ELA 2019 G7:M1:U3:L9

Introduce the Performance Task

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Focus Standards: These are the standards the instruction addresses.

W.7.2, W.7.4, W.7.5, W.7.6

Supporting Standards: These are the standards that are incidental—no direct instruction in this lesson, but practice of these standards occurs as a result of addressing the focus standards.

RI.7.1, RI.7.6, L.7.6, W.7.9b, W.7.10, SL.7.1, L.7.6

Daily Learning Targets

I can generate criteria for an effective ebook. (W.7.4, W.7.5)
I can use technology to create the author's note for an ebook. (W.7.2, W.7.6)

Ongoing Assessment

Opening A: Entrance ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 9 (RI.7.6)
Work Time A: Performance Task anchor chart (W.7.4, W.7.5)
Work Time B: Author's note for the ebook (W.7.2, W.7.4, W.7.5, W.7.6, W.7.9b, W.7.10)

Agenda

Agenda	Teaching Notes
1. Opening A. Engage the Learner - RI.7.6 (5 minutes) 2. Work Time A. Introduce the Performance Task - W.7.4 (15 minutes) B. Write Author's Note - W.7.2 (20 minutes) 3. Closing and Assessment A. Partner Share - W.7.5 (5 minutes) 4. Homework A. Independent Research Reading: Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal. B. Create Illustrations: In art class or at home, students follow the instructions on Homework: Create Illustrations to complete the illustrations for their narrative children's ebook.	Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson Repeated routines occur in the following: Opening A: In the entrance ticket activity, students reread a sentence from the author’s note of A Long Walk to Water and reflect on the meaning of the sentence and what it says about the purpose of the book. Opening A: Students review learning targets. New skills are introduced in the following: W.7.4 – Work Time A: Students review the performance task assignment and anchor chart to generate criteria of an effective performance task. Students also review the author’s notes from A Long Walk to Water and Nasreen’s Secret School to use them as models for the author’s note to their own ebooks. W.7.2 – Work Time B: Students write their author’s note for their ebook. In this lesson, students focus on working to contribute to a better world, using their strengths to help others grow in their use of technology. W.7.5 – Closing and Assessment A: Students share their author’s notes with a partner to use support to develop and strengthen their writing. The Think-Pair-Share protocol is used in this lesson. Protocols are an important feature of our curriculum because they are one of the best ways we know to engage students in discussion, inquiry, critical thinking, and sophisticated communication. A protocol consists of agreed-upon, detailed guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or reporting that ensure equal participation and accountability in learning. The Performance Task anchor chart and directions are included with all performance task materials in the Performance Task download on this page. Opportunities to Extend Learning Encourage students who finish their author’s note early to go back and revise their author’s note or narratives in preparation for creating their ebooks in the next lesson. These students may also circulate the room, offering their strengths in writing to support other students. How It Builds on Previous Work Over the past several lessons, students have been planning and drafting their narratives for an elementary school audience. In this lesson, students write an author’s note to explain how and why they wrote their stories and the habits of character they wished to demonstrate by writing them. Support All Students The concept of writing about writing may be new or confusing for some students. Explain that people like to read about writing and about writers for many reasons. Sometimes they read reviews about books to see if they are good, sometimes they are writers who want to learn about how other writers work, and sometimes they are just curious. Explain that an author’s note is an opportunity for a writer to write about his or her own writing. ▲ Continue to monitor students to determine if there are issues surfacing as a result of the content of this lesson that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually. If technology is not available or a barrier for students, they can handwrite their author’s note. However, if possible, students should type their author’s note into a word-processing program. Assessment Guidance Review student work during and after the lesson either to provide specific feedback and suggestions or to identify common issues that could be used as whole-group teaching points in the next lesson. Down the Road In the next lesson, students will transfer their narratives and author’s notes into an ebook format, drawing directly on the drafting work they did in this and the previous lesson.

Teaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engage the Learner - RI.7.6 (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Introduce the Performance Task - W.7.4 (15 minutes)

B. Write Author's Note - W.7.2 (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Partner Share - W.7.5 (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Independent Research Reading: Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal.

B. Create Illustrations: In art class or at home, students follow the instructions on Homework: Create Illustrations to complete the illustrations for their narrative children's ebook.

Alignment to Assessment Standards and Purpose of Lesson

Repeated routines occur in the following:

Opening A: In the entrance ticket activity, students reread a sentence from the author’s note of A Long Walk to Water and reflect on the meaning of the sentence and what it says about the purpose of the book.
Opening A: Students review learning targets.

