Fourth Grade Pearson Informative Writing

Informative Writing

GenreStudyGrade 4

ONLINE RESOURCES

PACKET

Fourth Grade Teacher Edition

GenreS

tudyInform

ative Writing • Fourth G

rade • Teacher Edition

GenreStudyInformative Writing

Grade 4 • Teacher Edition • CCSS

ISBN: 978-7-90801-002-7

I n f o rma t i ve

Writing

Pearson Washington, DC

800.221.3641 202.783.3672 fax www.pearson.com


Use this Online Resources Packet only with the CCSS Edition of the:

Genre Study Informative Writing Gr 4

ISBN 978-7-90801-002-7

Fourth Grade Teacher Edition

Genre

Study

Informative W

riting • Fourth G

rade • Teacher Edition

GenreStudyInformative Writing


ISBN: 978-7-90801-002-7

I n f o rma t i ve

Writing

Pearson Washington, DC

800.221.3641 202.783.3672 fax www.pearson.com


Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. The publisher hereby grants permission to reproduce these pages, in part or in whole, for classroom use only, the number not to exceed the number of students in each class. Notice of copyright must appear on all copies. For information regarding permissions, write to Pearson Curriculum Group Rights & Permissions, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458.

ISBN: 978-7-90801-003-4

ResourcesInformative Writing

PRE-ASSESSMENTInformative Writing (Writing Prompt)

Scoring Guide

POST-ASSESSMENTInformative Writing (Writing Prompt)

Scoring Guide

LESSON MATERIALSCaptions

What I Know/What I Learned

It Says/I Say

Getting Started

Note-Sort Organizer

Rubric for an Overview for Informative Writing

Informative Writing Frame

Five Senses

LANGUAGE FEATURES LESSONSIntroduction

Lesson 1: Exploring Sentence Lengths

Lesson 2: Using a Variety of Sentence Lengths

Lesson 3: Embedding Definitions

Lesson 4: Identifying Commas in a Series

Lesson 5: Using Commas to Make a Lis

CCSS CORRELATION

Informative Writing © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

Pre-Assessment • Informative Writing

PromptGood friends are an important part of school and life. Write an article for a children’s magazine that informs the reader about the important qualities of good friends. Provide enough information so that someone can learn about the characteristics of friends, things friends do together, and what friends don’t do. Explain each idea about being a good friend. Use examples from your own life with specific details to illustrate your points. Remember you are writing to inform someone about the qualities of a good friend.


Date:

Student’s Name: Student ID:

Informative Writing

Read each of the statements below, and circle the number on the scale that most accurately reflects your assessment of the paper.

4 = strong 3 = moderately strong 2 = somewhat weak 1 = weak

1. The article establishes a clear and controlling idea/topic. 4 3 2 1

2. The stance of the writer is one of authority and expertise. 4 3 2 1

3. The article includes specific information and details. 4 3 2 1

4. The article includes relevant facts and information. 4 3 2 1

5. The writer introduces the topic clearly. 4 3 2 1

6. The article is organized in a way that makes sense to the reader. 4 3 2 1

7. The information is presented with a clear, logical flow of ideas.

8. The conclusion is satisfying to the reader.

9. The surface features (spelling, punctuation, and grammar) are mostly accurate.

Additional comments:

Pre-Assessment • Scoring Guide


PromptThere are all kinds of teams both in and out of school. Write an article to explain the characteristics and actions of a good team player. Explain each idea about being a good team player. Use examples from your own life with specific details to illustrate your points. Provide enough information so readers can understand and be informed about what you should look for in a good team player.

Post-Assessment • Informative Writing


Post-Assessment • Scoring Guide

Date:

Student’s Name: Student ID:

Informative Writing

Read each of the statements below, and circle the number on the scale that most accurately reflects your assessment of the paper.

4 = strong 3 = moderately strong 2 = somewhat weak 1 = weak

1. The article establishes a clear and controlling idea/topic. 4 3 2 1

2. The stance of the writer is one of authority and expertise. 4 3 2 1

3. The article includes specific information and details. 4 3 2 1

4. The article includes relevant facts and information. 4 3 2 1

5. The writer introduces the topic clearly. 4 3 2 1

6. The article is organized in a way that makes sense to the reader. 4 3 2 1

7. The information is presented with a clear, logical flow of ideas. 4 3 2 1

8. The conclusion is satisfying to the reader. 4 3 2 1

9. The surface features (spelling, punctuation, and grammar) are mostly accurate.

4 3 2 1

Additional comments:


Name: _____________________________________ Date: ___________

CaptionsPurpose:

Example:

As I was reading, I found captions in these books:


Name: _____________________________________ Date: ___________

What I Know/What I LearnedTitle or Heading:

What I Know What I Learned


Name: _____________________________________ Date: ___________

It Says/I SayIt Says…

(The Text Says…)I Say…

(My Words Say…)


Name: _____________________________________ Date: ___________

Getting Started

Step 1Write a clear sentence that will focus your topic. Use the sentence frame:

I am interested in learning more about _______.

Step 2Think. Write about what you know about your topic. Write questions you have about your topic.

What I Know(Facts and Details) Questions I Have


Getting Started (continued)

What I Know(Facts and Details) Questions I Have


Name: _____________________________________ Date: ___________

Note-Sort Organizer

“F”—Clearly Fits My Topic “I”—Interesting/Want to Know More

Categories

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


Name: _____________________________________ Date: ___________

Rubric for an Overview for Informative Writing

Element4

Meets the Standards

3 Needs

Revision

2 Needs

Instruction

1 Needs

Substantial Support

Interesting lead that introduces the topic

Develops a controlling idea

Ending


Name: _____________________________________ Date: ___________

Informative Writing FrameBeginning (Introduction)Interesting lead that introduces the topic:

Controlling idea: What is the focus or purpose of your topic?

In this report, I will explore the question:

MiddleWhat are the main points or categories of information that support your controlling idea? (Look at the groups of notes you organized. Your notes are the facts and detail that support your main point.)

Category #1_____________________________________________________

Supporting Facts and details:

Category #2_____________________________________________________



Informative Writing Frame (continued)Category #3_____________________________________________________

Supporting Facts and Details:

Category #4_______________________________________________________________________


End

Provide a sense of closure for your writing to signal to the reader that your report is ending.


Name: _____________________________________ Date: ___________

Five Senses

Looks Like

Sounds Like Tastes Like

Smells Like Feels Like


Introduction to Language Features Lessons

overview

Over the past 10–15 years, we have learned a great deal about writing and about how to teach students to write. We now know that grammar and mechanics play an important role in helping students produce writing that makes sense to others. Students who lack knowledge of the basic principles of the English language do not know how to use grammar and conventions to make their writing convey their intended meaning.

We know that the conventions of language are taught most effectively in the context of writing instruction using students’ own writing. And we know we can help students improve their writing by teaching them how to construct sentences, punctuate sentences correctly, and use the conventions of grammar. The language features lessons are designed to give students practice at:

• Constructingmorecomplexsentences• Makingchoicesabouttheprecisewordstheyuse• Manipulatingandplayingwithlanguage,asallgoodwritersdo,tomaketheirwritingbetter

All of the language features lessons include learning objectives and language objectives. The language objectives help address and support the specific needs of English language learners. Many of the lessons include hands-on activities and color-coding to visually reinforce the strategies being taught.

Each lesson balances explicit instruction with inquiry (what students are noticing). The teacher uses touchstone texts to help students notice what particular authors do, thus modeling a behavior students will begin to use when observing language in their own writing and studying the written conventions all around them.

delivery

The language features lessons should be taught using the writers workshop model with an opening meeting (10 minutes), a work time (35–40 minutes), and a closing meeting (15 minutes).

For the lessons—and the students—to be successful, it is important to teach the lessons at the appropriate time of the year. For example, the kindergarten lesson on sentence combining should not be introduced until students have had some

experience and success with writers workshop and are already somewhat fluent writers.

These lessons should be reviewed and repeated throughout the year. They can also be used as models for developing similar lessons to address students’ identified needs.

resources

The language features lessons use the touchstone texts from the grade-level genre studies. Students need to be familiar with these texts and the ideas they contain before you use them in these lessons. This allows students to concentrate solely on the skill or strategy you are teaching.

