3rd Grade ting Camp Spanish - Austin ISDcurriculum.austinisd.org/schoolnetDocs/languageArts... · Magda’s Piñata Magic/Magda y la piñata magica, by Becky Chavarria Chairez Lesson

© 2011 Austin ISD Dept. of Language Arts | 3rd Grade Writing Camp – Spanish

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Austin Independent

School District

3rd Grade

Writing Camp

Austin Independent

School District

3rd Grade

Writing Camp

Spanish


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3RD

GRADE WRITING CAMP

OVERVIEW

In this 4-week writing unit, students will produce three drafts of writing: one

personal narrative and two expository pieces. In the final week of the unit, students will

choose which of the three pieces of writing they want to publish and share with an

audience. Students will read their writing aloud to this audience during the last week in

May (the last full week of school.)

Donald Graves, the foremost expert in teaching writing process to students, said that

writers will do the hard work of writing and re-writing a piece when they have an

invested interest in the topic. Indeed, all writing experts agree that writers should

choose topics of interest and importance to the individual writer. The pre-writing lessons

in this unit have been built around this theory of allowing students to choose their own

topic for each piece of writing.

Equally as important, writers should know who their audience is before they begin

writing. When writers have their audience in mind, they make decisions about their

writing based on what they think their audience will want to hear.

Teachers will need to plan in advance who this audience will be. Will writers share

their writing with another class? Will they invite their parents or school administrators?

Will writers create books with illustrations to share with a younger student? Teachers

may want to involve the students in the process of deciding who the audience will be.

You may even have the students write the invitation to this audience. In any case, the

decision about audience needs to be made early in the unit, so writers have this audience

in mind during the entire writing process, and so everyone has time to plan for the

celebration at this busy time of year.

And, finally, research has shown that teachers who write in front of and alongside

their students can greatly influence the efforts of their students. Thinking aloud makes

the otherwise invisible processes that writers use visible to students who are just

beginning to learn how writers think. By struggling with word choice or making

authentic spelling or grammatical errors while drafting, the teacher shows students that

all writers struggle and make errors, that writing flows on some days and stalls on other

days. These are important points for student writers to realize, so they can be more

patient with themselves and others and comfortable showing their work, even if there are

mistakes. This teacher modeling of the writing process is also built in to the lessons in

this unit and teachers are highly encouraged to write in front of their students.


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THE WRITING PROCESS

In this camp, 3rd Grade students will learn to follow a structured process for writing

which consists of the following stages:

Pre-Writing

PRE-

ESCRITURA

Anything a writer does to decide on a topic to write about, including

reading other pieces of writing, research, talking about topics, thinking,

rehearsing, brief writings, and more. Pre-writing may be divided into two

categories: 1. Generating ideas; 2. Planning and Organizing.

Drafting

ESCRIBIR

BORRADOR

The writer writes the ideas and sentences in an order that makes

sense for the genre of writing. In a first draft, most writers work to

simply get their thoughts on paper in an approximate form, knowing they

will revise the writing later.

Conferencing

CONFERENCIA

A writer shares his/her writing with another writer to seek help with

a problem he/she is having. Student conferences may be held with the

teacher or with another peer. They may be formal, where the student

reads his/her entire piece to the other person and asks for help with a

specific part of the writing. Or a conference may be informal, where the

teacher looks over a student’s shoulder, reading only a small portion of

the writing, and makes a quick suggestion before moving on to another

writer.

Conferences may occur at any stage of the writing process, as many

times as the writer needs to accomplish his/her goals.

Revising

RE-ESCRIBIR

Y

ORAGANIZAR

The changes a writer makes to the content and meaning of the

writing. While revising, writers add, delete, change, and reorganize their

writing, in an attempt to make the meaning of the writing more clear.

Revisions may be made within a sentence, within a paragraph, or within

the entire piece of writing.

Editing

CORREGIR

Corrections in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, usage

and sentence boundaries.

Final Draft

BORRADOR

FINAL

After the writer is satisfied that all revisions and edits are complete,

he/she rewrites or types the writing in the final format for the reader,

including all corrections.

Proofreading

REVISIÓN

FINAL

Another writer reads the final draft to look for any obvious editing

errors the original writer overlooked. The proofreader corrects the errors

before publication.

Publishing /

Celebrating

PUBLICAR/

CELEBRAR

The writer shares his writing with an audience. Publication may

include displaying the writing for others to read, sending the writing to

an audience, and sometimes, the writer reads the writing to an audience.


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In reality, writers do not move through these stages in the same order every time,

nor do they complete one part of the process each day until they reach the end. Writing

is different for each writer. Some writers take a long time to pre-write because they feel

strongly about finding a topic they are passionate about. Some writers plan their entire

piece in their heads before they write anything on paper. These writers may appear to be

wasting time, when they are actually doing much of their work internally. Many writers

draft and revise at the same time. Others may draft the entire piece and decide they

don’t like the way it turned out. They will want to choose another topic and start all

over again. One student may move smoothly through the writing process when writing a

narrative piece. However, the same student may stall and jump around in the process

when writing an expository piece.

Teachers who understand the idiosyncrasies of the writing process, guide students

to make wise decisions about moving their writing forward, but also allow writers to

make the changes the writer strongly feels will make his/her writing better.

What this means for the writing classroom is that writers will be at different

stages of the writing process on any given day. That is the nature of the writing process

classroom. Teachers cannot wait for all writers to finish one stage before moving on to

the next lesson. Lessons must be taught when most writers are ready. All writers are

expected to participate in the lesson when it is being taught, knowing that if they are not

ready to apply the lesson now, they will need to apply it in the future. Writers who finish

early may begin any other writing they feel motivated to write and are expected to

follow the same guidelines you have taught them in previous lessons about how to

engage in the writing process and work to improve their new writing.


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WEEK 1

PERSONAL NARRATIVE

A SPECIAL TIME, UN TIEMPO ESPECIAL

MENTOR

TEXTS

In My Family/En mi familia, by Carmen Lomas Garza

Magda’s Piñata Magic/Magda y la piñata magica, by Becky Chavarria

Chairez

Lesson 1:

Read Aloud, Quick Write, and Brainstorm Ideas 90 Minutes

Prior to this lesson: Write Quick Write questions on a chart to save class time.

Introduction – 15 minutes Introduce to students that they will be writing a personal story about ‘Una ocasión especial.’

“Una ocasión especial significa diferentes cosas para diferentes personas. Para algunas

personas, una ocasión especial significa que estuvieron muy felices. Para otros, podría ser

una ocasión en que algo maravilloso sucedió. Podría ser una ocasión en que pasaron

tiempo con alguien con quien les gusta estar o cuando hicieron algo que realmente les

gusta hacer. En todo caso, un tiempo especial es un evento que se queda con una persona

como un grato recuerdo.”

Show students books and stories that you have previously read together about a special time.

Discuss what the special time was in each story to give students possible ideas for a topic

they can write about.

Pre-Writing Read Aloud (Generating Ideas) – 15 minutes

Read aloud the book In My Family/En mi familia by Carmen Lomas Garza. During reading,

stop occasionally to draw attention to the details of the writing which are shown in the

details of the pictures. Point out to students that each picture and short story in this book is

a different ‘special time’ this author could write a complete story about.

After reading, go to the page entitled ‘Empanadas’. Have the children look closely at the

picture. Model for the students the sequence of events that may have led up to this picture.

The following is a sample you can share with students: Un día mi mamá dijo que íbamos a

la casa de la tía Paz y el tío Beto para hacer empanadas. ¡Me puse muy contenta! Me puse

mi vestido azul favorito y mis zapatos negros porque éste era un día especial. Cuando

llegamos a la casa de la tía Paz y el tío Beto, muchos de nuestros parientes ya estaban ahí.

El tío Beto estaba extendiendo la masa y la tía Paz estaba untando el relleno en la masa.


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Miré por toda la cocina, tratando de disfrutar toda la emoción. El aire olía delicioso con el

aroma de empanadas dulces y por todas partes había platones con empanadas. Cuando

llegaos la tía Paz nos saludó cálidamente, “¡Hola, Arturo y Carmen! ¡Pasen! ¡Pasen!

