not

needed, and circle words to check for spelling later. They also have a special

writing tool to use when they revise. (Share with students the procedures for

using the pens, such as where they are stored and how to get them.)

Writers Revise How do I revise my writing?

I reread and make plans. I reread, make a movie in my mind, and add important

descriptive words.

o I can add words to the beginning or middle of my

piece.

o I can add words to the end of my piece.

I can cross out words that I don’t need or words that don’t

make sense.

I can circle words to check for spelling later.

Ask students to reread their drafts and make a plan for how they want to revise. Invite students to turn to a partner and share one thing they plan to

revise. Send students to their seats with their new revising pens! Point out that if

students are not finished with their drafts, they can still reread what they have written and decide if there is something they want to revise.

Work Time Students will continue working on their drafts. Encourage students who are

finished to revise. The teacher will confer with individual students. Look for students who are

doing a great job of revising, and select a few to share during the closing.

Closing

Signal students back to the meeting area. Ask a few students to share how they revised their writing to make it clearer for their readers. Revisit the standard, and discuss how revising strengthened their writing. Revisit the

Writing Workshop expectations rubric (created in Lesson 10) and ask students to reflect on how they did during each component of the workshop

time.

Reading Lesson 12: Reading is Thinking – Asking Questions About Literary Texts

Notes This lesson is an introduction to the standard ELACC2RL1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate

understanding of key details in a text. You will be focusing on this standard throughout the year as you and the students read literary texts.

Materials

Read aloud book relating to the theme (suggested titles include Our Tree Named Steve or The Giving Tree

Chart paper (See sample chart below.)

Opening

We have learned that readers are always thinking when they read. Today you will learn that readers often ask questions before, during, and after they read to better understand the key details in the text. Display the standard

ELACC2RL1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in

a text. Clarify vocabulary such as demonstrate and key details.

Tell students that asking and seeking answers to who, what, when, where,

why, and how questions when they read will help them understand the key details in the text. These questions help readers track everything that is

happening in the story.

Show students the book you choose to read, pointing out that it is a literary

text. In addition, identify the genre. Model what you previously taught students about getting ready to read (read the title and author, blurb on the

back…). Although Our Tree Named Steve is a great text to use because it relates to the theme and can be tied to the science standard, another book can be used for this lesson.

Tell students that as you read the book, you are going to model asking the

questions you have as you are reading and then give them an opportunity to turn and talk to a partner about the questions they have. Point out that your questions will begin with some of the question words in the standard and will

be about the elements of literary text (characters, setting, problem, major events, and resolution). Tell them that as you are reading, you want them to

think about how the book relates to the theme, You Can Count on Me.

As you are reading, think aloud about the questions you have before, during, and after reading. Demonstrate answering the questions using the text as evidence. In addition, point out that some of your questions are answered as

you read more and some of the questions require you to make an inference. Create a chart similar to the one below to record your questions and any

answers you find as you read the text.

Readers… Ask questions to better understand the key details in the text (who, what, when, where, how, why).

Readers ask questions about the characters, setting, problem, major events, and

the resolution.

Question Answer Evidence

Read a portion of the text and stop and think aloud about a question you

have. Record the question on the chart. Then read a few pages stopping to

think aloud about a question you have. As you find an answer to the question

record the answer and the evidence from the text that makes you think that.

After thinking aloud a few times about the questions you have, invite students to turn and talk to a partner about a question they have. Finish reading the story and then share any questions you still have.

Point out that you asked questions to understand the key details such as who

the characters are and what they are like, where the story takes place, what the problem is, what the major events are, as well as the resolution.

Choose just a few of the questions below as you think aloud about the key details.

o Who is the main character? o What does the main character want? o What are the characters doing?

o What can we infer about the character? How do we know that? o What kinds of problems do the characters face?

o How do the characters react to the problem? o Where were the characters? o When did the story take place?

o How do the characters feel? How do we know? o Why do the characters feel this way?

o What is happening in this part? o What is going on so far?

Review what the story was about and how asking the questions really helped you think about the key details. Ask students how the story relates to the theme, You

Can Count On Me.

****Note: After this lesson, read this book at another time during read aloud. Revisiting the book will give the students an opportunity to hear the story without interruptions to ask questions. When reading it again, read with the purpose of

really focusing on how it relates to the theme. Ask students to identify the evidence from the text that supports the theme.

