Common Core Middle SchoolLaunching Narrative Writing Unit
7th gradeProfessional Development Module Handouts
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Launching the Writer’s Workshop Unit Learning Progression
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Grade Level 2 3 4 5Text Personal Narrative & Craft Units 1 &
2Mentor Texts:
Owl MoonJane Yolen
Night at the FairDonald Crews
The Rain StomperAddie Boswell
Song and Dance ManKaren Ackerman
Or other mentor text(listed in unit)
Personal Narrative Units 1 & 2
Mentor Texts:Shortcut; Big Mama’s by Donald
Crews or other mentor texts
Raising the Bar: Personal NarrativeMentor Text:
Through Grandpa’s Eyes by PatriciaMcLaughlan,
The Summer My Father was Ten byPat Brisson,
An Angel for Solomon Singer byCynthia Rylant,
or other mentor texts
Refining the Personal NarrativeMentor Text:
Time of WonderBy Robert McCloskeyMr. Peabody’s ApplesBy Madonna Ritchie
A Day’s WorkBy Eve Bunting
Or other mentor texts
Analysis • Navigate through the writing process using important moments from their life
• Write well-elaborated short stories
Crafting a Personal Narrative Improving a Personal Narrative Improving the quality of PersonalNarrative
Becoming a Community of Writers Establishing Routines, Setting Up Writer’s Workshop, Writing a Personal Narrative
Establishing Routines, Setting Up Writer’s Workshop, Writing a Personal Narrative
Establishing Routines, Setting Up Writer’s Workshop, Writing a Personal Narrative
Establishing Routines, Setting Up Writer’s Workshop, Writing, revising, editing and publishing Personal Narrative
Generating a Small Moment Story • Explore strong feelings to generate story ideas
• Zoom in on a topic
• Develop sense of story through sketching
• Use graphic organizers to plan stories
• Focus on small moments
• Using list to generate ideas
• Think about the heart of the story
• Use of mentor text and authors to get ideas/frame writing
• Rehearse stories through storyteller’s voice
• Using strategies to generate story ideas: person, place, object
• Focusing on small moments
• Writing step by step in the moment
• Using timelines or fingers to plan your story
• Writing with small details
• Making a movie in your mind--visualizing
• Generating and experimenting with writer’s notebook entries
• Learning from mentor texts
• Reading like a writer
• Finding the heart of the story
• Understanding our role in a conference
• Using strategies to generate storyideas: person, place, object
• Focusing on small moments
• Making a movie in your mind--visualizing
• Writing with tiny details
• Using lists to generate clear, small moments
• Generating and experimenting with writer’s notebook entries
• Learning from mentor texts
• Writing for readers
• Using strong emotions to generate story ideas
• Thinking of turning points to generate story ideas
• Mining writer’s notebooks
• Using mentor text to generate ideas
• Use notebook to generate and develop ideas to include mentor craft techniques in personal writing
• Analyze mentor text for crafting techniques
• Focus on small moments and elaborating
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Grade Level 2 3 4 5Drafting • Plan or rehearse story orally or
pictorially
• Consider a storyteller’s voice
• Zoom in on a topic to find a smallmoment
• Catchy leads
• Include details
• Show not tell
• Strong ending
• Use of mentor text and authors for style and crafting
• Finding notebook entries that matter to the writer
• Committing to a topic or idea
• Writing the internal and external story
• Consider external and internal traits of characters
• Use of a story mountain to plan and sequence events
• Consider point of view
• Elaborating on ideas to write longer more meaningful narratives
• Crafting strong story leads: action,setting, description, dialogue, or thoughts
• Using mentor texts to study leads and endings
• Closing with strong endings: action, dialogue, thoughts, images, and whole-story reminders
• Adding sensory words
• Adding dialogue
• Read like a writer.
• Using exact details and specific words to recognize and write concrete words and phrases.
• Using concrete words, phrases to create scenes rather than summaries.
