Preparing for the Unit 3 Assessment: Planning a New Narrative | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G2:M2:U3:L10

Preparing for the Unit 3 Assessment: Planning a New Narrative

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.2.3: 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.
  • L.2.1d: Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told).
  • L.2.6: Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy).

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can organize my ideas for a narrative about discovering a fossil. (W.2.3, L.2.1d)
  • I can give and use kind, helpful, and specific feedback when planning my narrative. (L.2.6)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During Work Time B, use the Narrative Writing Checklist to document students' progress toward W.2.3 and L.2.2 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Learner: Introducing the Unit 3 Assessment (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Musical Mingle: Choosing and Discussing a Fossil Photo (15 minutes)

B. Independent Writing: Planning a New Narrative (20 minutes)

C. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face: Giving Feedback on the Beginning of Our Narratives (10 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • This lesson is the first of three lessons during which students create a new narrative. This lesson is not a formal part of the Unit 3 Assessment; however, it is the planning phase of narrative writing that leads to the drafting (Unit 3 Assessment: Part I) and revision (Unit 3 Assessment: Part II) of students' new narratives. Students review previous learning about paleontologists and fossils to include new details in this final piece of writing for the module. In Lessons 11-13, students will add detailed illustrations to their narrative for the performance task.
  • Work Time A and C are designed to give students time to orally process their thinking during this planning phase. Students participate in two protocols they have used before.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • Students use the narrative planner from previous lessons to start developing a new fossil narrative. They also utilize previous classroom resources and anchor charts to help them develop ideas.
  • In Lessons 6-8, students wrote a narrative based on Holly's experiences from The Maiasaura Dig: The Story of  Dr. Holly Woodward Ballard. That set of lessons served as scaffolding for the Unit 3 Assessment, in which students take on the role of being paleontologists and produce a narrative about discovering a fossil using a picture of a fossil they choose. Keep in mind that the content for both narratives is similar, but for this Unit 3 Assessment, students should not write as if they are Holly but instead as if they are paleontologists themselves.
  • Continue to use Goal 1-3 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • During Work Time B, students complete the entire narrative planner for their new narrative. Because this lesson is not a part of the assessment, support students by helping them brainstorm ideas, reference anchor charts, or orally think through their narrative.
  • Some students may need more than the 20 minutes allotted to complete their planner. Consider providing additional time by giving a bit less time spent with protocols.

Down the road:

  • Students will use their narrative planner from this lesson to draft their narrative in Part I of the Unit 3 Assessment in Lesson 11. Then, in Lesson 12, students complete Part II of the Unit 3 Assessment by revising and editing their narrative.
  • In Lesson 12, students revise their narratives based on specific suggestions from the teacher using a Revising and Editing Checklist. Make sure to allow time to collect students' drafts after Lesson 11 and review before Lesson 12. Make a class set of copies of the Revising and Editing Checklist. Analyze students' writing using the checklist. Check off criteria that students have included in their writing, and circle two criteria they should revise and/or edit to improve their narratives. Students should be given two specific suggestions, ideally one suggestion to revise their writing and one suggestion to edit their writing. See the Sample Revising and Editing Checklist in Lesson 9 as a reference.
  • The performance task (adding illustrations to their narrative) begins in Lesson 11, after students have used the planner to draft their story into a booklet.

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Fossil Photos for the Narrative by making eight copies of each. Cut apart individual photos and place them into piles so students can easily access them during Work Time A.
    • Music and technology necessary for the Musical Mingle protocol during Work Time A.
  • Review the Musical Mingle, Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face, and Sit, Kneel, Stand protocols. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

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

  • Work Time A: If you recorded students participating in the Musical Mingle protocol in Lesson 1, play this video for them to remind them of what to do.
  • Work Time C: If you recorded students participating in the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol in Unit 2, Lesson 1, play this video for them to remind them of what to do.
  • Work Time C: Create the Kind, Specific, and Helpful Feedback Sentence Starters in an online format--for example, a Google Doc--to display and for families to access at home to reinforce these skills.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 2.I.A.1, 2.I.A.2, 2.I.A.3, 2.I.A.4, 2.1.B.7, 2.I.C.10, 2.I.C.11, 2.I.C.12, 2.II.A.1, 2.II.A.2, and 2.II.A.3

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to independently practice using the narrative language they have negotiated with their partners and the whole class over the past five lessons.
  • ELLs may find giving feedback challenging, as their home language culture may not value or have experience with peer feedback. Discuss with families the rationale for peer feedback, providing specific examples of how peer feedback has helped ELLs in the past. Make sure students understand the language necessary to give kind, helpful, and specific feedback by brainstorming various sentence frames and discussing how these sentence frames include kind, helpful, and specific language.

