Interactive Writing | EL Education Curriculum

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can read and write contractions with "are." (L.2.2)
    • I can use an apostrophe to form contractions using familiar words with "are."
    • I can read second-grade words that "don't play fair" in isolation.
  • Work Time A: I can write a sentence using "a-t-e" words with the schwa or long "a" vowel sounds, words with contractions with "are," and high-frequency words. (L.2.2d)
    • I can identify spelling patterns based on vowel sounds.
    • I can use an apostrophe to form contractions using familiar words with "are."

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during Opening A. Determine whether they can read and spell contractions with "are" correctly.
  • Observe students during Work Time A. Determine whether they can correctly spell "a-t-e" words with the schwa or long "a" vowel sounds, words with contractions with "are," and high-frequency words.
  • Exit ticket (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (3–5 minutes)

A. Words Rule: Reading and Writing Contractions with “are”

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Interactive Writing: Writing a Silly Sentence with Words with “a-t-e” Spelling Pattern Pronounced  /Ət/ and /āt/ and Contractions with “are”

3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Enlarged Text: "We're Going to Have Fun!" text (one for display)
    • Possible silly sentence examples (students may also generate their own; optional): "I see that you're ready to decorate a delicate nameplate to put on your private gate." "Who'll illustrate the book about the obstinate pirate you're going to dedicate to Nate?"
  • Gather materials for differentiated small group instruction (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T)

  • apostrophe, contraction, homophone, similar (L)
  • obstinate (T)

Materials

  • Enlarged Text: "We're Going to Have Fun!"
  • Whiteboards (one per student)
  • Whiteboard markers (one per student)
  • Whiteboard erasers (or tissues, socks, etc.; one per student)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Words Rule: Reading and Writing Contractions with "are"

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "The Muffin Man"):

Teacher: "Can you take a closer look, a closer look, a closer look? Can you take a closer look at some words today?"

Students: "Yes, we'll take a closer look, a closer look, a closer look. Yes, we'll take a closer look at some words today."

  • Begin the Words Rule instructional practice:

1. Teacher displays the Enlarged Text: "We're Going to Have Fun!" and says: "Listen and watch carefully as I read this text aloud. See if there's a spelling pattern that really jumps out at you in this text."

2. Teacher reads the text aloud, exaggerating the contractions "we're," "you're," and "they're."

3. Teacher invites students to turn to an elbow partner and share what pattern they noticed a lot in the text.

4. Teacher invites one or two students to share out what they noticed. (the pattern "'re" at the end of "we're," "you're," and "they're")

5. Teacher underlines the words "we're," "you're," and "they're" in the text.

6. Teacher points to the apostrophe in each word and asks:

"What do we know about this symbol?" (apostrophe; shows a contraction; shortening two words into one)

7. Teacher says: "That's right. This is an apostrophe and it shows a contraction. We know that in a contraction two words are shortened to make one word."

8. Teacher reads the first sentence aloud and invites students to turn to an elbow partner to share what they think the two words are in the contraction "we're" in the sentence.

9. Teacher invites a student to share. ("we are")

10. Teacher writes the words "we are" above the contraction in the sentence and invites students to read the sentence aloud both ways (i.e., once saying "we're" and once saying "we are").

11. Teacher says: "Yes. 'we're' is the contraction for the words 'we are.'"

12. Teacher repeats steps 8-11 with the remaining contractions in the text.

13. Teacher reminds students of the role of the apostrophe, explaining that the apostrophe's job is to hold the place of one of the letters in the second word.

14. Teacher asks:

"What letter in the word 'are' is the apostrophe holding a place for in these contractions?" ("a")

15. Teacher says: "That's right! When we make a contraction using the word 'are,' the apostrophe holds the place of the letter 'a' in 'are.'"

16. Teacher reads the sentence containing "your" aloud: "If your mother says you can go, we're planning to pick you up too."

17. Teacher points to the word "your" and asks:

"What's going on with this 'your'? Why doesn't it have the apostrophe '-re'?"

18. Teacher invites students to share their ideas with an elbow partner.

19. Teacher invites one or two students to share their ideas with the group.

20. Teacher explains that "your" in this sentence does not mean "you are."

21. Teacher writes "you're" and "your" on the board and explains that these are homophones.

22. Teacher says: "The way to know whether or not you should use '-re' when writing 'you're' is to think about whether or not you could replace it with 'you are.' We'll practice that with our silly sentence writing today."

  • Consider providing individual copies of the text "We're Going to Have Fun!" for students to follow along.
  • If keeping a list of homophones, add the words "you're" and "your" to it.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Interactive Writing: Writing a Silly Sentence with Words with “a-t-e” Spelling Pattern Pronounced /Ət/ and /āt/ and Contractions with “are”

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The Muffin Man”):

Teacher: “Do you know the words we’ll write, the words we’ll write, the words we’ll write? Do you know the words we’ll write on our boards today?”

Students: “Yes, we know the words we’ll write, the words we’ll write, the words we’ll write. Yes, we know the words we’ll write on our boards today!”

  • Begin the Interactive Writing instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: “Today we will use the words we know to make a silly sentence. We will use words that end with the letters ‘a-t-e’ that have the long ‘a’ sound or the schwa sound. Let’s think of words we can use!”

2. Teacher asks:

“Who can give us a word ending with ‘a-t-e’ that makes the long ‘a’ or the schwa sound /it/?”

3. Teacher invites students to offer a few words, records them on the board, and repeats them.

4. Teacher says: “Great! Now it’s time to use your whiteboards to record the words. After we make our list, we will be writing a silly sentence together. The sentence has to have as many words ending with ‘a-t-e’ with the schwa sound or long ‘a’ sound as we can add. If we want our sentence to be really silly, we want to have lots of words to choose from. So we are going to work together to think of as many words as we can. You can now think of as many of these words as you can and write them on your whiteboard.”

5. Students write words individually or in pairs for 1–2 minutes.

6. Volunteers share out words from their list. If a student spells a word incorrectly, teacher guides student to correct the mistake.

7. Teacher adds the students’ words to the word list.

8. Teacher says: “Wow! Look at all the words we’ve listed! Now we are ready to write a silly sentence. I think we should use a contraction with ‘are,’ too.”

9. Teacher says: “A silly sentence makes us laugh because we use words that don’t usually go together, it gives us a funny picture in our head, or it sounds really silly.”

10. Teacher says silly sentence. Example (use student-generated words or offer students a choice from the suggested sentences): “I see that you’re ready to decorate a delicate nameplate to put on your private gate.”

11. Teacher asks:

“How many words are in the sentence?” (16)

12. Teacher says: “Yes! We will write this sentence with 16 words together.”

13. Teacher and students share the pen to take turns interactively writing the sentence (see Interactive Writing lessons in Grade 1, Modules 1–2 for more details). Teacher stops to review punctuation rules as needed.

14. When sentence is finished, teacher says: “Let’s read our silly sentence we wrote from the words we know.”

15. Students and teacher read sentence together.

  • Observe students as they write. Encourage them to correct the spellings of words as they review what the teacher has written.
  • Consider providing student predetermined partners for management concerns, if needed.
  • If time is a consideration, shorten the lesson by calling on students to suggest words instead of writing on their individual whiteboards.
  • If students need, allow them to air-write words instead of writing on whiteboards.
  • For students who need support: Consider providing a sentence frame to help them generate a silly sentence.
  • Consider creating a structure for celebrating the silly sentences. As the classroom generates more silly sentences, consider making them into a silly poem.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

  • In the Closing, students reflect on what it means to be an independent reader and how they can become increasingly more independent during whole group instruction and differentiated small group instruction. Consider asking one or more of the following questions to support students' understanding of independence (encourage specificity in responses):

"What does it mean to be independent?" (examples: be able to do something on your own, be able to help myself with something)

"What does it mean to be an independent reader?" (examples: have knowledge and skills to problem solve words, have "stamina" or the ability to stick with reading for an extended period of time, know your strengths and weaknesses)

  • Consider reviewing reflections from Modules 1-3 to remind students that throughout the year they have learned many skills needed to be an independent reader. They took responsibility for their learning, set goals for themselves, and collaborated with their peers throughout the year. Consider asking one or more of the following questions (encourage specificity in responses):

"What knowledge and skills do you have now that you did not have earlier in the year?"

"How did you acquire that knowledge/skill?"

  • For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Examples:
    •  "One thing an independent reader has to be able to do is _____."
    • "As an independent reader, I can _____."
    •  "I can show independence by _____."

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

Suggested Plan: Teacher works with students in the Partial Alphabetic and Full Alphabetic groups. If possible, teacher should also meet with the Consolidated Alphabetic group at least once per week.

Note: Groups not working with the teacher at a given time should be engaged in purposeful independent rotation work. Refer to the Independent and Small Group Work guidance document for more details (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual).

All Groups

The Reader's Toolbox routine should be used with every group today or another day this week. Teacher may also choose to use a flex day to teach the routine in whole group. See Lesson 28 or Independent and Small Group Work document for full routine and see supporting materials for Reader's Toolbox Planning and Recording Template.

Partial Alphabetic:

  • Students complete exit ticket:
    • Students work with teacher to interactively create a new silly (or normal) sentence using patterns they are working on.
  • Use the Assessment Conversion chart to determine appropriate Grade 1 lessons and Activity Bank ideas to use in daily small group instruction.

Full Alphabetic:

  • Students complete exit ticket:
    • Students work with teacher or in pairs to interactively create new silly (or normal) sentences with words spelled with "a-t-e" at the end. Teacher provides immediate feedback and support.
    • Consider using a Writing Checklist (see Lesson 112 supporting materials) modified for the needs of this group. Encourage students to peer or self-edit their sentences based on the checklist criteria.

Consolidated Alphabetic:

  • Students complete exit ticket:
    • Students write their own silly (or normal) sentences with words spelled with "a-t-e" at the end.
    • Students use the Writing Checklist (see Lesson 112) to peer or self-edit their writing.
    • Consider keeping these sentences to be used for fluency practice with the Full and Partial Alphabetic students during differentiated small group instruction for the Fluency lesson (Lesson 114).
  • Use leveled readers for fluency practice. (Refer to Independent and Small Group Work guidance document; see K-2 Skills Resource Manual.)
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • If silly sentences are being used for fluency practice in Lesson 114, have students write the sentences on chart paper or sentence strips.

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