Writing and Speaking: Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Independent Writing | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA GK:M4:U3:L3

Writing and Speaking: Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Independent Writing

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • W.K.1: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite book is...).
  • W.K.8: With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
  • SL.K.1a: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).
  • SL.K.4: Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
  • SL.K.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
  • SL.K.6: Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
  • L.K.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
  • L.K.2a: Capitalize the first word in a sentence and the pronoun I.
  • L.K.2b: Recognize and name end punctuation.

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can draw a detailed picture to match my writing and share more information about a topic. (W.K.1, W.K.8, SL.K.4, SL.K.5, L.K.2a, L.K.2b)
  • I can describe details in my drawings in order to share more information about why trees are nice. (W.K.1, W.K.8, SL.K.1a, SL.K.4, SL.K.5, SL.K.6)

Ongoing Assessment

  • During Part I of the Unit 3 Assessment in Work Time C, circulate to ask questions and use the Speaking and Listening Checklist to assess progress toward SL.K.5 (see Assessment Overview and Resources).

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Poem and Movement: "Trees in our Community" (10 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Independent and Shared Writing: Creating a Detailed Drawing (15 minutes)

B. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol: Reasons a Tree Is Nice (10 minutes)

C. Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice (20 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards: 

  • In the Opening and Closing, students review songs that they have learned throughout Modules 3-4 to build fluency and prepare students for the End of Module Celebration.
  • In Work Time A, students learn to add detailed pictures to their drawings to include more detailed information than is carried in the meaning of their writing. They complete shared writing as a class and see the teacher model how to draw a picture that matches the words but includes additional details.
  • In Work Time A, as the teacher writes the model sentence, use a lowercase letter for the first word in the sentence and do not include a period at the end of the sentence. This writing will be used to teach students how to edit their work in Lesson 7.
  • In Work Time C, students use what they learned in Work Time A to complete Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice.
  • The Unit 3 Assessment is broken up into two parts to give the teacher additional opportunities to assess students on SL.K.5. Consider selecting students who have not yet shown mastery of the standard to assess first.

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • Students use the Reasons to Plant a Tree anchor chart to complete the independent and shared writing in Work Time A as well as their own independent writing in Work Time C, when they complete the writing and drawing for the Unit 3 Assessment.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • During independent writing in Work Time C, remind students to use the classroom resources, such as Word Walls, anchor charts, and texts, to improve their writing. Consider allowing students to select a work area in the room that allows them to best use the resources they need.
  • If students need additional time to complete their Unit 3 Assessment, Part I in Work Time C, consider omitting 5 minutes from one of the agenda steps to give students additional time to write and draw.

Down the road:

  • In Lessons 4-6, students will continue to use and reference the Model Unit 3 Assessment, Part I created during independent and shared writing in Work Time A.
  • Photocopy each student's Unit 3 Assessment, Part I for use in Lessons 4-7. Students will use a photocopy of their assessment to select what part of the tree they will choose as the subject for their detailed, zoom-in drawing. Keep students' original Unit 3 Assessment, Part I as a work sample for student mastery of SL.K.5.
  • In Lesson 4, students will complete Unit 3 Assessment, Part II: Why a Tree Is Nice. They will share their writing and drawing with a partner to give teachers additional opportunities to assess SL.K.5.
  • In Lesson 4, students also will learn how to "zoom in" on part of their drawing to select a tree part to be the subject of their performance task.
  • In Lessons 5-10, students will continue to create their artwork through a series of lessons that lead students through sketching, outlining, and watercoloring.
  • In Lesson 6-7, students will revise and then edit the writing from their Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice.

In Advance

  • Prepare student workspaces with materials for independent writing in Work Time C: Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice, pencils, and colored pencils.
  • Post: Learning targets, "Trees in Our Community," and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-3 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 by in part by CA ELD Standards K.I.A.3, K.I.C.9, and K.I.C.10

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with opportunities to review vocabulary and syntax from "Trees in Our Community" and to demonstrate their learning through writing, drawing, and talking about their drawing. 
  • ELLs may find it challenging to describe the details in their drawings. To give them a chance to practice as a group, consider selecting a page from We Planted a Tree and asking students to describe the details in the drawing (see levels of support).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • In Work Time C, invite students to share where, why, and how the teacher is adding details. Encourage them to suggest frames they could use to speak in complete sentences. (Examples: "I notice that" or "I observe that.")

