Focus Lesson 22: Writing to Share Information: Introduction
Purpose
As students gain insight into “why writers write,” they to build experience and
understanding about the kinds of things writers create. This series of lessons
(22–26) supports students as they construct understandings about concept or
informational books. These lessons are meant to introduce writing informational
texts, one of the major genres in first grade.
Materials
Tools by Ann Morris, Podria ser un arbol by Allan Fowler, or another previously
read informational book about one concept
Concept books written by students
Chart, “Why Writers Write”
Copied cover of Tools or another book you chose for this lesson
Blank books
Standards
Writing Standard 2: Informational Writing
Students will:

Inform others; and

Create reports or informational writing.
Intended Learning Statement
“Writers write about things they know a lot about and want to tell other people.
We are going to learn more to help us write our own books.”
Connecting to Background Knowledge/Previous Lesson
Begin with the bell and chant.
“We have been talking about why writers write.” Refer to the “Why Writers Write”
chart and point out a few reasons writers write and how students have been
doing the same thing during Writing Workshop.
Modeling/Active Involvement
“Today we are going to reread Tools by Ann Morris and talk about why she wrote
this book.” Reread the book or enough of the book so students notice that the
whole book gives information about one concept or idea (tools) and say why she
wrote it. Have students talk to their partners or in the whole group about why Ann
Morris wrote the book (to share information about tools or to teach people about
tools) and add the cover of the book and the reasons she wrote it to the chart.
You probably have students who have already written a similar book based on a
picnic basket lesson. Call attention to several of these books by reading them
and commenting on what the child did (“Marcus, you wrote a book just about
dogs yesterday and shared information in your book.”)
Denver Public Schools
Elementary Literacy Program, 2003
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Next, have each student share the topic or concept he or she knows about and is
going to tell others about in his or her book. This oral rehearsal helps solidify the
understanding of informational text.
Work Period
During the work period, confer with individual or small groups of students.
Share Time
Have students share their work with partners or select a few students to share
their work with the whole group. Show an appreciation for the information:
“I learned about skateboards from you.”
Notes
With this lesson, you continue to use author friends to help students see
possibilities for their own writing.
Ann Morris has written many simple photographic “essays” focusing on one idea
or concept. Gail Gibbons and Donald Crews have also written concept books that
could be used for this lesson.
Denver Public Schools
Elementary Literacy Program, 2003
Part 2
2
Focus Lesson 23: Writing to Share Information: Learning More
Purpose
As students gain insight into “why writers write,” they to build experience and
understanding about the kinds of things writers create. This series of lessons
(22–26) supports students as they construct understandings about concept or
informational books. These lessons are meant to introduce writing informational
texts, one of the major genres in first grade.
Materials
Tools by Ann Morris, Podria ser un arbol by Allan Fowler, or the book you read in
Lesson 22
Different kinds of leaves on a tray
Blank books
Standards
Writing Standard 2: Informational Writing
Students will:

Inform others; and

Create reports or informational writing.
Intended Learning Statement
“Writers write about things they know a lot about and want to tell other people.
We are going to learn more to help us write our own books.”
Connecting to Background Knowledge/Previous Lesson
Begin with the bell and chant.
“Yesterday everyone wrote a book to share information.” Refer to a few specific
books students wrote yesterday. “Today we are going to reread Tools by Ann
Morris and talk about how she got the information she put in this book.”
Modeling/Active Involvement
Reread the book and tell students that Ann Morris put information she already
knew about tools in her book, but she also had to learn a few more things about
tools to put in her book.
“Today I have something on a tray that all of you know something about.” Show
students the tray of leaves and engage them in a conversation about what they
know about leaves. “If you wrote your book about leaves right now, you could put
things your know about leaves in it just like Ann Morris put things she knew about
tools in her book, couldn’t you? Now we’re going to teach ourselves something
about leaves by looking closely at this leaf.” Hold up a leaf that has an attribute
students haven’t mentioned yet and that they could “learn,” such as a leaf with
sharp points (holly) or a leaf with brown edges. Repeat this process so students
see that they can learn more about a topic (leaves) and that they can include
Denver Public Schools
Elementary Literacy Program, 2003
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these new observations or learnings in their books. This oral rehearsal helps
solidify the understandings of how writers of informational text have to learn more
about a topic they are going to write about.
Work Period
“Today we are all going to write a book about leaves. I’ll put a few leaves on each
table so you can look at them to remind yourself of what you can put in your
book.” During the work period, confer with individual or small groups of students.
Share Time
Have a few students share what they learned as writers today. Show an
appreciation for the process, “Wow, you put something you already knew and
something you taught yourself about leaves in your book!”
Notes
You’ll want to gather enough leaves so you can put a tray of different kinds of
leaves on each table, which will assist students’ composing.
Denver Public Schools
Elementary Literacy Program, 2003
Part 2
4
Focus Lessons 24–26: Writing to Share Information: Review
Purpose
As students gain insight into “why writers write,” they to build experience and
understanding about the kinds of things writers create. This series of lessons
(22–26) supports students as they construct understandings about concept or
informational books. These lessons are meant to introduce writing informational
texts, one of the major genres in first grade.
Materials:
Tools by Ann Morris, Podria ser un arbol by Allan Fowler, or the book you read in
Lessons 22–23
Blank books
Artifacts (see lessons below)
Standards
Writing Standard 2: Informational Writing
Students will:

Inform others; and

Create reports or informational writing.
Intended Learning Statement
“Writers write about things they know a lot about and want to tell other people.
We are going to learn more to help us write our own books.”
Connecting to Background Knowledge/Previous Lesson
Begin with the bell and chant.
“We’ve been learning how to write to share information.” Refer to a few specific
books students have written. “We are going to keeping learning about learning to
share information all week.”
Modeling/Active Involvement
Lesson 24
Review what students have learned so far when writing informational texts (write
a book about one concept or idea, include what you know about the concept, and
include what you’ve learned about the concept). Repeat Lesson 23, choosing a
new set of objects in one category (e.g., shoes, buttons, rocks) that are familiar
to students. Objects should also have attributes students can observe when they
“study” them, which helps them understand that writers of informational books
learn about their topics. If your students had difficulty making informational
books, model making one as part of today’s lesson.
Denver Public Schools
Elementary Literacy Program, 2003
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Lesson 25
Review what students have learned so far when writing informational texts (write
a book about one concept or idea, include what you know about the concept, and
include what you’ve learned about the concept). Repeat Lesson 23, using a new
set of objects in a category (e.g., shoes, buttons, rocks). Choose artifacts
students will know something about but can also “teach” themselves something
new just by looking at the objects.
Lesson 26
If you feel students would benefit from another opportunity to compose and write
an informational book, you should do another lesson like Lesson 23. If you would
like to extend students’ learning, repeat Lesson 23, but show them how to make
a diagram to go in their informational text (choose artifacts students can diagram,
such as apples).
Share Time
Have a few students share what they learned as writers today. Show an
appreciation for the process, “Wow, you put something you already knew and
something you taught yourself about apples in your book!”
Notes
This week-long focus on writing to share information is meant as an introduction.
Later in the year, you’ll want to do a more in-depth unit on writing informational
text that will teach students more sophisticated ways of gathering and reporting
information.
It’s helpful to students that you explicitly link what they are reading and what they
are writing. During independent reading time and read-aloud time, point out when
you or students are reading books similar to the ones they are writing, which
shows them more possibilities for their work and supports their growing ability to
“read like writers.”
Denver Public Schools
Elementary Literacy Program, 2003
Part 2
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