Using the touchstone texts gives students an opportunity to hear and focus on more complex sentence structures. (Typically, the books at the independent

reading level of very young students do not offer a variety of sentence structures and patterns.)

Xlesson

Informative Writing 16 Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

Exploring Sentence Lengths 1lesson

MATERIALS

❑❑ Chart paper and markers

❑❑ Animals Nobody Loves by Seymour Simon

❑❑ Extreme Animals by Nicola Davies

❑❑ Collection of Texts (see Prep)

❑❑ Visual: – Sample sentence patterns (see Prep)

❑❑ Charts: – What We Know About How Authors Vary the Length of Sentences

– Examples of Short Sentences – Examples of Long Sentences – Why Authors Use a Variety of Sentence Patterns

❑❑ Students’ writer’s notebooks

❑❑ Teacher’s writer’s notebook

students’ learning objective

❑■ Use the inquiry method to identify when and how authors vary the sentence length in their writing

students’ language objective

❑■ Discuss with partners why using a variety of sentence lengths adds interest to informational texts and helps engage readers

target words

❑■ There are no genre-specific target words for this lesson. You may identify words in this lesson that students do not know. Introduce these words, use them during the lesson, and post them on the word wall for student reference.

prep

❑■ Before this lesson, read the introduction section and then the section on Bats (p 11) in Animals Nobody Loves to students so they are familiar with the information before studying author’s craft and techniques.

❑■ Collect a number of texts to show how authors use a variety of short and long sentences. Make sure students’ independent reading bags or boxes include informational texts with both short and long sentences.

❑■ Prepare these sentences from Animals Nobody Loves (p 11) as a visual:

– Bats look like mice with wings. They look like birds, too, but they are not. Bats’ wings have no feathers—they are covered with skin.

– Some people think bats are blind because they fly back and forth so strangely. But bats are not blind. Bats can see, and they give off high-pitched sounds that echo back from objects to their ears. That helps the bats to navigate even in total darkness.

– People have many strange ideas about bats. Bats do not attack people. They do not get stuck in people’s hair. In fact, most bats can be helpful to us, because they eat insect pests such as mosquitoes.

❑■ Select a passage from your writing to model how you would vary the length of sentences in an informational piece by including some short sentences and long sentences.

Informative Writing17 Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.

Online Resources: Lesson 1 • Exploring Sentence Lengths

opening

❑■ Tell students that while you were looking more closely at the book Animals Nobody Loves, you noticed something interesting the author did.

❑■ Display the first set of sentences:

– Some kinds of bats eat fruit. There are also bats that catch small animals such as mice, bats that can catch small fish, and vampire bats, which suck blood from animals such as cattle.

❑■ Read the sentences aloud. Read them again and emphasize the rhythm of the sentences. One short and one long.

❑■ Ask students what they noticed about how you read the sentences. (If they are unable to pick up on the cadence of the rhythm, you may need to add more emphasis I future read alouds.) Using the visual, share these noticings about Simon’s writing. You might say:

SAY “Look at this! Seymour Simon uses a variety of sentence lengths when he writes. First, he writes a short sentence about what bats eat: Some kinds of bats eat fruit. He uses just six words.

“Then he wrote one much longer sentence about what they eat: There are also bats that catch small animals such as mice, bats that can catch small fish, and vampire bats, which suck blood from animals such as cattle.

“Let’s look at another example of how Seymour Simon varies the length of his sentences.”

❑■ Display the second set of sentences. Ask student to read the text with you:

– Some people think bats are blind because they fly back and forth so strangely. But bats are not blind. Bats can see, and they give off high-pitched sounds that echo back from objects to their ears. That helps the bats to navigate even in total darkness.

❑■ You may want to reread it with students, trying to emphasize the rhythm of the language.

❑■ Ask students what they notice about the sentences Seymour Simon used in his writing. Ask students to turn and talk with partners.

❑■ As students talk together, listen to their discussions.



opening

continued

❑■ Ask students to come back together and share their thinking. Share any useful information you overheard from the partner discussion.

