Class Title: Celebrating Student Work Literacy
Session Title: Using a Mentor Text to Set Clear
Expectations
Session Number: 1
SETTING THE STAGE
Session Overview: Throughout this series of sessions participants will learn some
strategies for infusing technology into each phase of the writing process as they develop
their own Personal Narrative.
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.
Focusing Questions:
How can I use a Mentor Text to set clear expectations?
How can I use online tools to develop a “living” rubric?
Materials:
The following materials are used in this session:
-Laptops
-Projector
-Facilitator Agenda & Power Point
Resources:
The following resources are used in this session:
- Link to model text
- Literacy 5_1 Powerpoint
- http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
- http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html
- Sample Rubric
INSTRUCTION (Typically lasts about 20% of session.)
Framing the Session
It is imperative to state prior to instruction that lessons provided in this Personal Narrative Unit
do not compose a complete unit. The lessons provided account for certain skills needed to write
a Personal Narrative, but not all. Teachers will need to use these lessons in conjunction with
additional lessons needed for their classes.
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 that he or she looks
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.
Step 1
Display the mentor text linked from the Participant Agenda. We are 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. The next thing I notice is there are pictures included in the
text. As I read on, it seems to be a story about someone and a memorable event in their
life.”
Step 2
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:



Engaging title
Pictures that enhance the story
Focused on a person & memorable event
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 website. One option you have is to search
existing rubrics. If you click on ‘Find Rubric’ you are given options on how to search i.e.
keywords, rubric title, author name, or author e-mail address. If I type in Personal
Narrative you will see over 5,000 existing rubrics appear. You can narrow your search
down further by adding key words to your search.
You can now search existing rubrics and assess if the criteria/categories listed fit your
assignment.” (The instructor should pick a rubric that came up in the search and
assess out loud for participants if it is suitable for their needs.)
“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
“You will now have 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.
Participant Activity
Participants will...
Step 1 Develop a “living rubric” using Rubistar
Step 2 Register for a Rubistar account
Step 3 Explore the website
Facilitator Conferring
Circulate around the room and confer with participants. Make sure you confer with
participants who need individual assistance with Rubistar.
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 focusing questions.
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
Author:
Email:
School/Employer:
Title: