Seventh Grade
Unit 2: Writing About Reading
Information
Monday
Writing Focus:
Tuesday and Wednesday
Thursday and Friday
Continued session from previous
day
May be able to
complete this the following
week
Standard: ELAGSE7W2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and
Objectives
CCGPS/G
PS
TKES 1.1
2.2
analysis of relevant content. a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition,
classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. b.
Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. c. Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts. d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. e. Establish and maintain a formal style. f.
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented. ELAGSE7L1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard
English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Explain the function of phrases and clauses in general and their function in specific sentences. b. Choose among simple, compound, complex,
and compound-complex sentences to signal differing relationships among ideas.
Essential
Questions
TKES 3.3
3.4
5.2
5.4
Activator
TKES 3.1
3.2
TKES 3.1
3.2
3.4
3.6
3.8
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.5
4.6
5.3
6.5
6.6
7.3
7.4
7.6
7.7
How do I develop a strong
conclusion for my
informational writing?
Journaling
Whole Group
Instruction:
No School
Teaching Whole Group:
Distribute handout Strong
Conclusions in Informative
Writing 2. Discuss elements
of strong conclusions.
(Slides 2 & 3) 3. Explain
that students will look at
three types of conclusions
and will write each type.
(Slide 4) Modeled
Instruction: 1. Introduce
students to each of the
techniques. (Slides 5-7) Be
sure to enforce that these
are not the ONLY methods
How do writers use figurative
language to help their writing?
How do I elaborate to make my
writing more detailed?
What is the purpose of freewriting?
Journaling
Journaling
Journaling
Teaching Whole Group:
Use slide 2 of the PowerPoint
to introduce the purpose of the
lesson, which is to practice
identifying the details an
author uses to elaborate on
evidence in a text. This lesson
is a “warm up” so that
students will be able to
elaborate on evidence when
writing their own analytical
essays. Discuss slides 3-5 to
explain what elaboration is
and how an author uses it.
Teaching Whole Group:
Review the different tiered
levels of academic vocabulary
and explain how the tiered
words area applied to complex
text and precise language.
Distribute handout.
Modeled Instruction:
Share the writing prompt with
the class. Distribute and review
the rubric. Read paragraph one
aloud. Think aloud to model
the process used to identify key
academic/precise words.
Guided Instruction:
Teaching Whole Group:
Explain why writers use figurative
language. Define and give
examples of alliteration and
allusion. Figurative language is the
writer’s way of creating a story
that is more vivid and interesting
for the reader. One way writers do
this is through the use of
alliteration. Alliteration is the
repetition of the same initial word
sounds within a phrase. For
example, the snake slithered
silently across the field. In this
statement, you hear the repetition
of the s sound. When writers use
figurative language, they do not
7.8
8.1
8.3
8.5
8.6
8.7
used to conclude a paper.
These are just a few
examples of various
techniques.
Guided Practice:
Distribute the article
Starfish and read together as
a class. If students haven’t
yet written introductions or
body paragraphs using this
article, there is a partial
sample essay included on
their handout. (Slide 8) 3.
Have students work with a
partner to write the first
conclusion paragraph.
Independent Practice:
Next, have students write
the remaining two
conclusions on their own
Modeled Instruction: Display
slide. Model how to number
the paragraphs of the article
“Seward’s time-traveling
folly”. Read aloud the texts.
The purpose for reading is to
think about how the evidence
in bold print supports the
point/claim that is given for an
explanatory essay. Introduce
the Elaboration Warm Up
handout and model how the
author elaborates on the
evidence in the example.
(Note that clarifying questions
serve as a guide.) Model
marking the details in the text.
(Ex: “In today’s gold prices
that’s $16,250,000,000.”)
Use slides 7-10 to support a
think aloud while analyzing
the elaboration in the
example.
Guided Instruction:
Display slides 11 and 12.
Teacher will guide the
students in completing the
next one or two pieces of
evidence, first underlining the
details in the text and then
writing them on the handout.
