ELA G3:M2:U3:L10

End of Unit 3 Assessment: Informative Essay: Revising and Editing a Description of My Freaky Frog

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

W.3.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.3.2a: Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.3.2d: Provide a concluding statement or section.
W.3.4: With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
W.3.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.
W.3.6: With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
W.3.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
L.3.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.3.1h: Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
L.3.1i: Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.
L.3.6: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).

Daily Learning Targets

I can revise my informative essay about my freaky frog to include simple, compound, and complex sentences. (W.3.2a, W.3.2d, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.6, W.3.10, L.3.1h, L.3.1i, L.3.6)
I can revise my informative essay about my freaky frog using teacher feedback. (W.3.2, W.3.5, W.3.10)

Ongoing Assessment

End of Unit 3 Assessment, Parts I and II (W.3.2a, W.3.2d, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.6, W.3.10, L.3.1h, L.3.1i, L.3.6)
Tracking Progress: Informative Writing recording form (W.3.2)

Agenda

Agenda	Teaching Notes
1. Opening A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes) 2. Work Time A. Mini Lesson: Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences (15 minutes) B. End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Informative Essay: Revising and Editing a Description of My Freaky Frog (20 minutes) C. End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part II: Answering Selected Response Questions (15 minutes) 3. Closing and Assessment A. Tracking Progress (5 minutes) 4. Homework A. Select one or more of the Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences practices in your Homework Resources to complete. B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt to respond to in the front of your independent reading journal.	Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards: In this lesson, students revise their informative essay about their freaky frog based on teacher feedback (W.3.5) and the mini lesson in Work Time A (L.3.1i). This lesson is designed to address W.3.6. If access to a word-processing program is not available, students will likely need additional time to complete the End of Unit 3 Assessment. The research reading that students complete for homework helps them to build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to frogs and specifically frog adaptations. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it. In this lesson, the habit of character focus is working to become an effective learner. The characteristic they are reminded of specifically is perseverance, as they will be working independently on their assessments, which may be challenging for some students. Students who finish quickly or require an extension can create two proof paragraphs: one about behavioral adaptations and one about physical adaptations. How it builds on previous work: Throughout the second half of Unit 3, students have spent time revising and editing their informative essay. In this lesson, they pull it all together to create a final draft to be included in their Freaky Frog book. Areas where students may need additional support: If students receive accommodations for assessments, communicate with the cooperating service providers regarding the practices of instruction in use during this study as well as the goals of the assessment. For some students, this assessment may require more than the 35 minutes allotted, even if technology is being used. Consider providing time over multiple days if necessary. Students may require additional support determining which of the teacher feedback to focus on in their final drafts, as they may not have time to address all of it. Assessment Guidance: Writing rubrics can be found in the Grade 3 Writing Rubrics document. All other assessment materials (student copy, answer key, student exemplar) are included in the Assessment Overview and Resources. When assessing and providing feedback to students on this assessment, use the teacher answer key, sample student responses (see Assessment Overview and Resources), and the Informative Writing: Grade 3 rubric (see Grade 3 Writing Rubrics) to help you complete the student Tracking Progress recording form. Consider making notes in the appropriate column for each criterion and marking evidence with sticky notes on student work in a different color than student responses. There is also space provided to respond to student comments. It will be valuable for students to revisit their previous Tracking Progress: Informative Writing sheet before they begin, so they can remember what they would like to improve on from assessments in previous units/modules. In this assessment, students are tracking progress toward anchor standard W.3.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. Collect in Linking words and phrases practice homework from Lessons 8 and 9. Down the road: In Lesson 11, students will complete part of the performance task for this module by planning the trading cards for their books. To do this, they will need a copy of their final draft from today's assessment.

Teaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Mini Lesson: Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences (15 minutes)

B. End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Informative Essay: Revising and Editing a Description of My Freaky Frog (20 minutes)

C. End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part II: Answering Selected Response Questions (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Tracking Progress (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Select one or more of the Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences practices in your Homework Resources to complete.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt to respond to in the front of your independent reading journal.

