Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3

Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Unit Title: Writing Realistic Fiction Duration: 4 weeks Concepts: 1. Writers generate ideas for realistic fiction stories. 2. Writers plan ideas for realistic fiction stories. 3. Writers learn strategies for drafting realistic fiction stories. 4. Writers learn strategies for revising and editing realistic fiction stories. 5. Writers publish realistic fiction stories. Materials to be provided by the teacher: Professional Resources: 1. On-Demand Realistic Fiction Writing 1. Lucy Calkins and M. Colleen Cruz, Lucy Calkins Pre/Post-Assessment Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3-5, 2. Writer’s notebooks Book 4: Writing Fiction: Big Dreams, Tall 3. Writing folders with notebook paper Ambitions, Heinemann, 2006 4. Chart paper and marker 2. Lucy Calkins, A Curricular Plan for the Writing 5. Paper for final drafts Workshop, Grade 3, 2011-2012, Heinemann, 2011Materials to be produced by the teacher: Mentor Text: 1. Class chart: 1. Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories 2. Enlarged copies of the following:  Realistic Fiction Revision/Editing Checklist 3. Individual copies of the following for each student:  Student charts for most sessions to be cut out and affixed to the pages in the students’ writer’s notebooks  Realistic Fiction Revision/Editing Checklist  Realistic Fiction Conferring Checklist  Realistic Fiction Assessment RubricThis document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 1 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Please read these notes before beginning this unit as they provide integral information for completing this unit with success.Unit Introduction: Students are likely to have greater success writing realistic fiction if they see the connection between the strategies they learned when writing personal narratives and the writing they will do in this unit. Remind students to use all they know about writing an effective personal narrative as they write realistic fiction stories. Students should also be reading at least part of the time from the fiction genre while they are writing realistic fiction stories. Assessment: 1. Administer the on-demand assessment prior to beginning this unit and score the students’ writing using the Realistic Fiction Assessment Rubric at the end of this unit. Have students use these pieces as a starting point, and compare them to the narrative entries they create in this unit. At the conclusion of the unit, administer the same on-demand assessment and look for improvements in your students’ development as writers. 2. Use the Realistic Fiction Conferring Checklist throughout this unit to informally assess your students. 3. At the end of the unit, the students will use the Realistic Fiction Revision/Editing Checklist to self-assess their writing. The teacher can also use this form to assess students’ writing. Resources and Materials: 1. Read the story Amelia’s Road, by Linda Jacobs Altman, aloud prior to the start of this unit. In many of the sessions in this unit, you will be referring back to certain sections of the text as models of good writing. 2. Refer to any of your favorite texts for examples of narrative writing techniques and character development. 3. A completed class chart for each of the teaching points in this unit is included following these notes. A cumulative class chart is also included with each session. Additionally, detailed student charts that correspond with many sessions are included in a size appropriate for students to cut out and glue or tape into their reader’s notebooks. 4. You might also choose to create permanent classroom class charts by adding new strategies as you go. If you use a document camera to share the class charts from this unit, also create classroom class charts so students can refer to them later. Best Practice: 1. Spend more than one day per session as needed in your classroom. Remember that all teachers and classes are different, and you will want to make adjustments to the sessions, to the sequence of the sessions, and to the number of days you spend on a session as necessary. Other: 1. A special thank you goes out to all authors of professional resources cited in this unit for their insights and ideas.Overview of Sessions – Teaching and Learning Points Aligned with the Common Core This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 2 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Concept: Writers generate ideas for realistic fiction stories. CCSS: W.3.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dSession 1: Writers generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in their lives. CCSS: W.3.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dSession 2: Writers create story plans that are believable. CCSS: W.3.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dConcept: Writers plan ideas for realistic fiction stories. CCSS: W.3.3a, W.3.3b, W.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dSession 3: Writers create believable characters that fit with their story plan. CCSS: W.3.3b, W.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dSession 4: Writers create a conflict that is believable. CCSS: W.3.3a, W.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dSession 5: Writers plan and organize a story using a story mountain. CCSS: W.3.3a, W.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dConcept: Writers learn strategies for drafting their realistic fiction stories. CCSS: W.3.3a, W.3.3b, W.3.3d, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dSession 6: Writers create strong leads with details about the setting. CCSS: W.3.3a, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dSession 7: Writers develop their characters using action and description. CCSS: W.3.3a, W.3.3b, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dSession 8: Writers develop their characters using dialogue and thoughts. CCSS: W.3.3b, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dSession 9: Writers expand the turning point in their stories. CCSS: W.3.3a, W.3.3b, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dSession 10: Writers create powerful story endings. CCSS: W.3.3d, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1dConcept: Writers learn strategies for revising and editing their realistic fiction stories. CCSS: W.3.5, LS.3.1i, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1cThis document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 3 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Session 11: Writers revise their stories for clarity and meaning. CCSS: W.3.5, SL.3.1, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1cSession 12: Writers revise by combining short sentences into longer ones. CCSS: W.3.5, LS.3.1iSession 13: Writers revise by varying the length of their sentences. CCSS: W.3.5, LS.3.1iSession 14: Writers use revision/editing checklists to edit their writing. CCSS: W.3.5Concept: Writers publish their realistic fiction stories. CCSS: W.3.4, SL.3.4Session 15 and 16: Writers celebrate their work with others. CCSS: W.3.4, SL.3.4On-Demand Realistic Fiction Writing Pre/Post-AssessmentPre-Assessment Instructions:This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 4 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Students should be at their regular writing seats and will need loose-leaf paper and pencils. They need to be able to add pages if they want. Tell students: “You have all been reading fictional stories. Today you will write your own realistic fiction story. First, create a character and think about where your story takes place. Next, think about one problem or goal for your character and how that problem is solved or that goal is reached. Now, you will write a realistic fiction story using these story elements. You will have an hour to write this realistic fiction story.” Have students begin writing. Note: This on-demand assessment shows what students know about writing a realistic fiction story. Score this writing using the Realistic Fiction Assessment Rubric located at the end of this unit. Pay close attention to what your writers can already do and can almost do. This information will help you focus on goals for your students. Use the same rubric to score their realistic fiction stories at the end of this unit to show what they have learned.Post-Assessment Instructions (optional): At the conclusion of this unit, administer the same on-demand assessment and look for improvements in your students’ development as writers. Session 1 Concept Writers generate ideas for realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in their lives.This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 5 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4References Materials  Writer’s notebooks  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy and/or copies for each student of the student chart for Sessions 1 and 2:  Generate Ideas for Realistic Fiction StoriesNote  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask students to bring their writer’s notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area. Lesson Today we are going to begin collecting ideas for realistic fiction stories in our writer’s notebooks, Introduction and I want to teach you where writers look to find those ideas. We get ideas for writing realistic fiction stories just as we get ideas for personal narratives and essays, by thinking about the people, places, and events in our lives. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Sessions 1 and 2 Generate Ideas for Realistic Fiction Stories.  Explain that writers get ideas for their realistic fiction stories by thinking about the people and places in their lives.  Begin a new page in your writer’s notebook with the heading Realistic Fiction Story Ideas.  Use the following examples:  Demonstrate how you think about people you know and imagine a story about them.  Demonstrate how you think about places you know and imagine a story that could happen in those places.  Explain that a story idea should be a complete sentence that includes a character and an event. Record two or three of your story ideas. Guided  Have students refer to the student chart for Sessions 1 and 2 Generate Ideas for Realistic Practice Fiction Stories.  Have students open their notebooks, think of people they know, and imagine a story about them. Have them record their story ideas in their writer’s notebooks.  Have students think about places they know, imagine what could happen there, and add their story ideas to their list.  Have students share their story ideas with their partners.  Have one or two students share their ideas with the class. Recap So writers, today we learned that writers generate ideas by thinking about the people and places in their lives. We think about everyday things that could happen with the people and in the places that we know. Think about the people and places in your lives. Continue to record story ideas that you can imagine happening. Independent  Conduct table conferences and listen to the story ideas that the students have imagined. Practice  Encourage students to consider how the story ideas remind them of ideas of their own. Mid-Workshop  Refer to an enlarged copy of the student chart Generate Ideas for Realistic Fiction Stories. Teaching Point  Introduce one other strategy for generating story ideas to the students. Think about events that have happened in your own life and imagine story ideas related to these events. Record your story ideas. Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 6 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 in their lives. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction StoriesThis document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 7 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 8 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Generate Ideas for Realistic Fiction Stories Student Chart – Sessions 1 and 2I can generate ideas for a realistic fiction story in this way: Think about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story. Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …  Wanted …  But …  So …  Then …This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 9 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Session 2 Concept Writers generate ideas for realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers create story plans that are believable.References Materials  Writer’s notebooks  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy of the student chart for Sessions 1 and 2:  Generate Ideas for Realistic Fiction StoriesNote  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask students to bring their writer’s notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area. Lesson Yesterday we began collecting ideas for our realistic fiction stories. Today we are going to look at Introduction our ideas and imagine a story that could really happen, one that is believable. Then we will create story plans to help us organize our thinking. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Sessions 1 and 2 Generate Ideas for Realistic Fiction Stories.  Demonstrate how you refer to your own list of story ideas and use the following structure to create a story plan that is believable:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …  Demonstrate how you change one or more parts of your story plan to try out another possibility. Guided  Have students refer to the student chart for Sessions 1 and 2 Generate Ideas for Realistic Practice Fiction Stories.  Have students open their notebooks, refer to their list of story ideas, and create one story plan that is believable.  Have students share their story plans with their partners.  Have one or two students share their story plans with the class. Recap So writers, today we learned that realistic fiction writers create story plans that are believable before they begin writing. Today, begin by writing your story plan in your writer’s notebooks and then think of two or three other possibilities. Record those story plans, too. Independent  Conduct table conferences and listen to the story plans that the students have created. Practice Mid-Workshop  Have partnerships share their story plans and choose a story plan to develop into a realistic Teaching Point fiction story. Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – create story plans that are believable. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 10 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.  Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …Session 3This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 11 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Concept Writers plan ideas for realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers create believable characters that fit with their story plan.References Materials  Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Writer’s notebooks  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy and/or copies for each student of the student chart for Session 3:  Create a Believable CharacterNote  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask students to bring their writer’s notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area. Lesson Writers, yesterday we chose an idea for our realistic fiction stories. Today we will begin to create Introduction believable characters by thinking about their descriptions, actions, dialogue, and internal characteristics. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Session 3 Create a Believable Character.  Explain that the author of Amelia’s Road developed a believable character. She probably considered each of these categories as she created Amelia, a little Mexican-American girl who was the daughter of migrant workers, who worked in the fields before she went to school, and who felt sad and lost.  Think aloud how your story plan will unfold. Explain that it is time to begin to create your main character. Close your eyes and imagine this character.  Demonstrate how you think about and create your main character by describing your character using these categories: description, action, dialogue, thoughts/feelings, and internal characteristics. Record your ideas in your writer’s notebook and explain why each one fits with your story plan.  Explain how you did not just come up with any random traits for your character. You tried to create a believable character with characteristics that are relevant to your story. The characteristics have to make sense for your character and fit together to make a believable character. Guided  Have students refer to the student chart for Session 3 Create a Believable Character. Practice  Have students think about their story plan, close their eyes and imagine their character, and think about their character’s description.  Have students open their writer’s notebooks and record a description of their character.  Have partners share their character descriptions.  Have one or two students share their character’s descriptions with the class. Recap Writers, whenever you want to write realistic fiction, take time to create a believable character that fits with your story plan. Continue to create your character using the other categories on the student chart. Independent  Conduct individual student conferences to support students’ efforts at creating believable Practice characters. Mid-Workshop  Have students meet with their partners and describe their characters to each other using all Teaching Point the categories. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 12 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 You might decide to have students who are ready create secondary character descriptions. Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers create believable characters that fit with their story plan. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 13 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.  Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …  Create a believable character that fits with my story plan using the following categories:  Description, action, dialogue, thoughts/feelings, and internal characteristics.This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 14 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Create a Believable Character Student Chart – Session 3I can create a believable character that fits with my story plan by considering the following categories: Description:  Name, gender, age, appearance, etc.  Action:  Always in a hurry, uses hands when she talks, looks down, laughs a lot, likes to braid her friends’ hair, likes to race ahead of others, etc. Dialogue:  Talks fast, interrupts others, whispers, says “um,” tells secrets, talks softly, talks in a loud voice, etc. Thoughts and feelings:  Worried, gentle, happy, grumpy, hopeful, sad, loving, cheerful, embarrassed, jealous, gloomy, etc.  Internal characteristics:  Kind, thoughtful, funny, shy, helpful, creative, bossy, sweet, stubborn, honest, smart, loyal, silly, sneaky, trusting, charming, dependable, fair, selfish, etc.This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 15 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Session 4 Concept Writers plan ideas for realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers create a conflict that is believable. References Materials  Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Writer’s notebooks  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy and/or copies for each student of the student chart for Session 4:  Create a Believable ConflictNotes  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask students to bring their writer’s notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area. Lesson Writers, yesterday we created believable characters for our realistic fiction stories. Today, we will Introduction create a conflict that is believable for our realistic fiction stories. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Session 4 Create a Believable Conflict.  Explain that conflict is an important part of a realistic fiction story. The main character wants something badly. In the book we read, Amelia’s Road, Amelia wanted a place to stay, a place that she could call home.  Explain that an obstacle often gets in the way of what the main character wants. The obstacle could be another person or a situation. In Amelia’s Road, the obstacle was that her parents were migrant workers who lived in labor camps and moved around a lot.  Explain that although Amelia’s dream did not come true, the conflict is resolved when she found a way to feel like there was a place where she belonged.  Refer to your story plan and the description of your main character. Create your main character’s conflict. Something gets in the way of what your character wants. The obstacle could be another person or a situation. Think about your character’s struggle and how the conflict gets resolved. Imagine various ways that the conflict might unfold naturally.  Demonstrate how you can create another believable conflict.  Remind students that it is important for the writer to try out more than one way in which a conflict might unfold. Guided  Have students refer to the student chart for Session 4 Create a Believable Conflict. Practice  Have students open their writer’s notebooks, create their main character’s conflict using the student chart to guide them, and share their main character’s conflicts with their partners.  Have one or two students share their ideas with the class. Recap Writers, today we learned how to create a conflict that is believable for our realistic fiction stories. Whenever you want to write fiction, take time to create a conflict that unfolds naturally. Try out different ways that your conflict might be resolved. Independent  Conduct small group conferences to support students’ efforts at creating conflicts that are Practice believable and unfold naturally. Mid-Workshop  Explain that students might want to consider developing story resolutions that do not have Teaching Point a perfect ending. Often stories end with some problem resolved or where the characters This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 16 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 grow in some way or learn a lesson instead of getting their “dream come true” at the end.  Have partners share the ways in which they have decided that their main characters’ conflicts will unfold. Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers create a conflict that is believable for their realistic fiction stories. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 17 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.  Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …  Create a believable character that fits with my story plan using the following categories:  Description, action, dialogue, thoughts/feelings, and internal characteristics.  Create a believable conflict by thinking about what my character wants, what are the obstacles, and how is the conflict resolved. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 18 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Create a Believable Conflict Student Chart – Session 4I can create a conflict that is believable in this way: Think about the following:  My main character wants something badly.  An obstacle gets in the way.  The conflict gets resolved in some way. Try out more than one way the conflict might unfold. Consider creating a resolution that does not have a perfect ending. Session 5This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 19 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Concept Writers plan ideas for realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers plan and organize a story using a story mountain. References Materials  Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Writer’s notebooks  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy and/or copies for each student of the student chart for Session 5:  Plan and Organize a Story  Chart paper and markerNote  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask students to bring their writer’s notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area. Lesson Writers, yesterday we created conflicts for our realistic fiction stories. Today we will plan and Introduction organize our stories using a story mountain. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Session 5 Plan and Organize a Story.  Refer to the book Amelia’s Road and demonstrate how you plot the events at different points across a story mountain on a chart.  Demonstrate how you plan a clear event sequence for your own story. Plot the events at different points across a story mountain in your writer’s notebook. Use the enlarged student chart Plan and Organize a Realistic Fiction Story to guide your decisions about what to record on your story mountain. Use sticky notes to record the events so they can easily be moved along the story mountain. Guided Practice  Have students refer to the student chart for Session 5 Plan and Organize a Story.  Have students open their writer’s notebooks and do the following:  Draw a story mountain across two pages in their writer’s notebooks.  Refer to the enlarged student chart Plan and Organize a Story.  Record the starting event on their story mountain that tells where the character is and what he or she is doing.  Record a second event that tells what the character wants or what the problem is.  Have partners share their story mountains. Recap Writers, whenever you write fiction, take time to plan and organize your story across a story mountain. Today, plan the rest of the events in your story and record them across your story mountain. Keep telling the story from the start as you record each event. Independent  Conduct small group conferences to support students’ efforts at recording events on their Practice story mountains. Your goal is to make sure that everyone completes their story mountain today.  If some if your students struggled with this process in the personal narrative unit, guide them individually or in small groups.  Have partners share their story mountains as they complete them. Mid-Workshop Writers, now that you have plotted the events for your stories across your story mountains, think Teaching Point about the ways in which your main characters respond to each one of these events, or situations. This will become the internal story for your realistic fiction story. Plot your main character’s This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 20 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 thoughts and feelings about what is happening underneath the line of your story mountains. (Demonstrate how you would add the internal story to the story mountain you created for Amelia’s Road. Then demonstrate your thinking about how you could add the internal story to your own story mountain.) Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers plan and organize a story using a story mountain. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 21 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.  Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …  Create a believable character that fits with my story plan using the following categories:  Description, action, dialogue, thoughts/feelings, and internal characteristics.  Create a believable conflict by thinking about what my character wants, what are the obstacles, and how is the conflict resolved.  Plan and organize my story using a story mountain. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 22 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Plan and Organize a Story Student Chart – Session 5I can plan and organize the events in a story in this way: Record the following above the story mountain line:  Record the turning point at the top. This is where the conflict is about to be resolved.  Record where I want to start my story at the beginning.  Record where I want to end my story at the end.  Make sure that the beginning and end of my story fit with the turning point.  Add events so that my story unfolds naturally. Record the following below the story mountain line:  Record what the main character is thinking.  Record what the main character is feeling.  Record what decisions the main character is making.  Record how the main character responds to what is happening.This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 23 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Session 6 Concept Writers learn strategies for drafting realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers create strong leads with details about the setting. References Materials  Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Writer’s notebooks  Writing folders with writing paper  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy and/or copies for each student of the student chart for Session 6:  Create a Strong Lead with Details about the SettingNotes  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask students to bring their writer’s notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area.  Refer to any of your favorite texts for examples of strong leads.  Have lined notebook paper available to distribute to students. Students will begin to draft their stories today on writing paper and keep these pages in their writing folders. They will refer to their writer’s notebooks to remind themselves of the strategies they have learned about writing realistic fiction stories. Lesson Writers, yesterday we chose a story and plotted it across a story mountain. Today we are going to Introduction begin drafting our realistic fiction stories by creating strong leads and including details about the setting. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Session 6 Create a Strong Lead with Details about the Setting.  Read aloud the first page of Amelia’s Road. Explain that this is a thought lead. It is followed on the second page by a description of the setting so the reader knows where the story is happening. Once you begin your story, be sure that you describe the time and place where you story occurs so your reader isn’t confused.  Explain that you are going to remind yourself of your story by looking back at your story mountain in your writer’s notebook. You will be using lined notebook paper to begin a second draft of your story. Your goal is to include everything you know about writing well so it is your best work.  Demonstrate how you think aloud the beginning of your story using a strong lead. You might refer to specific examples of each type of strong lead from Unit 1. Think aloud two or three different ways to start your own story using action, setting, description, dialogue, or thoughts. If you choose a lead other than a setting lead, be sure to include details about the setting so your reader isn’t confused.  Begin writing your story using the lead you like best.  Explain as you write, that you will be writing about the characters – not about yourself. You will use character names and words like he, she, or they as you tell the story. Tell students that this is called writing in third person. Guided Practice  Have students refer to the student chart for Session 6 Create a Strong Lead with Details This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 24 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 about the Setting.  Have students open their writer’s notebooks, imagine the beginning of their stories, and try out one or two of the strong lead suggestions to begin their stories. Have them include details about the setting.  Have partners share their leads with each other.  Have one or two students share their leads with the class. Recap Writers, when we begin a story, remember to create strong leads with details about the setting. Try out a few different kinds of leads and see which one you like best. Include details about the setting so your reader isn’t confused. Independent  Conduct small group conferences to support students’ efforts at creating strong leads Practice with details about the setting. Mid-workshop  Explain that instead of just telling what happens as you continue writing your story, you Teaching Point need to show what happens. Close your eyes and see the descriptive details of how their story is unfolding. Use the following example to illustrate the difference:  Telling: Jessica wants a puppy for her birthday.  Showing: Jessica walked up to the pet store window. She bent down on her knees and touched the glass right where a frisky Cocker Spaniel puppy was jumping up to see her and licking the glass. “Please, Mom! Can’t we just go inside for a minute?”  Continue writing a few lines of your story. Make sure that you show what happens, don’t just tell what happens.  Encourage students to continue writing their story by showing instead of telling. Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers create strong leads with details about the setting. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 25 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.  Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …  Create a believable character that fits with my story plan using the following categories:  Description, action, dialogue, thoughts/feelings, and internal characteristics.  Create a believable conflict by thinking about what my character wants, what are the obstacles, and how is the conflict resolved.  Plan and organize my story using a story mountain.  Create a strong lead with details about the setting.  Show what is happening by using descriptive details so the reader can see what is happening … don’t just tell what is happening. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 26 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Create a Strong Lead with Details about the Setting Student Chart – Session 6I can create a strong lead with details about the setting in this way: Begin with a strong lead:  Action  Setting  Description  Dialogue  Thoughts Include details about the setting so my reader isn’t confused. Show what is happening using descriptive details, don’t just tell what is happening.Session 7This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 27 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Concept Writers learn strategies for drafting realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers develop their characters using description and action. References Materials  Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Writer’s notebooks  Writing folders  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy and/or copies for each student of the student chart for Sessions 7 and 8:  Develop the Characters Notes  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask students to bring their writer’s notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area.  Refer to any of your favorite texts for examples of character development. Lesson Writers, yesterday we began drafting our realistic fiction stories. Today we are going to think Introduction carefully about ways to develop our characters using description and action. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Sessions 7 and 8 Develop the Characters.  Explain that by the end of a well-written story, a reader will know the character or characters well. Today we’re going to learn two of the techniques a writer uses to bring a character to life.  Refer to the book Amelia’s Road for examples of character development using description and action, as follows:  Description: By the time she had finished her morning’s work, Amelia’s hands stung, and her shoulders ached.  Action: Amelia danced for joy, her black hair flying as she twirled around and around the silent meadow.  Refer back to the page in your writer’s notebook where you described your character.  Demonstrate how you develop your own character using information from your notebook and one of these techniques. Explain that you will start with one technique, but you might choose the other as you continue to create your story. Guided  Have students refer to the student chart for Sessions 7 and 8 Develop the Characters. Practice  Have students open their writer’s notebooks to their character descriptions, decide which technique – description or action – they are going to use in their writing today, and use it to develop their character.  