Independent Practice:
Display slide 13. Students will
complete the rest of the
handout, first underlining the
details in the text and then
writing them on the handout.
Review the prompt with the
class. Students work in partners
to identify key
academic/precise words in
paragraph two of the text.
After reading paragraph two,
students make notes of words
to use in the written response.
Some students may begin
working on a prewrite.
Students continue working in
partners to read paragraph
three. After reading paragraph
three, students summarize the
entire passage. Students work
independently to take note of
the key academic/precise
language used in the last
section of reading (paragraph
three) and work on their
prewrite for their written
response. Students complete a
carousel activity to compare
key academic/precise language
identified in the text as well as
written summaries.
Students write their written
responses. Distribute
highlighters. Students pair up
to edit each other’s work for
the use of key academic/precise
language.
Teachers can determine the
color-coding for editing. One
option: Highlight direct quotes
in one color. Highlight key
academic/precise words in
another color.
Independent Practice :
always mean exactly what they
say, rather it is implied. As a
reader, you must use the clues
within the text to determine the
connotative meaning, or the
implied meaning. Writers also use
allusions to help readers make
connections to another text. An
allusion is an indirect reference to
a person or circumstance from a
piece of literature or another piece
of text. For example, their love was
like Romeo and Juliet’s, something
worth dying for.
Modeled Instruction:
Distribute Handout 1 to each
student. Model how to identify
figurative language by reading and
thinking aloud for students.
As I read the passage, listen for
different elements of figurative
language. Circle the first example
of alliteration (first sentence).
In the passage I just read, there
were several examples of
figurative language. For example,
the author used alliteration when
they said, “Belligerent,
beautification, bewildered, which
word will it be?” Let’s copy this
under the Figurative Language
column on the graphic organizer
below the passage and think about
why the author made this choice. I
think the author used alliteration
here to hook the reader at the
beginning of the passage and to
convey the narrator’s anxiety over
her uncertainty about which word
she may have to spell. In the
Impact of Alliteration column, let’s
write these thoughts down.
Guided Instruction:
Direct students to continue
reading and filling out the graphic
Students are given time to
review the feedback from their
partner’s edits and revise their
responses. Questions to
consider include:
a. Did you use the preidentified words?
b. Did you summarize or quote
directly?
c. Did you use different words
from the list of pre-identified
words or did you use the same
word over and over?
d. How could you improve
your summary while using
more precise words?
organizer below the passage with a
partner. Continue reading the rest
of the passage. As you come across
any examples of figurative
language, circle it and copy it onto
the graphic organizer under the
Figurative Language column. If the
example you found is a word or
phrase with an implied meaning,
complete column two on the
graphic organizer, stating the
connotative meaning. For any
examples of alliteration, complete
column three, stating the impact of
the alliteration on the passage.
Additionally, find an example of
allusion and interpret its meaning
as used in the passage.
Give students 8-10 minutes to
complete this activity. Once time is
up, review student responses as a
class.
Independent Practice:
Distribute Handout 2 and the
Figurative Language Paragraph
Checklist to each student. Review
the paragraph expectations on the
checklist. Now, it is your turn to
write your own sample body
paragraph. Using the checklist,
write your sample paragraph on the
lines provided. Once you have
completed the paragraph, record
your examples of figurative
language in the chart below, and
complete columns two and three,
as well. Be sure to allude to a
person or circumstance in literature
and explain the meaning of the
allusion.
Figurative Language Paragraph
Checklist:
_____ Clear main idea
_____ At least three examples of
figurative language
_____ Example of alliteration
_____ Example of allusion
_____ Example of
____________________
_____ Internal transitions
_____ Wrap-up sentence
Summariz
erTKES
5.2
6.7
Group Share
Group Share
Group Share
Using Transition s to Link and
Extend Information
Group Share
Finding, Analyzing, and Citing
Evidence to Support Ideas
Homework:
Setting A Goal TO Work Toward
Homework:
Refine:
Extend:
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Homework:
7.5
7.7
Refine:
Extend:
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Extend: