Independent Writing: Feathered Friends Saver, Day 2 | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G1:M4:U3:L11

Independent Writing: Feathered Friends Saver, Day 2

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.1.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
  • W.1.5: With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
  • W.1.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
  • SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
  • SL.1.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
  • L.1.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.1.1f: Use frequently occurring adjectives.
  • L.1.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
  • L.1.4: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can use feedback from my classmates and teacher to revise and edit my informative paragraph. (W.1.2, W.1.5, SL1.1, L.1.1, L1.1f, L.1.2)
  • I can add color to the second draft of my scientific drawing of my chosen local bird. (W.1.8, SL.1.5)

Ongoing Assessment

  • As students revise and edit their informative paragraphs during Work Time A, use the Informational Writing Checklist to track student progress toward W.1.5, L.1.1, L1.1f, and L.1.2 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Song and Movement: "Birds Are Helpful" (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Independent Writing: Using Feedback to Edit and Revise Feathered Friends Saver (20 minutes)

B. Making Observations: Feathered Friends Saver: Scientific Drawing, Coloring (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Peer Feedback: Feathered Friends Saver: Scientific Drawing, Coloring (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In the Opening, students are introduced to a new song about how birds are helpful. In this introductory lesson, students listen to the song to become familiar with the lyrics and tune (L.1.4).
  • In Work Time A, students focus on revising and editing their informational paragraph based on the Feathered Friends Saver Revising and Editing Checklist in their Caring for Birds notebook.
  • When introducing the procedure for revising and editing, model for students how to make corrections directly on their draft.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Lesson 10, students wrote their informative paragraph for their Feathered Friends Saver. In this lesson, they use teacher feedback to revise and edit their informative paragraph to make it clearer and easier to read.
  • During this lesson, students again revisit the Feathered Friends Saver Revising and Editing Checklist that was introduced in Lesson 10 and used for teacher feedback before this lesson.
  • In Lesson 10, students completed the final draft of their local bird drawing. In today's lesson, students add color to a copy of their drawing.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional time to revise and edit their informative paragraph. Consider your students' comfort and capabilities with this task and reallocate instructional time to provide more time for the task as necessary.
  • Some students may find it difficult to revise and edit directly on their informative paragraph. Consider providing sticky notes and/or correction tape for students to use. If using pencil to correct, encourage students to erase neatly and to erase all pencil marks before correcting.
  • In Work Time B, students may be challenged to color their drawing neatly and with craftsmanship. To minimize frustration, consider providing additional copies of their local bird drawing for those who desire a second attempt.

Down the road:

  • In Lesson 12, students will copy their final informative paragraph onto a template for their Feathered Friends Saver and will add a typed heading.
  • In Lesson 13, students will color one final draft of their local bird drawing to be used for their Feathered Friends Saver.
  • In Lesson 16, students will share learning from all three units during the end of module celebration. Consider extending invitations to the principal, families, community members, and other teachers and their classes to attend.

In Advance

  • Provide feedback on students' informative paragraphs on page 9 of the Caring for Birds notebook using the Feathered Friends Saver Revising and Editing Checklist on page 10 of the notebook in preparation for returning them in Work Time A.
  • Preview the "Birds Are Helpful" song to familiarize yourself with the lyrics and tune (see supporting materials).
  • Distribute materials for Work Time B at student workspaces.
  • Post: Learning targets, "Birds Are Helpful," and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

Consider using an interactive white board or document camera to display lesson materials.

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-3 to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards I.C.10 and I.C.12

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by inviting them to apply what they have learned about giving and receiving feedback in previous lessons.
  • ELLs may find the feedback and revision process challenging, because they will need to navigate reading feedback from the teacher and from peers. Make sure ELLs understand the feedback and how to act on it (see levels of support and the Meeting Students' Needs column).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Consider allowing additional time for students to revise and edit their writing during Work Time A.

For heavier support:

  • Walk students through the teacher feedback on the Feathered Friends Saver Revising and Editing Checklist on page 10 of the Caring for Birds notebook.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to support comprehension by activating prior knowledge and scaffolding connections for students.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support development of executive skills and strategies by offering scaffolds for students learning to set appropriate personal goals.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to explicitly highlight the utility and relevance of each activity to the learning target.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

Review:

  • revise, edit (L)

Materials

  • "Birds Are Helpful" (new; teacher-created; one to display)
  • Caring for Birds notebook (begun in Lesson 1; added to during Work Time A; pages 9-10; one per student and one to display)
  • Caring for Birds notebook (from Lesson 1; example, for teacher reference)
  • "Let's Hear It for the Birds" (for teacher reference)
  • Feathered Friends Saver Criteria anchor chart (begun in Lesson 8)
  • Model Feathered Friends Saver: Scientific Drawing (from Lesson 1; one to display)
  • Scientific Drawing Criteria card (from Lesson 9; one per student)
  • Local bird photographs (from Lesson 9; one per pair and one to display)
  • Final local bird drawing (one per student)
  • Colored pencils (class set; variety of colors per student)
  • Pinky Partners Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 1)

Assessment

Each unit in the K-2 Language Arts Curriculum has one standards-based assessment built in. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Song and Movement: "Birds Are Helpful" (10 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Tell students that you have a new song to share with them about the ways birds are helpful.
  • Display the "Birds Are Helpful" song and read the title aloud.
  • Remind students that they have read, talked, and written about ways birds are helpful.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What are some words you might hear in the song based on what you know about how birds are helpful?" (seeds, plants, food, animals, food chain, people)

Conversation Cue: "Who can add on to what your classmate said?"(Responses will vary.)