¡Ayúdenos a comer estas empanadas! Hicimos para todos. ¡Estamos tan contentos de que

hayan venido a ayudarnos, porque no hubiéramos sabido que hacer con todas estas

empanadas si no hubieran venido a ayudarnos a comerlas!” Nos sirvió un vaso de leche a

cada uno e insistió que nos comiéramos una inmediatamente. Mi primer bocado fue tan

calientito y delicioso que pensé que nunca podría comer lo suficiente”. Then ask students to

talk to a partner about what may be happing in the story; ask a few volunteers to share their

ideas.

Turn to the page entitled ‘Dance at el Jardín’ and have the children orally tell the sequence

of events that may have led up to this picture, following the same procedure as with

‘Empanadas.’ (Do not use ‘Birthday Barbecue’ because this story will be too similar to

tomorrow’s read aloud.)

Summarize: “Cuando los autores escriben una historia personal, frecuentemente tienen en

mente una imagen de la parte más importante del relato. Utilizan los detalles de aquella

imagen para crear los detalles que escriben en su cuento”.

Pre-Writing Quick Write (Generating Ideas) – 20 minutes

Introduce Quick Writes. “El Escrito Rápido es una escritura corta que los autores hacen a

veces para hacer fluir sus ideas. A veces tienen una idea para una historia y escriben

rápidamente para colocar sus pensamientos acerca del cuento en papel. Algunas veces un

escritor no tiene una buena idea y él(ella) escribe sobre cualquier cosa que se le ocurre

para ver si puede encontrar una buena idea. El Escrito Rápido es una manera de

experimentar con las ideas sin comprometerse con ellas”.

Write these questions on a chart: ¿Las historias y las imágenes en este libro te hacen

recordar algo en tu vida? ¿O cuando tu familia se ha reunido a hacer una gran comida y

todos ayudan? ¿Tienes una imagen mental de una ocasión especial en tu vida sobre el que

podrías escribir? Students choose one of the above questions to write about during the

Quick Write.

Allow 2 minutes for writers to talk to a partner about different ideas they could possibly

write about during the Quick Write.

Explain to students that they may not finish all they want to write during a 5 min. Quick

Write and that’s okay. They may decide to finish it later. They may find that they will

write everything they can and they will be done before the 5 min. is over. Instruct them to

keep their notebook open. They should read over what they wrote and keep thinking about

their ideas for a story they might write. They should try to write for the entire time.

Explain that you will be writing, too, so you will not be answering questions or helping

them during this Quick Write time.


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Set a timer for the 5 min. Quick Write. Model the writing behavior you want your students

to practice.

Be prepared to share your writing first. As you write, you may want to skip around a bit

before settling into a topic, to show your students that this is an acceptable thing to do if you

don’t have a topic at first.

When the 5 minutes is over, give writers time to reread their writing to decide if it’s

something they want to share. Remind students that we don’t expect a perfect story. Our

reason for sharing is to give other writers more ideas for other stories they may decide to

write.

Allow 2-3 students to read to the class what they wrote. If no one volunteers to share their

writing, you must share yours! You must model the writing behaviors you want your

students to engage in.

Pre-Writing Brainstorming (Generating Ideas) – 30 minutes

Begin a brainstorming list for ‘Una ocasión especial.’

Begin a chart with ‘Una ocasión especial” written at the top and bulleted ideas listed below.

As you add ideas to the class list, have students create their own personal list of ‘Special

Times’ in their notebooks.

Students should only add items to their personal lists that have special meaning to them. (In

other words, if they have never gone on a trip to visit their relatives, then this should not be

an idea they write on their personal list!) They should write the names of people and the

names of places to make their list personal. (An example would be ‘The time I rode a horse

at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo’s ranch.’)

Use the topics that students shared in their Quick Writes as springboards to more ideas

students could add to their brainstorming list. Remind students that they can still change

their minds and write any story they feel motivated to write.

Lesson 2:

Read Aloud, Quick Write, and Plan and

Organize 90 Minutes

Prior to this lesson: Write Quick Write questions on a chart to save class time. Mentally plan

your own topic and story idea, so you can quickly and effectively model a Story Web.

Take two minutes to quickly review the different definitions and examples of ‘Una ocasión

especial’ you talked about yesterday.

Pre-Writing Read Aloud (Generating Ideas) – 20 minutes


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Tell students you will read aloud another story about a different special time. As you read

you want them to think about ”¿Cuál es la ocasión especial en este cuento?” y “¿Cómo

sabemos que esta ocasión fue algo especial para este personaje?”

Read aloud Magda’s Piñata Magic/Magda y la piñata magica por Becky Chavarria Chairez,

stopping 2-3 times to ask questions that will help students understand what is happening in

the story.

Ask students to talk to a partner about”¿Cuál es la ocasión especial en este cuento?” (There

seem to be two special times in this story. One is when Tío Manuel brought the piñata

home and all the children saw it for the first time, and the other special time was at the

party, when Magda showed how she had changed the piñata to drop candy without having to

break it.)

¿Cómo nos demuestra el autor que estas ocasiones son especiales? (When Tío Manuel

brought the piñata home, the author builds excitement by calling all the children over and

playing a drum roll. Then she described the piñata in detail and the children became even

more excited as they played with the piñata in the tree. Later, when Magda showed each

place where she had changed the piñata, candy dropped and scattered and the children

hopped and screamed to show the excitement of gathering the candy.)

Now ask students to share with the whole class what they and their partner discussed in

response to the above questions. As students talk about different parts of the story, return to

the author’s sentences in the book that support their ideas for how the author shows us it

was a special time.

Summarize: “Los autores utilizan sus palabras para generar emoción y describir los

detalles que nos muestran los momentos especiales en sus cuentos. Esos sentimientos nos

ayudan a relacionar cómo se siente el personaje y nos hace sentir como que somos parte del

cuento.”

Pre-Writing Quick Write (Generating Ideas) – 15 minutes

Write the following questions on a chart for students to think about as they try another

Quick Write: ¿Esta historia te hace recordar algo en tu vida? ¿La historia te hace

recordar alguna vez que hiciste algo especial para alguien en tu vida (padres, hermanos,

abuelos, primos, etc.) Students may choose either of these questions to write about during

the Quick Write.

Allow 2 min. for writers to talk to a partner about different ideas they could possibly write

about during the Quick Write.

Set the timer for a 5 minute Quick Write. If writers finish before the 5 min. is over, they

should keep their notebook open and read over what they wrote. They should continue to

write or think about their ideas the entire time.

Explain that you will be writing, too, so they should be respectful and allow you to think

and write during the 5 minute Quick Write.


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Afterward, allow time for writers to read their writing to themselves and think about

whether they want to share with the whole group. Add any additional ideas to the

brainstorming list you began yesterday and students add to their personal lists.

Pre-Writing Choosing a Topic – 10 minutes

Writers need to commit to a topic. Help them make this decision:

1. Piensa en cuáles temas te causan emoción al escribir. Subraya estos temas en tu lista

de lluvia de ideas.

2. Debe ser un cuento sobre el que puedes contar o escribir mucho. Fíjate solamente en los

temas subrayados. Encierra en un círculo los temas sobre los que tienes mucho que

contar o escribir.

3. Debe ser un cuento que puedas imaginarte porque te acuerdas muy bien de muchos de

los detalles. Dibuja una estrella al lado de los temas con un círculo alrededor que

puedes imaginar en tu mente.

If students have more than one topic with a star, they can choose which one they want to

write today. They should save the other starred topics for another day (or use it later in case

the topic they chose for today doesn’t work out.)

Pre-Writing Story Web (Planning and Organizing Model) – 15 minutes

Introduce the use of a ‘Story Web’ to plan the main events of a story. Tell your students,

“Antes de empezar a escribir un cuento, los escritores planean los eventos principales de su

historia”.

Briefly tell students the story you plan to write. Model making a Story Web for your own

story. See the attached Example Story Web.

Create a large web on chart paper, and use the story you just told to them to plan the main

events of your story in front of your students. Write the topic for your story in the center

circle. Think aloud as you decide how to word the main events of your story and write

them, one in each of the outer circles around the center of your charted Story Web.

Number your events in the order they happened, clockwise around the center circle.