❑■ Display the third example from Simon’s writing. Ask students to read the text with you as you emphasize the rhythm of the short and long pattern:

– People have many strange ideas about bats. Bats do not attack people. They do not get stuck in people’s hair. In fact, most bats can be helpful to us, because they eat insect pests such as mosquitoes.

❑■ Ask students to turn and talk with partners about what they are noticing. Ask students to come back together and share their discussions.

❑■ Begin to chart some of their noticings. Your chart may look similar to this:

What We Know About How Authors Vary the Length of Sentences

• Somesentencesareshort.

• Somesentencesarelong.

• Somesentenceshaveonlythreewords.

• Somesentenceshavefourwords.

• Somesentencescanhavemanywords,about10ormore.

• Someshortsentencesaresurroundedbylongersentences.

•Notallsentencesareshort.

•Notallsentencesarelong.

•Notallshortsentencescometogether.

❑■ Make two charts—one with examples of short sentences and one with examples of long sentences. Include the book title and author’s name with the entries.

Examples of Short Sentences

Example Book Title/Author

Some kinds of bats eat fruit.

Animals Nobody Loves, Seymour Simon

But bats are not blind. Animals Nobody Loves, Seymour Simon

Bats do not attack people.




opening

continued

Examples of Long Sentences

Example Book Title/Author

There are also bats that catch small animals such as mice, bats that can catch small fish, and vampire bats, which suck blood from animals such as cattle.


Bats can see, and they give off high-pitched sounds that echo back from objects to their ears.


❑■ Ask students why an author might use a variety of sentence patterns by writing some short sentences and some longer sentences. Chart their responses for future reference. Your chart might look similar to this:

Why Authors Use a Variety of Sentence Patterns

• Toaddinterestforthereader

•Sothatthewritingisnotboringforthereader

•Ifallthesentencesarethesame,thewritingcanbedull

•DemonstratesthattheauthorhascommandoftheEnglish language

❑■ Explain to students that during the work time you want them to search through their independent reading books and the additional informational texts you have provided to find two or three examples showing how authors have used short and long sentences in their reports.

❑■ Have students title one page in their writer’s notebooks “Examples of Short Sentences,” and another page “Examples of Long Sentences.” Ask them to record the examples they find, including the book title and author. Ask them to notice how often an author might choose to use short sentences.

❑■ Model the work time expectations for students. Title a page in your writer’s notebook “Examples of Short Sentences,” and another “Examples of Long Sentences,” and record one or two sentences from an informational text.



work time

❑■ Students may work with partners while searching through the informational texts for examples of short and long sentences.

❑■ Circulate, monitor, and assess students’ work. Confer with students and make sure they are recording examples in their writer’s notebooks along with the book titles and authors.

closing

❑■ In a quick read-around, have students share from their writer’s notebooks one example of a short sentence along with the book title and author. Add some of their sentences to the “Examples of Short Sentences” chart.

Examples of Short Sentences

Example Book Title Author

Some kinds of bats eat fruit.

Animals Nobody Loves

Seymour Simon

But bats are not blind.


Seymour Simon

Bats do not attack people.


Seymour Simon

How? Extreme Animals Nicola Davies

Sponges are the toughest of all.

Extreme Animals Nicola Davies

Space is vast. Extreme Animals Nicola Davies

NOTE TO TEACHER

Preparing for the closing. As you monitor and assess students’ work, identify two to three students and ask them to share an example of a long sentence. If possible, find examples that students chose where writers use “but,” “and,” “so” and “because” to lengthen sentences and connect ideas. Have them write the sentences with a marker on notebook paper and post it on the chart as they share during the closing.



closing

continued

❑■ Now ask the two to three students that you selected to share an example of a long sentence along with the book title and author. Add their sentences (already written on notebook paper) to the “Examples of Long Sentences” chart.

Examples of Long Sentences

Example Book Title Author

There are also bats that catch small animals such as mice, bats that can catch small fish, and vampire bats, which suck blood from animals such as cattle.


Seymour Simon

Bats can see, and they give off high-pitched sounds that echo back from objects to their ears.


Seymour Simon

In this book, we’ve been all over the planet, to deserts, poles, volcanoes and even to the bottom of the sea, to find living things that are much, much tougher than human beings.