  • As students say the words, read and circle them on the song.
  • Tell students that you will sing the song first on your own as they listen, and then they will join in. Invite students to think of hand gestures, motions, or actions that could go along with the song as you sing it the first time through.
  • Sing just the first verse of the song, tracking the print as you sing.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What are some hand gestures, motions, or actions that could go along with this verse of the song?" (Responses will vary, but may include: holding their hands up to their "beak" to show carrying seeds or growing up from the ground like a plant.)

  • Invite students to stand up and join you in singing the first verse of the song, using their chosen hand gestures and actions.
  • Repeat the singing and gesturing process with the second verse.
  • Tell students they will learn the remaining two verses in the next lesson.
  • For ELLs: (Clarifying Vocabulary: Food Chain) Clarify the meaning of the noun food chain (a series of living beings in which each serves as food for the next): Birds eat insects and some animals eat birds.
  • Provide differentiated mentors by seating students who may be more confident reading and singing aloud near students who may not feel as confident. (MMAE)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Independent Writing: Using Feedback to Edit and Revise Feathered Friends Saver (20 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can use feedback from my classmates and teacher to revise and edit my informative paragraph."

  • Tell students that they will now have the chance to use their feedback from their partner and the teacher to make their writing stronger.
  • Remind students:
    • When writers reread their writing to make sure it makes sense and is accurate, this is called revising. When writers edit their writing, they do their best to make sure their writing follows conventions, and they correct any mistakes they notice.
    • This is the last step before beginning to create their final Feathered Friends Saver for the end of module celebration.
  • Display the Feathered Friends Saver Revising and Editing Checklist on page 10 of the Caring for Birds notebook. Remind students that this is a checklist of criteria for the informative writing component of their Feathered Friends Saver.
  • Read the checklist aloud.
  • Tell students that this checklist provides feedback to the writer regarding which parts of his or her writing need to be revised or edited. They will see a checkmark in the Yes column for each detailed criterion that they included in their informative paragraph and a "no" in the column if it is missing and they need to revise or edit for this criterion.
  • Tell students that you read each of their informative paragraphs and used the Feathered Friends Saver Revising and Editing Checklist to provide feedback that they can use to revise and edit their informative paragraphs.
  • Direct students' attention to the No column on the checklist and explain that this tells them what they still need to work on to meet all of the Feathered Friends Saver criteria.
  • Post and review the following revising and editing process:
  1. Review the Feathered Friends Saver Revising and Editing Checklist on page 10 of your notebook.
  2. Identify criteria listed on the checklist that need to be revised or edited.
  3. Reread your informative paragraph on page 9 of your notebook and locate places in the paragraph that need to be revised or edited.
  4. Make revisions and edits directly on the template, making sure to show craftsmanship.
  5. Reread the informative paragraph one last time to catch any revisions or edits that may have been missed the first time.
  • Answer clarifying questions.
  • Distribute the Caring for Birds notebooks and transition students to their workspaces to begin working. Remind students to use the checklist on page 10 and make changes to the informative paragraph on page 9.
  • As students begin working, circulate and offer support and guidance as necessary. Refer to the Caring for Birds notebook (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Remind students to show craftsmanship by taking their time when revising and editing their informative paragraph. Remind them that their writing will be included on their final Feathered Friends Saver, which will be shared at the end of module celebration, so they should do their best work.
  • When 5 minutes remain, invite students to finish up their revisions and edits.
  • When 3 minutes remain, invite students to reflect on the learning target with a partner using the sentence frame: "I did ________ to strengthen my writing."
  • After students have shared, gather whole group.
  • Tell students that because they have done such hard work today revising and editing their informational paragraphs, you want to teach them a new bird cheer called the "Let's Hear It for the Birds."
  • Model how to do the cheer. Refer to "Let's Hear It for the Birds" (for teacher reference):
    • Tell students that this is a repeat-after-you cheer.
    • You will read the teacher parts, and the students should respond with the student parts.
      • Teacher: Can I get a chirp chirp?
      • Students: Chirp! Chirp!
      • Teacher: Can I get a tweet tweet?
      • Students: Tweet! Tweet!
      • Teacher: Can I get a quack quack?
      • Students: Quack! Quack!
      • Teacher: Can I get a hoot hoot?
      • Students: Hoot! Hoot!
  • Invite students to gather around the whole group meeting area to join you in doing the cheer.
  • For ELLs: (Supporting Revision) To help students incorporate peer feedback from the previous lesson into their second draft, remind them that they can look for the star they added to mark the part(s) of their draft they got feedback on in Lesson 10.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with information processing: (Supporting Revision) To help students incorporate teacher feedback from their Feathered Friends Saver Revising and Editing Checklist, give them time to process the information and ensure that they can name the next steps to edit their writing. (MMR)
  • For students who may need additional support in planning: Invite students to create a checklist of the steps they will follow as they edit and revise their writing. Consider appropriate check-in points when students can share their progress and reflect on the process after each step. (MMAE)

