Focus Lesson Planning Sheet
Focus Lesson Collecting Ideas As Essayists Day 1:
Observing the Small Stuff of Life
Topic
(adapted from Calkins and Gillette, 2006)
Materials
Connection
Explicit
Instruction
Anchor chart:
Ideas for generating
an essay
-Start with the small
stuff you notice in your
life. Let the small stuff
lead you to big ideas.
An example of an essay (see example below)
Writer’s Notebooks
Teacher’s Writer’s Notebook
Teacher’s example(s) of entries that may inspire an
essay
Chart paper
Optional: anchor chart on Generating Ideas for Personal
Narratives and/or other charts about idea generation
for writing various genres
Over the past couple of days we have been talking about this new
genre: the essay. We have talked about what it is and how it is
different from narratives we have written this year. Today we are
going to begin collecting ideas for our own essays.
Remember back when we began personal narratives. We started by
thinking about our ideas and where they could from. Show old
anchor chart if desired. Unlike our narratives, which began with
thinking of a small moment of our own lives, essays need to be about
big ideas. But where can those big ideas come from. Surprisingly
enough, those big ideas can come from the same place as our
stories: from our own lives. We notice what happens to us and to
others. We pay attention to what goes on around us. We observe
our surroundings. For example, we listen to the purr of our cat.
We notice how each person in our family reads the newspaper in a
different way. We observe the stuff that accumulates in the junk
drawer at our house. We overhear arguments between our friends
or family members. We take note of all these things in our Writer’s
Notebooks, but then we push ourselves to a big idea about these.
We might say, “This makes me think…,” or “I’m realizing that…”
Let me give you some examples. Here is an essay about a cat being
just as great a pet as a dog. We won’t take time to read the whole
essay right now though we will come back to it again in this unit.
But perhaps the author of this essay overheard an argument
between 2 friends about cats and dogs. Maybe she was part of such
an argument herself. Maybe she observed that more people have
pet cats in our country than pet dogs. Maybe she noticed ways that
her own cat acted. She may have noted these things in her Writer’s
Notebook. But then she asked herself what was her idea about
these observations. What did she realize from any of these things
she might have noticed? Her big idea was that cats are just as
great a pet as dogs are and she wrote her essay about that big idea.
Guided
Practice
.Let’s try this together. I am going to look through my WNB for an
entry which might lead me to a big idea. Model going through WNB.
Here I found an entry about a time I watched a bunch of ants
carrying a big chunk of cookie to their nest. Substitute with your
own example. I could use this entry in a few different ways. I could
write a personal narrative story telling the beginning, middle and
end of this small moment of my life. I could even write a fictional
narrative story with an ant as my main character. I could write a
nonfiction piece telling a lot of factual information about ants. But
I want to write an essay where I have a big idea about ants and
explain my idea to my readers. Maybe my big idea might be “This
makes me think that ants are a very important part of nature.”
Maybe it could be something like “I’m realizing that even the
smallest creatures do a lot for our world.” What else could it be?
Elicit some discussion. This might be difficult for students so they
may need guidance to come up with a couple more big ideas.
Send Off [for
Independent
Practice]
Today you are going to look through your WNBs. Look for entries
where you can think of some big ideas. Say to yourself “This makes
me think…” or “I’m realizing that…”
Group Share
Students could share some of the entries which led
them to possible big ideas (theses) for eventual essays.
"A dog is man's best friend." That common saying may contain some truth, but
dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For
many people, a cat is their best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe,
cats make excellent housepets as they are good companions, they are
civilized members of the household, and they are easy to care for.
In the first place, people enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are
affectionate. They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the
chin. Who can resist a purring cat? If they're not feeling affectionate, cats are
generally quite playful. They love to chase balls and feathers, or just about
anything dangling from a string. They especially enjoy playing when their
owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be
trained. Using rewards and punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be
trained to avoid unwanted behavior or perform tricks. Cats will even fetch!
In the second place, cats are civilized members of the household. Unlike dogs,
cats do not bark or make other loud noises. Most cats don't even meow very
often. They generally lead a quiet existence. Cats also don't often have
"accidents." Mother cats train their kittens to use the litter box, and most cats
will use it without fail from that time on. Even stray cats usually understand the
concept when shown the box and will use it regularly. Cats do have claws, and
owners must make provision for this. A tall scratching post in a favorite cat
area of the house will often keep the cat content to leave the furniture alone. As
a last resort, of course, cats can be declawed.
Lastly, one of the most attractive features of cats as housepets is their ease of
care. Cats do not have to be walked. They get plenty of exercise in the house as
they play, and they do their business in the litter box. Cleaning a litter box is a
quick, painless procedure. Cats also take care of their own grooming. Bathing a
cat is almost never necessary because under ordinary circumstances cats clean
themselves. Cats are more particular about personal cleanliness than people are.
In addition, cats can be left home alone for a few hours without fear. Unlike
some pets, most cats will not destroy the furnishings when left alone. They are
content to go about their usual activities until their owners return.
Cats are low maintenance, civilized companions. People who have small living
quarters or less time for pet care should appreciate these characteristics of cats.
However, many people who have plenty of space and time still opt to have a cat
because they love the cat personality. In many ways, cats are the ideal
housepet.
By Kathy Livingston