Mini-Lesson Planning Sheet
Teaching Narrative - Realistic Fiction
Week
1
Monday
Unit of Study: The Arc of the Story
Fourth Grade Draft
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Procedural Lessons
 Writing Identity
 Writing Territories
 Multigenre Web
 How to Use a
Writer’s Notebook
On Demand Narrative
On Demand Informational
On Demand Opinion
Choosing Topics to Write
About – People and Places
– Begin Entries – boiling
down to small moments
Writing in the Writer’s
Notebook
Writing in the Writer’s
Notebook
Bend One: Creating and
Developing Realistic
Fiction Stories
Day 8
Lesson 4 – Giving
Characters Struggles and
Motivations
Writers learn that characters
act certain ways for certain
reasons and learn that often
they have to overcome
obstacles.
Day 13
Lesson 8 Great Beginnings
Teach children how to write
leads that capture the
reader’s attention. Writers
use mentor texts to learn
how to write leads.
Day 9
Lesson 5 – Plotting with
a Story Arc
Writers learn how to plan
their stories using a story
mountain including
emotions, motivation and
obstacles
Day 10
Bend 2 - Revising
Strings of Action – What
are you hands doing,
feet doing, face etc
Day 14
Lesson 9 Orienting
Readers with Setting Weather the Storm
Using weather to reveal
tone as well as the
characters feelings and
mood
Day 15
Lesson 10 Memorable
Endings
Teach children how to
write endings that readers
remember.
Using the Writer’s
Notebook
2
3
Friday
Day 6
Lesson 2 Imagining Stories
We Wish Existed in the
World
Writers practice story telling
with their partners.
Day 11
Lesson 6 Show Don’t Tell
Show what is happening in
the story through actions
Planning and Writing Scenes
Day 7
Lesson 3 – Developing
Believable Characters
Writers learn to create
characters approximately
their age with similar
experiences.
Day 12
Lesson 7 Heart of the
Story
Writers focus in on the heart
of the story and revise and
develop their writing using
strategies they have learned.
Lesson 1 - Imagining
stories from ordinary
moments
Unforgettable Stories
and Wonderings - Ralph
Fletcher (Moving, New
School, Friendshiptopics they’ve
experienced)
People and Places
Weight - Expanding
Important Parts
Mini-Lesson Planning Sheet
Teaching Narrative - Realistic Fiction
4
5
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20
Stringing moments
together
Writers learn how to
string 2-3 scenes
together (1hr or less, 23 characters, no one in
class)
Sketch/Stretch 4 Panel
Story Mountain
Reveal Characters
Further using internal
dialogue – Use the
characters thoughts,
feelings, wonderings to
further reveal the character
Revealing Characters
through Action and
Dialogue – Add actions to
dialogue to reveal your
characters to the reader.
Transitions – Teach
children how to use words
and phrases for transitions
between action in their
narratives.
Symbolism, Simile and
Metaphor
Repeating Words, Phrases
and Sentence Structures
Bend 3 – Preparing for
Publication
Lesson 11 - Revision –
Rereading with a lens
Writers learn how to revise
their work using one or
more of the strategies they
have learned.
Lesson 12 – Making a
Space for Writing
Writers learn to revise using
a checklist.
Lesson 13 – Using
Mentor Texts to Flesh
out Characters
Writers learn how to use
mentor texts to elaborate
on their characters
internal and external
characteristics
Lesson 14 – Editing with
Various Lenses
Writers learn how to edit
with a checklist rereading
for different types of
errors separately.
Bend 4 – Embarking on
Independent Fiction
Projects
Lesson 16 – Writers learn
that they will continue to
write realistic fiction
independently using the
strategies they have learned.
Lesson 17 – Planning and
Drafting Stories with
Agency
Writers learn independent
pacing and accountability.
Lesson 18 – Mining the
Connections between
Reading and Writing
Lesson 19 - Focusing the
Reader’s Gage
Writers learn how to
return to the Narrative
Checklist with increasing
independence.
Lesson 20 – Choosing
Punctuation for Effect
Writers learn how to
master punctuation and
use it to communicate
with their readers about
how their writing should
be read.
Writers use repetition in
important parts. Sentence
variety
6
Unit of Study: The Arc of the Story
Fourth Grade Draft
Lesson 15 Publishing
Mid October
End of Unit
On Demand Draft
(Assessment)
Writers use symbols and
simile and metaphor in
important parts
Mini-Lesson Planning Sheet
Teaching Narrative - Realistic Fiction
Week
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Unit of Study: The Arc of the Story
Fourth Grade Draft
One Procedural Lessons:
Writing Identity
Using a Writer’s Notebook
How to Confer with a Partner
Writing Territories and Multigenre maps for generating ideas
The Writing Process – When You think you’re done you’ve just begun…
Building Stamina during Writer’s Workshop
On Demand Drafts: One on demand draft should be done at the beginning of the unit without instruction and one
at the end after instruction. It is suggested that children should be drafting new writing at least once a week.
Conferencing and Sharing It is suggested that conferencing be done daily throughout any unit of study. It is
suggested that you conference with each child at least once a week (individually or in strategy groups) and keep
records of the conferences with goals for each child. Children should have many entries in their Writer’s Notebook
and be writing long and strong every day. Children should be writing at least a page or page and a half daily in their
Writer’s Notebook. The notebook should be going back and forth between home and school daily. It is suggested
that children publish 1 piece per unit. Writers pick what they feel is their best writing and improve it based on
your revision and editing lessons. Sharing should be done as often as possible (partner, small group, whole group)
culminating with an Author’s Celebration at the end of the unit. Publishing should be done in a “real world” manner
and for an audience.
Editing Lesson: Get it Right - Writers learn how to re-read their writing for each type of error separately,
Sentence Sense, Capitalization and Punctuation and Spelling (Editing). Children should do at least 3 readings for
effective editing focusing on one type of error at a time. Conventions and editing can be taught outside of Writer’s
Mini-Lesson Planning Sheet
Teaching Narrative - Realistic Fiction
Unit of Study: The Arc of the Story
Fourth Grade Draft
Workshop during Word Study. Children should edit as much of their writing as possible, not just published pieces
of writing.