(Writers may create as many outer circles as they need. However 6-8 outer circles usually

indicate a substantial story without too many events.)

Students Pre-Write a Story Web (Plan and Organize) – 30 minutes

Writers will now create a web for their own story. You may want to give them a large

11x17” paper, so they’ll have enough room to add details tomorrow. Circulate around the

room to answer questions and encourage writers as they work.

Make sure to check in several times on any students you think may have trouble with this

organizing plan. Make sure they are writing their events in sequence and with enough detail

to make their story interesting.

Example Story Web #1


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For Teacher Use only!!

Teachers may use this example as a guide for creating a Story Web about their own personal topic and story.

Riding a horse at Aunt Sophie and

Uncle Leo’s ranch

When I arrived, I found out Mom planned to leave me there for a week!

2.

I didn’t really want to go to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo’s ranch.

1.

We went outside to see what Uncle Leo was doing. He was grooming the horses. He asked me if I wanted to ride the bigger horse, Smoky. I said ‘No’ because I was scared.

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Aunt Sophie showed me the room where I would be sleeping.

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The next day Uncle Leo asked me to help him feed the horses. I spent the whole morning feeding, cleaning, and leading the horses to the pasture.

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Finally Uncle Leo convinced me to try sitting on top of Smoky. The horse walked slowly around the pasture while Uncle Leo walked near us.

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I rode Smoky every day for the rest of my vacation at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo’s ranch. By the end of the week, Uncle Leo didn’t need to help me and Smoky and I became friends!

7.


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Lesson 3:

Plan / Organize and Draft 90 Minutes

Ask a few writers to share their Story Webs with the class.

Pre-Writing Story Web (Planning and Organizing Model) – 15 minutes

Use your Story Web to tell the main events of your story. Explain to writers that these are

just the main events of the story. There are a lot more details about each event of the story

that you have not told them. As you give examples of what these details are, write the

details around the outside of the circle where the event is written.

Not all events will have many details. Make sure you show more details around the most

important parts of your story. See the following Story Web with details attached to each

main event.

(You do not need to finish your entire web while your students watch. You may continue

working on your web as your writers add to their webs.)

Students Pre-Write a Story Web (Plan and Organize) – 30 minutes

Writers will now add more details to their own stories. Tell writers to think about the picture

in their mind for each main event of their story. They need to think about what they see,

hear, and feel about each main event and add those details to the outside edge of each small

circle.

Circulate around the room as writers add to their Story Webs. Ask writers which events are

the most important in their story and remind them to add the most details around these

events. Ask questions such as, ‘¿Quiénes estaban ahí?’, ‘¿Qué dijeron?’, ‘¿Cómo se veía

eso?’, ‘¿Cómo te sentiste?’ to help writers add more details to their story.

Visit your struggling writers often to be sure they are adding good details to their stories.

As writers finish their webs, have them share their stories with a partner, using their web to

help them tell their story, including all the details. Give the listeners a task to keep them

focused on their partner’s story. For example, after the writer tells his/her story, the listener

tells the writer which events are the most important parts of the story, because these events

have the most details.

Drafting (Model) – 15 minutes

When most students have completed their Story Webs, model for students how to turn their

Story Webs into a draft. Using the first few events of your Story Web, model how to use

your main ideas and details and combine them into sentences that sound like a story. Each

main idea (or numbered circle) will be a new paragraph.

Write only the first one or two events (paragraphs) of your story in front of your students.

A note about paragraphing: Teaching students where to begin a new paragraph is a little

tricky with a narrative story. Ultimately, we’d like our writers to decide where they think


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they have begun a new idea in their story and this is where they should begin a new

paragraph. They can also ask themselves, “Do these parts go together?” If not, they should

begin a new paragraph. However this is very abstract for beginning writers. It may be

easier for writers to begin a new paragraph with each main idea in their story web. After

they have written their entire first draft, writers should reread their draft, thinking about

whether it makes sense for a new paragraph to begin in the places where they have already

placed a new paragraph. You will not have time to teach paragraphing with dialogue. Save

this skill for their 4th grade teachers.

Students Draft – 30 minutes Students begin to write the drafts of their stories, using their webs as a guide.

After most students have begun writing, have a small group of students who are having

trouble writing their ideas into sentences join you at a table where you can help them

formulate their beginning sentences. You can help struggling writers by having them

practice their sentences orally before they write.


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Example Story Web #2 For Teacher Use only!!

Riding a horse at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo’s ranch

I didn’t really want to go to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo’s ranch.

1.

We went outside to see what Uncle Leo was doing. He was grooming the horses. He asked me if I wanted to ride the bigger horse, Smoky. I said ‘No’ because I was scared.

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Aunt Sophie showed me the room where I would be sleeping.

3

The next day Uncle Leo asked me to help him feed the horses. I spent the whole morning feeding, cleaning, and leading the horses to the pasture.

5

Finally Uncle Leo convinced me to try sitting on top of Smoky. The horse walked slowly around the pasture while Uncle Leo walked near us.

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I rode Smoky every day for the rest of my vacation at Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo’s ranch. By the end of the week, Uncle Leo didn’t need to help me and Smoky and I became friends!

7.

I had never stayed at their house before and felt like I didn’t know them very well.

When I arrived, I found out Mom planned to leave me there for a week!

2.

I was really upset! I felt like Mom had lied to me.

I was starting to have a bad attitude about this whole thing already.

It looked comfy enough—lots of books on the shelf I was eager to look through.

I had never ridden a horse before.

I wouldn’t know what to do if it took off running.

The horse was taller than Uncle Leo! What if I fell off!

I was starting to feel more comfortable around the animals.

Sometimes they looked at me as if they wanted to say something.

I liked being with the horses!

It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be!

Smoky was very careful about walking gently.

I can’t wait to to see Smoky

again soon.

My visit to Aunt Sophie and Uncle Leo’s ranch is one of my best

memories.


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Lesson 4:

Draft and Revise Leads 90 Minutes

Drafting (Model) – 10 minutes

Model for students how you will continue your writing today. Say, “Cuando los escritores

empiezan a escribir después de tomar un descanso, leen de nuevo lo que escribieron antes.

Así pueden conectar sus nuevas ideas con lo que ya han escrito”.

Read aloud the part of your story you wrote in front of your class yesterday. Orally practice

what the next sentences might sound like as you turn the next main idea and its details into

sentences that form a paragraph for your story. Write the sentences for only 1-2 main ideas

(paragraphs) in front of your students.

Students Draft – 20 minutes

Students continue to write the drafts of their stories. The goal is for them to finish their

entire story.

Work with the same small group of struggling writers from yesterday or a different group to

help them write their drafts.

As students finish their drafts, have them read their stories to a partner. The partner’s job is

to listen carefully to decide if all parts of the story are connected. If they have a question

about whether the story is connected, listeners should wait for the writer to finish reading

before asking questions about that part of the story.

Revising Leads/Introductions (Lesson) – 10 minutes

When most students have finished their drafts, bring writers together to teach them how to

revise for a new lead (introduction). “La entradilla se refiere a las primeras oraciones de

una historia que atraen la atención del lector. La entradilla engancha al lector y causa que

él(ella) quiera leer más de ese cuento. Si comenzamos una historia con ‘Un día…’ o ‘Erase

una vez…” no es una entradilla muy interesante. Vamos a ver la manera en que algunos

autores profesionales escriben sus entradillas”.

Have students look at the leads for the following stories in the 3rd

grade Tesoros reading

textbook and point out the technique each author used to create the lead.

Unit 1 page 54, “¡Qué nervios! El primer día de escuela” – dialogue lead (page 57)

Unit 1 page 94, “¡Lobo!” – action lead (page 97)

Unit 1 page 128, “Mi propio cuartito” – action lead (page 130)

Unit 2 page 260, “Un castillo en la calle Viola” – description of setting (page 262)

Unit 3 page 414, “Desplumado” – dialogue lead (page 416)

Explain to writers: “Hay algunas maneras comunes en que los autores escriben sus

entradillas. El diálogo, acción o una descripción de algún personaje o el escenario son

algunas maneras típicas usadas por los autores para escribir entradillas.”


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Revising Dialogue Lead – 20 minutes

Use your story and model the writing of a dialogue lead for your story.

