Example Unit Outline: Informational
Writing Focus
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Immersion:
Showcase a book in
‘grouped’ order (life,
family, job, etc.)
Anchor Chart
Immersion:
Second Biography –
discuss structure
Continue Anchor
Chart
Planning:
Brainstorm Topic –
Who Would You
Interview? (someone
who has a story to tell
– soldier, community
worker, overcome a
life struggle)
*adult choice – see in
person or talk on
phone
Planning:
“How to Conduct an
Interview”
-model w/ student
Drafting:
“Writing a Lead”
- star with Community
Circle, each student
shares who they are
writing about and why
they chose that
person
- Model how to write
a lead using 1
important fact
Week 1
Biographies of People
You Know
**Differentiation –
Various text levels
**Differentiation –
Various text levels
**Differentiation –
Struggling with Ideas:
Brainstorm in small
group with adult
guidance.
Resources:
Reference African
American Inventors
Anchor Chart Paper
Mentor Text
Sample Biographies
Anchor Chart Paper
Mentor Text
Sample Biographies
Assignment:
interview someone
using interview sheet,
due following Monday
**Differentiation –
Higher Ability: Have
them create and add
**Differentiation –
their own questions to 3-4 leads to choose
the interview sheet.
from
Struggling – coloredcoded interview sheet
Interview Sheet
Color-Coded Interview
Sheet for Struggling
Writers
Sample lead on page 3
Mentor Text: “Aim for
the Stars” – under G
Drive, Grade 2
Teacher Tallk
Time Order
Sequence
Young Helen Keller :
Woman of Courage
By Anne Benjamin
Brainstorm
Topic
Questioning
Writing Focus
Week 2
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Planning: Organization
- Use crayons to color
code facts of interview
into sections, such as:
family, job, childhood,
education
Drafting: Organizing
- students write a
rough draft of their
biography one section
at a time.
**Differentiation –
struggling: colorcoded interview
sheets, Higher Ability
– Coding more
sections than on sheet
Resources:
Student’s Interview
Sheets
Teacher Sample of
Completed Interview
Sheet
*mini lesson – using
topic sentences and
details in each section
**Differentiation –
struggling: giving
them their lead
sentences and with
adult guidance have
them fill in details
Drafting: Organization Drafting: Organization
Remind students
*mini-lesson – writing
about using topic
a conclusion
sentences and details
(rewriting the most
-showcase student
important piece about
drafts gathered from
the person)
yesterday’s
conferencing
*mini lesson – Talk
**Differentiation –
about how good
struggling: have them
writers try to include
repeat their lead,
punctuation and
Higher Ability: have
capitalization
them reinvent their
(beginning and proper
lead.
nouns) in their draft to
save time later
Teacher Sample of
Completed Interview
Sheet and one section
Young Helen Keller:
Woman of Courage
By Anne Benjamin
Draft Paper
-sample text p. 32
Revising: Pair/Share
*mini-lesson – choose
a student piece and
read to the class, have
them hold up a ? card
when something
doesn’t make sense
- students then do
same with a partner
**Differentiation –
teacher pair students
based on ability to
group struggling with
higher ability.
Student Draft
Question Cards (sticky
note w/ a question
mark written on it)
Writing Focus
Week 3
Resources:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Mini Lesson Topic:
Editing: Checklist
*mini-lesson – Use
checklist to assess
how you did with last
Wednesday’s lesson –
did you include most
capitals and
punctuation?
Show teacher sample
with few mistakes
Publishing: Typing
*mini-lesson –
headings vs. body:
show students how to
bold or underline text
to show importance
Publishing: Typing
*mini-lesson – how to
use Word Art to
create a title
Publishing: Adding an
Illustration
*mini-lesson –
drawing an illustration
of topic person and
adding a caption
Celebration: Wax
Museum Invite
another class (or your
own class) to hear
your stories.
Student Editing
Checklist
Teacher Sample on
Word
Teacher Sample
Laptops or Computer
Lab
**Differentiation –
Higher Ability with
technology: show
how to add clipart,
change fonts, get
creative with
title/headings
Laptops or Computer
Lab
Stirring Up Memories
by Pam Munoz Ryan
(Basal Unit 6)
Laptops or Computer
Lab