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • During the Mini Language Dive, challenge students to generate questions about the sentence before asking the prepared questions. Example: "What questions can we ask about this sentence? Let's see if we can answer them together."

For heavier support:

  • For peer feedback in Work Time C, consider marking two or three places in student planners where they might consider making revisions or edits. Alternatively, or in addition, consider providing the necessary edits and invite students to place them appropriately.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): In this lesson, students reflect on the learning targets and assess themselves on each learning target individually. Some students may struggle to recall the work they did in previous lessons on each learning target. Scaffold memory and access of previous learning by listing the activities for each learning target on chart paper or a white board.
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): During the Musical Mingle protocol, students share with partners in several rounds of questions. Some students may need support for effective strategy development as they plan and recall their thinking during the protocol. Consider offering time for students to write or sketch their responses before sharing with a partner.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): In this lesson, build a supportive environment to increase sustained engagement for all learners. During the Closing, give students specific positive feedback on their effort and participation for the day. Foster a sense of community and provide options for physical action by inviting students to give themselves a special applause and pat on the back, and to "kiss" their brain.

Vocabulary

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

New:

  • organize (L)

Review:

  • narrative; observations; kind, specific, and helpful feedback (L)

Materials

  • Unit 3 Assessment prompt (one to display)
  • Fossil Photos for the Narrative (one per student and one of each to display)
  • Musical Mingle Protocol anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)
  • Narrative Planner (blank; from Lesson 6; one per student and one to display)
  • Tools Paleontologists Use anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 10)
  • Paleontologist's Actions, Thoughts, and Feelings anchor chart (begun in Lesson 2)
  • Stapler (one; used by the teacher to attach fossil photos to narrative planners)
  • Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol anchor chart (begun in Unit 2, Lesson 1)
  • Kind, Specific, and Helpful Feedback Sentence Starters (from Module 1; to display)

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. Engaging the Learner: Introducing the Unit 3 Assessment (5 minutes)

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

"I can organize my ideas for a narrative about discovering a fossil."

  • Invite students to turn and talk with an elbow partner:

"How would you define the word organize?" (to arrange or set in order)

  • Remind students that, throughout this unit, they have read and analyzed narratives. They also wrote a narrative about Holly's discovery. Now they will have an opportunity to write a different narrative, pretending to be a new paleontologist with a fossil discovery, using the same planner to organize their ideas.
  • Display the Unit 3 Assessment prompt and read it aloud:

"Look at this picture of a fossil. Imagine that you are a paleontologist and you have just discovered this fossil! Write a narrative about the moment you made this discovery. Make sure your narrative includes a beginning that introduces the reader to where you are and what tools you had, details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, and an ending that brings a sense of closure to the narrative. Your narrative should also include detailed illustrations that match the beginning, middle, and end of the narrative."

  • Display the Fossil Photos for the Narrative.
  • Tell students that, this time, they will choose a photo of a fossil to write their new narrative about!
  • To activate background knowledge and scaffold connections when introducing the Unit 3 Assessment prompt, pause as appropriate to review vocabulary and check for understanding. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: Mini Language Dive. Ask students about the meaning of chunks from this sentence from the Unit 3 Assessment prompt: "Write a narrative / about the moment you made this discovery." Write and display student responses next to the chunks. Examples:

"What is the meaning of this sentence?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Point to and read the chunk Write a narrative. Ask:

"Who is this chunk about? What, in the prompt, makes you think so?" (It's about us. This is our assessment prompt. It says "Imagine that you" and "Make sure your narrative".)

