Unit 2 Assessment, Part I, Sessions 1 and 2: Drafting a New Informational Paragraph | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G2:M3:U2:L13

Unit 2 Assessment, Part I, Sessions 1 and 2: Drafting a New Informational Paragraph

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.2.2: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
  • W.2.5: With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
  • SL.2.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
  • SL.2.1a: 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).
  • SL.2.1c: Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.
  • L.2.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can write an introduction and focus statement about how my pollinator pollinates plants. (W.2.2, L.2.2)
  • I can write detail sentences about how my pollinator pollinates plants. (W.2.2, L.2.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During independent writing in Work Times A and B, continue to use the Informative/Explanatory Writing Checklist to document students' progress toward W.2.2 and L.2.2 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Introducing the Unit 2 Assessment (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Unit 2 Assessment, Part I, Session 1: Writing an Introduction and Focus Statement in My Pollinator Writing Booklet (20 minutes)

B. Unit 2 Assessment, Part I, Session 2: Writing Detail Sentences in My Pollinator Writing Booklet (30 minutes

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Pinky Partners Protocol: Reflecting on the Unit 2 Guiding Question (5 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards: 

  • This lesson introduces students to the Unit 2 Assessment, which takes places across Lessons 13 and 14. In Part I of the assessment, students draft their introduction, focus statement, and detail sentences about how their pollinator pollinates (W.2.2, L.2.2). Students use the What Researchers Do anchor chart to apply their research skills by sharing their learning with others through writing.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Lessons 11 and 12, students completed Bee Writing booklets about bee pollination. In this lesson, they follow the same process to complete a new booklet using their research from Lessons 8-10: My Pollinator Writing booklet.
  • Students will follow the same Criteria for Writing Booklet anchor chart used in Lessons 11 and 12 to complete their My Pollinator Writing booklet.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support to translate their research from the Research about Pollinators: Class Notes into writing in their My Pollinator Writing booklet
  • During independent writing in Work Times A and B, consider pulling a small group and having them write one part at a time: the part that introduces the reader to the topic, and then the focus statement about their specific pollinator.
  • For students who frequently misspell the same words, consider providing a personal High-Frequency Interactive Word Wall for Work Times A and B.

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students complete their My Pollinator Writing booklet. In Unit 3, students will use their writing from the Unit 2 Assessment as a part of their Oral Presentation poster for the performance task.

In Advance

  • Prepare copies of the My Pollinator Writing booklets.
  • 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. 

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1 and 2 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 2.I.A.1 and 2.I.C.1

Important points in the lesson itself 

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to demonstrate their content and language knowledge in a writing task built on their preparation and practice in previous lessons. Students apply the language structures they learned to write about bees in their My Pollinator Writing booklet to similar writing about the pollinator they researched in previous lessons.
  • ELLs may find the assessment challenging. Encourage students to consult classroom resources and give them specific, positive feedback on the progress they've made learning English.
  • Make sure that ELLs understand the assessment directions. Answer their questions, refraining from supplying answers to the assessment questions themselves (see additional support in the lesson).
  • After the assessment, ask students to discuss which part of the assessment was easiest and which was most difficult, and why. In future lessons, focus on the language skills that will help students address these assessment challenges.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): To set themselves up for success for the unit assessment, students need to generalize the skills that they learned from the previous sessions. Similar to Modules 1 and 2, before administering the assessment, activate their prior knowledge by recalling the learning targets from the previous lessons. Also, present the directions for the assessment both visually and verbally, and display a map of the assessment parts.
  • Multiple Means of Action & Expression (MMAE): In this lesson, students write their introduction, focus statement, and information about a pollinator during the unit assessment. Continue to support students in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to support students in limiting distractions during the unit assessment. Also, continue to provide variation in time for completing the assessment as appropriate. Consider breaking the assessment into parts and offering breaks at certain times.

Vocabulary

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

Review

  • introduction, focus statement, detail sentences, pollination, pollinator, pollinate (L)

Materials

  • "It's Pollination Time," Version 1 (from Lesson 5; one to display)
  • Unit 2 Guiding Question anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)
  • My Pollinator Writing booklet (pages 2-5; one per student)
  • Criteria for Writing Booklet anchor chart (begun in Lesson 11)
  • Shared Writing: Bees (completed in Lesson 11)
  • Plants and Pollinator research notebook, Part II (completed in Lesson 10; one per student)
  • My Pollinator Writing booklet (example, for teacher reference)
  • Research about Pollinators: Class Notes (completed in Lesson 9; one to display)
  • Informative/Explanatory Checklist (see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Pinky Partners Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 1)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

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.

Download this Lesson’s Assessment

 

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Introducing the Unit 2 Assessment (5 minutes) 

  • Gather students in the meeting area. Instruct them to sit next to their writing partner.
  • Tell students that they did a great job writing their Bee Writing booklets! They shared all they know about bees and pollination by writing about it. Remind them that they also know a song about bees and pollination.
  • Display "It's Pollination Time," Version 1 and chorally sing it with students.
  • Tell students that they now have the chance to write about other insect pollinators they researched in expert groups. Say:

"I am so impressed with all of your research about insect pollinators! I can't wait for you to act like a researcher and share your knowledge with others by writing about insect pollinators."