Extreme Animals

Nicola Davies

But if you want to find the truly roughest extreme animal the all-around champion, that can survive being frozen, boiled, squashed, and quite a few other trials besides, you probably don’t need to go farther than your local park or garden.

Extreme Animals

Nicola Davies

Even light, the fastest thing in the universe, takes four years and three months to get here from our nearest star.

Extreme Animals

Nicola Davies



closing

continued

❑■ Ask students if they noticed anything else about when and how authors used short and long sentences when they wrote their reports/books. If possible, point out how writers often use “but,” “and,” “so” and “because” to lengthen sentences and connect ideas.

❑■ Add students’ noticings to the “Why Authors Use a Variety of Sentence Patterns” chart.

Xlesson


Using a Variety of Sentence Lengths 2lesson

MATERIALS


❑❑ Colored pencils

❑❑ Charts from the previous lesson

❑❑ Students’ writing folders

❑❑ Teacher’s writer’s notebook or draft of a report

❑❑ Visual: – Teacher’s writing sample


❑■ Practice varying the sentence lengths in their writing by including some short sentences and some longer sentences to engage readers’ interest


❑■ Share the sample short or long sentences in their writing with a response partner

target words


prep

❑■ Choose a passage from your report, and prepare it for student to view. You may want to purposefully find appropriate places where you could vary the sentence patterns.

opening

❑■ Review the information on the first four charts you and the students created in the previous lesson, and reinforce the importance of varying the sentence lengths in informational writing. Review and discuss the information on the “Why Authors Use a Variety of Sentence Patterns” chart.

❑■ Tell students that while you were looking through your report, you decided that you wanted to use some of the writing strategies that Seymour Simon and other authors used to vary the sentence lengths.

❑■ Display your writing and model how you think about the variety of sentences currently in your work. Read your passage aloud and think aloud about where you could add a couple of short and long sentences. Find a place where you could add a long sentence and annotate your visual to demonstrate adding a long sentence, possibly by using “but,” “and,” “so” or “because” to combine two shorter sentences. Reinforce the idea that using the colored marker, instead of erasing, provides evidence of editing.

❑■ Ask students if writing some short and long sentences made your writing more interesting.


Online Resources: Lesson 2 • Using a Variety of Sentence Lengths

NOTE TO TEACHER

Reading to writers. Continue to read to students so they will hear and discuss rich literature that models the rhythm and varied cadence of our language patterns.

opening

continued

❑■ Tell students that today during the work time you would like them to look at their reports and see if there are places where they could vary the sentence patterns. Ask them to also consider places in their writing where they can create longer sentences, possibly by combining two shorter sentences.

❑■ Explain that using a colored pencil lets them show their revisions and edits.

❑■ Tell students that when they have made their revisions and edits, they should meet with partners to share the changes they made to their reports and to tell each other why they made the changes they did.

work time

❑■ Allow students to get their writing folders and colored pencils. Have them begin to reread their draft reports to find places where they could vary the sentence patterns. Remind them to use colored pencils, not erasers, to indicate their changes.

❑■ As students complete their revisions have them meet with a response partner to share their work and receive feedback.

❑■ Circulate, monitor, and assess students’ work. Assist students as needed. Try to meet and confer with three to five students. As you find three or four students who have made a successful attempt at this revision strategy, ask them to consider sharing their work in the author’s chair.

closing

❑■ Choose several students to share their work today. Remember this may be their first attempt at revision and using different sentence patterns.

❑■ Ask students to first share their work from the original draft, and then share how they made the changes. Encourage them to explain why they made the changes they did.

Xlesson


Embedding Definitions 3lesson

MATERIALS


❑❑ Sentence strips for the target words

❑❑ Highlighters

❑❑ Touchstone texts or alternative texts

❑❑ Visual: – Select paragraphs (see Prep)

❑❑ Class dictionary

❑❑ Students’ writer’s notebooks


❑■ Understand how to embed definitions of specialized vocabulary in their writing


❑■ Identify vocabulary specific to their topics and provide definitions of the identified vocabulary in their writing

target words

❑■ define

❑■ definition

prep

❑■ Find an example of specialized vocabulary defined in a passage from a touchstone text (or alternative text).

