Interdisciplinary Narrative Writing Unit

By: Michael Willis

Introduction•Grade Level

–4th

•Genre –Narrative Writing

•Content Area–Social Studies

•Slavery

Georgia 5th Grade Writing Assessment

• Improves writing and writing instruction

•Six stages of scoring–Emerging Experimenting–Developing Engaging–Focusing Extending

Pre-Assessment• Finds out where students stand

within writing• Can be used to help set goals• Prompts

– If you could move anywhere, where would you go?

– What job would you like to do? Explain.

Grouping Options for Teacher Needs

• Whole Group– All students can become engaged

• Individual– Assesses each student

• Groups– Students generate from each

other’s ideas– Helps improve social skills

Grouping Options for Student Needs

• Developmental Needs– Extra time to complete story map

• Cultural– Will be grouped in a group during

revising and editing stages• Linguistic

– Will be sitting next to teacher during all stages

Prewriting

•Getting ready to write stage•Determine topic, form,

audience, purpose–Slavery, narrative, classmates, to entertain

•Generate and organize ideas

Modeling

•Show teacher completed story map–No complete sentences–Didn’t use grammar, spelling, or punctuation

–Go over each section

Practice

•Complete story map together

•Shared-pen technique•“A day in the life of a slave”

Assessment

•Hand out blank story maps– Individually completed

•Leave teacher completed on projector

•Hand out scoring rubric and go over quickly with students

Modifications/ Accommodations

•Story map can be modified if needed

•If having trouble, the two bilingual students will be allowed to write in their native language

Graphic Organizer/Story Map

Scoring Rubric

Drafting• Beginning, middle, end• Focus on getting words onto

paper• Wide-ruled paper• Skip lines (write on lines with x

on them.)• Write name and draft at the top

Drafting

•Modeling–Completed draft–Let students read–Point out main points (skip lines, how I wrote my name, many errors.)

Drafting• Practice

– Hand out copy of class completed story map •Tell class this is what they will be

writing a story about– Write story with class– Focus on main points (skipped

lines, how name is written.)

Drafting• Assessment

– Individual– Hand out rubric to students and

go over it quickly– Remind students not to worry

about spelling or punctuation– Remind students about skipping

lines, how to write name

Drafting Scoring Rubric

Revising• Focus on content in paper• Author works on adding,

deleting, changing, and rearranging words

• Ask yourself, “Does this sound right?”

• Author needs to be confident of story.

• Get a peer to help

Revising• Modeling

– Teacher puts completed revised draft onto projector

– Point out the addition, deletion, changing, and rearranging of words

– Teacher had a peer revise paper while teacher made corrections he wanted to make

Revising• Practice

– Break students up into groups of 3– Groups revise class completed

rough draft– Remind students to just focus on

the content with adding, deleting, changing, and rearranging words

Revising• Assessment

– Hand out pens to students– Split students into pairs– Go over rubric with class and

hand out a copy– Read own individual paper and

make self-corrections– Switch with partner

Revising Rubric

Editing• Putting paper into final form• Work on mechanics • Spelling, punctuation, grammar,

etc.• Remind students about

thesauruses and dictionaries• Correct errors• Go over proofreader’s marks

Editing

•Modeling –Show teacher completed edited rough draft

–Show students how teacher focused on mechanics

–Point out proofreader’s marks

Editing• Practice

– Split into same groups of three that revised together

– Remind students to look for errors with mechanics and to look at the proofreader’s marks if needed

– Remind students of thesauruses and dictionaries

Editing

•Assessment–Hand out pens to students–Remind students of thesauruses and dictionaries

–Hand out the rubric to the students and quickly go over it.

Editing Rubric

Publishing

•Final stage•Paper is ready to be shared

with audience

Publishing• Modeling

– Go over teacher completed story with class.•Point out how problem is solved•Point out no errors

– Go over main points (how the paper is written)

– Single spaced

Publishing

•Practice–Students will split into their groups of 3

–All students will need to put in on writing the story

–Use best handwriting

Publishing

•Assessment– Individual–Best handwriting–Hand out rubric and go over quickly with class

Publishing Rubric