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Dahl- UbD Curriculum Plan

Writing (Authors as Mentors) Unit

UbD Curriculum Project

Sarah Dahl

Seattle Pacific University

EDU 6524

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Understanding by Design by Sarah Dahl

Unit Overview

Through this unit students will be learning and putting into practice what they learn about the

aspects of good writing. This unit will help primary aged students (kindergarten and first grade)

define ‘good writing,’ identify it in our mentor authors’ work, explain why that writing is good,

and students will then use the techniques and strategies learned in their own writing. An

important outcome of this unit on writing is for the class to understand that writing is all around

us, and that good writing can be found in any genre or can be found by any author (including

themselves). This unit will be taught to my 21 students in a diverse (in ethnicity, socioeconomic

status, and cognitive abilities) school of about 540 students and 40% free and reduced lunch

using a variety of methods for better understanding (these methods will be done as a while

group, as small groups or in partners, as well as individually). By the end of the unit, students

will understand that they, too, can be great writers. Students will be able to name three or four

qualities of good writing (as determined by the class). Students will be able to use and identify

these qualities in their own writing as well as others’ work. Another lesson students will begin to

learn through this unit is that writing can always be made better through editing and revising.

Unit Rationale

Writing is something that is put into practice by people of all ages, ethnicities, and beliefs nearly

every day. This unit will help students practice their writing skills and begin to understand how

to improve their writing using other people’s work as examples. This unit will be covering (and

continue to cover from previous units) the different age appropriate qualities of good writing (i.e.

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finger spaces, legible handwriting, exciting words, matching pictures to words, etc.). These

aspects of good writing will be determined by the class through this and similar writing units.

These qualities will be continually taught and revisited for a deeper understanding. This unit will

allow the students to accomplish many activities individually and with small or whole groups.

Students will be able to put their understanding into practice as well as communicate their

understanding with the teacher and with peers.

The unit on Authors' as Mentors lasts approximately one month, but can be tailored to fit the

needs of the students by skipping or extending lessons. The first week will be listening and

identifying aspects of good writing, while towards the last two sessions students can begin listing

the qualities and identifying the big ideas for them. Students will continue identifying and

picking one quality to try in their writing for the next week (5 or so sessions). Once the qualities

are in student writing, individuals and peers will read and locate the qualities this will last about

a week (5 or so sessions).

Students at the kindergarten and first grade levels are curious about everything around them in

their world and are just starting to make sense of it all. At this beginning understanding of school

(and of life in general), it is important that lessons are presented in a variety of different formats

and uses many instructional methods to ensure that all students will learn and understand. There

will be a variety of visual pictures to complement each task that is needed to complete as well as

an image or picture to match the qualities of good writing that are identified. The students will be

working both individually and in groups, along with opportunities for sharing their own work

and comments on others’ work.

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Framework for year-long primary writing workshop unit plan (hyperlinked to web site). Specific unit follows (in bold).

The Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Writing by Lucy Calkins

Launching the Writing Workshop by Lucy Calkins and Leah Mermelstein

Small Moments: Personal Narrative Writing by Lucy Calkins and Abby Oxenhorn

Writing for Readers: Teaching Skills and Strategies by Lucy Calkins and Natalie Louis

The Craft of Revision by Lucy Calkins and Pat Bleichman

Authors as Mentors by Lucy Calkins and Amanda Hartman

Nonfiction Writing: Procedures and Reports by Lucy Calkins and Laurie Pessah

Poetry: Powerful Thoughts in Tiny Packages by Lucy Calkins and Stephanie Parsons

PART ONE: Crafting as in Angela Johnson's Books

Session I: Discovering Small Moments, as Angela Might In this session, you'll help students notice that Angela Johnson finds tiny moments to write about, and you'll help them try to do that themselves, as they have in the past.