❑■ Gather touchstone texts for students to investigate how writers define vocabulary in context.

❑■ Select a paragraph or two and prepare them for students to view to model how to identify specialized vocabulary and revise your writing to provide a definition in context.

❑■ Consider adding define and definition to the genre word bank.

opening

❑■ Connect students’ previous learning with today’s topic by saying:

SAY “Writers, we have been doing a lot of research. Whenever we learn something new, we come across special words related to our topics. For example, Javon has been studying volcanoes. Yesterday, he learned that volcanoes are formed when magma flows out of cracks in the ground. Magma is a word that is special to Javon’s topic. Because Javon is an expert on volcanoes, he knows that magma is melted rock found under the ground that causes an eruption and, ultimately, creates a volcano. However, if Javon uses the word magma in his writing, his readers may not understand what he means.”

NOTE TO TEACHER

Helping ELLs identify “special” words. Using specialized vocabulary about a subject or topic is one way that writers establish themselves as experts. Writers must establish their expertise by defining the specialized vocabulary and using it in context. ELLs may have difficulty determining which vocabulary is “special” to their topic because all of the words seem important to them. It is essential that ELLs understand that the words they need to define in context are words that the reader needs to understand to learn about the topic.


Online Resources: Lesson 3 • Embedding Definitions

opening

continued

❑■ Reread a few paragraphs of your draft. Using a think-aloud, identify and highlight or underline specialized words related to your topic. Remind students that you are looking for words that the reader may not understand because they are special to the topic. Model how to revise to embed a contextualized definition in your paragraph(s).

❑■ Reiterate to students that because they are becoming experts on their topics, they may understand what the specialized words mean. However, their readers may not always understand. So, as writers, they may need to slow down and explain their thinking and these special words.

❑■ Tell students that one way writers explain specialized words in their writing is to define or tell more about the meaning of these words directly in the text. Explain that when we define a word, we tell the meaning of the word. Using the touchstone text examples that you selected, show students some examples of vocabulary that is defined in context.

❑■ Tell students that they will work in small groups for about 10 minutes to investigate the touchstone texts to see how the authors defined the specialized words within the text. Ask students to copy examples onto sentence strips that you can post and discuss with the whole class.

work time

❑■ Ask students to reread their drafts. Remind them that they will be practicing and using the strategies you modeled for them as a guide for including specialized vocabulary in their writing. Explain that they should be looking for words the reader may not understand because these terms are unique to the topic.

❑■ Ask students to highlight or underline the content-specific vocabulary words from their drafts.

❑■ Have students write the words in their writer’s notebooks, leaving enough space to record definitions.

❑■ Direct students to use a class dictionary to look up specific words and write the words’ definitions in their writer’s notebooks.

❑■ Ask students to reread their drafts and insert the definitions at the appropriate places in their reports.


Online Resources: Lesson 3 • Embedding Definitions

closing

❑■ Close with a read-around of examples of specialized vocabulary defined in context.

Xlesson


Identifying Commas in a Series 4lesson

MATERIALS

❑❑ Highlighters

❑❑ Sentences strips

❑❑ Copies of selected passages from touchstone texts Informational Texts (the examples in this lesson are found in Face to Face with Dolphins, by Flip and Linda Nicklin and Animals Nobody Loves, by Seymour Simon)

❑❑ Writer’s Notebooks


❑■ Identify commas used to list ideas or items in a series


❑■ Understand that in English writing, items or ideas in a series are separated by commas

❑■ Discuss the use of commas in selected passages from touchstone texts using the sentence frame:

– The author, _______, used commas to _______.

target words


prep

❑■ Using the touchstone texts, select a few passages that contain items or ideas in a series separated by commas.

❑■ Make copies of these passages for students.

opening

❑■ Tell students that:

SAY “Often when writers use facts, they list the facts or ideas together that are related. When writers list ideas or facts together, they use commas.”

❑■ Draw a comma on the board.

❑■ Tell students that today you will explore some of the touchstone texts to see how the authors list ideas or facts using commas.

