iLearn – Literacy E.1
Celebrating Student Work
Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear Expectations
Facilitator Agenda
Setting the Stage
To be reviewed before the session begins.
Session Overview
In this session, participants will learn strategies for infusing technology into each phase of the
writing process as they develop their own Personal Narratives.
This session will focus on infusing technology into the first stage of the writing process—
collecting—as participants look at a mentor text in order to determine criteria for this writing
project and begin developing a rubric. In the beginning stages of constructing written work,
writers gather their thoughts, ideas, and opinions to incorporate into their writing. They also
look at examples of the genre they’re writing in, so that expectations of the final project are
clear from the beginning of the process.
Content Teaching Points
During this session, participants will learn use a mentor text to set clear expectations.
Technology Teaching Points
During this session, participants will learn use online tools to develop a “living” rubric.
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iLearn Literacy Session E.1: Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear Expectations
Focusing Questions
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How can we use a Mentor Text to set clear expectations?
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How can we use online tools to develop a “living” rubric?
Materials
The following materials are used in this session:
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Laptops or tablets with Internet access
Projector
Interactive whiteboard (optional)
Resources
The following resources are used in this session:
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Literacy E_1 Presentation.ppt
Literacy E_1 Mentor Text.doc
RubiStar
Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators – Assessment Rubrics
Rubrics, Rubrics, Teacher Rubric Maker
RCampus
Instruction
Typically lasts about 20% of session.
Framing the Session
It is imperative to state prior to instruction that the lessons demonstrated in this class do not
represent a complete Personal Narrative unit. The lessons cover certain skills needed to write
a personal narrative, but not all. Teachers are encouraged to use these lessons as a part of a
larger Personal Narrative unit.
Explain that in the collecting phase of writing it is often helpful to look for ideas in a wide
variety of ways. Even before a writer gathers ideas for his or her own research, it is important
to look at a mentor text in order to understand the elements of the genre.
Teaching
Explain that other software can be used to develop the Writer’s Notebook. If participants are
comfortable with Microsoft Word and want a challenge, introduce them to Microsoft OneNote or
Smart Notebook.:
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iLearn Literacy Session E.1: Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear Expectations
Step 1 – First, Display the mentor text linked from the Participant Agenda. Explain that the group is
going to use this text to determine elements of a Personal Narrative. Model reading the title, and
think-aloud elements that you’re noticing:
“The first thing I notice is that there’s a title that grabs my attention and makes me want to
continue reading. As I read on, it seems to be a story about someone and a memorable
event in his life.”
Step 2 – Then model opening up a new document in Word. Put the date at the top of the document.
Mention here the importance of having an organized structure to a notebook page. In their
classrooms, teachers may want to have students date or title the page.
Title this document “Elements of a Personal Narrative.” Using the Bullets function, begin listing the
elements you noticed:
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Engaging title
Focused on a person & memorable event
Etc.
Next, begin noticing which elements are particular to this genre. This might sound like:
“I notice that this part of the narrative is blue and underlined. Wow, if I click on it, it makes
a sound! In a traditional narrative, sounds wouldn’t have been included. But with digital
technology, I can bring this report alive by linking to audio clips. Now I want to add
‘Hyperlinks’ and ‘’Audio Clips’ to my list”
Before moving on, model saving this document. You may want to have students create a folder
called Personal Narrative. Note to participants that saving the document with the date and title
might help students retrieve documents easier, e.g. “3_1 Elements of a Personal Narrative.”
Step 3 – Transition into RubiStar by connecting the above activity to developing a rubric. In
short, identifying the elements of a specific text will help develop a rubric and provide clear
expectations for students. Next, click on the hyperlink for RubiStar.
“We are going to take the elements of the Personal Narrative we just noticed and begin
to develop a rubric. We will refer to this rubric as a ‘living rubric’ because it will change
throughout the unit as we learn new skills. RubiStar is and excellent source to help
create, customize and store rubrics.”