Have partners share their ideas with each other.  Have one or two students share their ideas with the class. Recap Writers, whenever you write realistic fiction stories, remember to develop your characters using description and action. You will want to experiment with these techniques to develop the characters in your stories. Today, you might describe your character or describe an action of your character. Each technique can help you bring a character to life. Independent  Conduct small group conferences to support students’ efforts at developing characters Practice using description and action. Mid-Workshop Writers, when you develop characters using description or action, it helps to bring your characters Teaching Point to life. Now, get together with your writing partners and read aloud the section where you used This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 28 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 either description or action to develop your character. Partners who are listening should try to create a picture in their minds of the characters being described. Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers develop their characters using description and action. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 29 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.  Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …  Create a believable character that fits with my story plan using the following categories:  Description, action, dialogue, thoughts/feelings, and internal characteristics.  Create a believable conflict by thinking about what my character wants, what are the obstacles, and how is the conflict resolved.  Plan and organize my story using a story mountain.  Create a strong lead with details about the setting.  Show what is happening by using descriptive details so the reader can see what is happening … don’t just tell what is happening.  Develop the characters using description, actions, dialogue, and thoughts/feelings. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 30 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Develop the Characters Student Chart – Sessions 7 and 8I can develop the characters and bring them to life in these ways: Actions:  Imagine and describe what the character is doing.  Description:  Imagine and describe what the character looks like.  Dialogue:  Imagine and tell what the character is saying. Thoughts/Feelings:  Imagine and describe what the character is thinking and feeling.Session 8This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 31 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Concept Writers learn strategies for drafting realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers develop their characters using dialogue and thoughts. References Materials  Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Writer’s notebooks  Writing folders  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy of the student chart for Sessions 7 and 8:  Develop the CharactersNotes  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask students to bring their writer’s notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area.  Refer to any of your favorite texts for examples of character development. Lesson Writers, yesterday we learned how to develop our characters using description and action. Today Introduction we are going to think carefully about ways to develop our characters using dialogue and thoughts. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Sessions 7 and 8 Develop the Characters.  Refer to the book, Amelia’s Road for examples of character development using dialogue and thoughts, as follows:  Dialogue: “Is this the same cabin we had last year?” Amelia asked, but nobody remembered. (Remind students to use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.)  Thoughts: Amelia couldn’t wait to tell her mother about this wonderful day. Feeling as bright as the sky, she decided to look for a shortcut back to camp.  Refer back to the page in your writer’s notebook with your character descriptions.  Demonstrate how you develop your own character using information from your notebook and one of these techniques. Explain that you will start with one technique, but you might choose the other as you continue to create your story. Guided  Have students refer to the student chart for Sessions 7 and 8 Develop the Characters. Practice  Have students open their writer’s notebooks to their character descriptions, decide which technique – dialogue or thoughts – they are going to use in their writing today, and develop their character.  Have partners share their ideas with each other.  Have one or two students share their ideas with the class. Recap Writers, whenever you write realistic fiction stories, remember to develop your characters using dialogue and thoughts. You will want to experiment with these techniques to develop the characters in your stories. Today, you might include some dialogue or some thoughts. Each technique can help you do the work of bringing a character to life. Today try out at least one of these techniques to develop your characters in your stories. Independent  Conduct small group conferences to support students’ efforts at developing characters Practice using dialogue and thoughts. Mid-Workshop Writers, when you develop characters using their thoughts, you will also want to consider their Teaching Point feelings. In the story, Amelia’s Road, after Amelia discovered a place that she could come back to, This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 32 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 she “skipped through the meadow, laughed at the sky, even turned cartwheels right in the middle of the accidental road.” The author shows us that Amelia is happy without just saying it. You can use your own life experiences to help you. Try to remember a time when you felt embarrassed. Ask yourself these questions:  What was I feeling in my whole body?  What words or thoughts did I have?  What did I say or do? Now, think of your character. What feeling does your character experience in your story? Try using this strategy – thinking about your own experiences – to help you describe this feeling. Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers develop their characters using dialogue and thoughts. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. Session 9 Concept Writers learn strategies for drafting realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers expand the turning point in their stories. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 33 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4References Materials  Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Writer’s notebooks  Writing folders  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy of the student chart for Session 9:  Expand the Turning PointNotes  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask students to bring their writer’s notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area. Lesson Writers, yesterday we used techniques to develop our characters. Today we will remind ourselves Introduction how important it is to expand the turning point in our stories. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Session 9 Expand the Turning Point.  Refer to your story mountain. You always have the option of making changes in your story mountain if you find your story heading in a new direction.  Reread your story from the beginning. Determine the turning point, where the conflict is about to be resolved. Explain that good writers expand, or write more, about this part of their story. They write descriptive details about everything that is happening because this is the most important part of a story.  In Amelia’s Road, Amelia had a wonderful day at school and finally felt like she had found a place where she wanted to stay. The author expanded this part, the turning point, of the story. She used descriptive details about her day at school and the walk that led her down the accidental road to the tree that she called home. Read aloud beginning with the scene at school and ending with the scene where Amelia is sitting by the tree. Step into the book as you read it so that you almost become Amelia. Emphasize the descriptive details.  Demonstrate how you almost become the character in your own story, so that it seems like the story is happening to you. Imagine exactly what your character is doing, saying, thinking, and feeling. Write using descriptive details. Guided  Have students refer to the student chart for Session 9 Expand the Turning Point. Practice  Have students open their writer’s notebooks, determine the turning point of their stories, and imagine what their character is doing, saying, thinking, and feeling.  