❑■ Provide students with copies of the passages you selected. Show and read the first sample passage aloud. Here is an example from Flip and Linda Nicklin’s, Face to Face with Dolphins (p.22):

Dolphins affect people as well. They can adapt to human companionship and can be taught to perform tasks or play games. They are good imitators, and they like new things. Dolphins are fast, strong, curious, and clever.

❑■ Underline the sentences with the list of items in a series. Ask students to highlight the same section on their copies.


Online Resources: Lesson 4 • Identifying Commas in a Series

opening

continued

❑■ Ask students to describe what they notice about how this author uses commas.

❑■ Tell students:

SAY “Flip and Linda Nicklin use commas to separate all of the things that belong in a single list. What are the characteristics of dolphins? They are fast, strong, curious, and clever.”

❑■ Show and read a second passage aloud. Here is another example from Seymour Simon’s Animals Nobody Loves (p. 8):

The shark is the most feared animal in the sea. Some sharks are large and dangerous. Others are just a few feet long and eat small fish. Sharks come in many different sizes, shapes, and colors. Hammerheads, tiger sharks, and mako sharks have powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth.

SAY “Seymour Simon uses commas to separate all of the things that belong in a single category or list. He includes two sentences with commas in this example. The first sentence describes the characteristics of what sharks look like (many different sizes, shapes, and colors) and the second, answers the following question: What type of sharks have powerful jaws and razor-sharp teeth? Hammerheads, tiger sharks, and mako sharks”

❑■ Underline the sentences with the list of items in a series. Ask students to highlight the same section on their copies.

❑■ Ask students to turn and talk with partners to discuss how Seymour Simon used commas in this excerpt. Ask a pair of students to consider sharing using the sentence frame: “The author, _______, used commas to _______.” Remind students that the comma separates each idea until you get to the end of the list. Then the author uses a comma followed by the word and to separate the last two items.

❑■ Title a page in your writer’s notebook, How Writers Use Commas, and let students know that you will record the two examples of how the Flip and Linda Nicklin and Seymour Simon use commas on that page during the work period. Tell them that you will write the example sentences along with the book title and author.


Online Resources: Lesson 4 • Identifying Commas in a Series

work time

❑■ Ask students to work with partners and to explore informational texts to identify how other authors use commas to separate ideas or items in their writing.

❑■ Write the sentence examples from the opening in your writer’s notebook.

❑■ Have students write the sentences they found in their writer’s notebooks, along with book title and author.

❑■ Circulate, monitor and assist students that need additional assistance. Choose several students to write a sentence that they found on a sentence strip to share during the closing.

closing

❑■ Title a chart “How Writers Use Commas”

❑■ Have the students that you identified read aloud the example sentences and place the sentence strips on the chart.

❑■ If time allows, have other students share sentences they identified.

Xlesson


Using Commas to Make a List 5lesson

MATERIALS

❑❑ Highlighters

❑❑ Transparency (and marker): – Text excerpts

❑❑ Teacher’s writing sample (see Prep)


❑■ Use commas to combine sentences and to list a series of facts or ideas


❑■ Reread their writing to identify sentences or lists of facts and ideas that can be combined with commas

target words


prep

❑■ Select two samples of writing (preferably your own writing or writing from a previous student) that list facts about a topic in short sentences. For example:

– Excerpt #1: Mount St. Helens erupted in Oregon on May 18, 1980. Small earthquakes began to shake the ground. Ash and steam spewed out of the mountain. The ground began to crack and swell. Then suddenly, the volcano erupted with tremendous force.

– Excerpt #2: Volcanoes can be dangerous. They can kill people. They can harm the environment by damaging trees and plant-life. They can pollute the environment by spewing ash over a huge area of land.

❑■ Prepare the excerpts to display visually.

❑■ Provide students with a copy of the excerpts; include space for students to write under each excerpt.


Online Resources: Lesson 5 • Using Commas to Make a List

opening

❑■ Connect to previous learning by saying:

SAY “Writers, yesterday we explored how authors of our touchstone texts use commas in their writing to separate and list facts and ideas. Today, we will learn how we can reread our writing and use commas to list our ideas and facts.”