Tell students that when they read, you would like them to think about the

questions they have when they are reading their books and jot down at least

one question they have on a Post-it note as well as any answers they find.

Work Time Students will read their independent books and the teacher will confer with

students. Ask students to begin reading one of their literary texts and write

down at least one question they have while reading (and the answer if they have found it). At the end of independent reading time, review the

expectations for partner work. Ask students to get with their partners and share their questions and answers and their thoughts about the books they were reading.

Closing

Revisit the standard and discuss how asking questions helps them better

understand the books they are reading. Invite a few students to share a question, the answer, and the evidence in the text that led them to the answer.

Writing Lesson 12: Writing for Readers – Using Conventions

Notes

This lesson is modeled after Jeff Anderson’s technique to teach conventions. The

following three minute clip is an introduction to “Invitations to Notice” presented by

Jeff Anderson. This technique involves students in looking at mentor sentences to

see how authors craft their sentences and use conventions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjgKIbow400

Materials

A book that you have previously read to students (Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe

is used as the example in this lesson.)

Chart paper or something used to display mentor sentences (Have the

sentence already written.)

Opening Signal students to come to the meeting area. Ask them to bring their Writer’s

Notebooks. Point out to students that they will be doing lots of writing for various reasons throughout the year. This will occur in Writing Workshop and

also in math, science, social studies, health, and reading. The writing you produce will be read by someone. The goal is for your writing to be read and appreciated by readers. For a reader to be able to read and comprehend

your writing, you must make sure words are spelled correctly and that conventions are used properly to support the reader’s understanding.

Invite students to notice what the selected author did to make the sentences clear to her readers. We are going to be researchers and look at a few

sentences written by the author of Fireflies, Julie Brinckloe, to see what she did as a writer to make her sentences clear and easy to read. (Choose any literary text you have read to students.)

Show the sentences from the mentor text you wrote on a chart prior to the

lesson. It should be written on a chart, SmartBoard, or on a paper placed under a document camera.

I poked holes in the top of the jar with Momma’s scissors. The screen door banged behind me as I ran from the house.

Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe

Invite students to tell what they notice about the sentences. Lead them to

discover that the author wrote one sentence telling what happened to the character. She started the sentence with a capital letter and ended the sentence with a period. Then she wrote another sentence and started that

sentence with a capital letter and ended it with a period. It is interesting to see what else students notice such as the possessive noun (Momma’s) or

strong verbs such as poked and banged. Discuss why the author included the conventions and how it helped the reader. Discuss what would happen to the

reader if the author left them out.

Tell students that the Writer’s Notebook is also a place to try out new things

you are learning. Display your Writer’s Notebook under the document

camera or use a chart and tell students you are going to write on a chart instead of your notebook so they can see what you are writing.

Let students know that you are going to imitate Julie Brinckloe’s sentences.

Point out that imitate does not mean copy – it means to model your sentence

after the author’s and imitate the way she used conventions. Think aloud about something that happened to you and write that thought beginning with

a capital letter and ending with a period. Then think aloud what happened next and write that sentence beginning with a capital letter and ending with a period. (Example: I woke up and went downstairs. Then I made coffee.)

Ask students to turn to the next page in their Writer’s Notebooks or the

section you have designated for practice, and think about something that happened to them, perhaps in the morning before school. Ask them to write that one sentence and begin it with a capital letter and end it with a period,

just like Julie Brinckloe did. Then ask students to think about what happened next and have them use correct conventions to write their sentence.

Invite students to read their sentences to a partner. The partner listening to

the sentences will tell the writer what he/she noticed about the conventions

used.

Tell students that whenever they are writing, they need to make sure they begin each sentence with a capital letter and end each sentence with

punctuation. Remind students that they might use a period, an exclamation point or a question mark. You may wish to point out examples from the book and discuss why the author used a question mark or exclamation point.

Review the standard ELACC2W5: With guidance and support from

adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. Explain that when writers edit they reread their writing to make sure they have included conventions such as capital letters

and ending punctuation to make their writing easy to read. Tell students that you want them to go back to their drafts and reread each sentence to make

sure they included capital letters and ending punctuation. (You may choose to let students use a pen that is a different color than the pen they used for revising.)

Work Time

Students will work on editing their pieces or choose another idea from their heart maps or notebooks and begin writing a new piece.

The teacher will confer with individual students or groups of students needing

support.