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

In this lesson, students revise their informative essay about their freaky frog based on teacher feedback (W.3.5) and the mini lesson in Work Time A (L.3.1i).
This lesson is designed to address W.3.6. If access to a word-processing program is not available, students will likely need additional time to complete the End of Unit 3 Assessment.
The research reading that students complete for homework helps them to build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to frogs and specifically frog adaptations. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it.
In this lesson, the habit of character focus is working to become an effective learner. The characteristic they are reminded of specifically is perseverance, as they will be working independently on their assessments, which may be challenging for some students.
Students who finish quickly or require an extension can create two proof paragraphs: one about behavioral adaptations and one about physical adaptations.

How it builds on previous work:

Throughout the second half of Unit 3, students have spent time revising and editing their informative essay. In this lesson, they pull it all together to create a final draft to be included in their Freaky Frog book.

Areas where students may need additional support:

If students receive accommodations for assessments, communicate with the cooperating service providers regarding the practices of instruction in use during this study as well as the goals of the assessment.
For some students, this assessment may require more than the 35 minutes allotted, even if technology is being used. Consider providing time over multiple days if necessary.
Students may require additional support determining which of the teacher feedback to focus on in their final drafts, as they may not have time to address all of it.

Assessment Guidance:

Writing rubrics can be found in the Grade 3 Writing Rubrics document. All other assessment materials (student copy, answer key, student exemplar) are included in the Assessment Overview and Resources.
When assessing and providing feedback to students on this assessment, use the teacher answer key, sample student responses (see Assessment Overview and Resources), and the Informative Writing: Grade 3 rubric (see Grade 3 Writing Rubrics) to help you complete the student Tracking Progress recording form. Consider making notes in the appropriate column for each criterion and marking evidence with sticky notes on student work in a different color than student responses. There is also space provided to respond to student comments.
It will be valuable for students to revisit their previous Tracking Progress: Informative Writing sheet before they begin, so they can remember what they would like to improve on from assessments in previous units/modules.
In this assessment, students are tracking progress toward anchor standard W.3.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Collect in Linking words and phrases practice homework from Lessons 8 and 9.

Down the road:

In Lesson 11, students will complete part of the performance task for this module by planning the trading cards for their books. To do this, they will need a copy of their final draft from today's assessment.

In Advance

Be prepared to provide teacher feedback on the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment in this lesson.
Post: Learning targets.

Tech and Multimedia

Work Time C: Students could write their final draft straight into an online book using sites such as My Storybook or flipsnack.
Work Time C: Students complete their final drafts in a word processing document, for example a Google Doc using Speech to Text facilities activated on devices, or using an app or software like Dictation.io.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 3.I.A.1, 3.I.B.6, 3.I.C.10, 3.II.A.1, 3.II.B.4, 3.II.B.5, 3.II.C.6.

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 final draft built on their preparation and practice in previous lessons. They self-assess at the end of the lesson in order to celebrate their successes and chart a course for the future.
ELLs may find the End of Unit 3 Assessment challenging, as it may be a big leap from the heavily scaffolded classroom interaction for some ELLs. Before they begin, encourage students to do their best and congratulate them on the progress they've made learning English. Point out some specific examples.
Make sure ELLs understand the assessment directions. Answer any questions they may have. See additional support in the lesson.
After the assessment, ask students to discuss what was easiest and what was most difficult on the assessment, and why. To facilitate this discussion, prepare a concise rubric of the elements of the assessment and allow students to rank the difficulty level of these elements on a Likert scale.
Reinforce the concept of simple, compound, and complex sentences. Example: Encourage students to find samples of these sentence types in their complex texts. Underline a pair of simple sentences in the student's informative writing that could benefit from conversion to a compound or complex sentence. Perhaps provide a conversion hint (e.g., "Use and" or "Use when") to support students.
To illustrate how simple sentences can be combined to create compound and complex sentences, write simple sentences on cardstock strips and model combining them using linking words written on different cardstock strips.

Universal Design for Learning

Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): To set themselves up for success for the 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 and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support students in setting appropriate goals for their effort and the level of difficulty expected for the assessment. Appropriate goal-setting supports development of executive skills and strategies. Offer scaffolds for students, such as a checklist with three goals or reminders for the assessment.
Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): The End of Unit 3 Assessment may be a big leap from the heavily scaffolded classroom interaction for students who need additional support. Before they begin, remind students of all that they have learned during the pre- and re-teaching groups they have participated in and encourage them to do their best.