Have partners turn and tell their partners how they might expand the turning point of their stories using descriptive details.  Have one or two students share their ideas with the class. Recap Writers, remember to expand the turning point of your stories using descriptive details because this is the most important part. Try to become the character in your story so that it seems like it is happening to you. Imagine the story through your character’s eyes and then write using descriptive details. Continue drafting your story, and remember to show, not tell, so your reader can see what you see in your mind. Independent  Conduct small group conferences to support students’ efforts at expanding the turning Practice point of their stories. Mid-Workshop Writers, a good way to show the sequence of events in your stories is to include words and phrases Teaching Point that signal when things happen. The author of Amelia’s Road used the words: “Last year,” “Later,”This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 34 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4“By the end of the day,” and “The next day” to help us follow along. Reread your stories to make sure that you have been including words and phrases that signal event order in your writing. Add these words to clarify your writing if they are missing. Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers expand the turning point in their stories. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 35 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.  Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …  Create a believable character that fits with my story plan using the following categories:  Description, action, dialogue, thoughts/feelings, and internal characteristics.  Create a believable conflict by thinking about what my character wants, what are the obstacles, and how is the conflict resolved.  Plan and organize my story using a story mountain.  Create a strong lead with details about the setting.  Show what is happening by using descriptive details so the reader can see what is happening … don’t just tell what is happening.  Develop the characters using description, action, dialogue, and thoughts/feelings.  Expand the turning point of my story.  Include words and phrases that signal when things happen. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 36 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Expand the Turning Point Student Chart – Session 9I can expand the turning point of my story in this way: Close my eyes and see the story through my character’s eyes. Imagine exactly what my character is doing, saying, thinking, and feeling. Write using descriptive details.  Include words and phrases that signal when things happen.Session 10This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 37 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Concept Writers learn strategies for drafting realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers create powerful story endings.References Materials  Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Writer’s notebooks  Writing folders  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy of the student chart for Session 10:  Create a Powerful Story EndingNotes  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask students to bring their writer’s notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area. Lesson Writers, yesterday we expanded the turning point of our stories. Today we will create powerful Introduction story endings by trying out several ways to end our stories so we can figure out the one that fits best with our stories. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Session 10 Create a Powerful Story Ending.  Explain that writers take their time with endings, trying them out until they find one that fits and provides a sense of closure. Story endings should be powerful.  Read aloud the ending of the story, Amelia’s Road. It says, “For the first time in her life, she didn’t cry when her father took out the road map.” Explain that this is a circular ending because it repeats a similar line from the first page of the story.  Explain that using a strong line like this one, even if it isn’t a circular ending, is powerful, too.  Demonstrate how to create a strong line or circular story ending using your own story. Guided Practice  Have students refer to the student chart for Session 10 Create a Powerful Story Ending.  Have students open their writer’s notebooks, refer to the class chart, and think about one powerful way to end their stories.  Have partners turn and share their ideas for an ending to their stories. Recap Writers, some of you might be ready to try out different story endings today. Some of you might be working on your story endings tomorrow. Remember that writers always make sure that their story ending fits with their story. We need to remember that endings should be powerful. When you are ready, write a few different powerful endings, and decide which one you like best. Independent  Conduct small group conferences to support students’ efforts at writing powerful story Practice endings. Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers create powerful story endings. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others.This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 38 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.  Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …  Create a believable character that fits with my story plan using the following categories:  Description, action, dialogue, thoughts/feelings, and internal characteristics.  Create a believable conflict by thinking about what my character wants, what are the obstacles, and how is the conflict resolved.  Plan and organize my story using a story mountain.  Create a strong lead with details about the setting.  Show what is happening by using descriptive details so the reader can see what is happening … don’t just tell what is happening.  Develop the characters using description, action, dialogue, and thoughts/feelings.  Expand the turning point of my story.  Include words and phrases that signal when things happen.  Create a powerful story ending – try a strong line or a circular story ending. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 39 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Create a Powerful Story Ending Student Chart – Session 10I can create a powerful story ending in one of these ways: Use action, dialogue, thoughts, images, or a story reflection. Make sure the ending fits with the rest of the story. Try using a strong line or a circular ending. Session 11This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 40 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Concept Writers learn strategies for revising and editing realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers revise their stories for meaning and clarity.References Materials  Writer’s notebooks  Class Chart: Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction StoriesNote  Post on the daily schedule or verbally ask student to bring their writing notebooks and a pencil to the meeting area. Lesson Yesterday, many of you finished writing your stories. Others will finish soon. Either way, today, we Introduction will begin making revisions on what we have written so far. First we will revise our writing for meaning and clarity. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories.  Demonstrate how you reread and revise your own story with a partner:  Reread your story aloud.  Ask your partner to stop you when something is confusing or needs more details.  Ask your partner for ideas to make the meaning clear or to add information.  Rewrite that part of your story. Guided Practice  Have students take turns reading their stories aloud to a partner and have their partners stop them when something is confusing or needs more details. Have the writers mark these spots so they can go back later to make revisions.  Have one or two students share their revisions with the class. Recap Writers, you will continue to work with your partners today as you revise your stories. Take turns rereading your stories aloud. Listeners, make sure that you know what the story is about. Writers, mark the spots that need revision so you can go back later and rewrite them. Then, return to your seats and rewrite all the parts that need revision. Independent  Conduct partner conferences to support students’ efforts at revision. Practice Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers revise their stories for meaning and clarity. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 41 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.  Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …  Create a believable character that fits with my story plan using the following categories:  Description, action, dialogue, thoughts/feelings, and internal characteristics.  Create a believable conflict by thinking about what my character wants, what are the obstacles, and how is the conflict resolved.  Plan and organize my story using a story mountain.  