Grade 4, Unit: Revising using facts, concrete details and quotations Overview of Unit: We will be focusing on the revision

stage of the writing process in our two week unit plan. The students have already, with instruction and assistance from the teacher, completed prewriting, finished research, and written drafts of a biography on a famous person in United States' history. We are now going to be teaching them how they can revise their drafts of the biography to make their writing even clearer and more interesting for their audience. Tools students will add to their tool belts include: 1. integrating quotations into their paper to support their ideas by using either quotations from sources found during research or including dialogue. 2. choosing which quotations best support their topic. 3. adding concrete details in order to develop their topic. 4. expanding their paper by using additional facts and examples. Essential Questions to Guide Instruction and Focus on Tools in Students Tool Belts in This Unit: How does using supporting evidence make my ideas more convincing for my audience? How does dialogue bring my writing to life? How can I make nonfiction more engaging? How do I use quotations and ideas from others to support my own ideas? Mentor Texts to Help Students Add Tools to Their Tool Belts in This Unit: So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George will be used as a non-example of quality writing. This book does not have a good flow, and the sentences sound choppy. In addition, this non-example has poor sentence structure and starts many sentences in a row the same way on multiple pages. The sentence structures are very basic and the content of those sentences are not very descriptive. It does not use a broad vocabulary, which is one of the things the students need to learn to acquire. The book Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt by Jean Fritz is very engaging. The book makes the reader want to keep reading, while presenting the story of Teddy Roosevelt's life. It also has some well-written quote integration, which will help the students understand how they can use quotes in different ways. The text has plenty of dialogue as well, which can be used as a positive example for students. The second book we chose was Patrick Henry: Voice of the American Revolution by Louis Sabin, which will also be utilized to show the students about effective quote integration in writing. This book has a lot of dialogue in it, so the students have another reference as to how dialogue can be written. A third mentor text we will be using is Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin dAulaire. This book has a great deal of imagery, which will help the students with their writing tremendously. The text also is excellent at setting the scene and providing vivid descriptions. Similarly to Abraham Lincoln, our last book, George Washington by Ingri and Edgar Parin dAulaire, has vibrant descriptions, uses a decent amount of imagery, and excels at setting the scene.

Grade 4, Unit: Revising using facts, concrete details and quotations Approximate Timeline for This Slice of the Unit: 2 Weeks Dates CCSS Objectives: I CAN Evidence of Student Learning Instruction & Materials What are the enduring How will I know students have How will I use the I/We/You model of understandings that students will constructed understanding? What will instruction to scaffold students in construct? students write, say, create, produce constructing rich understanding? What are the tools they will add to or that will evidence their learning and How will I break the unit down into weeks use from their tool belts as allow me to provide feedback? How will and days? What materials and resources will readers/writers and critical thinkers? students reflect on their own learning? I use to scaffold this? What are the essential questions that will guide our work? W4.2.b "Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic." W4.2.b - I can figure out what facts Students will choose quotations to I: The teacher will model finding facts by to add to my paper to make it more write in their paper, and write them using two of the mentor text George interesting. I can eliminate down in their journal. Washington and Abraham Lincoln by Ingri unnecessary facts from my paper. Students will pair share and cross and Edgar Parin dAulaire. out any unnecessary quotations in their papers. You: Students will choose quotations to write in their paper, and write them down in their journal. We: Students will pair share and cross out any unnecessary quotations in their papers. I: The teacher will model how a text does not draw in readers by using the mentor text So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George. We: Students will contribute to a class anchor chart on drawing in readers. Wed. W4.2.b - I can use concrete details to better engage my audience. Students will write an introductory paragraph setting the scene for their biography. We: The teacher will discuss with the students how Ingri and Edgar Parin dAulaire presents their facts in a more interesting way to set the scene of the biography. You: Students will write an introductory paragraph setting the scene for their biography.

Week 1 Mon.

Tues.

W4.2.b - I can present my facts in a more interesting way.

Students will contribute to a class anchor chart on drawing in readers.

Grade 4, Unit: Revising using facts, concrete details and quotations Thurs. W4.2.b - I can use concrete details to better engage my audience. In small groups students will identify areas of their paper where they need to add imagery to better engage the reader. Students will then work on those areas of their paper. Students will contribute to a class anchor chart about vivid descriptions. The students will then create a vivid description of their historical figure to integrate into their paper. We: In small groups students will identify areas of their paper where they need to add imagery to better engage the reader. You: Students will then work on those areas of their paper. We: Students will contribute to a class anchor chart about vivid descriptions.

Fri.

W4.2.b - I can use concrete details to better engage my audience.

Week 2 Mon.

You: The students will then create a vivid description of their historical figure to integrate into their paper. W4.2.b "Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic." W4.2.b - I can find quotations from Students will highlight quotations in I: The teacher will model how to chose strong my own research to support my main their research and pair share with a quotations from the mentor text Bully for idea. partner. You, Teddy Roosevelt by Jean Fritz. You: The students will highlight quotations in their research. We: The students will pair share with a partner their highlighted quotations. You: Students will choose three highlighted quotations from their research and integrate them into their biography. We: Students will work with a partner to choose two places in their writing where dialogue can be included to better engage their audience. I: The teacher will model what dialogue is by using the mentor text Patrick Henry: Voice of the American Revolution by Louis Sabin. We: Students will contribute to a class anchor chart on how to create dialogue.

Tues.

W4.2.b - I can use my quotations from research in my paper. W4.2.b - I can find a place in my writing where I can use dialogue.

Wed.

Thurs.

W4.2.b - I can create dialogue in my own writing.

Students will choose three highlighted quotations from their research and integrate them into their biography. Students will work with a partner to choose two places in their writing where dialogue can be included to better engage their audience. Students will contribute to a class anchor chart on how to create dialogue.

Grade 4, Unit: Revising using facts, concrete details and quotations Fri. W4.2.b - I can create dialogue in my own writing. Student will create dialogue for the two areas that they identified earlier, and will share these sections with a small group. You: Student will create dialogue for the two areas that they identified earlier. We: The students will then share these sections with a small group.

Grade 4, Unit: Revising using facts, concrete details and quotations

4th Grade Informative Writing Rubric

4th Grade Informative Writing

Concrete Details Did I use concrete details to better engage my audience? Quote Integration Did I use quotations in my paper to support my main idea? Dialogue Did I effectively use dialogue in my writing? Facts Did I use relevant facts in my paper to draw in my readers?

Excellent 15 I included numerous, interesting concrete details in my paper to draw in my readers. I used at least three quotations in my paper to support my main ideas.

Solid 10

Needs Work 5

Score

Most of my concrete details were relevant to my topic, but uninteresting. I used at least two quotations in my paper to support my main ideas.

I did not include concrete details in my paper to engage my audience. The quotations I used in my paper did not relate to my topic/ or I only used one quotation in my paper. I did used dialogue in only one area of my paper.

I used dialogue in three or more areas of my paper.

I used dialogue in two areas of my paper.

All of my facts were relevant and interesting for my audience.

Most of my facts were relevant and interesting for my audience.

I used unnecessary facts in my paper, or facts that did not interest my readers.