A dialogue lead for the example story could be:

Use 1-2 student stories and have students help you write dialogue leads for these stories.

(The stories of struggling writers work well for this!) Have students work with partners to

write dialogue leads for their stories. Allow time for 1-2 students to share their new leads.

Revising Action Lead – 20 minutes

Use your story again and model the writing of an action lead.

An action lead for the example story could be:

Note: An action lead does not necessarily mean running, jumping, screaming or what

children normally think of as an ‘action movie’. ‘Action’ in a story is simply what a

character is doing, which might be very calm.

Use 1-2 different student stories and have the class help you write action leads for these

stories. Have students work with partners to write action leads for their stories. Allow time

for 1-2 students to share their action leads.

Revising Description Lead – 20 minutes

If time allows, use your story one more time to model the writing of a description lead.

Students may describe a character or some part of the setting.

A description lead (setting) for the example story:

Use student stories to engage the class in writing a few description leads and have students

work with partners to produce description leads.

─Sarah, querida, es hora de levantarse ─dijo el señor Hartwell, asomando la cabeza por la puerta del dormitorio─. ¡No querrás perderte el primer día de clase en tu nueva escuela!

─No voy a ir ─contestó Sarah, cubriéndose la cabeza con la manta. (From Tesoros “Que nervios! El primer día de escuela,” page 57)

Después de caminar sin rumbo por varios días, un lobo entró en un pueblo pequeño. Estaba cansado y hambriento, le dolían los pies, y sólo le quedaba un poco de dinero que guardaba para casos de emergencia.

(From Tesoros “¡Lobo!” (page97)

Hace mucho tiempo, cuando yo todavía no tenía diez años, alquilábamos un apartamento en la calle Esmeralda. Era un lugar pequeño para toda la familia, pero de algún modo nos acomodábamos.

(From Tesoros“Un castillo en la calle Viola” (page 262).


16

Revising Sentences to Connect a Lead – 10 minutes

Explain to students that they can choose the lead they like best to use in their story.

Illustrate, using your own story and lead, that sometimes they can simply add the new lead

to the front of their story. Sometimes they will need to change the beginning sentences or

add a sentence or two to connect the lead to the beginning of the story. A lead is not

necessarily an additional paragraph, although, if it is long and not closely connected to the

story, it may be an additional paragraph.

Have writers work with a partner to connect their lead to the beginning of their story.

Writers tape their leads to the beginning of their stories and revise the first sentences in the

same way you modeled.

Lesson 5:

Revise Conclusions and Edit 90 Minutes

Spend 5 minutes having 1-2 students share with the class the lead they chose for their story

as well as the first few sentences of their story so the class can hear how well the lead is

connected to the story. Help the writer revise if the lead is not well connected.

Revising Endings/Conclusions (Lesson) – 15 minutes

Now writers will revise the ending (conclusion) of their story. Say, “La conclusión se

refiere a las últimas oraciones del cuento. Un buen final o conclusión termina la historia y

deja al lector sintiéndose satisfecho, que fue una buena historia. Vamos a ver algunas

maneras en que los autores profesionales concluyen sus cuentos”.

Have students look at the endings for the same stories in the 3rd

grade Tesoros reading

textbook and point out the technique each author used to create the ending.

Unit 1 page 71, “¡Qué nervios! El primer día de escuela” – surprise ending

Unit 1 page 115, “Lobo!” – dialogue, action, and character’s feelings

Unit 1 page 148, “Mi propio cuartito” – character’s feelings about the big idea,

connects to the lead

Unit 2 page 279, “Un castillo en la calle Viola” – character’s feelings about the big

idea, repeats a theme from the story

Unit 3 page 431, “Desplumado” – dialogue and repeats a theme from the story

Explain to writers: “Hay algunas maneras típicas en que los autores escriben los finales. A

veces el autor conecta el final con la entradilla del cuento. Otras veces, él(ella) revela el

gran significado del cuento o alguna lección aprendida. Otro modo de concluir un cuento

es de mostrar los sentimientos de algún personaje y cómo han cambiado. El final que elijas

dependerá del cuento que hayas escrito. El final tiene que tener sentido con respecto a la

entradilla y el resto del cuento”.


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Revising Endings/Conclusions – 35 minutes

Use your story and model the writing of one type of ending for your story.

An ending that connects to the lead for the example story could be:

Use your story again and model the writing of another type of ending.

An ending that has a surprise ending for the example story could be:

Use 1-2 different student stories and have the class help you write new conclusions for these

stories. (The stories of struggling writers work well for this!) Have students work with

partners to write 1-2 new conclusions for their stories. Allow time for 1-2 students to share

their story endings.

Revising Sentences to Connect a Conclusion – 10 minutes

Explain to students that they can choose the ending they like best for their story. Illustrate,

using your own story and conclusion, that sometimes they can simply add the new

conclusion to the end of their story. Sometimes they will need to change the ending

sentences or add a sentence or two to connect the conclusion to the end of the story. Often,

the conclusion is a separate paragraph added to the end.

Have writers work with a partner to connect their conclusion to the end of their story.

Writers tape their conclusions to the end of their stories and revise the last sentences in the

same way you modeled.

Editing for Complete Sentences (Lesson) – 10 minutes

Teach students how to edit their stories for complete sentences. Make a chart of that shows

examples from your students’ stories of sentences, fragments, and run-ons. See the attached

chart.

Explique que una oración completa transmite una idea completa. Debe ser independiente;

es decir, se puede decir la oración por separado (fuera del cuento) y debe tener sentido

completo. Dé algunos ejemplos de oraciones completas.

Luego muestre a los escritores un fragmento de oración. Un fragmento es parte de una

oración que no tiene sentido completo. Dé ejemplos.

Yo me sentía la niña más afortunada y feliz del mundo. Todos en mi familia me habían ayudado a realizar mi sueño. Antes de poder apagar la luz, me quedé dormida muy en paz bajo una cobija de libros en mi propio cuartito.

From, “Mi propio cuartito” (page 148)

─Ahora quiero que conozcan a… …la nueva maestra, la señora Sarah Jane Hartwell.

From “¡Qué nervios! El primer día de escuela” (pages 70-71)


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Después muestre algunos ejemplos de oraciones corridas. Las oraciones corridas realmente

son dos o más oraciones que no tienen signos de puntuación dividiéndolas. Dé ejemplos de

oraciones corridas.

Editing for Complete Sentences (Model) – 10 minutes

Using your own story, show students how to use two different colors of pencils or crayons

to underline each complete sentence in an alternating color. However, they need to make

sure they are underlining only complete sentences!

Underline the first sentence of your story in one color and say the sentence aloud. Ask,

“¿Es esta una idea completa? ¿La oración se entiende por sí sola? ¿O es parte de una

oración que no tiene sentido por sí misma? ¿Es más de una oración sin signos de

puntuación?” If it is a fragment or run-on, the writer needs to fix it to make it a complete

sentence and underline only the complete sentence in the first color.

Move on to your next sentence. Repeat the above questions. Edit to make it a complete

sentence and underline it in the alternating color.

Students Edit for Complete Sentences – 15 minutes

Writers work with partners to analyze the sentences in their own stories and underline them

in alternating colors, the same as you just modeled.

If the writer notices that he/she is underlining a very long sentence, that is a sign that he/she

should look more carefully—it might be a run-on. Conversely, if the writer notices a very

short sentence, he/she should look carefully to make sure it is not a fragment.

For this activity, you will probably want to pair your writers so that a strong writer is

working with a weaker writer. Students work with their partner to analyze and underline

sentences in each other’s stories in two colors.

Students Edit for Correct Spellings – 15 minutes

Next, writers review the words that are on the Word Wall. Then, with Word Wall words in

mind, writers read their stories and make sure all Word Wall words are spelled correctly.

Writers should read with their partner to double-check their spellings.


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Oración, fragmento y oraciones corridas

Descripción Ejemplos

Oración Indica una idea completa

Es independiente; se entiende por sí sola

Tiene sentido cuándo está sola

(Insert examples from student compositions.)

Al escuchar la voz de la señora Burton, los alumnos levantaron la vista. Mientras intentaba asomarse sobre la cerca de la granja, vio un cerdo, un pato y una vaca leyendo al sol.