Create a strong lead with details about the setting.  Show what is happening by using descriptive details so the reader can see what is happening … don’t just tell what is happening.  Develop the characters using description, action, dialogue, and thoughts/feelings.  Expand the turning point of my story.  Include words and phrases that signal when things happen.  Create a powerful story ending – try a strong line or a circular story ending.  Reread my story to make sure it is clear and has enough details. Session 12 Concept Writers learn strategies for revising and editing realistic fiction stories.This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 42 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Teaching Point Writers revise by combining short sentences into longer ones. References Materials  Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Writer’s notebooks  Writing folders  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy and/or copies for each student of the student chart for Sessions 12 and 13:  Vary My SentencesLesson Writers, yesterday we revised our stories for meaning and clarity. Today we will revise our Introduction sentences by combining short sentences into longer ones. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Sessions 12 and 13 Vary My Sentences.  Explain that students sometimes use many short, choppy sentences in their writing. This interrupts the flow of the writing. One way to solve this problem is to combine short sentences into longer ones.  Read the first example from the student chart aloud. Explain that the sentences sound choppy because you’re stopping every few words. A writer could fix this problem by combining some of the short sentences to make longer ones.  Read aloud the second example and notice how it sounds smoother.  Explain that in order to combine two short sentences (to create compound and complex sentences), you sometimes need to add a word (a coordinator or subordinator) to combine the sentences, such as and, but, since, because, while, etc.  I have had lots of dogs. My dog Benny was the best. I have had lots of dogs, but Benny was the best.  At other times, you combine short sentences by taking words away:  I love Hershey’s chocolates. I especially love the semisweet ones. I love Hershey’s chocolates, especially the semisweet ones. Guided Practice  Have students refer to the student chart for Session 12 and 13 Vary My Sentences.  Have students try combining sentences with their partners. Write the following short sentences on the board. See if partners can combine them to make one longer sentence.  I went to Yankee Stadium. I hoped I would catch a foul ball.  My dad gets in a bad mood on Sunday night. He has to get up early for work on Monday morning.  Have one or two students share their ideas for revisions with the class. Recap Writers, today and every day, make sure to read stories aloud and listen for short, choppy sentences. Make revisions so that your writing has a better flow by combining short sentences into longer sentences. Independent  Conduct small group conferences to support students’ efforts at sentence combining. Practice Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers revise by combining short sentences into longer ones. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 43 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 44 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Generate ideas by thinking about the people, places, and events in my life that might give me an idea for my story.  Create a believable story plan using the following structure:  Somebody …, wanted …, but …, so …, then …  Create a believable character that fits with my story plan using the following categories:  Description, action, dialogue, thoughts/feelings, and internal characteristics.  Create a believable conflict by thinking about what my character wants, what are the obstacles, and how is the conflict resolved.  Plan and organize my story using a story mountain.  Create a strong lead with details about the setting.  Show what is happening by using descriptive details so the reader can see what is happening … don’t just tell what is happening.  Develop the characters using description, action, dialogue, and thoughts/feelings.  Expand the turning point of my story.  Include words and phrases that signal when things happen.  Create a powerful story ending – try a strong line or a circular story ending.  Reread my story to make sure it is clear and has enough details.  Vary my sentences by combining short sentences into longer ones. Use long sentences for detail and short sentences for power. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 45 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Vary My Sentences Student Chart – Sessions 12 and 13I can vary my sentences in one of these ways: Combine short sentences into longer ones by adding words or taking words away: Instead of this: Amelia called it the accidental road. It was narrow and rocky. It was more like a footpath that happened by accident. It was not like a road somebody built on purpose. Try this: Amelia called it the accidental road because it was narrow and rocky, more like a footpath that happened by accident than a road somebody built on purpose.  Write some sentences long to include detail:  Mr. Martinez marked all the important occasions of life by the never-ending rhythms of harvest. Write some sentences short for power:  Amelia sighed.Session 13This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 46 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Concept Writers learn strategies for revising and editing realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers revise by varying the length of their sentences. References Materials  Amelia’s Road, Linda Jacobs Altman  Writer’s notebooks  Writing folders  Class chart:  Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories  Enlarged copy of the student chart for Sessions 12 and 13:  Vary My Sentences Lesson Writers, yesterday we revised our stories by combining short sentences to make longer ones. Introduction Today, we will revise our stories by varying the length of some of our sentences to make them more interesting and give them more power. Demonstration  Refer to the class chart Strategies for Writing Realistic Fiction Stories and an enlarged copy of the student chart for Sessions 12 and 13 Vary My Sentences.  Explain that when sentences are always about the same length, the writing may sound boring to the reader. It creates a kind of sameness to the writing. Writing like this sounds boring.  Explain that a short sentence can have a lot of power when it follows two or three longer sentences. The longer sentences provide more details, but then a short sentence really gets your attention.  Share various examples of the use of short sentences to create sentence variety from Amelia’s Road.  Demonstrate how to vary the length of the sentences from your own story. Reread a section of your own story aloud and listen to how the sentences sound together. Are the sentences all the same length? Could you make a sentence longer to include more details? Could you add a short sentence to add more power? Demonstrate how you change a sentence to make it shorter or longer or add a short sentence for power. Guided Practice  Have students refer to the student chart for Sessions 12 and 13 Vary My Sentences.  Read aloud another section of your own story. Identify a place where all the sentences are the same length. Have students discuss with a partner how to vary the length of one of the sentences by changing it to make it shorter or longer or by adding a short sentence to give their writing power.  Have one or two students share their ideas with the class. Recap Writers, today and every day, make sure to read stories aloud and listen for sentences that are all the same length. Make revisions so that the length of your sentences varies to make your writing more interesting and give it more power. Independent  Conduct small group conferences to support students’ efforts at varying the length of their Practice sentences. Lesson Closure  Bring closure to today’s workshop by summarizing and reinforcing the focus of the day’s teaching point – writers revise by varying the length of their sentences. Share the work of one or two students that applies to others. This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 47 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Session 14 Concept Writers learn strategies for revising and editing realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers use revision/editing checklists to revise and edit their writing.This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 48 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4References Materials  Writer’s notebooks  Writing folders  Realistic Fiction Revision/Editing Checklist for each student  Chart-sized Realistic Fiction Revision/Editing ChecklistNote  Put a Realistic Fiction Revision/Editing Checklist inside each student’s writing folder. Lesson Writers, yesterday we varied the length of some of our sentences. Today, we will use a Introduction revision/editing checklist to continue revising and editing our stories. Demonstration  Demonstrate how to revise your own writing using the Realistic Fiction Revision/Editing Checklist:  Read the first item on the checklist.  