  • Direct students' attention to the Unit 2 Guiding Question anchor chart and read it aloud:
    • "How do pollinators help plants grow and survive?"
  • Turn and Talk:

"How will you answer this question today? (by writing about it)
"What pollinator will you write about?" (butterflies and moths, wasps and flies, beetles)

  • Distribute My Pollinator Writing booklets.
  • Say: 

"You will use this booklet to write how the pollinator you researched helps plants grow and survive. Let's get started!"
  • For ELLs: (Partner Share Out) In Opening and Work Time, invite students to share what their partners said to promote attentive listening, retelling, paraphrasing, and peer language modeling.
  • For students who may need additional support with self-regulation: Support students'expectations for meeting their learning goals by reducing possible anxiety about the assessment. (Example: "You have been working very hard at writing about pollinators in this unit. Today you will continue to show how much you have learned using the knowledge and skills we have been working on in previous lessons.") (MME)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Unit 2 Assessment, Part I, Session 1: Writing Introduction and Focus Statement in My Pollinator Writing Booklet (20 minutes) 

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:
    • "I can write an introduction and focus statement about how my pollinator pollinates plants."
  • Turn and Talk:

What are important words in this target?" (introduction, focus statement, my pollinator) 

  • Direct students' attention to Criteria for Writing Booklet anchor chart and remind students:
    • "The introduction introduces the reader to the topic"
  • This explains why pollen is important, that insects are needed for pollination, and defines pollinators. 
    • "The focus statement gives focus to the booklet."
  • Introduces your specific pollinator.
  • Display the Shared Writing: Bees and read the introduction and focus statement.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you notice about the introduction of the Shared Writing: Bees?" (The introduction tells that insects are helpful pollinators that move pollen.)
"What do you notice about the focus statement of Shared Writing: Bees?" (It states that bees are good pollinators.)

  • Distribute students 'Plants and Pollinators research notebook, Part II and invite them to turn to page 5, where there is information about pollination needed for the introduction.
  • Tell students to reread page 5 of their research notebook.
  • Follow the same routine from Work Time B of Lesson 11 to guide students through orally rehearsing and writing their introduction and focus statement on page 2 of their My Pollinator Writing booklet. Refer to the My Pollinator Writing booklet (example, for teacher reference) as necessary. Consider using the Informative/Explanatory Writing Checklist to track students'progress toward W.2.2 and L.2.2.
  • After 10 minutes, refocus whole group.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What did you write for your introduction and focus statement?" (Responses will vary, depending on the pollinator.)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with engagement: (Working on Same Learning Target) In Work Times A and B, invite students to discuss how they previously worked toward each learning target. (MMR, MME)
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Rephrasing Directions and Monitoring Assessment) Rephrase directions. Monitor to see that students correctly complete the assessment. (MMR)

B. Unit 2 Assessment, Part I, Session 2: Writing Detail Sentences in My Pollinator Writing Booklet (30 minutes) 

  • Invite students to get up from their workspace and choose one of the following pollinator movements:
    • "buzz like a bee"
    • "crawl like a beetle"
    • "flutter like a butterfly"
  • Allow students 2 minutes to dance around like their chosen pollinator.
  • When students finish, instruct them to bring their Plants and Pollinators research notebooks and My Pollinator Writing booklets to the whole group area.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:
    • "I can write detail sentences about how my pollinator pollinates plants
  • Ask students to define important words in the target (write, detailsentences, pollinator).
  • Direct students' attention to the Criteria for Writing Booklet anchor chart. Focus students on rows 3-5 and read them aloud:
    • "One detail sentence about why your pollinator is attracted to plants."
    • "One detail sentence about how your pollinator's body parts help pollination happen."
    • "One detail sentence about how your pollinator moves pollen to new places."
  • Turn and Talk:

"How many detail sentences do you need to include in your booklet?" (three)
"Where can you look to find information about your pollinator?" (page 10 of the Plants and Pollinators research notebook, Part II)

  • Direct students' attention to the Shared Writing: Bees and focus them on the three detail sentences.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What do you notice about these detail sentences from the Shared Writing: Bees?" (It describes how bees pollinate plants.)

  • Follow the same routine from Work Time B of Lesson 11 to guide students through orally rehearsing and writing their three detail sentences on pages 3-5 of their My Pollinator Writing booklet. Refer to the My Pollinator Writing booklet (example, for teacher reference) as necessary. Consider using the Informative/Explanatory Writing Checklist to track students'progress toward W.2.2 and L.2.2.
  • After 15 minutes, refocus whole group.
  • Collect students' research notebooks and booklets.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with auditory processing: (Written Reinforcement) As students share out after the Turn and Talk, jot down, display, point to, and say aloud each response to provide written language reinforcement. (MMR)
  • For ELLs: (Rephrasing Directions and Monitoring Assessment) Rephrase directions. Monitor to see that students correctly complete the assessment.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Pinky Partners Protocol: Reflecting on the Unit 2 Guiding Question (5 minutes) 

  • Give students an air high-five and give them specific, positive feedback on their writing.
  • Tell students they are now going to use the Pinky Partners protocol to share their best answer to the Unit 2 guiding question. Remind students that they used this protocol in Lesson 1 and review as necessary using the Pinky Partners Protocol anchor chart. (Refer to the Classroom Protocols document for the full version of the protocol.)
  • Guide students through the protocol using the following prompt:
    • "How do pollinators help plants grow and survive?"
  • Preview the next lesson with students by telling them that they will write the conclusion in their My Pollinator Writing booklet and revise their writing to add adjectives.
  • For ELLs: (Sentence Frames: Lighter Support) Invite students to create sentence frames to support speaking. Invite students who need heavier support to use the frames.

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