Performance Task: Rainforest Adventures Ebook Author’s Note | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G5:M2:U3:L11

Performance Task: Rainforest Adventures Ebook Author’s Note

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.5.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
  • W.5.2a: Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
  • W.5.2b: Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
  • W.5.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
  • W.5.3c: Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
  • W.5.3d: Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
  • W.5.3e: Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
  • W.5.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • W.5.6: With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can work with my partner to write an author's note for our Rainforest Adventures ebook. (W.5.2)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Rainforest Adventures ebook author's note (W.5.2)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Target (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Analyzing a Model: Author's Note (15 minutes)

B. Partner Writing: Author's Note (30 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Small Group Share (10 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Bring from home, the library, or the class book selection a favorite story book (in any language) with a cover design that you find eye-catching and inspirational.

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 analyze a model author's note and generate criteria. They then use these criteria to guide them as they work with their partners to write an author's note for their ebooks (W.5.2).
  • The technology in this lesson can be modified according to student and teacher expertise and the technology available. See the Technology and Multimedia section for suggestions. If technology is not available, students can create physical books with hand-drawn illustrations on paper.
  • The research reading that students complete for homework helps build both their vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to the rainforest, specifically rainforest species and research. By participating in this volume of reading over time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it. Inviting students to share what they have been learning through independent reading holds them accountable.
  • In this lesson, the habit of character focus is working to become an effective learner. The characteristic students are reminded of specifically is collaboration, as they continue to work with a partner to write an author's note.

How it builds on previous work:

  • Throughout the module, students have been writing narrative texts to include in their Rainforest Adventure ebooks for students in grade 5 and above. They will consider all of their learning and the work they have created for the book as they write their author's note.
  • Continue to use Goals 1-3 Conversation Cues to promote productive and equitable conversation.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students may need additional support with the technology used to create the ebook if they are not familiar with it. See Technology and Multimedia for options.
  • Students may need additional time to write their author's note. Consider allowing additional time in the next lesson.

Assessment guidance:

  • Review student work during and after the lesson either to provide specific feedback/suggestions or to identify common issues that could be used as whole group teaching points in the next lesson.
  • Consider using the Speaking and Listening Informal Assessment: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas Checklist during students' share in Closing and Assessment A (see the Tools page).
  • Collect Prepositions and Interjections I and II homework from Lessons 8-9 for assessment. See Prepositions and Interjections I and II (answers, for teacher reference).

Down the road:

  • In Lesson 12, students will create a front cover and a contents page for their ebook, and in Lesson 13, they will compile their Rainforest Adventure ebook by numbering the contents page and putting all of the images and writing into the book. 

In Advance

  • Provide feedback on students' End of Unit 3 Assessment, Parts I and II in preparation for returning them in Work Time B.
  • Post: Learning targets, Performance Task anchor chart, and Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart.

Tech and Multimedia

  • The technology in this lesson can be modified according to student and teacher expertise and the technology available:
    • Students could create the author's note for their ebook in a collaborative Google Doc, so that they can both work on it at the same time, which is then copied/converted into an ebook format.
    • Students could use an online ebook creator such as My Story Book or Papyrus.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided in part by CA ELD Standards 5.I.A.2, 5.I.A.4, 5.I.C.9, and 5.II.A.1

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by providing opportunities to work collaboratively and by engaging metacognitive and metalinguistic skills to reflect on the writing process and to evaluate the language choices they made in creating narratives.
  • ELLs may find the sudden shift in genre back to informational writing confusing at first. Take a moment to prepare students for this shift by explicitly highlighting it at the beginning of class. Example: "We have been doing an excellent job writing narratives, but today we are going to rewind time to Unit 2! Who remembers what kind of writing we did in Unit 2? Let's look at some of our charts to refresh our memories."

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Invite students to continue adding to and revising their prepositions glossary begun in Lesson 8.
  • Suggest that students create a T-chart to compare and contrast the structure of narrative and informational writing and refer to it and revise it as they write.