Fragmento Parte de una oración

No tiene sentido estando solo


Atrás de la casa,

Estaban contentos con el proyecto, pero otros no.

Oración corrida

Dos o más oraciones juntas sin puntuación que las separe


Papá y yo trabajamos juntos mi papá levantaba las viejas baldosas deslizando una espátula por debajo. (From “Un castillo en la calle Viola” page 273)

Al llegar el fin de curso, la abuela se graduó con honores había sido la mejor alumna según los profesores. (From “La abuela Filomena” page 41)


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WEEK 2

EXPOSITORY TEXT

FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL

Teaching Notes:

The new STAAR standards state that students will “Create brief compositions that establish a

central idea in a topic sentence, contain a concluding statement, and include supporting

sentences with simple facts, details, and explanations. (TEKS 18A and i, ii, and iii).”

The following lessons have been designed with these TEKS as the primary focus, embedded

within the writing process.

MENTOR

TEXTS

(See Appendix)

Example Compositions:

“Mi mochila es mi hogar”

“Limpie la cafetería”

“¡Ojo con tus ojos!” “Salvemos nuestro recreo”

Lesson 1:

Brainstorm Ideas and Choose a Topic 90 Minutes

By this point in the school year, most students have formed an opinion about their

favorite subject in the school day. Engage your students in this discussion by having students

explain their reasons why they enjoy one subject more than other subjects in the school day.

Tell students they will be writing a different kind of composition, one that explains why they

feel strongly about their favorite subject in school. We call this type of writing an expository

writing because it is not telling a story, but is giving reasons for their thoughts about a topic.

Use your daily schedule to create a chart that students will use to brainstorm ideas.

Writers also make this chart in their writer’s notebooks. List the subjects in the order in which

they occur during your school day in one column of the paper. Leave space in the second

column for students to brainstorm 3-5 reasons why these subjects might be their favorite. A

sample is shown below.

Begin by having the whole class work together to think of 3-5 possible reasons why

reading might be their favorite subject. Not everyone needs to agree that these are their

personal reasons. You are just modeling some different ideas for your students to think about.

Students should write on their personal charts only the reasons that have personal meaning for

them.

Move down to Art, Music, or P.E. and model the same process for one of these subjects.


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Materias Razones por las que es

mi materia favorita

Lectura

Escritura

Matemáticas

Ciencia

Estudios Sociales

Arte

Música

Educación Física

Have students choose 3-4 subjects they feel passionate about and write (in their

notebooks) as many reasons as they can think of for these subjects being their favorite. If they

are having trouble coming up with reasons, tell them not to worry because they will hear other

students’ ideas later which may help them. Also, they will choose only one subject to write

about, so not having many reasons may help them decide which subject to eliminate!

Bring the class back together. Taking one subject at a time, ask students to share with

the whole class the reasons that subject is their favorite. Anyone may add to their own list an

idea they heard another student share. The purpose for this sharing is to give other writers good

ideas they can use.

Now students need to decide on a topic. Make a chart for students to reference while making

their decision.

Un buen tema para escribir es:

1. Algo que es importante para el escritor

2. Algo que al escritor le emociona escribir

3. Algo sobre lo que el escritor sabe mucho (sobre el que pude escribir mucho)

Allow time for students to think about which subject will make the best topic for today’s

writing.

Sharing: Organize students into groups of 4 writers. Each writer shares the subject they

have chosen to write about and the reasons they like this subject the best.


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Lesson 2:

Examining a Mentor Text and Planning 90 Minutes

Allow 2 students to share with the whole group their topics and reasons why they chose

their favorite subject.

Distribute a copy of the composition “Mi mochila es mi hogar” to each student and

display one copy for you to teach from. Explain to students that this is an example of the

expository writing they will produce. Read the whole composition aloud while the students

follow along on their copy. Ask, ¿Qué notan acerca de este tipo de escritura? ¿Cómo se

diferencia de la narrativa personal que escribieron la semana pasada? Accept all reasonable

answers. Address misconceptions.

If students have not already made this observation, ask students, ¿Qué está diciéndonos

el escritor acerca de su mochila? (Nos dice las razones por las que la mochila es importante

para él.) Reread paragraph 1 and underline the sentence, “Para mí es importante, porque en ella

puedo echar todo lo que necesito”. Label this sentence as the Idea central for this composition.

All the other parts of the composition explain why his backpack is important because of what it

holds. Tell students that the central idea is usually at the beginning of this type of composition.

Reread paragraph 2. ¿Cómo sabemos que este párrafo es el párrafo 2? (La escritura se

mueve hacia abajo a la siguiente línea y tiene sangría para mostrar el inicio de una nueva idea.)

¿Cómo se conecta este párrafo con la idea principal? (Su mochila contiene sus libros.)

Underline the sentence, “Me encantan los libros, y gracias a mi mochila los puedo llevar

conmigo”. Label this sentence as Una razón why his backpack is important because of what it

holds. Draw an arrow from this sentence to the central idea in paragraph 1 to show that they are

connected.

¿Dónde empieza el párrafo 3? ¿Cómo sabemos que este es el principio de un párrafo

nuevo? (Tiene sangría e indica una idea nueva.) Reread paragraph 3. Point out to students that,

although this paragraph talks about a new idea, it is still connected to the overall topic of the

composition—why his backpack is important. ¿Cómo se conecta este párrafo a la idea

principal? (Lleva su almuerzo.) Underline the sentence, “Otra rázon por la que mi mochila es

importante es que en ella llevo la caja de mi almuerzo”. Label this sentence as Otra rázon why

his backpack is important because of what it holds. Draw another arrow from this sentence to

the central idea to show that these paragraphs are connected. ¿De qué se trata el resto de este

párrafo? (Nos da más detalles sobre su almuerzo en su mochila.)

Tell students, “En el último párrafo de este tipo de escritura, el autor añade lo que se

llama una Declaración final. La “Declaración final” resume la composición y cuenta cómo el

escritor se siente sobre el tema. ¿Qué oraciones resumen y cuentan cómo se siente el escritor?

(¡Todas!) Label the last paragraph as “Declaraciones finales.” Students keep this page in their

writing folders as an example they can reference when they draft.

Distribute to writers the Hoja para planear una composición expositiva (attached) for

their composition about their favorite subject. (Note: The concluding statement is not included


23

at this point because it is easier for students to write this statement after the body of their

composition has been written.)

Use a copy of the Hoja para planear una composición expositiva to model for

students one of your favorite high school or college subjects. Note: Use a subject that is

different than those your students will write about, because often students will copy or

replicate your ideas if you model a topic that is close to what they are writing about.

Think aloud as you formulate your central idea. Try to say something more than “Band

practice was my favorite subject,” such as, “Band practice was completely different than any

other part of my day,” or “Band practice gave me a break from the reading and writing I had to

do during the rest of my day.” Write 3-5 reasons why this was your favorite subject.

Allow time for students to plan their compositions in the same way you just modeled.

As writers finish their plan, tell them to begin thinking about what more they will say about

each of their reasons. Write these questions on a chart:

Maneras de “Decir más” acerca de tus razones:

¿Explicarás más?

¿Darás un ejemplo?

¿Qué clase de detalles incluirás para cada razón?

Model for students how they will share their plan with a partner today. Using your plan

for your favorite high school or college subject, tell what your topic is and your central idea.

Then, as you read each reason, use the questions on the chart to orally add more to each reason

you have listed.

For example you might say,

“(One Reason): We played lots of fun and familiar songs.

(Say More): One year we played the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight and I had the solo part at the

very beginning. Another time, we played American Pie and that song was stuck in my head for

the rest of the day. A few of my friends who were not in band really wanted to join once they

heard the cool songs we were practicing.”

Continue “Decir más” about each of the reasons you listed on your planning graphic

organizer.

Sharing: Pair students with a writer who has a different topic. Writers orally practice

“Decir más” about the reasons they have written on their planning page. Partners may make

suggestions to help their partner come up with different ways to add more to their reasons.


24

Hoja para planear una composición expositiva

Mi tema favorito Tema:

Idea central: (¿Que vas a decir sobre tu tema en esta composición?)

¿Cuáles son tus razones? (Haz una lista con todas las razones sobre las que quieras

escribir.)