Session II: Stretching Small Moments, as Angela Might In this session, you will point out what it looks and sounds like when Angela Johnson tells the whole story of a tiny moment, and then you will help the youngsters try to do the same with their own jotted notes by demonstrating the process for them.

Session III: Finding Features of Angela's Writing: Ellipses Today is dedicated to coaching students to find and think about some of the obvious writing devices in Angela Johnson's stories.

Session IV: Learning from Angela: Writing with Ellipses In this session, you will coach children to use a simple writing device in their own writing that they've noticed in

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Angela's: ellipses.

Session V: Finding Features of Angela's Writing: Comeback Lines Today, using the same chart as before and going back to the same book, you'll coach children to notice deeper, more embedded traits of Angela's writing, in this case, "comeback lines."

Session VI: Learning from Angela: Writing Comeback Lines Today you'll demonstrate trying to use a trait in your own writing that students have discovered in an author's writing, so that students can do the same.

Session VII: Finding Features of Angela's Writing, then Learning from Them: Using Research Details Today you will ask the children to revise a piece of writing by re-examining an artifact they have written about and adding research details to their writing as Angela seems to have done in her writing.

Session VIII:

Studying One Text for Many Lessons In this session, you'll support children in filling out, on their own, a chart of observations about Angela's writing. Then you'll nudge the children to start applying what they have learned to their own writing.

PART TWO: Working with a New Text Structure

Session IX:

Noticing a New Text Structure: A Many Moments Story In this session, you will read the story and let children study it's new structure. You will start them thinking about how to make a story structured like this one.

Session X:

Trying a New Text Structure: Writing a Many Moments Story Today, with a discussion and a graphic organizer, you'll show children how different small moments are all connected in books like Do Like Kyla and Joshua of the Sea. You'll suggest they choose a unifying thread or a comeback line for their own writing.

Session XI:

Trying a New Text Structure: Writing a Many Moments Story with Details Today you'll show how one child in the class has included

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details in his many moments story, so that everyone can rely on his example as each has on Angela's.

PART THREE: Finding Writing Mentors in All Authors

Session XII: Studying New Authors as Mentors Today, you will ask children to turn to a new author and begin to notice and think about characteristics of that book in the same way that they have looked at Angela's books.

Session XIII:

Choosing Mentors for Particular Reasons In this session, you'll demonstrate for kids what a haphazard addition of a new kind of writing can look like, and then you'll ask them to join you in adding a meaningful, revised addition to your writing the way author has.

Session XIV:

Letting Writing Purposes Drive Mentor Choices Today you'll demonstrate rereading your own writing to see what it is you need to do better, and then turning to authors who might give you ideas for how to do it. You'll ask children to help you do this and then to begin the same for their own writing.

PART FOUR: Preparing for Publication

Session XV: Editing for Publication In this session, you will teach children how to make and use an editing checklist as a guide for editing.

Session XVI: Writing About-the-Author Blurbs Today you will point out that published books often contain About-the-Author blurbs, and show children that they, too, need to include About-the-Author blurbs on their publications.

Session XVII:

An Author Celebration: Talking and Reading to an Audience In this celebration, your guests will turn and talk about what they notice after a quick read of Angela Johnson's book, and then you will dazzle them by having a few selected children speak, each pointing out something they

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notice in the text. Then your children can read their own writing to show how they have used their observations.

Understanding By Design 1-Page Template

Title: Author’s as Mentors

Stage 1: Desired Results

Established Goals : [G] ______________________________________________________________________________

What are the relevant goals (“cut and paste” from State or National standards) this plan will address?

EALR: 4. The student analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of written work.Component: 4.1. Analyzes and evaluates others’ and own writing.

Grade Level Expectation: 4.1.1. Understands criteria are used to select a preferred piece of writing.

______________________________________________________________________________Understandings: [U]

What will students understand (about what big ideas) as a result of the unit? “Students will understand that…” Students will understand that they are writers and that they can use aspects or techniques of writing deemed “good” in their own writing. (Using previously created rubric).