For heavier support:

  • The concept of writing about writing may be new or confusing for some students. Explain that people like to read about writing and about writers for many reasons. Sometimes they read reviews about books to see if they are good, sometimes they are writers who want to learn about how other writers work, and sometimes they are just curious. Explain that an author's note is an opportunity for a writer to write about his or her own writing.
  • Briefly review prepositions and common prepositional phrases. Encourage students to use them as they write their author's notes.
  • For Opening A, be aware that students may have different experiences and varying levels of exposure to ebooks and tablet computers. To provide context for all students, display a real example of a device on which ebooks are read. When comparing and contrasting, display an example of a physical book next to the ebook device. Invite students to hold and explore the objects side by side.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation: Students will need strong a strong model to write their author's note. Various forms of representation are already embedded into the structure of this lesson (e.g., visually and verbally representing the model author's note, diagramming the format and sequence of the model author's note).
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression: To decrease barriers to accessing the model author's note, consider having some students draw a picture or jot words to describe the gist of each paragraph if writing in complete sentences is a challenge. Additionally, students may need a visual checklist to use that outlines the format of the author's note. This will help them self-regulate during their writing time.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement: Students are asked to share their author's note in a small group at the end of this lesson. Public performance is engaging and exciting for some students, but it may be overwhelming for others. Consider ways that you can minimize risk, such as allowing students to share with a partner instead of a small group. 

Vocabulary

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

  • ebook (L)

Materials

  • Prepositions and Interjections I and II (answers, for teacher reference)
  • Rainforest Adventures ebook model (one to display; see Performance Task Overview)
  • Performance Task anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 1)
  • Rainforest Adventures Ebook Model: Author's Note (one per student; page 2 of the Rainforest Adventures ebook model; see Performance Task Overview)
  • Informative Writing Checklist (one per student and one to display)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Partner narrative drafts (begun in Lesson 2; one per student)
  • End of Unit 3 Assessment, Parts I and II (from Lesson 10; returned in this lesson with feedback; one per student)
  • Red, yellow, and green markers (one of each per student)

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.

Opening

Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Target (5 minutes)

  • Collect Prepositions and Interjections I and II homework from Lessons 8-9 for assessment. See Prepositions and Interjections I and II (answers, for teacher reference).
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning target and select a volunteer to read it aloud:
    • "I can work with my partner to write an author's note for our Rainforest Adventures ebook."
  • Underline the word ebook.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is an ebook?" (Ebooks are digital books that are read using devices such as phones, tablets, ebook readers, or computers.)

  • Display the Rainforest Adventures ebook model.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"How is an ebook different from a physical book on a shelf?" (Ebooks don't have actual pages to turn. You can carry a lot of ebooks on one device.)

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Analyzing a Model: Author's Note (15 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Performance Task anchor chart and select a volunteer to read it aloud.
  • Remind students that this book is to entertain students in grade 5 and above.
  • Focus students on the bullet about the author's note.
  • Display and distribute the Rainforest Adventures Ebook Model: Author's Note.
  • Read it aloud as students follow along, reading silently in their heads.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is the text about?"(Responses may vary, but could include that it explains what the author did when writing his or her ebook.)

  • Invite students to take their Rainforest Adventures Ebook Model: Author's Note handout and move to sit with the partner they wrote their narrative with.
  • Ask students to work with their partners to reread this handout, find the gist of each paragraph, and write it next to the paragraph.
  • After 5 minutes, refocus whole group and cold call students to share the gist of each paragraph.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is the purpose of this author's note?" (to explain the process the author of "Bite at Night!" followed to write the story and how he or she used concrete and sensory language to engage readers and help them feel like they are there in the rainforest with the character)

  • Focus students on the way the author explains the rationale for writing the narrative and the research the author did.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Why does the author want you to know why the narrative was written?" (because it helps the reader understand the purpose of the narrative)

"Why does the author want you to know that he or she researched before writing?" (It gives the story credibility; even though it's a narrative, it is important that the reader knows it is factually accurate to be able to engage more in the story)

  • If productive, cue students to listen carefully and seek to understand:

"Who can tell us what your classmate said in your own words?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Draw attention to the similarities between the main proof paragraph of this author's note and the content of the literary essay students wrote in Unit 2. Ensure students understand that the purpose of their author's note is, like the model they have just read, to explain to the reader the rationale, the process, and how they have used concrete and sensory language to engage the reader.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"This author's note is for just one narrative. Your Rainforest Adventures ebook will have three narratives. What might the layout of the author's note for your ebook look like?"

