Unit Plan: Engaging the Reader
Essential Question: How do writers engage their audiences?
Unit Questions:
1. How do writers (how can we) use techniques to engage the audience?
2. How do writers organize their writing to make it clear to their audience?
3. Are my details interesting, specific, and juicy?
4. How can good writing skills help me become a stronger writer?
The students will be able to identify the structures of paragraphs and assemble sentences into a paragraph structure that makes sense. And using writing traits, proper conventions when writing as they compose a thank you letter/ summaries/ digital narrative using creative word choice to make their writing engaging to the audience.
Unit Plan: Engaging the Reader
Unit Author |
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First and Last Name |
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Author's E-mail Address |
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Course Name(s) |
English and Language Arts/Educational Technology |
Course Number(s) |
ED 4372.SH2 |
Course Section(s) |
Wednesday 5:30pm |
School City, State, Zip |
University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas, 75023 |
Instructor Name(s): |
Rhonda Christensen |
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Unit Overview |
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Unit Plan Title |
Engaging the Reader |
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Curriculum-Framing Questions |
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Essential Question |
How do writers engage their audiences?
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Unit Questions
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1. How do writers (how can we) use techniques to engage the audience? 2. How do writers organize their writing to make it clear to their audience? 3. Are my details interesting, specific, and juicy? 4. How can good writing skills help me become a stronger writer?
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Unit Summary |
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Students will be exploring the question, How do writers engage their audiences? They will be able to identify the structures of paragraphs and assemble sentences into a paragraph structure that makes sense. And using wrting traits, proper conventions when writing as they compose a thank you letter/ summaries/ digital narrative using creative word choice to make their writing engaging to the audience.
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Subject Area(s): |
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English Language Arts 6th - 8th |
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Grade Level (Click boxes of all grade levels that apply) |
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ESL Gifted and Talented |
3-5 9-12 Resource Other: |
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UQ # |
Student Objective/Learning Outcome |
Targeted State Standard/Benchmark |
Procedures/Activities |
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1 |
The students will be able to: Varying sentence structure and vocabulary.
The student will learn how to use writing traits when writing as they compose a thank you letter. The students will be able to use word choice and conventions to make their writing better.
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Language Arts
(6) (f) Response Skills The student will be able to respond using newly acquired vocabulary as appropriate
(10) (d) Composition The student is expected to edit drafts using standard English conventions, including: (vii) capitalization of proper nouns, including abbreviations, initials, acronyms, and organizations.
(4) Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. The student makes informed decisions by applying critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. The student is expected to: (F) transfer current knowledge to the learning of newly encountered technologies. |
Introduce the unit by using a whole-group discussion to ask students what are the six writing traits? Discuss . How can we make our writing better? learning about how use better word choices when writing. We will be looking at a few examples. recognize what it looks like to use interesting words when writing and use proper conventions when you write to make your writing better. we will look at a few examples in the PowerPoint Slides. Teacher will display PowerPoint slides and introduce the 6 writing traits. Focus will be on Word Choice and Conventions. Use Padlet to invite them to add as much interesting words as possible. Show the students examples of good word choice and conventions.
The student will Write 3 sentences that tells someone thank you: it can be to anyone you like, Ask them to write how it made them feel, describe what, when, etc. Prompt the students use interesting words and proper conventions. PICRAT – Interactive/Replaces |
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2 |
The students will be able to:Use interesting details when writing personal narratives.
The students will be able to look at how the author using vocabulary words that expand the readers thinking while reading.
The student will learn how to use context clues to help learn new vocabulary words. The students will be able to use strategies that help learn new vocabulary words. |
Language Arts
(2) Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking—Vocabulary. The Student uses newly acquired vocabulary expressively. The student is expected to: (a) use print or digital resources to determine the meaning, syllabication, pronunciation, word origin, and part of speech. (b) use context such as definition, analogy, and examples to clarify the meaning of words. (6) (f) Response Skills The student will be able to respond using newly acquired vocabulary as appropriate.
Technology Applications (4) Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. The student makes informed decisions by applying critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. The student is expected to: (D) use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions; (E) make informed decisions and support reasoning; and
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Teacher will display PowerPoint slides and introduce the 4 strategies to help learn unfamiliar words when reading. ASK students what other strategies they use when they come across an unknown word while reading. Teacher will discuss and show the students how to use word position and function in a sentence, prefixes, suffixes, or roots and/or overall tone of a passage as clues. Video Clips from Flocabulary.com Read and response practice sentences. Students will be playing a vocabulary game to test their skills on Kahoot.