Closing

Invite a few students to share their writing and point out how they revised and edited their pieces to make them clearer for their readers.

Review the standard and tell students that now they have experienced the first four stages of the writing process – pre-writing, drafting, revising, and

editing. Tell them the last stage is publishing. Let students know that every piece they write this year will not be published. They will keep this draft in their writing folder, and if they choose to publish it at a later time, they can.

(Point out the paper students can use for publishing and where it is stored.) Revisit the Writing Workshop expectations rubric and ask students to reflect

on how they did during each component of the workshop time.

Reading Lesson 13: Reading is Thinking – Asking Questions About

Informational Texts Notes

This lesson is an introduction to the standard ELACC2RI1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. You will be focusing on this standard

throughout the year as you and the students read informational text.

Materials Informational book related to the theme. Although A Tree for All Seasons by

Robin Bernard is the example used in this lesson, feel free to substitute

another book. The big book version of this book was included in a previous adoption and may still be in your school.

Chart paper (See sample chart below.) Students will need an informational book on their independent level in their

book bags.

Opening

Yesterday we read a literary text about a tree, and we asked the questions we had when we were reading to better understand the story. Today you will

learn that readers also ask questions to understand key details when they are reading informational texts.

When readers read informational texts, they read differently than when they read literary texts. They think about their purpose for reading. Read the title,

A Tree for All Seasons. Share your purpose for reading. I am going to read this book because it relates to what we have been learning in science. I hope to learn about how trees change in each season.

Now I am going to preview the book so I’ll have an idea about how the book

is organized. Just as explorers study the lay of the land before they travel through it, readers study the lay of the land of our informational texts before we begin reading them. There is a way that information is laid out in these

pages. When readers open an informational book, we study this layout to warm up for our reading. I notice the book does not have a table of contents,

but the first page gives us an overview of what the book will be about. I notice that the book is organized by seasons. First, we’ll learn about trees in winter, then spring, summer, and fall. The author included images -

photographs and captions to help us better understand the text. The author also included words in red that we will have to pay careful attention to. As

you quickly turn the pages, point out that you noticed the book is organized into sections according to each season.

Review with students that you just showed them what readers do when they read informational texts. Begin a chart similar to the chart below. Add “set a

purpose and preview”.

Tell students that after readers set a purpose and preview, they might ask

the question, “What is this going to teach me?” Tell students that when readers read informational texts they don’t just roar on, tearing through the

text at the speed of a race car. We pause quickly and often to collect our understanding and determine the key details. We ask questions such as, “What have we learned so far? What was this part about?” We hold this

information in our mind as we move forward in the book.

Read the book, pausing to think aloud your questions and answers. Give students a few opportunities to turn to a partner and share their questions

and answers. (Depending on the time frame, you may just read a portion of the book.) Reading an informational piece really gets all the stuff in our brains moving. When we finish reading, we have new questions and new

ideas. We now ask ourselves the question, “What do I know now that I didn’t know before reading this text?” Turn to your partner and ask him/her this

question and then let him/her ask you that question. Tell each other what you know now that you didn’t know before reading this book.

Readers also ask themselves, “What new questions do I have now?” What questions did this text make you think of? (You may want to turn to a place

in the book and show the students a question you have as a result of something you read or an image in the book.)

When reading informational texts readers: Set a purpose for reading.

Preview the text. Read and stop quickly to ask questions.

o What have I learned so far? o What was this part about? o How do the images (illustrations) help me understand the text?

o What do I know now that I didn’t know before reading this text?

o What questions do I have now?

Tell students that during independent work time you want them to choose an informational book. (Students will choose books from their book bags..)

Remind them to set a purpose for reading, preview the text, and ask questions when they are reading. They will write one of their questions and the answer if they have found it on a Post-it note. Remind them that they will

get to share their questions with a partner during partner time. Remind students that they are going to work on increasing their independent reading

stamina.

Work Time Students will read independently. The teacher will circulate and informally

confer with students, asking them to share what they did as readers when

they were reading the informational text.

Partner Share – Remind students of the partnership expectations. Tell students that during their partner time today, you want them to share any questions they had and any answers they found as well as the other ideas

they had when they read. When they finish, they will take turns sharing some of the key details they found in their books.

Closing

Signal students to come back to the meeting area. Review the standard and

ask students what they learned about themselves as readers today. Invite a few students to share their questions and answers and any evidence in the

text that supports their answers.