  • As students share, capture their responses on the board, using the following layout as a guide:
    • A description of the process with an emphasis on research and rationale (why you wrote the narratives)
    • A paragraph about concrete and sensory language and dialogue engaging the reader in the narratives
    • A conclusion that restates the main points
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What did you do to find out about the rainforest? Which texts did you read?" (I read a lot of texts about the rainforest in Unit 1, and I read a lot from The Most Beautiful Roof in the World in Units 1 and 2, which describes the rainforest.)
  • Consider allowing students to draw a sketch or write a few key words instead of complete sentences to convey the gist of each paragraph. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: Ask students to identify prepositions and prepositional phrases within the model paragraph. This will reinforce prior learning and call their attention to accurate uses of prepositions as they plan their own paragraphs.
  • For ELLs: Using their vocabulary log, word clusters, and word maps for support, students can explore spelling and pronouncing aloud, various word forms, synonyms, definitions, translations, and collocations (words frequently used together) to increase understanding of note. Example:

note

N-O-T-E

note (n) a short informal letter or written message

note (v) notice or pay particular attention to something

nota in Spanish

take note, make note, sticky note, author's note, note to self, note in diary

  • For ELLs: Add illustrative prompts for each of the three paragraphs outlined in the layout. Example:
    • I wrote this narrative because _______. I researched different sources of information on the topic, including ________.
    • In order to engage my readers, I used ________.
    • In conclusion, by writing this narrative I hoped to show ________.

B. Partner Writing: Author's Note (30 minutes)

  • Distribute a new Informative Writing Checklist and briefly review the criteria. Students should be familiar with this checklist after their work on their literary analysis in Unit 2. Invite them to refer to the Performance Task anchor chart and the paragraph layout on the board to add any specific criteria they would like to remember for this particular piece of writing in the appropriate column.
  • Ensure students understand that they will work on this author's note with the partner they wrote their narrative with, and that they can help each other write the paragraphs about each of their narratives.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and remind them specifically of the collaboration criteria. Remind them that because they will work together to write an author's note, they need to be conscious of working effectively with others.
  • Encourage students to discuss the content of each paragraph, and then to say it aloud orally before actually writing it.
  • Invite students to retrieve their partner narrative drafts and return their End of Unit 3 Assessment, Parts I and II. Remind them that they will need to refer to these texts when writing their author's notes. Remind students to also refer to the academic and domain-specific word walls as they write.
  • Invite students to begin orally rehearsing and writing with their partners.
  • Circulate to assist students who have questions about the feedback on their End of Unit 3 Assessments.
  • As time allows, circulate to support students and ask the following questions to guide their work:

"How do readers know that they can trust the factual information in your narratives?"

"How did you engage the reader in your narrative? What evidence can you provide from your narratives to support your claims?"
  • For students who may need additional support self-monitoring their progress: Provide students with a checklist or graphic organizer that uses the layout for the author's note as described in the previous section (e.g., description of the process, paragraph about concrete and sensory language, etc.). (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: Help students negotiate information that they might add to their author's notes by providing negotiation phrases such as:
    • "That sounds good. In my opinion, however, _____."
    • "What if we _____?"
    • "Another thing I was thinking we might do is _____."
    • "I agree. And I would add that _____."
  • For ELLs: Rephrase questions while circulating so that all students fully understand the concepts. Examples:

"Will your readers believe the facts you tell them? How do you know?"

"How did you make your narrative interesting? Prove it."

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Small Group Share (10 minutes)

  • Invite pairs to join the pair sitting next to them to form a group of four. Ensure that all group members can see the technology necessary to view each pair's author's notes.
  • Post the following directions and read through them with students. Answer clarifying questions:
  1. Number yourselves 1-4.
  2. Group member 1 reads his or her author's note.
  3. Group members 2-4 think of one star (one thing you like about the author's note) and one step (one thing that could be improved). (Example: "I like your description of the research process, but could you provide more text examples in your paragraphs about your narratives?")
  4. Group members 2-4 share their stars and steps, taking turns.
  5. Repeat steps 2-4 with group members 2-4.
  6. All group members revise their work according to the stars they received (if they agree).
  • Invite students to begin sharing and revising.
  • After 10 minutes, invite students to return to their seats.
  • Refocus students on the learning target and invite them to show a red, yellow, or green marker to indicate how close they feel they are to meeting that target now, with red being a long way from meeting the target and green being fully meeting the standard. Scan the responses and make a note of students who may need more support with this moving forward.
  • Repeat, inviting students to self-assess against how well they collaborated in this lesson.
  • Minimize risk of public performance by allowing a student to work with a partner rather than a small group if necessary. (MME)
  • For ELLs: As groups of students interact, listen for language errors that are impeding communication. Sit with one group and discuss the language error and why it's impeding communication. Encourage the group to identify a clearer or more accurate way to express the communication.

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs

A. Bring from home, the library, or the class book selection a favorite story book (in any language) with a cover design that you find eye-catching and inspirational.

B. Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt to respond to in the front of your independent reading journal.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with reading and writing: Refer to the suggested homework support in Lesson 1. (MMAE, MMR)

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