Step 4 – “You do not have to be a member to use this Web site. One option you have
is to search existing rubrics. If we click on ‘Find Rubric’ we are given options on how to
search i.e. keywords, rubric title, author name, or author e-mail address. If we type in
Personal Narrative we will see over 5,000 existing rubrics appear. We can narrow our
search down further by adding key words to the search.”
You can now search existing rubrics and assess if the criteria/categories listed fit your
assignment.”
Select a rubric that came up in the search and assess out loud for participants if it is suitable
for their needs.
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iLearn Literacy Session E.1: Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear Expectations
“If you like certain parts of a rubric, but don’t think it is entirely suitable, you can
highlight it, open up a blank word document, cut the rubric and paste it into word. This
will allow you to customize the document.”
Step 5 – “RubiStar also enables you to create your own rubrics, archive them and make
them available for kids online. If I look at the given topics under ‘Create Rubric’ I think
‘Writing’ would be the best place to start. If I click on it, it brings me to a list of subtopics. If I look under ‘Research & Writing’ the ‘Story Writing’ seems to be appropriate
for Personal Narrative. Next, complete the necessary information and scroll down to
the rubric template. Under ‘Category’ there is a drop down menu where I can
determine the appropriate categories for my rubric. If I look at the selected categories,
I think ‘Organization’ is an important category to assess. When I click, the remainder
of the row fills in with suitable language.”
Guided Practice
“Now it is your turn. Based on the elements we noticed from the mentor text, what might be the
next category we need to include in the rubric? Why?”
Work Time
Typically lasts about 60–70% of session.
Getting Started
“Take the next 20 minutes to take the opportunity to use RubiStar and develop a rubric you
could use in your class. Please customize the rubric based on your students and their abilities.
You may need to use different language or further scaffold your rubric. You should also take
this time to register for a RubiStar account and explore the additional options it offers. Then
we will come back together and share.”
Participant Activity
Participants will...
Step 1
Develop a “living rubric” using RubiStar.
Step 2 Register for a RubiStar account.
Step 3 Explore the Web site.
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iLearn Literacy Session E.1: Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear Expectations
Facilitator Conferring
Circulate around the room and confer with participants. Make sure you confer with participants
who need individual assistance with RubiStar.
Take note of particularly good examples of work that can be presented during the Share.
Effective rubrics use specific language and are address a variety of narrative account
standards.
Share
Typically lasts about 10–20% of session.
Share
Ask selected participants to share particularly good examples of their work.
Lead a discussion about how this work addresses the following questions:
How does establishing clear expectations help guide student work?
How does an online assessment tool help educators?
Acknowledgements
This session was developed in collaboration with the following people:
Author: Gina Ceparano
Email: gceparano@schools.nyc.gov
School/Employer: IS 93
Title: Teacher/Technology Coordinator
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iLearn Literacy Session E.1: Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear Expectations
TEMPLATE DESCRIPTION
Each session contains the following components and can be conducted in 45–60 minutes:
Session Overview
This is a concise summary of the session, and how it fits into the training series as a whole.
Focusing Questions
These are the specific questions that guide the session. The purpose of the session is to address
these questions.
Materials
This is a list of all materials that the facilitator must make sure are present at the training site,
including technology resources.
Resources
All handouts can be found linked from the Resources section of the participant agenda.
Participants will be able to access these materials online during the session, but the facilitator
should review them ahead of time, and any instructional support charts should be posted in the
room before the session begins.
Framing the Session
The facilitator explains to the participants what will be covered in this session, how it fits into the
training series as a whole, and how it may be incorporated into their reflective practice.
Teaching
This is a short period of facilitator-led instruction designed to prepare the participants for their work
time. The facilitator might demonstrate a specific use of technology in an authentic curricular
context, selected participants might be invited to share relevant experiences, or the group as a
whole might contribute to a shared brainstorming list. The facilitator should be careful to avoid
giving a lengthy lecture or straying too far from the focusing questions.