Writing Lesson 13: Pre-Assessment – Narrative Writing

Notes

This performance assessment will allow you to plan your next teaching moves, and

you will also have a baseline against which to compare the work students are able

to do in narrative writing across the year. In addition to using these pieces to

inform your teaching plans, you might also eventually use them to allow both your

students and their parents to reflect on growth over the year. You will also want to

notice your children’s knowledge about conventions.

Materials

Paper for students to write their stories

Opening

Remind students how much they have learned about what writers do. Tell

them that today you will give them the opportunity to spend the whole

writing period writing independently. Let them know that this will inform you

about what they can already do as writers as well as what you will teach

them next.

Today I want each of you to write a true story of one time in your life that

you remember. There are often people in our lives who are really important

to us. Write about one moment you spent with a person who really matters

to you. Tell the story of that moment.

Remind students that writers are never finished. Remind them what writers

do when they think they are done.

Work Time

Students have approximately one hour – full writing workshop time to work

on this piece.

Closing:

Signal students back to the meeting area, and ask students to bring their

pieces. Review the expectations for speaking and listening, and ask students

to share their work with a partner. Remind the listener to tell the writer at

least one positive thing he/she noticed about the writing.

Close with the question, “What did you learn about yourselves as writers

today?”

Collect the students’ papers and assess students’ application of the narrative

standard.

Reading Lesson 14: Keeping Track of Reading Using a Book Log and

Reader’s Notebook

Notes

This lesson involves introducing a Reader’s Notebook. There are many ways to

organize a Reader’s Notebook. Possibilities include a composition notebook, a

folder, or a 3 ring binder. Whatever type of notebook you choose, you will want to

make sure you include a reading log for the students to complete each day and

room for students to record their thinking. Listed below are suggestions for

organizing notebooks.

One suggestion is to use a pocket folder with brads and include: o In the front pocket – A book log

o In the brads – Blank notebook paper

o In the back pocket – empty for now (Later, fluency checks or a fluency rubric

can be kept here.)

Another suggestion is to use a composition notebook and have students glue their

reading log in the front portion.

The websites below also have suggestions for organizing a Reader’s Notebook. http://www.ourclassweb.com/sites_for_teachers_reading_workshop_bin

ders.htm

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top_teaching/2009/11/readers-

notebook

Materials

Reading log (launch unit resource folder)

Reader’s Notebook for each student

Teacher’s Reader’s Notebook

Opening Ask students to turn and talk to a partner about the things they have learned

about in Reading Workshop. Tell students that today you are going to introduce them to something readers do to monitor and keep track of their reading.

Throughout the year you will be reading many books. It is very important

that you do your best learning and thinking from each of the books you read.

We need a way for everyone to keep track of the books they read so that during the year you can look at it to remind yourself of the thinking you did.

I will be giving each of you a reading log so that you can record the books you read. You can refer to it when you want to talk about books with your classmates. We will look at it together during our conference time. At the end

of the year, you will enjoy looking back to see the progress you have made as a reader.

Display the enlarged or projected version of the book log you intend to use

(launch unit resource folder). Describe the procedures you expect for filling it

out (when, how often, information to record, possibly including title, author, genre, date started…). Model filling in an entry for at least one book.

Ask students to turn and talk to a partner and tell him/her what they noticed

about how you completed your reading log entry. Remind students that

every day you would like them to record the books/pages they read on their reading logs.

Introduce the Reader’s Notebook. Tell students the Reader’s Notebook is a

special place where they can record their thinking, place Post-it notes they used to record their thinking, keep track of the books they read, and place notes they take or handouts they receive from you. Show students where

they will keep their reading logs (pocket in a binder, glued in a section of a composition book, in a section of a binder…). At a later time, you will

introduce how and when you want them to record written responses.

Work Time

Students will go to their reading spots and read independently. Students will

record the book(s) they read during independent reading time today on the

log. Before calling students back to the meeting area, remind them to fill out

their logs.

Partner Share – Remind students of the partnership expectations. Tell students that during their partner time today, you want them to share any

questions they had and any answers they found as well as other ideas they had when they read.

Closing

Ask students to bring their Reader’s Notebooks with the reading logs back to

the meeting area. Ask a few students to share their logs. If you have a

document camera, display the log so that everyone can see it as the student

is explaining how he/she filled it out. You may also choose to have students

share their logs with partners. Ask students what they learned about

themselves as readers today.