B. Making Observations: Feathered Friends Saver: Scientific Drawing, Coloring (20 minutes)

  • Refocus students whole group.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

"I can add color to the second draft of my scientific drawing of my chosen local bird."

  • Tell students that today they will work on adding color to a copy of their final scientific drawing.
  • Direct students' attention to the Feathered Friends Saver Criteria anchor chart and point to the second category on the chart and read the last criteria aloud: "Scientific drawing of a bird includes:"
    • "Attention to:"
      • "size"
      • "shape"
      • "placement"
      • "details"
    • "Coloring should be:"
      • "inside the lines"
      • "covering all the space"
      • "layered"
      • "matching the bird picture"
  • Tell students that today they should focus on the criteria for coloring when adding color to their scientific drawing.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What part of coloring is easiest?" (Responses will vary.)

"What part of coloring is most challenging?" (Responses will vary.)

"What is one thing you want to pay attention to when coloring your scientific drawing?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Circulate as students talk and pre-select a few students to share out.
  • Display the Model Feathered Friends Saver: Scientific Drawing and remind students that this model followed the criteria closely.
  • Think aloud to explain. Say:

"When I look at the model, I notice that the artist colored in the bird very carefully. She made sure she matched the colors to the photograph and layered colors on top of each other. I notice that some of the feathers are colored black, brown, and tan."

"I also notice that the artist was very careful to stay inside the lines and covered the entire picture. There is no white space left."

  • Tell students that they will now color their own drawing using these same criteria.
  • Use the routine from Work Time B of Lesson 9 to guide students through adding color to their drawing:
    • Direct students' attention to the Scientific Drawing Criteria card, the local bird photographs, the copy of their final local bird drawing, and colored pencils at their workspaces.
    • Remind students to:
      • Color inside the lines, cover all of the white space, layer on color, and match the colors in the photograph.
      • Use the Scientific Drawing Criteria card as a guide.
    • Transition students back to their workspaces and invite them to begin coloring.
    • Circulate to support students and prompt them with questions such as:

"What colors do you see in the photograph?"

    • When 1 minute remains, signal students to stop working.
  • Refocus whole group and tell students to quietly place their Caring for Birds notebook beside them.
  • Tell students that during the next part of this lesson they will receive feedback on their coloring.
  • ELLs: (Clarifying Meaning) Clarify the meaning of layered coloring as colors that are one on top of the other. Show students the drawings on page 20 of the book Olivia's Birds as an example of layered coloring.
  • For students who may need additional support with self-regulation: Help students anticipate and manage frustration during coloring. (Example: "If I feel frustrated or overwhelmed while I am trying to use the layering technique, I can stop for a second and take a deep breath to refocus.") (MME)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Peer Feedback: Feathered Friends Saver: Scientific Drawing, Coloring (10 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group and offer specific, positive feedback on their work adding color to their scientific drawing.
  • Tell students that today they will give and receive feedback about how careful and accurate they colored their drawing using the Pinky Partners protocol as they share their scientific drawing with a partner. Remind them that they used this protocol in the previous lesson and review as necessary using the Pinky Partners Protocol anchor chart. (See the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Review how to give kind, helpful, and specific feedback as needed.
  • Tell students that their feedback should be focused on these criteria: "coloring that is inside the lines, covers all the space, is layered, and matches the bird picture."
  • Invite students to begin the protocol.
  • After both partners have shared and offered feedback, invite them to return to the whole group area.
  • Refocus students whole group and ask:

"What is one piece of feedback that you received from your partner to make your drawing better?" (My partner told me to make sure that I cover up all the white space when coloring my bird.)

"How will the feedback help you make your drawing better?" (It will help me pay attention to the coloring more carefully.)

Conversation Cue: "Who can add on to what your classmate said?"(Responses will vary.)

  • Offer students specific, positive feedback on their work providing feedback to their classmates.
  • Tell students that in a coming lesson they will complete a final draft of their scientific drawing.
  • For ELL: (Supporting Revision) To help students incorporate peer feedback from this lesson into their second draft, remind them that they can add a star to mark the part(s) of their draft they got feedback on to make their drawing better.

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