Unit 2 Narrative
Writing Workshop: Big Ideas
Writers will develop their stamina by going deeper personal narrative- students will write longer, more
significant and ‘graceful’ pieces.
* Write leads that include setting and introduce characters
* Organize series of events across time
* Develop characters by including their feelings and actions
* Develop a plot that makes sense and ends with a solution to the problem
* Use descriptive and literary language
Unit Standards
3.10.6.6Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain- specific
words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we
went looking for them). (Throughout whole year)
3.6.3.3 Write narratives and other creative texts to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator
and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions,
thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations. c. Use
temporal words and phrases to signal event order. d. Provide a sense of closure.
3.10.4.4Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3
reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the
meaning of a word or phrase. b. Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to
a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat). c. Use a
known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion).
d. Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of
key words and phrases.
3.6.5.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, use a writing process to develop and strengthen writing
as needed by planning, drafting, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of
Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 3 on page 41-42.)
3.10.2.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
when writing. a. Capitalize appropriate words in titles. b. Use commas in addresses. c. Use commas and quotation
marks in dialogue. d. Form and use possessives. e. Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other
studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness). f. Use spelling
patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules,
meaningful word parts) in writing words. g. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as
needed to check and correct spellings. (throughout year)
3.10.1.1Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or
speaking. a. Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions
in particular sentences. b. Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns. c. Use abstract nouns (e.g.,
childhood). d. Form and use regular and irregular verbs. e. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will
walk) verb tenses. f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.* g. Form and use comparative and
superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified. h. Use
coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. i . Produce simple, compound , and complex sentences.
Grammar
Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
Use regular and irregular plural nouns.
Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.
Writing Resources
Lucy Calkins’ Writers Workshop Units of Study Book 2
Wondrous Words by Katie Wood Ray
How’s it Going by Carl Anderson
The Revision Toolbox, by Georgia Heard
Hidden Gems, by Katherine Bomer
Mentor Texts:
Molly’s Pilgrim by Cohen
Come on, Rain by Karen Hesse
We Had a Picnic Last Sunday Past by Jacqueline Woodson
Assessment
6 Trait Rubric on published work
Narrative Writing Continuum
Writing conference notes
Self-Reflections as a Writer of Personal Narrative
Notes
Writing Unit __2__: _____Exploring Narrative
Writing___________________
Unit Bends in the road
POSSIBLE Teaching Point

Using a Writers Notebook
and Generating narrative
Ideas
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Reading with a Writer’s
Eye: Exploring Mentor
Texts
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Crafting and Revising
Good Narrative writing
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Writers get ideas for writing by looking BACK into their
writer’s notebook.
Writers plant seeds by brainstorming with a partner.
Writers look for seed ideas that are meaningful and that
they remember with crystal clarity
o Thinking about “… the first time…”
o Thinking about “… the last time…”
o Thinking about a turning point in their lives
Writers reread their seed ideas, thinking of the importance
of them
Writers orally tell their stories to friends before writing
them
Writers create timelines of events and emotions for their
stories
Writers use a story mountain to plan their writing
Writers read the work of authors they admire, asking,
“What did this author do that I could also do to make my
own writing more powerful?”
Writers name and define the qualities of good narrative
writing by looking at mentor texts
Writers plan, draft and revise their writing by referring to
a mentor texts
Writers tell the story as they see it unfolding, looking
through the narrator’s eyes
Writers can always make improvements –this is called
revising
Writers write their narrative using first person
Writers organize their story by planning along the story
mountain (story arc)
Writers reenact the story to include the details
Writers revise their writing by sharing with a partner and
getting feedback
Writers tell the story bit-by-bit rather than summarizing
Writers show not tell by adding dialogue to the story
Writers zoom in by finding the heart of the story
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Editing and Publishing Our
Stories
Writers improve their writing by trying several leads
(mentor texts). (Setting, dialogue, actions, character
description)
 Writers improve their writing by including strong feelings
and thoughts
 Writers improve their writing by trying several endings
(mentor texts). (Final action, feeling or dialogue)
Writers edit by doing the following:
 Using pronouns correctly
 Checking that verb tense is consistent throughout
 Checking their writing for complete sentences
 Checking their work for correct punctuation and
capitalization
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Grammar
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Publishing and Celebrating
our stories
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Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
Use regular and irregular plural nouns.
Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent
agreement
Authors celebrate by reflecting on themselves as writers
of a particular genre (writing folders)
Authors celebrate by respectfully appreciating the work of
others
Unit 2: Personal Narrative Grading Rubric
Report Card
Standard
Grade 1
1 point
Develop
characters
by
including
their
feelings
and
actions
The writer put the
picture from his
mind onto the
page. He had
details in pictures
and words.
(Overall) The
writer wrote about
when he/she did
something.
Develop a
plot that
makes
sense with
a logical
solution
(story
mountain)
(Lead) The writer
tried to make a
beginning for his
story.
(Ending) The writer
found a way to
end his story.
Use
descriptive
words
The writer used
labels and words
to give details.
MidLeve
l
1.5
pt
Grade 2
2 pt
MidLevel
The writer tried to
bring her
characters to life
with details, talk
and actions.
MidLevel
The writer wrote
about one time
when he/she did
something.
MidLevel
The writer thought
about how to
write a good
beginning and
chose a way to
start his/her story.
She chose the
action, talk or
setting that would
make a good
beginning.
MidLevel
MidLev
el
The writer chose
the action, talk, or
feeling that would
make a good
ending.
The writer chose
strong words that
would help
readers picture his
story.
MidLeve
l
2.5
pt
Grade 3
3 pt
MidLevel
3.5 pt
Grade 4
4 pt
MidLevel
The writer added
more to the heart of
her story, including
not only actions and
dialogue but also
thoughts and
feelings.
MidLevel
The writer wrote the
important part of an
event bit by bit and
took out
unimportant parts.
MidLevel
The writer wrote a
beginning in which
he/she showed
what was
happening and
where, getting
readers into the
world of the story.
MidLevel
The writer worked
to show what
happen to (and
in) his characters.
MidLevel
The writer told
the story bit by
bit.
MidLevel
The writer wrote
a beginning in
which he helped
readers know
who the
characters were
and what the
setting was in
his/her story.
MidLevel
The writer chose
the action, talk,
or feeling that
would make a
good ending
and worked to
write it well.
MidLevel
MidLev
el
The writer not
only told her
story, but also
wrote it in ways
that got readers
to picture what
was happening
and that brought
the story to life.
MidLevel
The writer wrote an
ending that
connected to the
beginning or the
middle of the story.
The writer used
action, dialogue, or
feeling to bring the
story to a close.
The writer showed
why characters did
what they did by
including their
thinking. The writer
made some parts
go by quickly or
slowly. The writer
included sensory
details or figurative
language. Used a
storytelling tone
through description,
phrases, dialogue
and thoughts.
Score