Writing Lesson 14: Unwrapping the Narrative Standard and Planning

Notes

This lesson introduces students to the narrative writing standard. It will be

important to introduce and teach just one part at a time since it is a standard

that encompasses many expectations.

This lesson focuses on personal narratives. You will also want to teach

students about other types of narrative writing throughout the year (fantasy,

realistic fiction…).

Materials

Chart paper for creating the chart, “What We Notice About Personal

Narratives”

Personal narrative Writing Samples – Use samples from Common Core

Appendix C (http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_C.pdf) or any

other well-written narrative samples. If you are using the samples from

Appendix C, you will want to show students both the second and third grade

samples.

Students’ Writer’s Notebooks

Teacher’s Writer’s Notebook

Opening Ask students what they have learned so far as writers. Add any new ideas to

the chart you started on Day 1. Praise students for how much they have learned and the fact that you have become a community of writers in just three weeks!

Tell students that today they are going to be researchers and study samples

of narrative writing so they can discover what makes a well-written narrative.

You want students to be able to answer the question, “What are the elements

of quality in the product I am to create?”

Ask students what they think are the characteristics of a good story or a

well-written personal narrative. Record all responses on chart paper. Keep

the list in their language – don’t paraphrase it.

Display and read one or two examples of personal narratives. Ask students to

turn and talk to a partner about what they notice about the piece. What

makes it good writing? What are the characteristics/elements of a well-

written narrative? Ask students to share what their partner told them and

add new ideas to the list.

In addition, revisit one of the literary texts you have read to students such as

Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe. Read a page or two to illustrate something you

want students to notice such as use of dialogue, or thoughts, feelings, and

action of the characters. Keep this list open as you are unwrapping the

narrative standard. Add to it as students see more samples and learn more

about narrative writing. When you have finished “unwrapping” the standard,

use the criteria on the list along with the language of the standard to create

a checklist for students to use during the narrative writing focus. A sample is

included below. (It will take you several days to completely unwrap the

standard. There are several parts to the standard, and you will want to focus

on one part at a time.)

Introduce the first part of the narrative standard ELACC2W3: Write

narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event. . . Display

this part of the standard and discuss the meaning of recount, well-

elaborated, and event.

Explain to students that they will be writing narratives and they will be taking

at least one narrative through the writing process.

Tell students that writers start by thinking about their writing ideas and

planning how they will write about these ideas. This thinking step is called

Prewriting. Prewriting means, “I can think and plan.” Discuss the ways they

have already engaged in prewriting.

Model using your notebook and/or heart map to think of an event that you

want to write about. Turn to a page in your notebook and write, “Narrative

Writing Topics.” Think aloud how you choose a special place and jot down a

few events that happened in that place. Then choose a special person and jot

down a few events that happened with that person, using your heart map as

a guide.

Tell students that today they will continue to do the work of real authors by

using the writing process to prewrite. Their job is to create a list of possible

topics in their notebooks. Ask students to think of a special person or place

on their heart maps and think about an event they could write about. Ask

students to turn and talk to a partner about their ideas.

This is a sample chart. You will include what students say and lead them to notice

the characteristics of personal narratives.

What We Notice About Personal Narratives

Tell about a special experience

Written in first person (I, we,)

Take place over a short period of time Have a beginning, middle, and end (The beginning

introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.)

Include details to describe the characters thoughts,

feelings, and actions

Work Time

Instruct students to go to their seats and create a list of possible topics.

When they finish they can work on something they’ve started in their

notebooks or start writing something new.

Students will create a list of possible narrative topics. The teacher will confer

with individual students or call a group of students needing support with

thinking about possible topics.

Closing

Use the signal to call students back to the meeting area. Ask a few students

to bring their Writer’s Notebooks back and share their ideas. Reinforce that

students just participated in the pre-writing step of the writing process and

that tomorrow they will choose one of the topics to write about.

Revisit the Writing Workshop expectations rubric and ask students to reflect

on how they did during each component of the workshop time.

Reading Lesson 15: Completing the Performance Task

Materials

Students’ Writer’s Notebooks

Teacher’s Writer’s Notebook

Paper divided into six sections – one for each student and the teacher

Opening

Revisit the unit essential question: How can we count on each other to build a community of readers and writers?

Review with students all of the things they have learned over the last 15

days! Tell them that you want them to think about the rules and procedures

they have learned for each portion of the Reading Workshop. Ask students to

turn and talk to a partner about what you can count on them to do and what

they can count on each other to do during each portion of the workshop.