"What are you going to do?" (write a narrative)

  • Point to and read the chunk about the moment you made this discovery. Ask:

"The prompt says this discovery. Which discovery? What, in the prompt, makes you think so?" Tell students you will give them time to think and discuss with their partner. (the fossil in the picture. I discovered it. The prompt says, "Imagine you are a paleontologist, and that you have just discovered this fossil!")

"So, what does this mean?" Tell students you will give them time to think and discuss with their partner. (This refers back to and means the same thing as the fossil "you have just discovered this fossil.")

  • Underline this discovery, and draw an arrow back to you have just discovered this fossil to show the connection.

"So, what is one way we can use this in our writing?" (to write about something that we have already written about before)

  • Again point to and read the chunk about the moment you made this discovery. Ask:

"So, what are you writing a narrative about?" (the moment you made the fossil discovery)

"Now what do you think is the meaning of this sentence?" (Responses will vary.)

  • For ELLs: Consider writing, sketching, and displaying a bulleted checklist for the remainder of the prompt to help students process the components of the narrative.

Example:

Narrative

1. Beginning

    • Introduces where you are
    • Introduces what tools you had

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Musical Mingle: Choosing and Discussing a Fossil Photo (15 minutes)

  • Give students 1 minute to look at the fossil photos.
  • Remind students that they will be writing a narrative about the moment when they, as a paleontologist, discovered one of these fossils, so they should choose a fossil that makes them excited to write a new story.
  • Invite a few students at a time to choose a copy of one of the fossil photos and return to their spot in the whole group area.
  • While students are sitting with their photo, challenge them to make two or three observations about the fossil in the photo that they can describe to an elbow partner.
  • After 1 minute, refocus whole group.
  • Tell students they are going to use the Music Mingle protocol. Remind them that they used this protocol in Lesson 1 and review as necessary using the Musical Mingle Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Guide students through this protocol by inviting them to share with new partners one or two observations they have about their own fossil photo and their partner's fossil photo.
  • After students have shared with at least three different partners, invite them to have a seat.
  • Give students 20 seconds to silently think about their new fossil, what it might be, and where they may have found it.
  • Invite students to become paleontologists by pretending to get their tools strapped on and their fossil-hunting eyes ready!
  • For students who may need additional support with coping and self-regulation skills: Model socially appropriate ways to express enthusiasm/excitement about this protocol (e.g., silent cheer, high-five a partner, take a deep breath and smile). (MME)
  • For ELLs: Before students begin the Musical Mingle, model and think aloud some observations about one of the photos, jotting down and displaying the language you use to make the observations.

B. Independent Writing: Planning a New Narrative (20 minutes)

  • Display the Narrative Planner.
  • Share with students that they will plan their story today. You will be looking at their planners for new ideas that are different from the last story they wrote about Holly because now they are paleontologists who have found the special fossil in the photo they have chosen.
  • Point to the first column (beginning) on the planner and think aloud, modeling choosing new details for this story. Say: "In my last story, I was on the beach. So this time, I will be in a new place . . . like . . . a jungle!"
  • Invite students to turn and talk with an elbow partner:

"What was the setting from your last story? What new setting could you write about this time?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Direct students' attention to the Tools Paleontologists Use anchor chart.
  • Invite students to Think-Pair-Share with an elbow partner:

"Look at your fossil. What tool or tools would you have used to find this fossil?" (Responses will vary, but should come from the Tools Paleontologists Use anchor chart.)

  • Tell students they will also be thinking about what they, as paleontologists, did, thought, and felt.
  • Direct students' attention to the Paleontologist's Actions, Thoughts, and Feelings anchor chart and select a few volunteers to read it aloud.
  • Share with students that both of the charts are good places to get ideas for their new narrative.
  • Transition students back to their workspaces with their fossil photos.
  • Distribute blank Narrative Planners and invite students to begin planning the beginning of their narrative.
  • Circulate to support students with their writing. Read the narrative questions or refer students to resources around the room when necessary. Brainstorm options with students who are stuck or are using details from their previous story. Challenge students who have finished early to add more details about their story to the planner.
  • Give students a 2-minute warning to finish up their writing. Assure students who have not yet finished that they can come back to their writing at a designated time to complete it.
  • Use a stapler to attach the students' fossil photo to their narrative planner to reference while writing their narrative tomorrow.
  • For students who may need additional support with fine motor skills: Provide supportive tools for writing (e.g., offer pencil grips, slanted desks, or alternate writing utensils). (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: Consider inviting students to continue the color-coding strategy by using different colors to highlight a copy of the criteria from A Compelling Narrative about Discovering a Fossil anchor chart to correspond to their entries in the narrative planner.
  • For ELLs: To provide heavier support, model doing quick sketches within the narrative planner as placeholders for information students don't know the English for. Say: "You can sketch first so that you don't forget the information you want to add. Then you may go back later and write."
  • For ELLs: Consider circulating among individual students, pointing out errors on student narrative planners that correspond to the Revising and Editing Checklist.

C. Back-to-Back and Face-t0-Face: Giving Feedback on the Beginning of Our Narratives (10 minutes)

  • Invite students to give some silent applause for their hard work today as writers!
  • Tell students that they are going to use the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol to share their work with a partner. Remind them that they used this protocol in Unit 2, and review as necessary using the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

"I can give and use kind, helpful, and specific feedback when planning my narrative."

  • Tell students that, like yesterday, when a partner shares his or her work today, he or she will give kind feedback. Remind students that kind feedback tells the writers one thing they did a good job of in their writing.
  • Tell students that after they give kind feedback, they will also give helpful and specific feedback. That is feedback that tells the writer what they could do a better job of in writing, but it is still kind.
  • Remind students that they have all worked very hard on their writing, and it is important to remember that when they are giving feedback so they don't hurt people's feelings. It is also important to remember that we all have ways in which our writing could be better, and it is important to hear that, too. Tell students that you are going to model giving helpful and specific feedback to a classmate, and you want them to watch how the feedback is helpful AND kind.
  • Select a student volunteer to model with you. As the student shares, share one thing they did well in their writing and one thing they could do better. Examples:
    • "You did a good job of _____." (thinking of new ideas for your story)
    • "Would you consider _____?" (adding more details to what your fossil looks like?)
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What did you notice about how feedback was given?" (You named one good thing about the writing and one thing that could be better. You didn't tell the writer he or she had to change his or her writing, you just gave him or her a suggestion.)

  • If productive, cue students with a challenge:

"What if the teacher did not name one good thing? What if the teacher did not make a suggestion? I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner." (Responses will vary.)

  • Display the Kind, Specific, and Helpful Feedback Sentence Starters and read them aloud. Encourage students to use these sentence starters as they give feedback to their classmate. Remind students that they should be listening for how writers answered the questions on the planner with compelling ideas for their narrative.
  • Guide students through the protocol by having them read aloud one column at a time from their Narrative Planner with each other and then turning back-to-back to review their next column of writing before sharing.
  • Refocus whole group and collect students' Narrative Planners or provide directions on where to store them.
  • When using total participation techniques, minimize discomfort and/or perceived threats and distractions by alerting individual students that you are going to call on them next. (MME)
  • For ELLs: Invite students to refer to A Compelling Narrative about Discovering a Fossil anchor chart and Revising and Editing Checklist to prompt their feedback.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning (10 minutes)

  • Invite students to sit in the whole group area.
  • Share with students that they have done a lot of work today to get ready to write their narrative, and it is important to reflect on how they did as a learner.
  • Tell students they are going to use the Sit, Kneel, Stand protocol to reflect on how close they feel they are to meeting the learning targets. Remind them that they have used this protocol in Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 2 and review as necessary. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Guide students through this protocol using the learning targets.
  • Invite students to pretend to put away their paleontologist gear for tomorrow's lesson!
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension and sustained engagement: Before guiding students through the protocol, provide them with an individual copy of the learning targets. (MMR, MME)
  • For ELLs: Before beginning the protocol, ask students to give specific examples of how they worked toward achieving the learning targets in this lesson. Invite students to rephrase the learning targets now that they have more experience organizing their ideas and giving and using feedback.

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