Interdisciplinary Writing Unit

Eighth GradeReading

• Unit 1: Eyewitness Report

• Unit 2: Short Story

Donna Cook

Summer Semester

2005

READ 7140

Georgia Performance Standards

ELA GPS K-3 (Handout)ELA GPS 4-8 (Handout)Writing Across the Curriculumwww.doe.k12.ga.us

Introduction to Unit• Parent/Student Letter• Analytic and Holistic Scoring• Middle Grades Writing Assignment

Rubric• Define – Expository Writing Eyewitness Report• Teacher Skit

Middle Grades Writing Assessment 8th Grade

• Analytic and Holistic Scoring• The scoring system is analytic. Analytic scoring means that

more than one feature or domain of paper is evaluated. Each domain itself is scored holistically. The score assigned indicates the test raters’ overall impression of the writer’s command of the components, using predetermined scoring criteria contained in the Scoring Rubrics. Accurate scoring requires balancing a writer’s strengths and weaknesses.

• Domain Weighting• Each paper is scored in five domains: Content/Organization,

Style, Sentence Formation, Usage, and Mechanics. Scores in each domain range from 1 to 4 (4 being the highest score). The total weighted raw scores range from 16 (1’s in all four domains) to 64 (4’s in all four domains).

Domain DomainWeight

Calculation of Weighted Score

Content/Organization

C/O

37.5% 3 x each rater’s score

Style (S) 25% 2 x each rater’s score

Sentence Formation (SF)

12.5 % 1 x each rater’s score

Usage (U) 12.5% 1 x each rater’s score

Mechanics (M) 12.5% 1 x each rater’s score

Rubric: http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/curriculum/testing/writing.asp

Unit 1: Eyewitness Report

Prewriting• 5-How Graphic Organizer• Eyewitness Report At a Glance• Idea Bank• Including Quotations• 5-W-How Graphic Organizer

Scoring Guide

NAME: __Donna Cook_________ DATE:___6/16/06Event: _________Argument prior to class_________

5-W-How Graphic Organizer(Completed for Modeling Exercise)

WHO? Two teachers (or a teacher and a student)

WHAT? An argument about something the principal said

WHERE?

In our classroom

WHEN? At the beginning of this class

WHY? Mr. ________ told Ms. __________ to give our teacher a message about something we were supposed to do in class.

HOW? She came into our classroom and very loudly told Ms. ___________ to do something.

EYE WITNESS REPORT AT A GLANCE(TRANSPARENCY #1)

RUBRIC

Standards for Writing

A successful eyewitness report should:

• Focus on an event that is important to the writer or is historically important.

• Answer the five W’s: who, what, when, where, and why

• Explain how the event occurred.• Use sensory details, dialogue,

and action verbs to show exactly what the writer observed

• Present events in a clear, logical order

• (Writing Workshop: Eyewitness Report)

• WHEN?

• Date, time, year

WHY?cause

WHERE?The place

Re-creationOf events

HOW?The details

WHAT?THE EVENT

WHO?People involved

Idea Bank(Transparency #2)

Finding a Topic

Look for Puzzles. Think about something you have seen that puzzles you. You could describe what you saw and what it left you wondering.

What’s New? Think about something new in your life. You might describe a day in the life of a new baby brother or sister or a new pet. You might describe your first outing in a new family car or your first experience with a new computer.

Take a Walk. Describe something that catches your interest on a walk, either in your neighborhood or something unfamiliar.

Check your calendar. Does the future hold a sports event, club event, or family gathering? Plan to attend and take notes.(Writing Workshop: Eyewitness Report)

Including Quotations(Transparency #3)

Find another witness. Quote another person who saw the same thing you did. The quotation might support your view or contrast with it.

Quote an expert. Cite the words of an expert on the topic.

Be Creative. Provide a literary quotation or song lyrics to illustrate the point of your report.(Writing Workshop: Eyewitness Report)

5-W-How Graphic Organizer Scoring GuidePrewriting Assessment

Student Name: ______________________________________ Date: ____________

Question Teacher comments on answers PossiblePoints

PointsReceived

Event 16

Who? 14

What? 14

Where? 14

When? 14

Why? 14

How? 14

Drafting:

•Transition Tool Box

•Getting Organized

•Sample Eyewitness Report

Organizing (transparency #4)

Sequential OrderUsed in short stories, news reports, “how-to” manuals, biographies, science and history writing.Example: To make a print from a mushroom sport, first cut off the mushroom’s cap. Then place the cap on a piece of paper for two hours.

Spatial OrderUsed in science writing, mysteries, eyewitness accounts, short storiesExample: The cauliflower fungus grows on the roots of pine trees, very close to the base of the tree’s trunk.

Cause-and-Effect OrderUsed in science and history writing, editorials, persuasive writingExample: As a result of the increased use of pesticides and fertilizers, field mushrooms have become much less common.

Compare-and-Contrast OrderUsed in book reviews, encyclopedias, consumer guidesExample: The dirty trich and the sticky gray trich mushrooms are members of the same species. They are similar in size. The sticky gray trich can be eaten, but the dirty trich is poisonous.

Order of DegreeUsed in persuasive writing, editorials, reference books, advertisementsExample: The lawn mower’s mushroom is a familiar mushroom. The giant puffball is more unusual. However, the stinky squid is very rare (Writing Workshop: Eyewitness Report).

TRANSITION TOOL BOXWords and Phrases that link

(TRANSPARENCY #5)

COMPAREASALSOIN THE SAME WAYLIKELIKEWISESIMILARLY

CONTRASTBUTHOWEVERIN CONTRASTINSTEADON THE OTHER HANDUNLIKE

SEQUENTIAL ORDERNEXTTHENDURINGLASTLATERONCE

SPATIAL ORDERAROUNDBELOWCENTERIN FRONT OFOUTSIDESURROUNDINGTO THE LEFTTO THE RIGHT

CAUSE-AND-EFFECT ORDERAS A RESULTBECAUSECAUSED BYCONSEQUENTLYDUE TOFOR THIS REASONIF . . . THEN

ORDER OF DEGREEEVEN LESSEVEN MOREFINALLYFIRSTFROM . . . TOFURTHERMORELEASTMOSTTO(Writing Workshop: Eyewitness Report)

The Perfect Performance

Only a few hours ago, I was inside the U.T. Tyler auditorium watching a wonderful presentation put on by the talented, exotic National Acrobats of China. The performance I saw included a man executing acrobatics on top of a 15-foot tower of chairs.

At the beginning of the performance, a man brought out a tall, four-legged, stool-type platform. It had a blue cape around the perimeter that seemed to be made of crushed velvet and was decorated in blue and gold. Another man brought in four wine bottles, which he tapped to demonstrate that they were really made out of glass. He then placed the bottles on each of the four corners of the stool, and on top of the bottles, he placed a chair with its legs resting on the bottles. The men would place many other chairs on top of their chair throughout the course of the performance. These chairs were plain white with blue trim, and their backs were straight and vertical, with no curve.

To the very tiptop of this lofty tower of chairs went an acrobat dressed in silken clothes of blue and white. Great suspense grew among the audience as the men on the stage thrust yet another chair into the air for him. The performer, however, knew exactly what he was doing. Though he laughed and smiled for the audience, he was dead serious. Catching the chair, he placed it on the top chair and tilted it diagonally, so that just two of its legs touched the rest of the tower. The audience was silent in awe as he did a handstand on the tilted chair and then spun around, using only one arm to hold his limber body in midair over the chair.

For a finale, the acrobat added three more chairs, and he stood on his head at the very top. As he was doing this, the chairs shook. I was secretly scared, but he came out all right. Last, as he climbed down, he threw the chairs down one by one to the three other performers on the stage. When the tower of chairs was completely demolished, he leaped into the air and did a dizzying somersault to the ground, landing perfectly.

(Writing Workshop: Eyewitness Report)

Rubric in Action

1. Begins by telling when, who, where, and what about the event.

2. Uses sensory details of sight and sound.

3. Captures the mood of the event.

4. Presents events in a clear logical order.

Getting Organized(transparency #6)

to be used with modeling activity

Event: Performance of the Chinese National Acrobats

First Event:A man brought out a four legged, stool-type platform.

Second Event:Another man brought in four wine bottles and placed them at the four corners of the stool. Then he placed a chair with its legs resting on the bottles. The men placed many chairs on top of that chair.

Third Event:An acrobat climbed to the very top of this whole conglomeration of chairs!

Fourth Event:The acrobat added three more chairs, and stood on his head at the very top. Afterward, he very carefully climbed down disassembling the chairs as he went.

Name of eyewitnessAuthor:___________________________________________________

Name of peer editor:_____________________________________

Friendly Feedback

Peer Editing Worksheet: All questions should be answered completely. REMEMBER – DO NOT WRITE ON THE ORIGINAL PAPER!

1. What did I describe and when did it take place?

2. What mood did I create?

3. What details helped you experience the event?

4. How did I show the order of events?

5. What did you like best about my report?

Eyewitness ReportDRAFTING SCORING GUIDE

Author Name: ________________________________Date: ____________Completed “Friendly Feedback” Worksheet is attached: __________

Question Teacher comments PossiblePoints

PointsReceived

Focused on an event that has personal or historical meaning?

20

Answered the five W’s: who, what, when, where, and why?

20

Used precise language and sensory images?

20

Presented what happened in a clear, logical order?

20

Captured the mood of the event? 20

Total Points 100

Revising/Proofreading/Editing

Friendly Feedback + Drafting Scoring Guide + “The Six Traits of Good Writing” = A+ Eyewitness Report

Six Traits of Good Writing(Transparency #8)

1. Ideas and Content Ideas are clear, focused, and well supported with relevant details.

2. Organization Ideas are arranged in a logical order that moves the reader through the text.

3. Voice The writing shows individual style and personality.

4. Word Choice Language is precise, powerful, and engaging.

5. Sentence Fluency Writing has a pleasing rhythm and flow, and shows varied sentence length and structure.

6. Conventions Grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors are eliminated.(Writing Workshop: Eyewitness Report)

Publication!Header/FooterSave under student name12 Pt. Times New Roman FontUse grammar and spell checkYOU ARE FINISHED!

Modifications/Accommodations

• Georgia Learning Connection website at www.glc.k12.ga.us/password/trc

Grouping: Prewriting: Students work cooperatively in

groups of two to four. Drafting: Students work cooperatively in

groups of two to four. Revising/Proofreading/Editing: Students work

cooperatively in groups of two to four. Publishing: Students work individually.

NOTE: Grouping strategies may vary depending on the needs of the individuals in the class.

• Prewriting• Drafting• Revising/Proofreading/Editing• Publication

References

• Georgia Department of Education (2005). Writing assessments. Retrieved June 25, 2005 from http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/curriculum/testing/writing.asp.

• Georgia School Council Institute (2005). Retrieved June 25, 2005 from

http://www.gaschoolcouncil.org/index.html.

• “Writing workshop: Eyewitness report.” In Language network: Grammar, writing,communication (432-

439).(2003). Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell Inc.