Tell students that you want them to write a letter to show what they have

learned. Explain the performance task to the students. You may want them

to sketch a picture first showing what they do during reading workshop and

then write a letter.

Unit Performance Task: Provide the students with this scenario: We have learned how to follow the rules and procedures for Reading Workshop. Your teacher is going to be gone next week. Write a letter to the substitute telling

her what she can count on the class to do during Reading Workshop. (Students may not have been introduced to letter writing conventions in first

grade. Don’t hold them accountable for this.)

Work Time

Students will work on the performance task. (Instruct students to read

independently when they finish.) At the end of the time you have allotted,

ask students to get with their reading partner and take turns sharing their

letters. Collect the letters to see who has demonstrated a clear

understanding of the rules and procedures during the workshop time.

Closing

Signal students back to the meeting area and have a discussion about what

they have learned about the rules and procedures. Remind them to follow the

Speaking and Listening standards they have learned throughout the unit.

Writing Lesson 15: Unwrapping the Narrative Standard and Planning

Materials

Students’ Writer’s Notebooks

Teacher’s Writer’s Notebook

Opening

Tell students that they did a great job of thinking about possible narrative

topics they could write about yesterday. Today they are going to begin

planning their narratives.

Revisit the first part of the narrative standard ELACC2W3: Write narratives in

which they recount a well-elaborated event. . . Review that before

writers write, they think and plan and this is called prewriting. Today they

are going to choose a topic.

Model how you go back to your “Narrative Writing Topics” page and chose

one topic. Ask students to look at the list of ideas in their notebooks and

choose one topic.

Point out that writers often prewrite by telling the story they select to write

to someone. Revisit the Speaking and Listening standard ELACC2SL4: Tell a

story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant,

descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences. Discuss

the expectations for telling stories. Think aloud about how you choose one

small moment to write about as opposed to a broad topic. Orally tell your

story and ask students to make sure you followed the expectations in the

Speaking and Listening standard. Invite students to tell their stories to their

partners.

Tell students that another pre-writing strategy writers use is to sketch the

scenes of their story before they write. Display paper divided into six sections

under a document camera, or use a chart/SmartBoard to model. (You could

also have model and have students do their sketch in their Writer’s

Notebooks.) Think aloud and model how you think of the sequence of events

and quickly sketch each scene. Point out that students may use fewer than

six sections or they may need to go on the back of their paper and continue

sketching.

Tell students that usually writers do not spend the whole writing period

sketching. Since students already spent time rehearsing their piece by telling

it to a partner, their sketches can be really quick – just enough to help them

remember what they want to say so that they can get started on their writing

right away.

Work Time

Students will work on their sketches and begin writing their drafts when they

finish. The teacher will confer with individual students or pull a group of

students needing support.

Closing

Ask a few students to share their sketches and tell their stories. Ask students

to reflect on how well they are following the procedures for Writing

Workshop. You may wish to have students complete the Writing Workshop

expectation checklist created in Lesson 10 to review and celebrate

establishing a community of writers.

Note

You will continue unwrapping the narrative standard as you do mini-lessons

on each part of the standard. Students will take their sketches and use them

to create their narrative drafts.

The following advice for writing narratives is from Lucy Calkins from A Curricular

Plan For Writing Workshop, Grade 2.

Of course, once students have written a story they’ll proceed to write another—not

waiting for you to march them along to this in sync! As children cycle through the

process, writing more and more stories, you can continue to teach in ways that lift

the level of stories that have yet to be written, and in ways that prompt writers to

reread and reconsider stories they once thought were done. It could be, for

example, that your children write their first stories without you having had much of

a chance yet to teach them that once a writer has a story line, it helps to take some

time to develop the main character. That’s okay. You could teach this to children

when most of them are in the midst of their second story. But at some point, you

will want to let children know that writers often take time to flesh out characters

before writing the actual story. Please try to steer clear of channeling students to

work within ditto sheet graphic organizers with spaces for listing a character’s

internal and external characteristics—that work has not panned out for K–2

writers—it is best saved for upper elementary grades. We do, however, believe a

writer can think and talk about what the character is like and act out that character

showing how she goes about doing things. Is she shy? Timid? Frantic? Once a child

has a character well in mind, the child’s writing can be much more colorful.