25

Lesson 3:

Examining a Mentor Text and Writing a Draft 90 Minutes

Have 2 different students share with the whole group their topics and reasons for

choosing their favorite subject.

Display a copy of the composition “Limpie la cafetería”. Explain to students that this is

another example of an expository writing. Read the whole composition aloud while the students

follow along. Make note of the creative way in which this author got the reader’s attention in

the first paragraph.

Ask, ¿Cuál es el idea central de esta composición? ¿Cuál oración muestra la idea

central? (Todo el mundo tiene que hacer su parte para mantener limpia nuestra cafetería.)

Underline and label this sentence as the Idea central. ¿Qué razones da el autor acerca de que

todo el mundo necesita ayudar a mantener limpia la cafetería? As students find the reasons,

underline them and label them as Razones. Point out to students that both examples from today

and yesterday have given only two reasons. This is only a coincidence. They may write about as

many reasons as they wish, but generally, writers choose their top 2-5 reasons for this type of

writing.

Now, zoom in on paragraph 2 to look carefully at the ways that this author added more

details to their first reason. The two sentences, "La gente deja envoltorios y cajas de jugo en el

suelo. Ellos dejan migajas sobre la mesa y no tiran su basura " are examples of how messy the

cafeteria has become. Label these 2 sentences as Ejemplos. The last sentence, "Puede ser que

este no parece una gran cosa, pero mi amiga arruinó su camiseta nueva porque metió el codo en

la salsa de tomate de alguien que no limpie," is an anecdote. An anecdote is a short, personal

account of an incident or event. Label this sentence as an ‘Anécdota’. Point out to students that

the author is now going to give a different reason. Because this is a new idea, she begins a new

paragraph.

Reread paragraph 3 and review which sentence states the second reason why everyone

needs to keep the cafeteria clean. (“Esto hace que la cafetería sea mejor para todos.”) The

sentences that follow this topic sentence begin with ‘Primero,’ ‘Segundo,’ y ‘Más importante.’

These sentences explain the ways in which cleaning up after yourself makes the cafeteria better

for everyone. Label these sentences as Explicaciones.

Remind students that authors end an expository composition with a concluding

statement. A concluding statement summarizes the composition, tells how the writer feels

about the topic, and leaves the reader with a final thought. ¿Cuáles oraciones resumen la

composición y dejan al lector con una reflexión final? ("En conclusión, haciendo su parte es

simple. Tire la basura y limpie cualquier derrame o las migas. ¡Todo el mundo se lo

agradecerán!") Label these sentences with Declaraciones finales. Point out that the concluding

statements are grouped together in a final paragraph.

Next, use the Hoja para planear una composición expositiva for your own story and

model for students how they will write the draft for their composition. Make sure the Maneras

de “Decir más” acerca de tus razones chart is on display for all to see. Add the question


26

¿Escribirás una anécdota? (un cuento corto y personal, ¡solamente1-2 oraciones!) to the bottom

of the chart.

Tell students that you will show them exactly what you want them to do today while

they are drafting. Model how to take your central idea and write an introduction that is

interesting and will catch the reader’s attention. You may decide to have writers use the

introduction from “Mi mochila es mi hogar” and today’s example, “Limpie la cafeteria”, and

ask them to help you write an interesting introduction. Make sure your introduction includes

your central idea.

As you state each reason, think aloud about how to formulate a sentence that sounds

right. Use the questions from the Maneras de “Decir más” acerca de tus razones chart to

think aloud about ideas you may use to add more details to each reason. Write at least 2-4

additional sentences for each reason. Use transitions naturally to connect your ideas and show

the relationship between your ideas while you model. (You will teach transitions in more detail

during the revising lessons of this composition.) Emphasize that each reason and the details that

explain more about that reason are written in a separate paragraph. Only model the details for 2

of your reasons, so your modeling does not take too long.

Now pair students with another partner. Tell them to orally practice what their

introduction might sound like with their partner first. Once they have decided on an introduction

they like, they should begin drafting. Students may work with a partner (if they wish) to

continue drafting in the same manner that you modeled for them.

Provide a small copy of the Maneras de “Decir más” acerca de tus razones chart for

writers to reference at their desks as they draft.

Walk around the room, looking over writers’ shoulders to make sure students are on

track and making progress with their drafting. Help any partners who are struggling by jotting

ideas on post-it notes about how they might ‘say more’ about their reasons. Do not give them

the exact sentences to write. Instead, jot down ideas and allow writers to shape the ideas into

sentences that sound right to them.

Lesson 4:

Drafting, Revising the Expository Piece 90 Minutes

Ask two students to volunteer to read their drafts aloud to the class. Have listeners

identify what is their central idea and what are their reasons.

If most students need more time to draft, provide the extra time for most students to

finish. As writers finish, they should share their writing with a different partner. Listeners

identify what are the central idea and the reasons to support their central idea.


27

Revising – Transition Words:

Introduce palabras de transición to students. Las palabras de transición son palabras

que añaden los escritores para ayudar al lector a conectar las ideas en una composición. Estas

palabras nos muestran cómo las partes diferentes de la escritura están relacionadas entre sí.

Distribute the Lista de palabras de transición (attached). Point out to students, Ustedes

están familiarizados con las ‘transiciones que muestran el tiempo ', porque es probable que

hayan usado estas palabras en sus composiciones narrativas. Las composiciones narrativas se

cuentan en una secuencia y usamos estas palabras de transición para demostrar que el tiempo ha

pasado. Sin embargo, usamos palabras de transición diferentes en las composiciones expositivas

para mostrar cómo se conectan las ideas. Review the Palabras de transición que añaden

información, presentan ejemplos, and resumen y concluyen.

Have students read the example compositions “Mi mochila es mi hogar” and “Limpie la

cafetería” to search for transition words. Discuss how the transition words help the reader to

understand how the ideas in the composition are related to each other.

Using your own draft of your writing about your favorite high school or college subject,

highlight the transition words and phrases you used as you drafted. You might decide to add

new transition words to your writing. Show students how to write the transitions on the lines

you skipped and use carets to insert the words or phrases at the beginning of your sentences. Be

careful not to over-use the transitions. You do not need to use a transition before every new

idea. Insert them only in the places where the transition sounds natural.

Allow time for students to add transitions to their composition in places where the

transition sounds right to them.

Revising – Adding an Ending Paragraph/Concluding Statement:

Revisit “Mi mochila es mi hogar” and “Limpie la cafeteria” examples to analyze the

ending paragraphs. Remind writers that, En el último párrafo de este tipo de composición, el

autor añade lo que se llama una "Declaración final". La Declaración final resume la

composición y cuenta cómo el escritor se siente sobre el tema.

See also “¡Ojo con tus ojos!” and “Salvemos nuestro recreo” for additional examples of

ending paragraphs and concluding statements. Give students a copy of the ending paragraphs

for each of these compositions. Ask students to help you imitate the structure of one of these

conclusions and write 1-2 ending paragraphs for your composition.

Next, writers work with a partner and use these paragraphs as examples of how to write

their own ending paragraph. After they have written their final paragraph, tell writers to reread

their entire composition including their ending paragraph to make sure the writing sounds right,

is connected, and flows together.


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Palabras y frases de transición

Transiciones que muestran el tiempo

Pronto, Con tiempo, Mientras tanto, A continuación, Más tarde, Después de unos minutos Antes, Después de un tiempo, Después Luego Transiciones que añaden información

También Además, Por otra parte, ________, también. Primero, Segundo, Otra razón Lo que es más importante De igual manera, Igualmente Transiciones que presentan ejemplos

Por ejemplo, Como ejemplo, Transiciones que resumen y concluyen

Para concluir, Para resumir, Por fin, Por lo tanto, Por último, Finalmente, Por tal motivo


29

El párrafo final

A veces mi mochila va muy pesada, pero no me molesta. En ella llevo todo lo que

necesito. Es como una casa que llevo en la espalda.

~ “Mi mochila es mi hogar”

En conclusión, haciendo su parte es simple. Tire la basura y limpie cualquier

derrame o las migas. ¡Todo el mundo se lo agradecerá!

~ “Limpie la cafetería”

Sigue estos consejos para que puedas decir:

- Adiós. Nos VEMOS más tarde.

