Writing For Understanding–
Central Idea - What is it I want students to understand and know about the content?
Science Standards
 2nd Grade
o Standard 2 Objective 3a: Compare and contrast the seasonal weather patterns during the school year.
o Standard 4 Objective 2c: Identify behaviors and reactions of living things in response to changes in the
environment including seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation.
rd
 3 Grade
o Standard 2 Objective 2b: Predict the effects of changes in the environment (e.g., temperature, light,
moisture) on a living organism.
o Standard 5 Objective 1b: Observe and report how sunlight affects plant growth
o Standard 5 Objective 1c: Provide examples of how sunlight affects people and animals by providing
heat and light.
Focusing Essential Question - What question will I pose so that students can see how to approach this
thinking and writing in a specific, appropriate, manageable way?
 What adaptations do plants and animals make as seasons change from fall to winter?
Building Content Knowledge - How will I make sure the students know enough about the subject by the end
to actually write about it?
2nd and 3rd Grades (Day 1)
 Read selected passages
 Vocabulary – climate, hibernate, migrate
 Take notes on a four square chart
Read text selections. Close Reading
 Reread “What is Weather?” What is the weather pattern, or climate, like in Utah in fall and winter? What are
animals doing in fall and winter? What are birds/butterflies doing in fall and winter? What is happening to
plants in fall and winter? (turn and talk)
 What clues in the text let you know that? Categorize and record information into appropriate boxes – teacher
model
 Reread “Hibernation”. What is the weather like? What are animals doing? What are birds/butterflies doing?
What is happening to plants? (turn and talk)
 What in the text let you know that? Categorize and record information into appropriate boxes – scaffold as
needed
1. Weather
2. Animals
 Reread “The Journey of a Butterfly”. What is the weather like? What
are animals doing? What are the birds/butterflies doing? What is
Fall:
Fall:
happening to plants? (turn and talk)
Winter:
Winter:
What in the text let you know that? Categorize and record information
into appropriate boxes – scaffold as needed
3. Birds or
4. Plants
Butterflies
W
Fall:
Winter:
Day 2
 View video about farms
 Read The Year at Maple Hill Farm
by Alice and Marin Provensen
 Vocabulary – harvest, migrant
Fall:
Winter:
 Take notes on the four square chart (opposite side – same categories)
Read the complete text of “The Year at Maple Hills Farm.” Close Reading using selected pages:
 Reread September pages. What is the weather like? What are the farm animals doing? What are
birds/butterflies doing? What is happening to the crops at the farm?
 What clues in the text let you know that? Categorize and record information into appropriate boxes – scaffold
as needed
 Reread October pages. What is the weather like? What are the farm animals doing? What are birds/butterflies
doing? What is happening to the crops at the farm? (turn and talk)
 What in the text let you know that? Categorize and record information into appropriate boxes – scaffold as
needed
 Reread November pages. What is the weather like? What are the farm animals doing? What are the
birds/butterflies doing? What is happening to the crops at the farm? (turn and talk)
 What in the text let you know that? Categorize and record information into appropriate boxes – scaffold as
needed
 Continue pattern by rereading the December, January, and February pages.
 What in the text let you know that? Categorize and record information into appropriate boxes – scaffold as
needed
 Prompt: How do seasonal changes from autumn to winter affect plants and animals?
 Quick write for two minutes. (have students share what they have written with a partner, then have a
few students share with the whole class) [Informal assessment for student understanding of topic.]
Understanding the Writer’s Craft - How will I make sure they know enough about the craft of writing?
2nd and 3rd Grades
Explicit lesson and scaffolded practice generating introductory statement using a prompt.
Example: What adaptations do plants and animals make as seasons change from fall to winter?
Animals and plants adapt to seasonal changes when fall turns to winter.
OR
When fall turns to winter, both animals and plants have to adapt.
Support can be given to students through writing process according to their needs.
 Class writing
 Use a paragraph frame
 Peer writing
Writing Standards
 2.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop
points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
 3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
a. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding
comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g. also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of
information.
d. Provide a concluding statement or section.
Structure - How will the students know how to organize their ideas and construct a piece of writing?
2nd and 3rd Grades (Day 3)
Organize ideas in a graphic organizer for writing informational text.
Introduction: Generate
statement from prompt
Main Idea:
Weather
patterns/
Climate
Main Idea:
Animals
*Key
Details
*Key
Details
Main Idea:
Birds/
Butterflies
*Key
Details
Main Idea:
Plants
*Key
Details
Conclusion: Rephrase
introduction and wrap up
*Choose 1-5 key details from notes pages for each main idea. Each can be encased in its own bubble. Teacher directed.
Writing / Revising- How will students draft / revise so that their final writing is clearly focused, organized, and
developed to show understanding of the central ideas?
2nd Grade (Day 4+) [Remember to support student writing using ideas from the Understanding Writer’s Craft
section.]
Option 1
Students write one paragraph structured as follows:
 Introductory sentence
 Sentence about first main idea
 Sentence which explains (facts/definitions) one or more key details (may have more than one sentence)
 Sentence about second main idea
 Sentence which explains (facts/definitions) one or more key details (may have more than one sentence)
 Sentence about third main idea
 Sentence which explains (facts/definitions) one or more key details (may have more than one sentence)
 Sentence about fourth main idea
 Sentence which explains (facts/definitions) one or more key details (may have more than one sentence)
 Conclusion: Sentence which rephrases the introduction and wraps up the paragraph
Option 2
Students write one paragraph structured as follows:
 Introductory sentence
 Sentence about one of the main ideas (choose which main idea to use)
 Sentence which describes one of the key details (facts/definitions)
 Sentence which describes one of the key details (facts/definitions)
 Sentence which describes one of the key details (facts/definitions)
than three key details)
 Conclusion: Sentence which rephrases introduction and wraps up the paragraph
(may have more
3rd Grade (Day 5+) [Remember to support student writing using ideas from the Understanding Writer’s Craft
section.]
Option 1
Students write five paragraphs structured as follows:
 Introductory sentence
 One to four sentences introducing main ideas
 Sentence about the first main idea
 One to four sentences which explain (facts/definitions) key details




Sentence about the second main idea
One to four sentences which explain (facts/definitions) key details
Sentence about the third main idea
One to four sentences which explain (facts/definitions) key details
 Sentence about the fourth main idea
 One to four sentences which explain (facts/definitions) key details
 Conclusion: Sentence which rephrases introduction
 One to four sentences about main ideas
 Sentence to wrap up essay
Option 2
Students write three paragraphs structured as follows:
 Introductory sentence
 One to four sentences introducing main ideas








Sentence about the first main idea
One or two sentences which explain (facts/definitions) key details
Sentence about second main idea
One or two sentences which explain (facts/definitions) key details
Sentence about third main idea
One or two sentences which explain (facts/definitions) key details
Sentence about fourth main idea
One or two sentences which explain (facts/definitions) key details
 Conclusion: Sentence which rephrases introduction
 One to four sentences about main ideas
 Sentence to wrap up essay
Option 3
Students write one paragraph structured as follows:
 Introductory sentence
 One or two sentences introducing main ideas
 Sentence about the first main idea
 Sentence which explains (facts/definitions) key details
 Sentence about the second main idea
 Sentence which explains (facts/definitions) key details
 Sentence about the third main idea
 Sentence which explains (facts/definitions) key details
 Sentence about the fourth main idea
 Sentence which explains (facts/definitions) key details
 Conclusion: Sentence which rephrases introduction and wraps up paragraph