Vocabulary

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

coordinating and subordinating conjunctions (L)

Materials

End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Revising and Editing an Informative Essay about a Freaky Frog (one per student; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
Poison Dart Frog Simple Sentence Example (one for display)
Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences (one per student and one to display)
Different-colored markers (three per student)
Criteria: Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences (one per student and one to display)
Mid-Unit 3 Assessment (returned with feedback during Work Time B; one per student)
Informative Writing Checklist (from Lesson 3; one per student)
Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (from Module 1)
Informative Essay about a Freaky Frog (one per student; completed throughout Unit 3)
End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part II (one per student; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
Tracking Progress: Informative Writing recording form (one per student)
Evidence flags or sticky notes (eight per student)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Assessment

Each unit in the 3-5 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 their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Download this Lesson’s Assessment

Opening

Opening	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes) Focus students on the learning targets. Select a volunteer to read the first learning target aloud: "I can revise my informative essay about my freaky frog to include simple, compound, and complex sentences." Students may already be familiar with these different kinds of sentences, but explain that you will review this together in a mini lesson. Select a volunteer to read the second learning target aloud: "I can revise my informative essay about my freaky frog using teacher feedback." Remind students that in the previous lesson, they provided feedback to each other. Explain that in this lesson, they will receive feedback from the teacher. Display and distribute the End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Revising and Editing an Informative Essay about a Freaky Frog. Read it aloud as students read along silently in their heads. Answer any clarifying questions.	For students who may need additional support understanding the terms in the learning targets: Write synonyms or descriptions above these key terms. (MMR) For ELLs: The concept of simple, compound, and complex sentences is a lot of information for students to absorb, especially on an assessment day. Ease their anxiety by commending them on how hard they have worked throughout the unit and telling them they will do a great job.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

Focus students on the learning targets. Select a volunteer to read the first learning target aloud:

"I can revise my informative essay about my freaky frog to include simple, compound, and complex sentences."

Students may already be familiar with these different kinds of sentences, but explain that you will review this together in a mini lesson.
Select a volunteer to read the second learning target aloud:

"I can revise my informative essay about my freaky frog using teacher feedback."

Remind students that in the previous lesson, they provided feedback to each other. Explain that in this lesson, they will receive feedback from the teacher.
Display and distribute the End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Revising and Editing an Informative Essay about a Freaky Frog.
Read it aloud as students read along silently in their heads.
Answer any clarifying questions.

For students who may need additional support understanding the terms in the learning targets: Write synonyms or descriptions above these key terms. (MMR)
For ELLs: The concept of simple, compound, and complex sentences is a lot of information for students to absorb, especially on an assessment day. Ease their anxiety by commending them on how hard they have worked throughout the unit and telling them they will do a great job.

