Independent Writing: Planning an Essay | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G5:M3:U3:L4

Independent Writing: Planning an Essay

In this Lesson

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RI.5.1: Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • RI.5.9: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
  • W.5.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
  • W.5.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • W.5.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
  • W.5.8: Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
  • L.5.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
  • L.5.1e: Use correlative conjunctions (e.g., either/or, neither/nor).
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Daily Learning Targets

  • I can plan an essay comparing and contrasting the factors that contributed to Jackie Robinson's success as a leader of social change and those that contributed to my athlete's success. (RI.5.9, W.5.2, W.5.4, W.5.6, W.5.8)
  • I can use correlative conjunctions correctly. (L.5.1e)

Ongoing Assessment

  • Essay comparing and contrasting Jackie Robinson and expert group athlete (RI.5.1, RI.5.9, W.5.2, W.5.4, W.5.6, W.5.8, L.5.1e)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Engaging the Reader: Model Essay (5 minutes)

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Independent Writing: Planning an Essay (30 minutes)

B. Language Dive: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Pair-Share: Essay Planning Graphic Organizer (5 minutes)

4. Homework

A. Complete the Language Dive Practice: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions in your Unit 2 Homework.

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

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In Work Time A, students plan their essay comparing and contrasting the factors that contributed to Jackie Robinson's success as a leader of social change with those of their expert group athlete (RI.5.1, RI.5.9, W.5.2, W.5.4, W.5.5, W.5.8).
  • In Work Time B, students participate in a Language Dive that guides them through the meaning of a sentence from the Model Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Jackie Robinson and Jim Abbott. The focus of this Language Dive is on comparing factors for success between two athletes, as well as using correlative conjunctions (L.5.1e). Students then apply their understanding of the meaning and structure of this sentence when writing about similarities between Jackie Robinson and their chosen athlete in their informational essays in upcoming lessons, and when demonstrating their ability to use correlative conjunctions on Part II of the End of Unit 3 Assessment. See the Tools page for additional information regarding a consistent Language Dive routine.
  • For students who require an additional challenge, remove the scaffolds from the Essay Planning graphic organizer and leave the boxes empty for students to use the model to determine what to include.
  • In this lesson, students focus on working to become effective learners and working to contribute to a better world, collaborating as they plan their essays, and considering how the leaders of social change used their strengths to help others.

How it builds on previous work:

  • In Lessons 2 and 3, students researched the factors that contributed to the success of their expert group athlete as a leader of change. They also identified the similarities and differences between the factors that contributed to Jackie Robinson's success as a leader of social change and those of their expert group athlete.
  • In Work Time A, students use the Informative Writing Checklist (W.5.2) as they plan their essays. Students will refer to this checklist throughout the writing process in this unit, building on their understanding of informative writing from previous modules and from Unit 1.

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Students needing additional support who worked with the modified model essay in the previous lesson should continue working with it in this lesson.
  • Some students may need additional support with choosing the information to include in their essays. Consider seating them in one group for teacher-guided support.

Assessment guidance:

  • Review student essay plans and determine any common issues to use as teaching points before students write their essays in the next lesson.
  • Consider using the Writing Informal Assessment: Writing Process (Grade 5) during students' writing in Work Time A (see the Tools page).

Down the road:

  • In the next lesson, students will use their plans to write an essay comparing and contrasting the factors that contributed to Jackie Robinson's success as a leader of social change with those of their expert group athlete.

In Advance

  • Review the Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart as needed (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2).
  • Preview the Language Dive Guide and consider how to invite conversation among students to address the language goals suggested under each sentence strip chunk (see supporting Materials). Select from the questions and goals provided to best meet your students' needs.
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see Materials list).

Tech and Multimedia

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-2 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 5.I.B.6, 5.I.C.12, 5.II.A.1, 5.II.A.2, 5.II.A.3, 5.II.A.4, 5.II.A.5, 5.II.C.6, and 5.II.C.7

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs by following the same routine for planning an essay as in Unit 2, Lesson 10; building on students' research from Lessons 2 and 3 in identifying similarities and differences between their athlete and Jackie Robinson; continuing to focus on factors for success, started in Unit 1; and allowing students to work in pairs or triads to plan their essays.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to go from analyzing the model essay to planning their own informative essays in Work Time A, without having seen this process modeled. Additionally, they may find it confusing that the introduction paragraph again includes points 1 and 2, after having been omitted in Unit 2 for opinion writing. Be transparent that informative writing includes points 1 and 2 in the introduction paragraph, as learned in Modules 1-2 (see "Levels of support" and Meeting Students' Needs).

Levels of support

For lighter support:

  • Encourage students to use the focus structure from the Mini Language Dive in Lesson 2 and 3, but there were some key differences, to support students in including points 1 and 2 in their focus statements. Invite students to refer to the Linking Words and Phrases chart (from Lesson 1, For heavier support) to think of additional linking language they could use to write their focus statement.