New skills are introduced in the following:

W.7.4 – Work Time A: Students review the performance task assignment and anchor chart to generate criteria of an effective performance task. Students also review the author’s notes from A Long Walk to Water and Nasreen’s Secret School to use them as models for the author’s note to their own ebooks.
W.7.2 – Work Time B: Students write their author’s note for their ebook. In this lesson, students focus on working to contribute to a better world, using their strengths to help others grow in their use of technology.
W.7.5 – Closing and Assessment A: Students share their author’s notes with a partner to use support to develop and strengthen their writing.

The Think-Pair-Share protocol is used in this lesson. Protocols are an important feature of our curriculum because they are one of the best ways we know to engage students in discussion, inquiry, critical thinking, and sophisticated communication. A protocol consists of agreed-upon, detailed guidelines for reading, recording, discussing, or reporting that ensure equal participation and accountability in learning.
The Performance Task anchor chart and directions are included with all performance task materials in the Performance Task download on this page.

Opportunities to Extend Learning

Encourage students who finish their author’s note early to go back and revise their author’s note or narratives in preparation for creating their ebooks in the next lesson. These students may also circulate the room, offering their strengths in writing to support other students.

How It Builds on Previous Work

Over the past several lessons, students have been planning and drafting their narratives for an elementary school audience. In this lesson, students write an author’s note to explain how and why they wrote their stories and the habits of character they wished to demonstrate by writing them.

Support All Students

The concept of writing about writing may be new or confusing for some students. Explain that people like to read about writing and about writers for many reasons. Sometimes they read reviews about books to see if they are good, sometimes they are writers who want to learn about how other writers work, and sometimes they are just curious. Explain that an author’s note is an opportunity for a writer to write about his or her own writing. ▲
Continue to monitor students to determine if there are issues surfacing as a result of the content of this lesson that need to be discussed as a whole group, in smaller groups, or individually.
If technology is not available or a barrier for students, they can handwrite their author’s note. However, if possible, students should type their author’s note into a word-processing program.

Assessment Guidance

Review student work during and after the lesson either to provide specific feedback and suggestions or to identify common issues that could be used as whole-group teaching points in the next lesson.

Down the Road

In the next lesson, students will transfer their narratives and author’s notes into an ebook format, drawing directly on the drafting work they did in this and the previous lesson.

In Advance

Ensure there is a copy of Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 9 at each student's workspace.
Prepare necessary technology for student word processing (see Technology and Multimedia).
Post the learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

Work Time A: Projector to display sample ebook
Work Time B: Devices and software for students to word process the author's note of their ebooks

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 7.I.A.1, 7.I.A.3, 7.I.A.4, 7.I.B.6, 7.I.C.10, 7.I.C.12, 7.II.B.4, 7.II.C.6, and 7.II.C.7.

Important Points in the Lesson Itself

To support ELLs, this lesson provides students with the opportunity to write an author's note, which integrates their research and narrative work. This opportunity to bring together the language of informational text and fictional text helps ELLs and builds their capacity to flexibly use and connect a variety of different kinds of academic language.
ELLs may find writing an author's note challenging if they are uncertain of the language they should use for the note. Therefore, additional supports such as the ones below may be useful.

Vocabulary

ebook (A)
author's note (DS)

Key

(A): Academic Vocabulary

(DS): Domain-Specific Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

Academic word wall (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
Domain-specific word wall (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
Performance Task anchor chart (one for display; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time B)
Nasreen's Secret School (ebook example to display and read aloud) (from Unit 3, Lesson 4, Work Time B)
Device with which to display the ebook
Equity sticks (from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Opening A)
Work to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart (one for display; from Unit 3, Lesson 5, Work Time B)

Vocabulary log (one per student; from Unit 1, Lesson 2, Opening A)
A Long Walk to Water (text; one per student; from Unit 1, Lesson 1, Work Time C)
Notes and articles from independent research reading and other nonfiction texts from this module (begun in Unit 1)
Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizer (one per student; from Unit 3, Lesson 4, Work Time B)
Narratives from End of Unit 3 Assessment: Write a Narrative about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan (student generated; one per student; from Unit 3, Lesson 8, Work Time A)
Devices and software for students to word process the author's note of their ebooks (one per student)
Homework: Create Illustrations (one per student; from Unit 3, Lesson 4, Homework A)

New Materials

Teacher

Student

Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 9 (answers for teacher reference)
Performance Task anchor chart—revised (example for teacher reference; see Performance Task download)

Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 9 (one per student)
Online or print dictionaries (including ELL and home language dictionaries; one per small group of students)
Performance Task Directions (one per student and one to display; see Teaching Notes; see Performance Task download)

Assessment

Each unit in the 6-8 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize students' understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Download this Performance Task

Opening

Opening	Levels of Support
A. Engage the Learner - RI.7.6 (5 minutes) Repeated routine: students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 9. Repeated routine: follow the same routine as in previous lessons to review the learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any similarities between these learning targets and those from previous lessons. Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses. Then, with student support, record the meanings of the words ebook (digital books that are read using devices such as phones, tablets, ebook readers, or computers) on the academic word wall and author's note (writer's description of how or why he or she wrote a book, or what he or she wants the reader to know) on the domain-specific word wall, with translations in students' home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above each key term to scaffold students' understanding. Invite students to record the words in their vocabulary logs.	For Lighter Support Before asking the question about the last words in A Long Walk to Water, remind students of the meaning of purpose and introduce the meaning of the expression walk the walk, since it is an idiomatic expression that many ELLs may not be familiar with. For Heavier Support Supply sentence starters for responding to the question about the last words in A Long Walk to Water. I think these words mean . . . These words explained the purpose of the book by . . .

Levels of Support

A. Engage the Learner - RI.7.6 (5 minutes)

Repeated routine: students respond to questions on Entrance Ticket: Unit 3, Lesson 9.
Repeated routine: follow the same routine as in previous lessons to review the learning targets and the purpose of the lesson, reminding students of any similarities between these learning targets and those from previous lessons.
Once students have completed their entrance tickets, use a total participation technique to review their responses. Then, with student support, record the meanings of the words ebook (digital books that are read using devices such as phones, tablets, ebook readers, or computers) on the academic word wall and author's note (writer's description of how or why he or she wrote a book, or what he or she wants the reader to know) on the domain-specific word wall, with translations in students' home languages. Write synonyms or sketch a visual above each key term to scaffold students' understanding. Invite students to record the words in their vocabulary logs.

For Lighter Support

Before asking the question about the last words in A Long Walk to Water, remind students of the meaning of purpose and introduce the meaning of the expression walk the walk, since it is an idiomatic expression that many ELLs may not be familiar with.

For Heavier Support

Supply sentence starters for responding to the question about the last words in A Long Walk to Water.

I think these words mean . . .
These words explained the purpose of the book by . . .

Work Time

Work Time	Levels of Support
A. Introduce the Performance Task – W.7.4 (15 minutes) Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson: “I can generate criteria for an effective ebook.” Display and distribute copies of the Performance Task Directions and review them, asking students to Turn and Talk to summarize the directions and comment about anything that surprises or concerns them. (Ask students with concerns to write their names on the board, so they can get some support.) Display the Performance Task anchor chart, and ask students to Think-Pair-Share about additional criteria they must include in their ebook to make it effective and to comply with the directions. Record student responses on the chart. Consult the Performance Task anchor chart—revised (example for teacher reference) as necessary. Inform students that today they will be writing their author’s note to prepare for creating their ebook in the following lesson. Display the author’s note from *Nasreen’s Secret School* (with technology). Ask for volunteers to recall what the author’s note is about. (Responses may vary but could include that it explains what the author did when writing her ebook as well as talks about the habits of character of Nasreen.) Invite students to retrieve their copies of *A Long Walk to Water* and turn to the author’s note on page 118. Ask students to work with elbow partners to reread the author’s note and write down what they think the purpose of the author’s note is. Students can share their responses from the Opening activity at this time. After 5 minutes, refocus the whole group and cold call students using equity sticks to share what the purpose of the author’s note is. (The purpose is to explain the process the author used to write the story and to talk about what happened after the book was published. She also talks about the habits of character Salva used to survive and help others in Sudan.) Focus students on the way the author explains the rationale for writing the narrative and the research the author did. Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group: “Why does the author want you to know why the narrative was written?” (because it helps the reader understand the purpose of the narrative) “Why does the author want you to know that he or she researched before writing?” (It gives the story credibility; even though it’s a narrative, it is important that the reader knows it is factually accurate to be able to engage more in the story.) Ask for student volunteers to respond to the questions: “In preparing your narratives, what did you do to find out about the characters and events in A Long Walk to Water? Which texts or videos did you read or watch?” (We read informational texts about the Lost Boys and the Lost Girls of Sudan and watched parts of a video about the Lost Boys. We also did our own research to answer questions about the events and characters in A Long Walk to Water.) Ask students to Think-Pair-Share: “How will referring to your research in your author’s note help readers understand the habits of character in the narrative better?” (By sharing our research, we will let the reader know that the habits of character in the story are based on the experiences of real people. This will make the reader more interested and possibly think more about how the habits of character can be used in their own lives.) Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.	For Lighter Support In Work Time A, do one of the suggested supports listed under Heavier Support, rather than both of them combined: either provide time for students to briefly sketch or jot down their plans for their author's note before writing it, or provide time for them to briefly describe their ideas for their author's note to a partner. This strategy of sketching or doing oral rehearsal before writing supports ELLs by providing them with opportunities to generate, in advance, some of the language they will likely use in their writing, reducing the burden of mentally searching for the correct words in an unknown language as they write and freeing them up to focus more on expressing and connecting their ideas as they occur. For Heavier Support In Work Time A, after the author's note task is introduced but before students begin doing the task, provide time for students to sketch or jot down some ideas for their author's notes and share their author's notes ideas with a partner. This strategy of sketching or doing oral rehearsal before writing supports ELLs by providing them with opportunities to generate, in advance, some of the language they will likely use in their writing, reducing the burden of mentally searching for the correct words in an unknown language as they write and freeing them up to focus more on expressing and connecting their ideas as they occur.
B. Write Author's Note - W.7.2 (20 minutes) Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson: "I can use technology to create the author's note for an ebook." Inform students that they will now work independently to draft their author's note for their ebooks. Remind students to focus on the research they did as well as the habits of character displayed in the story. Have students Think-Pair-Share: "What are some of the habits of character you identified for your stories? How do these habits of character help teach valuable lessons to readers?" (Responses will vary. Possible response: I identified perseverance as a habit of character in my story since the characters must continue through a lot of difficulty. This can apply in many life situations, such as facing challenges in school or facing obstacles in achieving your goals.) Focus students on the Work to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart, specifically on the habit of using strengths to help others grow. Remind students that some of them have strengths in working with technology, and some need help growing in their use of technology. Also, some students have strengths in writing and others need help growing in their writing. Invite students to offer themselves as experts in technology or writing and other students to partner with these students as necessary to grow. Invite students to begin their author's note using the necessary word-processing devices and software. They may need to review their Narratives from End of Unit 3 Assessment: Write a Narrative about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan, drafted in the previous lesson, their Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizers, or their notes and articles from throughout the module. Circulate and monitor the students as they draft their author's note. Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.	N/A

Levels of Support

A. Introduce the Performance Task – W.7.4 (15 minutes)

Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

“I can generate criteria for an effective ebook.”

Display and distribute copies of the Performance Task Directions and review them, asking students to Turn and Talk to summarize the directions and comment about anything that surprises or concerns them. (Ask students with concerns to write their names on the board, so they can get some support.)
Display the Performance Task anchor chart, and ask students to Think-Pair-Share about additional criteria they must include in their ebook to make it effective and to comply with the directions. Record student responses on the chart. Consult the Performance Task anchor chart—revised (example for teacher reference) as necessary.
Inform students that today they will be writing their author’s note to prepare for creating their ebook in the following lesson.
Display the author’s note from Nasreen’s Secret School (with technology). Ask for volunteers to recall what the author’s note is about. (Responses may vary but could include that it explains what the author did when writing her ebook as well as talks about the habits of character of Nasreen.)
Invite students to retrieve their copies of A Long Walk to Water and turn to the author’s note on page 118. Ask students to work with elbow partners to reread the author’s note and write down what they think the purpose of the author’s note is. Students can share their responses from the Opening activity at this time.
After 5 minutes, refocus the whole group and cold call students using equity sticks to share what the purpose of the author’s note is. (The purpose is to explain the process the author used to write the story and to talk about what happened after the book was published. She also talks about the habits of character Salva used to survive and help others in Sudan.)
Focus students on the way the author explains the rationale for writing the narrative and the research the author did. Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

“Why does the author want you to know why the narrative was written?” (because it helps the reader understand the purpose of the narrative)

“Why does the author want you to know that he or she researched before writing?” (It gives the story credibility; even though it’s a narrative, it is important that the reader knows it is factually accurate to be able to engage more in the story.)

Ask for student volunteers to respond to the questions:

“In preparing your narratives, what did you do to find out about the characters and events in A Long Walk to Water? Which texts or videos did you read or watch?” (We read informational texts about the Lost Boys and the Lost Girls of Sudan and watched parts of a video about the Lost Boys. We also did our own research to answer questions about the events and characters in A Long Walk to Water.)

Ask students to Think-Pair-Share:

“How will referring to your research in your author’s note help readers understand the habits of character in the narrative better?” (By sharing our research, we will let the reader know that the habits of character in the story are based on the experiences of real people. This will make the reader more interested and possibly think more about how the habits of character can be used in their own lives.)

Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning target.

For Lighter Support

In Work Time A, do one of the suggested supports listed under Heavier Support, rather than both of them combined: either provide time for students to briefly sketch or jot down their plans for their author's note before writing it, or provide time for them to briefly describe their ideas for their author's note to a partner. This strategy of sketching or doing oral rehearsal before writing supports ELLs by providing them with opportunities to generate, in advance, some of the language they will likely use in their writing, reducing the burden of mentally searching for the correct words in an unknown language as they write and freeing them up to focus more on expressing and connecting their ideas as they occur.

For Heavier Support

In Work Time A, after the author's note task is introduced but before students begin doing the task, provide time for students to sketch or jot down some ideas for their author's notes and share their author's notes ideas with a partner. This strategy of sketching or doing oral rehearsal before writing supports ELLs by providing them with opportunities to generate, in advance, some of the language they will likely use in their writing, reducing the burden of mentally searching for the correct words in an unknown language as they write and freeing them up to focus more on expressing and connecting their ideas as they occur.

B. Write Author's Note - W.7.2 (20 minutes)

Review the appropriate learning target relevant to the work to be completed in this section of the lesson:

"I can use technology to create the author's note for an ebook."

Inform students that they will now work independently to draft their author's note for their ebooks. Remind students to focus on the research they did as well as the habits of character displayed in the story. Have students Think-Pair-Share:

"What are some of the habits of character you identified for your stories? How do these habits of character help teach valuable lessons to readers?" (Responses will vary. Possible response: I identified perseverance as a habit of character in my story since the characters must continue through a lot of difficulty. This can apply in many life situations, such as facing challenges in school or facing obstacles in achieving your goals.)

Focus students on the Work to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart, specifically on the habit of using strengths to help others grow. Remind students that some of them have strengths in working with technology, and some need help growing in their use of technology. Also, some students have strengths in writing and others need help growing in their writing. Invite students to offer themselves as experts in technology or writing and other students to partner with these students as necessary to grow.
Invite students to begin their author's note using the necessary word-processing devices and software. They may need to review their Narratives from End of Unit 3 Assessment: Write a Narrative about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan, drafted in the previous lesson, their Narrative Writing Plan graphic organizers, or their notes and articles from throughout the module.
Circulate and monitor the students as they draft their author's note.
Repeated routine: invite students to reflect on their progress toward the relevant learning targets.

Closing & Assessments

Closing
A. Partner Share - W.7.5 (5 minutes) Ask students to reread their author's note and identify one strong sentence and one sentence that needs work. Have students Turn and Talk with a partner to share these sentences and get advice on how to improve the ones that need work. If time allows, ask volunteers to share with the class their sentences and plans for improvement. Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

Closing

A. Partner Share - W.7.5 (5 minutes)

Ask students to reread their author's note and identify one strong sentence and one sentence that needs work. Have students Turn and Talk with a partner to share these sentences and get advice on how to improve the ones that need work. If time allows, ask volunteers to share with the class their sentences and plans for improvement.
Invite students to reflect on the habits of character focus in this lesson, discussing what went well and what could be improved next time.

Homework

Homework
A. Independent Research Reading Students read for at least 20 minutes in their independent research reading text. Then they select a prompt and write a response in their independent reading journal. B. Create Illustrations In art class or at home, students follow the instructions on Homework: Create Illustrations to complete the illustrations for their narrative children's ebook.

EL Education Curriculum

ELA 2019 G7:M1:U3:L9

Introduce the Performance Task

In this Lesson

You are here:

Like what you see?

Help us improve!

Daily Learning Targets

Ongoing Assessment

Agenda

In Advance

Tech and Multimedia

Supporting English Language Learners

Vocabulary

Materials from Previous Lessons

Teacher

Student

New Materials

Teacher

Student

Assessment

Opening

Work Time

Closing & Assessments

Homework

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