Guided Practice
Sometimes it is helpful for the facilitator to walk the participants through a process step by step.
This gives the participants the hands-on experience of work time before losing the scaffolding of
facilitator-led instruction.
Getting Started
The facilitator gives instructions to the participants for their work time, and lets them know what
they will be expected to share at the end of the session.
Participant Activity
Participants are given time to practice the specific process they have seen demonstrated. They
may be working independently, with a partner, or in small groups.
Facilitator Conferring
As participants work, the facilitator moves around the room holding short conferences to help guide
the work and make it more productive. The facilitator should be at eye level with participants during
each conference. These conversations need not be especially private; the facilitator may invite
someone sitting nearby to listen in. If common needs among the group emerge, they can either be
addressed immediately or during the sharing time.
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iLearn Literacy Session E.1: Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear Expectations
Share
Participants gather at the end of the session to demonstrate what they have done, discuss
experiences they have had, and reflect on what they have learned. This is an opportunity to return
to the focusing questions that began the session, and discuss what has been accomplished in the
interval.
Acknowledgements
This section acknowledges those who contributed to the creation of this session.
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iLearn Literacy Session E.1: Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear Expectations
iTeach/iLearn Project Overview
The Office of Instructional Technology (OIT) envisions providing the instructional community
with technology-rich tools and resources to enhance the teaching and learning process while
improving student achievement. We envision students using mobile wireless computers as a
tool for achieving high academic standards, supported by standards-aligned, technologyinfused curriculum, and highly qualified, well-trained, technology-literate teachers.
Each session contains the following components and can be conducted for teachers
in 45–60 minutes:
Session Overview
This is a concise summary of the session, and how it fits into the training series as a whole.
Focusing Questions
These are the specific questions that guide the session. The purpose of the session is to
address these questions.
Materials
This is a list of all materials that the facilitator must make sure are present at the training site,
including technology resources.
Resources
All handouts can be found linked from the Resources section of the participant agenda.
Participants will be able to access these materials online during the session, but the facilitator
should review them ahead of time, and any instructional support charts should be posted in
the room before the session begins.
Framing the Session
The facilitator explains to the participants what will be covered in this session, how it fits into
the training series as a whole, and how it may be incorporated into their reflective practice.
Teaching
This is a short period of facilitator-led instruction designed to prepare the participants for their work
time. The facilitator might demonstrate a specific use of technology in an authentic curricular
context, selected participants might be invited to share relevant experiences, or the group as a
whole might contribute to a shared brainstorming list. The facilitator should be careful to avoid
giving a lengthy lecture or straying too far from the focusing questions.
Guided Practice
Sometimes it is helpful for the facilitator to walk the participants through a process step by
step. This gives the participants the hands-on experience of work time before losing the
scaffolding of facilitator-led instruction.
LessonTemplate
Getting Started
The facilitator gives instructions to the participants for their work time, and lets them know what
they will be expected to share at the end of the session.
Participant Activity
Participants are given time to practice the specific process they have seen demonstrated. They
may be working independently, with a partner, or in small groups.
Facilitator Conferring
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iLearn Literacy Session E.1: Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear Expectations
As participants work, the facilitator moves around the room holding short conferences to help
guide the work and make it more productive. The facilitator should be at eye level with
participants during each conference. These conversations need not be especially private; the
facilitator may invite someone sitting nearby to listen in. If common needs among the group
emerge, they can either be addressed immediately or during the sharing time.
Share
Participants gather at the end of the session to demonstrate what they have done, discuss
experiences they have had, and reflect on what they have learned. This is an opportunity to
return to the focusing questions that began the session, and discuss what has been
accomplished in the interval.
Acknowledgements
This section acknowledges those who contributed to the creation of this session.
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iLearn Literacy Session E.1: Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear Expectations