For heavier support:

  • Consider color-coding the text in the displayed Essay Planning graphic organizer to match the corresponding information in the Painted Essay template, signaling the information that goes in each section.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Similar to Unit 2, this lesson offers a variety of visual anchors to cue students' thinking. Continue to support students by creating additional or individual anchor charts for reference and charting student responses during whole class discussions to aid in comprehension.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support a range of fine motor abilities and writing need by offering students options for writing utensils. Also consider supporting students' expressive skills by offering partial dictation of student responses.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Invite students to reflect on their learning from previous lessons in which they compared similarities and differences to help them understand the value and relevance of the activities in this lesson. Continue to provide prompts and sentences frames for those students who require them.

Vocabulary

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

  • social change, correlative conjunctions (L)

Materials

  • Model Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Jackie Robinson and Jim Abbott (from Lessons 2 and 3; one per student)
  • Modified Model Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Jackie Robinson and Jim Abbott (from Lesson 2 and 3; optional; for students needing additional support; see Teaching Notes)
  • Working to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Informative Writing Checklist (one per student and one to display)
  • Informative Writing Checklist (example, for teacher reference)
  • Essay Planning graphic organizer (one per student and one to display)
  • Essay Planning graphic organizer (example, for teacher reference)
  • Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart (begun in Module 1)
  • Research note-catcher (completed in Lessons 2 and 3; one per student)
  • Comparison to Jackie Robinson note-catcher (from Lessons 2 and 3; one per student)
  • Language Dive Guide: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions (for teacher reference)
    • Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (begun in Unit 1, Lesson 2)
    • Language Dive Chunk Chart: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions (for teacher reference)
    • Correlative Conjunctions handout (one per student and one to display)
    • Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions (one to display)
    • Language Dive Note-catcher: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions (one per student and one to display)

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

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Engaging the Reader: Model Essay (5 minutes)

  • Invite students to retrieve their Model Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Jackie Robinson and Jim Abbott or their Modified Model Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Jackie Robinson and Jim Abbott.
  • Remind them of the question at the top of the essay and invite a volunteer to read it aloud:
    • "What are the similarities and differences between the factors that contributed to the success of Jim Abbott as a leader of social change and those of Jackie Robinson?"
  • Invite students to read along silently in their heads as you read the model aloud.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is this text about?" (the similarities and differences between the factors that contributed to the success of Jim Abbott as a leader of social change and those of Jackie Robinson)

  • Remind students of the Working to Contribute to a Better World anchor chart and that people like Jackie Robinson and Jim Abbott who were leaders of social change were working to contribute to a better world, particularly using their strengths to help others.
  • For students who may be overwhelmed by too much print on a page: Reduce anxiety and support sustained effort by offering a copy of the model essay with one paragraph per page. (MMR, MME)
  • For ELLs: (Enlarged Model Essay: Referencing for Linking Language) Display the enlarged model essay (see Lessons 2 and 3, For heavier support) while reading it aloud, and review the linking words and phrases that signal comparison and contrast, highlighted in Lessons 2 and 3. Invite students to make a gesture each time one of these words or phrases is read. For example, students can clasp their hands together when a linking word or phrase signaling comparison is read (Both, and, Similarly, Another), and take their hands apart when a linking word or phrase signaling contrast is read (While, however, more ____ than ____). Write the highlighted linking language in the margins next to the corresponding paragraph, and encourage students to use them as they discuss and write about similarities and differences throughout the unit.

B. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and select a volunteer to read them aloud:

"I can plan an essay comparing and contrasting the factors that contributed to Jackie Robinson's success as a leader of social change and those that contributed to my athlete's success."

"I can use correlative conjunctions correctly."

  • Focus students on the first learning target. Remind them that they saw a similar learning target in the previous lessons; however, now they are planning an essay that compares and contrasts the factors that contributed to Jackie Robinson's success as a leader of social change with those of their expert group athlete.
  • Remind students of what social change means.
  • Focus them on the second learning target and underline the words correlative conjunctions. Tell students that they will learn more about what these words mean in a Language Dive later in the lesson.
  • For ELLs: (Morphology: Affixes and Root Words) Invite ELLs to notice a common root word or affix in the word correlative in order to determine its meaning. Remind students that a root word is the part of a word that holds its basic meaning, and an affix is what is added to the beginning or end of a word to modify its meaning (prefix=co [together]; root=relate [to connect to something]; suffix=ive [inclined/tending toward an action]; correlative=connecting or belonging together). Explain that correlative conjunctions are words that are used together to connect words, phrases, and sentences.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Independent Writing: Planning an Essay (30 minutes)