~ “¡Ojo con tus ojos!”

El recreo es una parte importante de la jornada escolar. No debe ser más corto,

porque los estudiantes pasarían más tiempo sentados y les costaría mucho poner

atención. ¡Por favor díganle a la directora que mantenga el recreo tal como está!

~ “Salvemos nuestro recreo”


30

Lesson 5:

Editing 90 Minutes

Editing for Complete Sentences

This editing lesson is the same lesson that was taught during the personal narrative lesson.

Because writing with complete sentences is challenging for many beginning writers, we feel

that the repeated practice will help them to hear what complete sentences sound like and instill

the importance of writing with complete sentences.

Teach students how to edit their stories for complete sentences. Make a chart that shows

examples of sentences, fragments, and run-ons from your students’ stories. See the attached

Sentence, Fragment, and Run-on Chart.

Explain that a complete sentence tells a complete idea. It should ‘stand alone,’ meaning that

you could say the sentence by itself (outside of the story) and it should make sense on its own.

Give a few examples of complete sentences.

Then show writers a sentence fragment. A fragment is a part of a sentence that does not

make sense on its own. Show examples. It is usually the beginning or ending of a complete

sentence.

Next show a few examples of run-on sentences. Run-on sentences are really two or more

sentences that have no punctuation dividing them.

Using your own composition, show students how to use two different colors of pencils or

crayons to underline each complete sentence in an alternating color. However, they need to

make sure they are underlining only complete sentences!

Underline the first sentence of your composition in one color and say the sentence aloud.

Ask, ¿Es una idea completa? ¿Puede ser independiente? ¿O es parte de una frase que no tiene

sentido por sí misma? ¿Es más que una oración sin puntuación? If it is a fragment or run-on,

the writer needs to fix it to make it a complete sentence and underline only the complete

sentence in the first color.



Now writers are ready to work with partners to analyze the sentences in their own

compositions and underline them in alternating colors, the same as you just modeled. If the

writer notices that he/she is underlining a very long sentence, it is a sign that they should look

more carefully—it might be a run-on. Conversely, if the writer notices a very short sentence,

he/she should look carefully to make sure it is not a fragment.





31

Editing – Correct Spellings:


mind, writers read their compositions and make sure all Word Wall words are spelled correctly.

Writers should read with their partner to double-check their spellings. They should also find the

correct spellings of any words they circled while drafting (because they were unsure of the

spelling.)

Editing – Capital Letters:

Ask writers, ¿Qué palabras de la composición deben tener letra mayúscula? Most students will

respond with the beginning word of a sentence, and names. This is an excellent place to begin

teaching capital letters. Create a chart.

Palabras con letra mayúscula en nuestra composción

la primera palabra en una oración

nombres propios

As you write each item on your list, tell students to read their draft and look for only that

one item to change or make sure it has a capital letter. Have students use a bright color of

crayon, colored pencil or pen (a color that is different from the colors of their underlined

sentences) to write the capital letter and circle it boldly in their draft. This will add excitement

to the idea of searching for and finding capital letters and it will also help them to remember to

make this change when they write their final draft.

Add the next item to your capitalization chart. Again, ask students to read their draft,

looking for only the one item you just added to the list. Writers use their bright color crayon,

pencil or pen to trace over or change the capital letter and circle it.

When you get to “Nombres propios”, ask students ¿Qué tipo de nombre? Add these details to

the list:

Palabras con letra mayúscula en nuestra composción

la primera palabra en una oración

nombres propios

Nombres de personas (Ask students to give you examples from their compositions and

list several examples of names of people that they have used in their writing.)

Nombres de lugares (List several examples of names of places students have used in this

writing.)

Nombres de libros (la primera palabra del título) (List examples from students’

writings.)

Continue adding names of items from students’ writing. Explain to students that they may or

may not decide to write this composition as their final draft at the end of this unit. If they do

make this their final draft, the bright color you used to highlight these capital letters should be

their reminder to use a capital letter in their final draft.


32











Atrás de la casa,


Oración corrida






33

WEEK 3

EXPOSITORY TEXT

DESCRIBE A CLASS MASCOT

The new STAAR standards state that students will “Create brief compositions that establish a

central idea in a topic sentence, contain a concluding statement, and include supporting

sentences with simple facts, details, and explanations. (TEKS 18A and i, ii, and iii).” The

following lessons have been designed with these TEKS as the primary focus, embedded within

the writing process.

RESOURCES

FOR

INSTRUCTION

Use the following websites to discuss the theme of mascots with your class:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevo_(mascot)

(choosing a class mascot)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Longhorn_(cattle)

(facts about Longhorns for the note taking guide)

Additional Resources:

Photos, posters, or other items that show the UT mascot, Bevo or feel free to

choose a different university mascot to accomplish the same purpose.

A reading center with a selection of animal books for students to read for their

research.

Time in your school’s computer lab for Lesson 2 on gathering information.

MENTOR

TEXTS

From Treasures Textbook (See Appendix): “Animales interesantes del suroeste” Texas Treasures, Unit 5 – excerpts translated into

Spanish

Example Expository Compositions (See Appendix): “La major mascota”

“Hormigas increíbles”

Tesoros, Leveled Readers from Connected.mcgraw-hill.com:

El chacal, Informational Nonfiction, Level 2

El zoológico, Informational Nonfiction, Level 2

Fósiles vivientes, Informational Nonfiction, Level 2

Jirafas de sabana, Informational Nonfiction, Level 2 La fiesta de la Tierra, Informational Nonfiction, Level 2

Salvemos el ágila calva, Informational Nonfiction, Level 2

Supervivencia en el desierto del Sahara, Informational Nonfiction, Level 4

Observadores de animals, Informational Nonfiction, Level 5

El seguimiento de una red alimentaria, Informational Nonfiction, Level 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bevo_(mascot)



34

Lesson 1:

Setting a purpose for writing 90 Minutes

Gather students together for a class discussion. Bring in an item that has your school’s

mascot on it. Say, Esta es la mascota de nuestra escuela. ¿Qué es una mascota?

Post student ideas on a chart. (Un símbolo, trae buena suerte al grupo, representa un grupo

o un equipo)

Show a postcard or picture of Bevo (the UT mascot) and ask, ¿Por qué creen que Bevo es

una buena mascota para la Universidad de Texas? (Es grande, fuerte, la gente lo quisiera tener

de su lado, te ayudaría para ganar el partido…)

Ask, ¿Por qué piensas que nuestra mascota es un/una __________ ? Lead a discussion

about why this animal is a good choice for a mascot. If you can find information about the

history of your school’s mascot, that would add to the discussion!

Say, Vamos a escoger un animal para nuestra mascota del salón y quiero que me ayuden a

escoger el mejor. Todos van a escribir acerca de un animal, y cuando termine la semana

votaremos por la mascota de nuestra clase.

Vamos a pensar en lo que nuestra clase representa. Dijimos que a la Universidad de Texas

le gusta tener el Bevo como mascota porque quieren que la gente crea que son grandes y

fuertes y que van a ganar cualquier partido. ¿Qué queremos que la gente piense acerca de

nuestra clase?

Have students sit quietly and think, and then turn to a partner to share their ideas. Have

them turn to another partner and share again. Finally, list the character trait words that your

students suggest on the chart. (Cariñosos, trabajamos juntos, ayudan uno al otro, inteligentes,

chistosos, etc.)

Have students get out their writing notebooks. Write one of the character trait words on a

new chart. Ask, ¿En qué animal piensan cuándo oyen esa palabra? Hagan una lista de los

animales debajo de la palabra que escribieron en su libreta.

After a few minutes, ask students to share the animals and their reasons for picking that

animal. Repeat with the other character traits listed on the chart.

If students have not already done so, have them read the selections from “Animales

interesantes del suroeste” to gather information about animals they may want to choose. Ask,

¿Puede ser que uno de estos animales fuera una buena mascota para nuestra clase?

When you have a good-sized list, ask students to put a star next to the animal they want to

write about. Tell them to think carefully about what message they want others to get about their

class and how this animal can represent that message.