For heavier support:

  • During Work Time A, use page 23 of We Planted a Tree to model what it sounds like to give a simple explanation and what it sounds like to add details. Ask them if "This is a tree where animals live" is a sentence with enough details. Encourage students to add details. (Examples: "The squirrel is running after the acorn. The owl is hiding in the hole. The bird is sitting on the branch.")

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to embed support for unfamiliar vocabulary by providing explanation and visual examples. This will help students make connections and support comprehension.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support strategy during independent writing by modeling how to physically touch the words/spaces on the sentence frame and draw lines for additional words you intend to write. This helps students recall their original ideas later in the writing process.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Continue to foster collaboration and community by providing prompts that guide students in knowing when and how to ask classmates or teachers for help.

Vocabulary

N/A

Materials

  • "Trees in Our Community" (from Unit 2, Lesson 1; one per student and one to display)
  • Reasons to Plant a Tree anchor chart (begun in Unit 2, Lesson 3)
  • Sentence strip (one; used by the teacher to connect the idea of planting trees and why a tree is nice during Work Time A) 
  • Clipboards (one per student)
  • Paper (lined; one piece per student)
  • Pencils (one per student)
  • Model Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice (one to display; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Model Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice (example, for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice (one per student; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Colored pencils (class set; a variety of colors per student)
  • Speaking and Listening Checklist (for teacher reference; see Assessment Overview and Resources)
  • Tree Stretch chart (from Unit 1, Lesson 3; one to display)

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.

Opening

Opening

A. Poem and Movement: "Trees in Our Community" (10 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Display "Trees in Our Community" and read the title.
  • With excitement, tell students that they will spend some time reading and using the different poems and songs that they have learned while they have been studying trees.
  • Follow the same routine from the Opening of Lesson 2 to guide students through reading the poem:
    • Invite students to read the poem aloud with you as you point to the words.
    • Distribute "Trees in Our Community." 
    • Tell students you will read the poem again slowly, and invite them to point to the words on their own student copy as you point to the words on the classroom copy.
    • Read the poem slowly but with expression as you point to the words.
    • Tell students that the more they practice, the faster they will be reading the poem.
    • Reread the poem, slightly increasing the pace each time as time allows.
  • Collect student poems for later use.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Independent and Shared Writing: Creating a Detailed Drawing (15 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Tell students that, today, they will be working on sharing information about how and why trees are nice. Explain that just like in the texts they read, their writing will include a reason why trees are nice and a picture with details related to their reason. Go on to explain that the pictures they draw to match their sentences can hold a lot of information, sometimes more than just the words alone!
  • Direct students' attention to the learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can draw a detailed picture to match my writing and share more information about a topic."

  • Tell students that artwork often has a lot of details. When you want your drawing to teach others new information, it is important to pack your drawing full of details that will help readers understand what you are trying to say. Today, they will learn how to create a detailed picture to match a sentence that they will write.
  • Direct students' attention to Reasons to Plant a Tree anchor chart and read it aloud. Invite students to read the chart aloud with you and act out each bullet from their seat so they can remember the many reasons they have discovered about why people plant trees. 
  • Display a sentence strip that says "Trees are nice because ..." and tell students that they will use this sentence starter to write a sentence that teaches others why trees are nice. 
  • Think aloud as you choose the reason "Trees make the world better," and tell students you think this is important for the community to know and that it is a great reason why trees are nice--so this will be the information that you put in your sentence and your detailed drawing. ("Trees are nice because they make the world better.")
  • Tell students that everyone will practice writing this reason that trees are nice together. They will also draw at least one detail in a drawing before you teach them how to include many details in the drawing.
  • Distribute clipboards with writing paper attached and pencils to each student. Invite them to use the sentence strip and the Reasons to Plant a Tree anchor chart to write their sentence.
  • Circulate as students work to help them by pointing out the sentence strip and anchor chart. Encourage students to begin a drawing that includes at least one detail that matches their sentence.
  • As students finish, collect their writing to help determine which students may need additional support with writing their sentence for the Unit 3 Assessment, Part I.
  • Refocus students.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What sentence could I write to share this information about how trees are nice?" (Trees are nice because they make the world better.)

  • Write "trees are nice because they make the world better" on the Model Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice. Write your sentence without upper case letters and punctuation so you can model editing later. Refer to Model Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Tell students that you will now model how to create a detailed drawing to match the words that includes as much information as possible about how trees make the world better. 
  • Think aloud as you draw a picture that shows how trees make the world better, and narrate the ideas that you can include in your drawing that the reader would not gather from your writing alone. (It could include: people sitting in the shade; people breathing clean air; animals/people getting food from trees, etc.)
  • Tell students that they can include many details in their drawings, too, because the more details they add, the better other people in the community can understand the information they are trying to share. Emphasize that although having a lot of details is good, they should also be sure these details match the reason in their writing.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with planning: (Learning Target: Unpacking the Steps) Consider providing visuals above each step, then numbering and unpacking each part of the learning target. (Example: 1. Writing 2. Drawing 3. Talking about your drawing.) Ask students to count with you what the steps are and repeat them together before modeling. (MMAE)
  • For students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for written expression: Invite students to share their sentence verbally before writing. (MMAE)

B. Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face Protocol: Reasons a Tree Is Nice (10 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Offer students specific, positive feedback about how they helped write a reason that trees are nice and focused to see how to include a lot of important information in their drawings. 
  • Tell students that they will now choose their own reason from the Reasons to Plant a Tree anchor chart that is different from the one they wrote together in their shared writing. In a moment they will get to write their own sentence about their favorite reason a tree is nice and create a detailed drawing to match it.  
  • Direct students' attention to the Reasons to Plant a Tree anchor chart. 
  • Remove the reason "Trees make the world better" from the anchor chart and remind students that because they already wrote about this reason together, they will choose a different reason to write and draw about.
  • Invite students to silently choose their favorite reason that trees are nice.
  • Tell students that before they write and draw, they are going to go through two rounds of the Back-to-Back and Face-to-Face protocol to prepare to write their sentence and create a detailed drawing. Remind them that they used this protocol in Module 3 and in Units 1-2 of Module 4, 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. 
  • Guide students through two rounds of the protocol using the following prompts:

"What is the reason that trees are nice that you will include in your writing?"

"What details will you include in your drawing that will teach your reader even more information?"

  • As students discuss, circulate to help them, using the sentence starter "Trees are nice because ..." and encourage them to describe more than one detail to include in their drawing.
  • When students are finished discussing, refocus whole group.
  • Tell students they will now have a chance to write the reason they chose to explain that trees are nice and to draw with a picture to match the sentence.
  • For ELLs: (Partner Share-out) Invite students to share what their partner said to provide practice with attentive listening and the third person. 
  • For students who may need additional support with verbal expression: Invite students to write their reason before sharing in the protocol. (MMAE)

C. Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice (20 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

"I can describe details in my drawings in order to share more information about why trees are nice."

  • Tell students that in order to meet this target, they will they work on their sentence about the reason trees are nice that they think is best and draw a detailed picture to add more information related to their written reason. Tell students you will be walking around to ask them how the details in their drawings add more information to their writing.
  • Remind students to complete the sentence frame "A tree is nice because ..." in their writing.
  • Transition students to their workspaces and point out the Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice, pencils, and colored pencils.
  • Invite students to begin writing. Circulate to track student mastery toward SL.K.5 on the Speaking and Listening Checklist. Ask:

"How does your drawing show a tree is nice?"

"What details are in your drawing that we couldn't learn from your writing alone?"

  • As students finish writing, collect their Unit 3 Assessment, Part I: Why a Tree Is Nice sheets.
  • Tell students that will have another opportunity to describe the details in their drawing during the next lesson, and that you are excited to see everything that they wanted to share.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Giving Directions) Ensure that ELLs clearly understand all assessment directions. Rephrase directions as needed. Monitor during the assessment to see that students are completing the assessment correctly. Stop students who are on the wrong track and make sure they understand the directions. (MMR, MMAE)
  • For students who may need additional support with organizing for written expression: Allow students to discuss and rehearse their sentence before writing. (MMAE)

Closing & Assessments

Closing

A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

  • Refocus whole group.
  • Remind students that they learned a lot about how to include extra information in their drawings so that people who read their writing can learn even more about how trees are nice.
  • Tell students to think back to the reason that trees are nice that they chose to share in their writing and drawing. Ask them to choose details that they included in their drawing that were not in their writing and share this information with an elbow partner.
  • Turn and Talk:

"What reason did you write about, and what two details did you include in your drawing?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Invite a few students to share out.
  • Tell students that they will continue to think about how they can share that trees are nice with their community in the next several lessons.

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