Work Time

Work Time	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Mini Lesson: Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences (15 minutes) Display the Poison Dart Frog Simple Sentence Example. Read it aloud, emphasizing the simple sentences. Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner and then cold call students to share out: "What is wrong with this writing? How does it sound when it is read aloud? Is it easy to read?" (The sentences are all very short, so it is challenging to read; it sounds very choppy as it stops and starts.) "Remember your audience for your Freaky Frog book. Does this sound like something a third- or fourth-grader would enjoy reading? Why or why not?" (No, because the language doesn't flow smoothly. It might annoy readers.) Display and distribute the first sentence on Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences. Create a key on the board. Example: simple sentence = blue; compound sentence = red; complex sentence = green. Invite a volunteer to read the first sentence aloud for the whole group. Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner and to use different-colored markers to color code the sentence according to the key on the board: "Is this a simple, compound, or complex sentence? How do you know?" Repeat this process for each sentence. Don't ask for any feedback and don't confirm or deny any answers. Record student ideas for why under Simple, Compound, and Complex headings on the board as criteria. Display and distribute Criteria: Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences. Focus students on simple sentences first. Invite them to help you read the criteria and example aloud for the whole group. Invite students to review the criteria recorded for simple sentences on the board against the information on the handout. Check those that are correct and erase those that are not. Help students work through any misconceptions. Repeat with compound sentences, spending time on the coordinating conjunctions. Repeat with complex sentences, spending time on the subordinating conjunctions. Remind students that they revised their informative essay for linking words and phrases in Lesson 8 and that some of the linking words they added to create complex sentences may have been subordinating conjunctions. Invite students to revisit the sentences they underlined on Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences to see if they were correct and to correct any errors. Explain that one of the things you will be looking for in the final draft of their informative essay is evidence of each of the sentence types: simple, compound, and complex sentences. Ask students to discuss with an elbow partner and select volunteers to share out: "Why do you think I want to see a variety of different types of sentences?" (It can make writing more interesting and easier to read.)	For ELLs: In some home languages, simple sentences and choppy prose may be preferable. Emphasize that most audiences reading in English expect writing to blend together and flow more. When contrasting compound sentences with the sound of simple sentences, do not belittle the flow of simple sentences. Rather, consider presenting compound sentences as more appropriate for the audience, task, and purpose.
B. End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Informative Essay: Revising and Editing a Description of My Freaky Frog (20 minutes) Distribute students' Mid-Unit 3 Assessments. Invite students to spend a few minutes reading through the feedback. Ask them to write their names in a list on the board if they have any questions and explain that you will get to them in the order they are listed on the board once they begin writing. Explain that students are going to finish revising their drafts to create a final draft of their informative essay. Tell them they will use the teacher feedback on their Mid-Unit 3 Assessment and the mini lesson on sentences to guide their revisions. Display and invite students to take out their Informative Writing Checklist. Focus students on the criteria for L.3.1 and W.4.5 and select volunteers to read them aloud. Although unlikely, ask students if there is anything specific to the informative essay about the frog they would like to add to the checklist for those two criteria. If students suggest what you would consider to be worthy criteria, add them to the displayed list and invite students to add them to their copy. Remind students that since this is an assessment, they must work silently and independently. Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart, specifically perseverance. Remind students that as they will be working independently in this lesson for an assessment, they may find it challenging, so they will need to persevere. Invite students to access the word-processing tool on their computer to open their Informative Essay about a Freaky Frog. Remind them that they are using the computer to draft and publish their writing. Circulate to support students and to touch base with those who recorded their name on the board.	For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: Ensure that all students understand the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment feedback provided. Read it aloud to them if necessary. (MMR) For students who may need additional support with writing fluency: It may be difficult for them to apply their learning from the mini lesson to their revisions for Part I of the Unit 3 Assessment. Consider providing more than one pre-teaching lesson to ensure they understand each sentence type and can apply this understanding to their own writing. (MMAE) For ELLs and students who may need additional support with self-regulation: Some students may feel too ashamed or needy to add their names to the board for help. Tell students that in this classroom, it is smart, appropriate, and important for them to add their names to the board if they need help, especially immediately before an assessment. (MME)
C. End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part II: Answering Selected Response Questions (15 minutes) Distribute the End of Unit 3 Assessment, Part II. Explain that this part of the assessment is going to assess students' understanding of simple, compound, and complex sentences. Remind students that because this is an assessment, they are to work silently and independently. Circulate to support students as needed.	For ELLs and students who may need additional support with sustained effort: Ensure that students are clear about all assessment directions. Rephrase directions for them. Monitor during the assessment to see that they are completing the assessment correctly. Stop students who are on the wrong track and make sure they understand the directions. (MMR, MME)

Closing & Assessments

Closing	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Tracking Progress (5 minutes) Congratulate students on their hard work on the assessment. Distribute Tracking Progress: Informative Writing. Tell students that successful learners keep track and reflect on their own learning. Remind them that they have done this after every assessment. Tell students the sticky notes are for them to find evidence of the following criteria: W.3.2 Ensure that students have access to evidence flags or sticky notes to mark up their work with evidence. Guide students through completing the form. If students have time, invite them to revisit their previous Tracking Progress: Informative Writing and discuss how they think they have progressed with a partner. Use a checking for understanding protocol (for example Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against how well they persevered in this lesson.	For ELLs and students who need may need additional support with comprehension: Allow students to orally paraphrase the meaning of the targets with a partner before they begin writing. (MMR) For students who may need additional support with monitoring their own learning: Invite students to orally paraphrase the meaning of the Tracking Progress criteria, self-assess, and discuss the evidence with a partner before they begin writing. (MME) For students who may need additional support with comprehension: Consider highlighting key phrases on the Tracking Progress sheet to lift up the focus for each criterion. (MMR)

Closing