PICRAT – Interactive/Amplification |
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2,3 |
The students will be able to write organized and clearly.
Students will be able to identify the structure of a paragraph and assemble sentences into a paragraph structure that makes sense |
Language Arts 6.10 (b) Composition: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--writing process. Develop drafts into a focused, structured, and coherent piece of writing by: (i) organizing with purposeful structure, including an introduction, transitions, coherence within and across paragraphs, and a conclusion; and (ii) developing an engaging idea reflecting depth of thought with specific facts, details, and examples; Technology Applications
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Use PowerPoint slides to show Worksheet. Show the students Paragraph puzzle 2. Teacher will have the students break the sentences up. Then the teacher will instruct the students to put the sentences into a paragraph that make sense. Teacher will have the students go into breakout rooms to work together on Paragraph puzzle 1. There will be about 5 groups with 5 students in each group. The teacher will visit each groups breakout room to monitor progress and make sure that the students are staying on task. Review group work as a class. Discuss the orders they decided on and have them share their thinking. Share the original order as published by the author. Students will began to work on their Summaries for the chapters 1-10 via Google Docs. PICRAT – Passive/Replacement |
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4 |
The student will be able to use writing strategies that will help them to become stronger writers. |
Language ArtsStandard 10: Students write functional, informational, and literary texts for various purposes, audiences, and situations.
Technology Applications(1) Creativity and innovation. The student uses creative thinking and innovative processes to construct knowledge, generate new ideas, and create products. The student is expected to: (B) create original works as a means of personal or group expression;
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Approximate Time Needed |
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four weeks for one and a half hours each day. |
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Prerequisite Skills |
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Prior experience with keyboarding, word processing, and Internet use. |
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Materials and Resources Required For Unit |
Technology – Hardware (Click boxes of all equipment needed.) |
Camera Computer(s) Digital Camera DVD Player Internet Connection |
Laser Disk Printer Projection System Scanner Television |
Video Camera Video Conferencing Equip. |
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Technology – Software (Click boxes of all software needed.) |
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Database/Spreadsheet Desktop Publishing E-mail Software Encyclopedia on CD-ROM |
Image Processing Internet Web Browser Multimedia
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Web Page Development Word Processing Other: Presentation software |
Printed Materials |
Ungifted by Gordon Korman |
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Supplies |
Scissor, paper.pencils, tablet |
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Internet Resources |
Book Creator APP Students can write their own stories and bring them to life with images, video or even their own voice.
ReadWriteThink http://www.readwritethink.org/ I like this site because it has so many resources with helping plan reading and writing lessons for my grade level that I would like to teach. It will be helpful to teachers when planning to review literature with the students and will give the students a chance to express their ideas. There are hundreds of engaging lessons and activities. Digital Textbooks & Education Resources | Discovery Education https://www.discoveryeducation.com/ I like this site because it has many sources for today’s ever-changing school setting. This site is innovative and fresh. The teacher would benefit from using this site because it provides high quality content and digital lessons. It is helpful in especially in a virtual learning environment. Scholastic Book Clubs https://clubs.scholastic.com/home I love this website, it lets you choose books for the students to read by grade level. It also gives you recommendations and lets you search for topics. I think that this site would be helpful for Teachers because it will save time and money when trying to decide what reading material would be best for the students. Lesson Planet https://www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=6+traits+of+writing I like this site because it gives me access to many educational videos and lessons. I think that it a good source because it gives quality lesson plans, worksheets and information that will help the teacher. It offers a wide range of grades and information from pre-k to 12th grade. Flocabulary I absolutely love this website, especially since I will be wanting to teach middle school students. This source will help to keep the students interested and spark their creativity. I know how hard middle school can be for students, I think that this source will help promote literacy in a fun and positive ways.
https://www.powtoon.com/
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Others |
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Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction |
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Resource Student |
• Provide the topic sentence for each paragraph in the exercises. Enrichment: Instruct students to find a paragraph in a nonfiction text and see if it fits the structure.Use myths that are written at an appropriate reading level • Create a definition sheet of verb and non action verbs. Use of a thesaurus and definition of synonym. Provide definitions and detailed information about using proper conventions |
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Gifted Student |
Have the student write an additional summary or narrative. |
Student Assessment |
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The writing rubric will be used to assess the students paragraph and summaries. Their will be class discussions between the teacher and the students and peers. Use of online quizzes to assess knowledge. Use of the student self assessments Checklist for editing their writing. |