Essential Questions: [Q] Knowledge & Skill [K & S] What arguable, recurring, and thought-

provoking questions will guide inquiry and point toward the big ideas of the unit?

What makes good writing? How do you know if writing is ‘good’? Does it matter if you write a true or make-

believe story on how we show good writing?

What is the key knowledge and skill needed to develop the desired understandings?

What knowledge and skill relates to the content standards on which the unit is focused?

Find aspects of good writing in mentor author’s work, list aspects

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Dahl- UbD Curriculum Planof good writing, explain why these aspects make good writing, try using qualities in own writing, identify qualities in own and peer writing.

Stage 2: Assessment EvidenceWhat evidence will be collected to determine whether or not the understandings have been developed, the knowledge and skill attained, and the state standards met? [Anchor the work in performance tasks that involve application, supplemented as needed by prompted work, quizzes, observations, etc.]

Performance Task Summary Rubric Titles*Explain why some aspect is good writing (from mentor author, peer, and/or self) * Identify "good writing" in own and others' writing* Set goal(s) for own writing* Practice inputting "good writing" into own writing* Evaluate own writing and goal(s)

*(Student created) Writing Rubric (based on criteria and performance standards decided on from a previous unit).

Self-Assessments Other Evidence, Summarized*Evaluate personal writing work sample(s).*Reflection and grading (SBRS- 4,3,2,1) of own writing.

*Observation(s), questions, sharing/ student “questions or comments” (phrasing used by class during share time).

Stage 3: Learning Activities What sequence of learning activities and teaching will enable students to perform well at the

understandings in Stage 2 and thus display evidence of the desired results in stage one? Use the WHERETO acronym to consider key design elements.

* Hook the students into considering what is good writing, what makes it good? (H) *Part 1, session 1 in unit plan framework* Help students understand that regardless of the type of writing (fiction, non-fiction, etc.) writing should have certain qualities that make the reader(s) want to read more and help tell the story. (W) *Part 1, session 8 in unit plan framework* Inform students about why good writing is important for all types of audiences. (R) * Part 3, session 12 and 13 in unit plan framework* Provide activities that help students come to see through inquiry, analysis, and discussion what

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Dahl- UbD Curriculum Planmakes good writing. (T) *Part 2, session 10 and 11 in unit plan framework* Explore many different styles/genres of writing (from various authors) and equip students with the skills and opportunities to develop “good writing” and to critique peers and own work. (E) (T) *Part 3, Session 13 in unit plan framework* Help students understand that writing can always be made better; you can always work on making your writing ‘good’ (even if you have already added/changed parts). Writing is a continual work in progress.(E) (O) *Part 4, session 15 in unit plan framework

(Below is a list of the qualities needed for good writing as determined by my students earlier this year).

What is important for Writing for Readers?Use good finger spacesHave nice, clean handwritingHaving good detailed pictures that match the wordsSpell sight words correctlyHave good detail to the words so the story has no “gaps”

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Name: _____________________________________________

Writing Small Moments

Can you…

Stretch one moment across 3 pages?

Choose a SMALL moment?

Slow down the words and write the sounds?

Share ideas or read your story with a partner?

Sketch-Write-Draw?

Plan details?

Tell your story across 3 fingers?

Write some words in a snap?

Zoom into the most important part?

Add your thoughts or feelings?

Fix up your words?

Fix up your pictures?

Help your partner fix up a story?

Can you…

Additional rubric used by students in class is attached as a PDF, titled “Scored Writing Rubric” (I was unable

to insert it into Word).

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ResourcesCalkins, L. (2003). Units of study for primary writing: Authors as mentors. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Parkay, F.W., Hass, G., & Anctil, E.J. (2010). Curriculum Leadership (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Ally & Bacon.

Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

* I give acknowledgement to the Kent School District’s Standards Based Reporting System guidelines and grading format.

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