❑■ Distribute copies of the selected excerpts. Read the first excerpt aloud. Using a think-aloud, say:

SAY “ When I read these sentences about Mount St. Helens, I notice that each sentence is about what happened leading up to the eruption. For example, I notice that the first sentence states that Mount St. Helens erupted and then the next sentence starts to tell what happened leading up to that moment.”

❑■ Underline or highlight small earthquakes began to shake the ground. Ask students to highlight or underline the same section on their copies. Continue your think-aloud:

SAY “ I notice that the next sentence says that ash and steam spewed out of the mountain. (Underline or highlight the words ash and steam spewed out of the mountain.) Writers, let’s read the fourth sentence together. What does this sentence say happened next? Turn and tell the partner next to you. Highlight your thinking on your copy of this text.”

❑■ Repeat this process for the last sentence in the excerpt.

❑■ Focus students’ attention on the highlighted words, small earthquakes began to shake the ground, ash and steam spewed from the mountain, the ground began to crack and swell, and suddenly the volcano erupted with tremendous force. Tell students that in the first excerpt, the writer lists three facts about what happened before the eruption. Explain that the writer could have used commas to pull all of the information into one sentence to make the writing more fluid.


Online Resources: Lesson 5 • Using Commas to Make a List

opening

continued

❑■ Model writing a new sentence using commas to separate the facts about penguins’ nests. Write your new sentence in the space provided under the first excerpt. Your example might look similar to this:

Mount St. Helens erupted in Oregon on May 18, 1980. Small earthquakes began to shake the ground. Ash and steam spewed out of the mountain. The ground began to crack and swell. And then suddenly, the volcano erupted with tremendous force.

Mount St. Helens erupted in Oregon on May 18, 1980. Small earthquakes began to shake the ground. Ash and steam spewed out of the mountain. The ground began to crack and swell. And then suddenly, the volcano erupted with tremendous force.

Volcanoes can be dangerous. They can kill people. They can harm the environment by damaging trees and plant-life. They can pollute the environment by spewing ash over a huge area of land.

❑■ Follow the same process using the second excerpt.

work time

❑■ Students will reread their drafts to determine where they can combine sentences or facts and ideas into a series that is separated by commas.

❑■ Students can rewrite the sentences they combined on a post-it note (or small sheet of paper) and attach it to their drafts.

closing

❑■ Ask students to share one new sentence with a partner, starting with the original sentences, then sharing the revisions.

❑■ Invite students to popcorn share one of their new sentences.

NOTE TO TEACHER

Revision Strategy. It is important that students do not erase their original sentences. Let them know that keeping the original language will help them reflect on their decisions as writers.


CCSS Correlation 1/9Reading Standards for Informational Text, Grade 4

Key Ideas and Details Craft and Structure

Lesson

RI.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

RI.4.2. Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

RI.4.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

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Craft and Structure Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Lesson

RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

RI.4.7. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.

RI.4.8. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.

RI.4.9. Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

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Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

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RI.4.10. By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

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CCSS Correlation 4/9Writing Standards, Grade 4

Text Types and Purposes

Lesson

W.4.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

W.4.2a. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

W.4.2b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

W.4.2c. Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because).

W.4.2d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

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Text Types and Pur-poses Production and Distribution of Writing

Lesson

W.4.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

W.4.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.4.5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.

W.4.6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of one page in a single sitting.

W.4.2e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

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Research to Build and Present Knowledge Range of Writing

Lesson

W.4.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

W.4.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

W.4.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

W.4.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

W.4.9b. Apply grade 4 Reading standards to informational texts

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CCSS Correlation 7/9Speaking and Listening Standards, Grade 4

Comprehension and Collaboration

Lesson

SL.4.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.4.1a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

SL.4.1b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

SL.4.1c. Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

SL.4.1d. Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

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CCSS Correlation 8/9Speaking and Listening Standards, Grade 4

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Lesson

SL.4.4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

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CCSS Correlation 9/9Language Standards, Grade 4

Knowledge of Language Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Lesson

L.4.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

L.4.6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).

L.4.3a. Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.

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Documents

Fourth Grade Pearson Informative Writing