  • Invite students to pair up with someone who researched the same athlete in Lessons 2 and 3. If necessary, students can work in triads.
  • Distribute the Informative Writing Checklist and remind students they have used this checklist in previous modules.
  • Invite pairs to read through criterion on the checklist together and then to use the Model Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Jackie Robinson and Jim Abbott to help them determine specific criteria for the essay they will write comparing Jackie Robinson to their expert group athlete, and to record the criteria in the third column:
    • "Criteria of an essay comparing and contrasting Jackie Robinson and my expert group athlete"
  • After 10 minutes, use total participation techniques to select students to share out their specific criteria. Refer to Informative Writing Checklist (example, for teacher reference) as necessary. Invite students to add or revise their criteria as they hear from the rest of the group.
  • Refocus students on the Model Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Jackie Robinson and Jim Abbott. Remind them that they are going to write an essay similar to this for their expert group athlete, so instead of being about Jim Abbott, their essay will be about their expert group athlete.
  • Distribute and display the Essay Planning graphic organizer. Tell students that they only need to write notes on this organizer, because it is just a chance for them to think through the information they want to include in each paragraph. Point out that the organizer shows them what information to include and how much.
  • Invite students to use the model essay to help you complete the displayed Essay Planning graphic organizer for Jim Abbott. Refer to Essay Planning graphic organizer (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Tell students that they are going to work in pairs or triads to plan their essays.
  • Focus students on the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart and invite them to reread it silently. Tell students to choose a habit to focus on as they work with their partner today.
  • Remind students to refer to their Research note-catcher and Comparison to Jackie Robinson note-catcher from the previous two lessons. Tell students that if they don't have three significant achievements, or two similarities or differences, they are to include as many as they do have. The planning organizer is only to help them organize their thinking in preparation to write.
  • Circulate to support students in choosing the information they want to include in their essays.
  • When 3 minutes remain, refocus whole group. Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the first learning target, and against the habit from the Working to Become Effective Learners anchor chart they decided to focus on today.
  • For students who may need additional support with fine motor skills: Provide options for expression by offering a graphic organizer that includes lines within each box. (MMAE)
  • For ELLs: (Concrete, Corresponding Examples) Include an example for each criterion on the Informative Writing Checklist, providing students with concrete, corresponding examples to refer to. (Example: I use linking words to show how ideas and information connect. Linking words = similarly, another, also; while, however, but ...) Invite students to refer to the Linking Words and Phrases chart for additional examples of language they can use to connect ideas, and add new examples to the chart as they come up.
  • For ELLs: (Modeling and Thinking Aloud: Filling in Graphic Organizer) Display the enlarged model essay next to the displayed Essay Planning graphic organizer. Model and think aloud filling in the graphic organizer with the corresponding components of the model essay, providing students with concrete examples of the type of information that will go in each section.

B. Language Dive: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions (15 minutes)

  • Tell students they will now participate in a Language Dive using the same format from Unit 1.
  • Focus students' attention on the Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"What is one question you can ask during a Language Dive?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Reread the second paragraph of the Model Essay: Comparing and Contrasting Jackie Robinson and Jim Abbott.
  • Focus on the sentence:
    • "Both Jackie Robinson and Jim Abbott faced adversity with courage and persistence, and neither person gave up on his dreams despite the negative words and actions of others."
  • Use the Language Dive Guide: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions and Language Dive Chunk Chart: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions to guide students through a Language Dive of the sentence. Refer to the guide for the use of the Language Dive Correlative Conjunctions handout. Distribute and display the Language Dive Note-catcher: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions and Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions.
  • Use a checking for understanding technique (e.g., Red Light, Green Light or Thumb-O-Meter) for students to self-assess against the second learning target and how well they worked to become an effective learner today.
  • For ELLs: (Linking Words and Phrases Chart: Adding Examples) Consider adding the correlative conjunctions from the Correlative Conjunctions handout to the bottom of the Linking Words and Phrases chart (see Lesson 1, For lighter support) for students to reference as they write their essays in the upcoming lessons.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Pair-Share: Essay Planning Graphic Organizer (5 minutes)

  • Invite students to partner up with someone new and to label themselves A and B.
  • Post and review the following directions:
  1. Partner B presents his or her Essay Planning graphic organizer to partner A in 90 seconds or less.
  2. Partner A shares any feedback or suggestions based on criteria from the Informative Writing Checklist in 60 seconds or less.
  3. Partners switch roles and repeat this process.
  • Answer clarifying questions.
  • Invite students to begin. Circulate to support them as they share.
  • For students who may need additional support with comprehension and engagement: Invite students to share one way that they provided kind, helpful, and specific feedback to a partner in previous lessons. (MMR, MME)
  • For ELLs: (Home Languages) Invite students to share kind, helpful, or specific comments in their home languages.

Homework

HomeworkMeeting Students' Needs
  • Complete the Language Dive Practice: Model Essay: Correlative Conjunctions in your Unit 2 Homework.
  • Accountable Research Reading. Select a prompt and respond in the front of your independent reading journal.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with writing: (Oral Response) Read aloud, discuss, and respond to your prompt orally, either with a partner, a family member, or a student from Grades 4 or 6, or record an audio response. (MMAE)

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