• Using sensory details to help the reader experience the story
• Plan stories using a story mountain
• Use mentor texts to study the heart of the story or turning point
• Develop/consider perspective
• Use of line breaks, shape, imagery, literary devices to express clarity of thought (poetry)
• Experiment with rhythm of words (poetry)
• Determine the heart of the story
• Organize using a story mountain
• Describe characters using detail and figurative language
• Use dialogue, description and pacing to develop experiences and events
• Precise word choice and movement through time to convey experiences and events
• Elaborating beyond one sentence forming paragraphs
Revising and Editing • Relive or re-create events to show, not tell
• Use revision checklist
• Use word wall
• Editing checklist
• Work effectively with writing partner
• Making revision a habit
• Develop a purpose to revise
• Introduce mechanics of revision
• Specific revisions include: characters, show not tell, determining importance, word choice
• Writers create scenes rather than summaries
• Using descriptive details and specific words
• Encourage more sophisticated sentence structure for effect
• Combining short sentences to include variety
• Revising for internal thinking, emotions, reasons
• Revise stories for meaning—reread to make sense
• Use of literary devices such as repetition to emphasize action or idea in story
• Edit for capitalization, end
• Create scenes rather than summaries
• Create alternate leads and conclusions
• Bringing forth the internal story
• Elaborating ideas
• Revising leads
• Revising conclusions
• Attend to meaning and clarity
• Use of editing/revision checklists
• Eliminate extraneous details from writing
• Word choice for clarity and meaning to include phrases and clauses
• Improve leads and conclusions based on mentor texts
• Edit for capitalization, end punctuation, and spelling of high-frequency words
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SESSION 3Questions List to Use When Planning Your Memoir: What the Reader will Need or Want to Know
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Questions for memoirs when the subject is a person:1. How long have you known this person?2. When did you first meet and how did you meet?3. What do you like about this person?4. How has this person helped you?5. Is there one thing that he or she always says?6. How do you feel about this person?7. What have you learned from this person?8. What’s the first thing you notice when you see this person?
Questions for memoirs when the subject is a place:1. What are your feelings when you think about this place?2. When was the first time that you went to this place?3. What’s you favorite thing to do in this place?4. Who else comes to this place?5. If you could change one thing about this place, what would it be?6. How often do you go there?7. Does everyone feel like you do about this place?8. Is this place the same today as it was in the past?9. What’s the most important object in this place? Why?
Questions for memoirs when the subject is an animal (pet):1. What physical feature of this animal do you like the best?2. What’s the first thing you notice about this animal when you see him?3. Pretend this animal is with you right now. Close your eyes. What would you be doing with it?4. What is this animal’s favorite thing to do?5. When did you get it?6. How did you get it?7. How do you feel when you are with it?8. Does everyone feel the way you do about this animal?9. What’s one funny thing that it does?10. How does this animal help you or how do you help it?
Questions for a memoir when the subject is an object:1. How did you get this object?2. How long have you had it?3. How do you feel when you’re with it?4. Where is it right now?5. Has it changed any since you first got it?
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6. What’s your favorite thing to do with it?7. Does everyone feel like you do about this object?8. How has it helped you?9. Is there a time when you really need it?10. What if you lost it?
http://web2.jefferson.k12.ky.us/CCG/supp/MS_Memoir.PDF
SESSION 3
Name__________________________________________________Date______________Hour______
What Am I Going to Write About?
Memoirs include events, experiences and emotional shifts that make the story important to the author. These emotions lead to a new understanding or realization about being in the world. Now that you have created maps of your world, what events are you considering writing about for your memoir? What new understandings or realizations have you experienced?
Using your map(s) to guide you, generate ideas from different events/experiences in your life that may help you choose a topic for your memoir.
Event/Experience from your life Your response to theevent/experience
New understanding orrealization?
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SESSION 6Name___________________________________________________________________Date_______________________Hour_________
MEMOIR STRUCTURE
Fill in the chart, explaining with details from the text on the author’s experience.
Title ofMemoir
Before EventHow was the author
feeling or dealing withlife?
EventWhat happened thatchanged the author?
After EventNow how was the authorfeeling or dealing with
life?
Learning orRealization
What did the author learnor realize from this
experience?
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Name___________________________Date________________Hour___________
Memoir RubricContent High Medium Low
MemorableMoment
Clear memorablemoment.
Memorable momentis somewhat clear. Memorable
moment isunclear.
NewUnderstanding or
Realization
The writer has madeclear what they havelearned or realized
from this memorablemoment.
The writer has madeit somewhat clearwhat they have
learned or realizedfrom this memorable
moment.
Meaning orlearning is
unclear from theexperience.
Structure/Organization of
Memoir
Writer showsattitudes and feelings
through eventsBEFORE the moment,
during themeaningful moment
and AFTER themoment.
Writer somewhatshows attitudes and
feelings throughevents BEFORE themoment, during themeaningful moment
and AFTER themoment.
Writer is not ableto show attitudes
and feelingsthrough events
BEFORE themoment, duringthe meaningfulmoment andAFTER themoment.
Style/Voice
Meaning is shownthrough severalliterary devices
weaved into textincluding similes,
metaphors,personification and
onomatopoeia.
Meaning is shownthrough few literarydevices weaved into
text including similes,metaphors,
personification andonomatopoeia.
Limited use ofliterary devices.
Weak contributionto meaning.
Mechanics
Demonstrates solidgrasp of standard
writing conventionsand uses them
effectively.
Writer showsreasonable control
over a limited rangeof standard writing
conventions
Errors distract thereader and makethe text difficult
to read.
Total Points____________ Final Grade_____________
Teacher’s Comments:
Common Core Launching Narrative Writing – Handouts for PD Module Page 13