Reread your story with a singular focus on this item.  Revise your own writing as necessary.  Mark the item with a checkmark on the checklist. Guided  Continue rereading and revising with a singular focus on one or two more items on the Practice checklist with the students’ input. Recap Writers, remember that whenever you are going to publish your writing, you will want to revise and edit it very carefully so your readers will understand and enjoy your story. Today you will reread and revise your stories with a singular focus on each item on your Realistic Fiction Revision/Editing Checklists. Take your time to make your story the best it can be. Independent  Conduct individual student conferences to support students’ efforts using the checklist to Practice revise and edit their work. Lesson Closure  Have students share examples of their revisions.Realistic Fiction Revision/Editing Checklist Name______Date______Title______This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 49 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4Reread your writing carefully. Put a check in each box under Author as you complete each item. Once all the boxes are checked, give this checklist to the teacher for the final edit. Revise and edit for the following: Author Teacher 1. Meaning and clarity. Ask yourself, “Is my story clear?” “Is the character believable and well-developed?” “Did I expand the turning point of the story?” Rewrite parts that need revision. 2. Effective use of words and phrases. Ask yourself, “Did I use descriptive details?” “Did I show instead of tell? “Did I create an effective lead and powerful ending?” “Did I use words and phrases to signal when?” Rewrite parts that need revision. 3. Sentences and paragraphs. “Did I vary the length of my sentences?” “Do my sentences sound good together?” “Did I indent each paragraph?” 4. Capitalization. Use capitals at the beginning of each sentence, for every name, and for titles. Make corrections if necessary. 5. Punctuation. Use periods, exclamation points, and question marks. Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue. Make corrections if necessary. 6. Spelling. Check a chart or Word Wall for high-frequency words. Use patterns to spell unfamiliar words. Use a resource to locate the spelling of unfamiliar words. Make corrections if necessary. Sessions 15 and 16 Concept Writers publish their realistic fiction stories. Teaching Point Writers celebrate their work with others.References MaterialsThis document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 50 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 Writer’s notebooks  Paper for final draftsDay 15  Have students rewrite or type final drafts of their revised and edited stories. PublishingDay 16  Have students read their stories aloud in small groups or to an audience outside the Celebration classroom.  You might want to include your students’ stories in your classroom library, post them in the hallway, or by display them in the media center.  Assess students’ realistic fiction stories using the Realistic Fiction Assessment Rubric.  Consider assessing the students’ writer’s notebooks.Realistic Fiction Conferring Checklist Student Name:1: Generating ideas: Generates ideas by thinking about people, places, and events.This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 51 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 42: Generating ideas: Creates believable story plans. 3: Planning: Creates believable characters.4: Planning: Creates believable conflicts.5: Planning: Plans and organizes a story across a story mountain. 6: Drafting: Creates a strong lead with details about the setting. 7/8: Drafting: Develops characters using description, action, dialogue, and thoughts. 9: Drafting: Expands the turning point and uses words and phrases to signal when things happen. 10: Drafting: Creates a powerful story ending. 11: Revision: Revises for meaning and clarity. 12/13: Revision: Revises the length of sentences. 14: Revision/editing: Uses a checklist to revise and edit.Realistic Fiction Assessment Rubric Establishment of Narrative Focus Development: Elaboration and Organization and Language Score Narrative Focus Organization Elaboration of Language and Conventions Narrative VocabularyThis document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 52 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 4 The fictional The fictional The fictional The fictional The fictional narrative is clearly narrative has an narrative provides narrative clearly narrative focused and effective plot helping thorough and and effectively demonstrates a maintained create unity and effective expresses strong command throughout: completeness: elaboration using experiences or of conventions:  effectively  effective, details, dialogue, events:  few, if any, establishes a consistent use of and description:  effective use errors in setting and a variety of  effective use of of sensory and usage and narrator transitional a variety of concrete sentence and/or strategies narrative language formation characters.  logical sequence techniques that clearly  effective and of events from advance the advance the consistent use beginning to end story or purpose of  effective opening illustrate the punctuation, and closure for experience capitalization, audience and and spelling purpose3 The fictional The fictional The fictional The fictional The fictional narrative is narrative has an narrative provides narrative narrative adequately focused evident plot helping adequate adequately demonstrates an and generally a sense of unity and elaboration using expresses adequate maintained completeness, details, dialogue, experiences or command of throughout: though there may be and description: events: conventions:  Adequately minor flaws and  adequate use  adequate use  some errors in establishes a some ideas may be of a variety of of sensory and usage and setting and loosely connected: narrative concrete sentence narrator  adequate use of techniques that language formation and/or a variety of generally generally may be characters. transitional advance the advance the present, but strategies story or purpose no systematic  adequate illustrate the pattern of sequence of experience errors is events from displayed beginning to end  adequate use  adequate of opening and punctuation, closure for capitalization, audience and and spelling purposeScore Narrative Focus Organization Elaboration of Language and Conventions Narrative Vocabulary 2 The fictional The fictional The fictional The fictional The fictional narrative is narrative has an narrative provides narrative narrative somewhat inconsistent plot, uneven, cursory unevenly demonstrates a maintained and and flaws are elaboration using expresses partial command This document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 53 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013. Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3 Writing Unit 4 may have a minor evident: partial and uneven experiences or of conventions: drift in focus:  inconsistent use details, dialogue, events:  frequent  inconsistently of basic and description:  partial or errors in establishes a transitional  narrative weak use of usage may setting and strategies with techniques, if sensory and obscure narrator little variety present, are concrete meaning and/or  uneven uneven and language that  inconsistent characters. sequence of inconsistent may not use of events from advance the punctuation, beginning to end purpose capitalization,  opening and and spelling closure, if present, are weak  weak connection among ideas1 The fictional The fictional The fictional The fictional The fictional narrative may be narrative has little or narrative provides narrative narrative maintained but no discernible plot: minimal expression of demonstrates a may provide little  few or no elaboration using ideas is vague, lack of command or no focus: transitional few or no details, lacks clarity, or is of conventions:  may be very strategies are dialogue, and confusing:  errors are brief evident description:  use of limited frequent and  may have a  frequent  use of narrative language severe, and major drift extraneous ideas techniques is  may have meaning is  focus may be may intrude minimal, little sense of often confusing or absent, in purpose obscured ambiguous error, or irrelevantThis document is the property of the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators (MAISA) and Oakland Schools. Page 54 Copyright permission pending. No further distribution permitted. Do not duplicate. Revised 6/11/2013.

Writing Realistic Fiction: Grade 3

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