Closing: Pass out ½ sentence strips to each child. Remind them of how they described

Bevo… “Bevo the Tough Texas Longhorn.” (This is also a time you might want to review or

teach alliteration as an ESL mini-lesson.) Give them a few minutes to write the name of the

animal they have chosen along with a few describing words on the sentence strips. This could

become the title of their piece or be turned into an opening sentence.

Students share their idea for a class mascot.


35

At the end of the sharing, have everyone clap for all the good suggestions. Congratulate

your class for making connections between the good character traits they want others to see in

themselves and the animals they are going to write about this week.

Post their sentence strips where everyone can see them as a reminder of the animals that are

now “in the running” for class mascot!

Lesson 2:

Gathering Facts 90 Minutes

It is ideal if you can take the class to the computer lab or to the library today to find facts

that support their choice for class mascot. If neither of these is possible, gather books and set up

a research center, an encyclopedia center, and a computer center. Students can rotate to each

center, gathering information at each one.

Model gathering important facts to support their topic. There are many ways to teach

research skills. Here is one suggestion:

On the overhead or the ELMO show the Guía para tomar notas (attached). Write on the

top: “Bevo – una buena mascota porque los cuernos largos son fuertes”

Read a paragraph (short) from a reference book about longhorns. After reading, model with

a think aloud how you choose facts that support your main idea (longhorns are tough) to write

on your note taking guide.

Read another paragraph. Ask students what they would write on the note taking guide.

Continue modeling, by writing down their suggestions.

Big ideas for note taking:

• Read first

• Think about your reading – what supports your main idea?

• Write the fact, not a whole sentence

• Write down where you found your facts.

Students will need time to gather information in the computer lab, library, or research

centers in your classroom. Plan on at least an hour in the computer lab or a full language arts

period for this session.

This is a good time for peer coaches. Partner up skilled readers and computer users with

those reading below grade level.

Closing: Students share their notes in small groups. End with “high fives” for everyone’s

hard work to find the facts!


36

Guía para tomar notas – Mascota para la clase

Yo nomino ________________________

para la mascota de la clase porque:

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

Hechos de apoyo:

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

Fuente:

_________________________________

_________________________________

Yo nomino ________________________


_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

Hechos de apoyo:

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

Fuente:

_________________________________

_________________________________


37

Yo nomino al Cuernos largos de Texas

para la mascota de la clase, porque

son animales muy fuertes.

Hechos de apoyo:

Pueden caminar largas

distancias

Pueden vivir por mucho tiempo

sin agua y sin comida

Viven por muchos años

Casi nunca se enferman

Muy inteligentes – saben cómo

encontrar refugio durante las

tormentas y cómo cuidar sus

becerros

Fuente:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Long

horn_(cattle)

Yo nomino ______________________


_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

Hechos de apoyo:

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

_______________________________

Fuente:

_______________________________

_______________________________




38

Lesson 3:

Writing a Draft 90 Minutes

Read aloud a text that you can use as an anchor for this writing project. You might choose

one from the list or another book that has:

• Great leads for expository text

• Sentence variety

• Focused writing

You can also use portions of the “Animales interesantes del suroeste” resource. The

selection on roadrunners is focused, has some sentence variety, and some examples you can use

to model transitional words.

Read the selection through once just for enjoyment. Give each student a copy of the

roadrunner selection. Show your copy of this page (Elmo or overhead).

Direct student’s attention to the title: “Haciendo carreras” Ask, ¿Por qué piensas que el

autor escogió este título? (El correcaminos va muy rápido.) Ask, “¿Qué nos dice el autor que

apoya la idea que los correcaminos va muy rápido?” As students point out facts from the text,

direct them to highlight the key words as you model on your copy.

Say, A veces en matemáticas hacemos problemas donde tenemos que trabajar hacia atrás.

Hoy durante escritura voy a utilizar una forma de trabajar hacia atrás para que comprendan

cómo los escritores toman sus hechos y los convierten en historias que pueden publicar!

Keep the copy of the selection visible, but you will now model on a chart or white board.

Say, Ayer usaron una guía que enseña cómo escribir apuntes. Ahora vamos a usar los hechos

de esta selección y los vamos a poner en una guía que enseña cómo escribir apuntes.

Write, “Yo nomino el correcaminos para la mascota de la clase porque corre muy rápido”

at the top of the chart or board. Then ask students to give you the supporting details as you list

them below your topic sentence.

Finish with a concluding sentence, such as, Sabemos que el correcaminos es rápido y

atrapa las cosas rápidamente, al igual que nuestra clase aprende rápidamente. ¡Es por eso que

me gustaría que el correcaminos sea nuestra mascota de clase! Explain to the class that the

author probably created a list much like this before she wrote her article.

Review your rules for writing time. (Escribir y pensar en silencio; no molestar a su

compañero - tendrán tiempo para compartir y preguntar después; Si no saben cómo se escribe

una palabra, escriban los sonidos que oyen en la palabra y ponga un círculo alrededor de la

palabra; salten líneas para dejar espacio para la corrección y revisión.)

Students use their notes from yesterday to write a draft. Using only the notes and not the

books will help them write in their own words instead of copying. Encourage them to use the

roadrunner selection as a guide while they draft. As the students write, model the process by

writing your own expository piece. You might have struggling writers sit with you at a table

while you write. Sometimes that alone will encourage them to give it a try!

Closing: Students read their drafts to a partner or small group. Then ask students to

volunteer each other to read to the whole class.


39

Lesson 4:

Revising an Expository Piece 90 Minutes

Prepare in advance: Write the first sentences of each of the selections from the story

“Animales interesantes del suroeste” on sentence strips to display.

Begin by saying, Voy a leer las primeras oraciones de “Animales interesantes del

suroeste”. As you read each one, post a sentence strip with that lead on a chart or bulletin

board.

Ask, ¿Cuáles atrajeron su atención y por qué? (¡Ninguno de ellos es muy interesante!)

Your goal is to take them away from the photos in the book and just look at the writing. The

photos make the stories seem very exciting, but the actual leads are simple sentences with a

subject and predicate. After a brief discussion, point out that these are not very exciting leads

and show the Inicios para composciesiones expositivas (attached). This chart models four

ways to revise the beginning of their articles. Lead a discussion of these four strategies.

Pass out large index cards to each student. Say, Ahora me gustaría que escojan un tipo de

inicio (pregunta, definición, rasgos del personaje o descriptivo) y trabajen con un compañero

para re-rescribir y organizar su inicio.

Revise your own article to use as a model or in conferences with students.

As partners finish their first lead, encourage them to get a second or third index card and try

another lead.

After everyone has had a chance to try at least one new lead, bring students together. Use

your writing to show that the lead and central idea go together to create the first paragraph of

their article. The body of the article explains why they think the animal they have chosen will

make a good class mascot, and this information will make the second paragraph. The ending

paragraph will contain the concluding statement and final thoughts about the central idea.

One way to write this ending paragraph is to, first, look at some examples of concluding

statements. Show the examples of “La mejor mascota”and “Hormigas increíbles” to discuss

the purpose of a concluding paragraph. A concluding paragraph completes the paper and leaves

the reader with a final thought. Often it summarizes the ideas in the paper in an interesting way.

Show writers how the final paragraphs of these essays repeat the central idea of the writing,

using different words. Ask writers to think about, ¿Cual es la idea central de su composición?

(Yo pienso que ____________ (animal) debe ser la mascota de la clase porque…) Ask students

to give each other ideas about how they could repeat this central idea, using different words and

write these ideas on a chart. They can use the concluding statements from the examples to help

them.

Hand out index cards to students again. This time they work with their partner to write the

concluding sentence for their compositions.

You may decide to have teacher conferences with students who need help or

encouragement. Use a signup sheet or just call students up to work with you.


40

Sharing: Students get into small groups of 3 to 4. They share their writing with each other.

Focus on “before revising” and “after revising” for this grouping activity. Model with your own

article, Así era mi artículo antes de re-escribirlo y organizarlo. (Read it aloud.) Y así quedó

después de agregarle un inicio de pregunta y mi oración de conclusión. (Read it aloud.)

Closing: Ask, ¿Alguien escuchó un inicio especialmente emocionante o una frase que les

haya ayudado a visualizar un animal hoy? Let students volunteer their peers to read from their

drafts. Use those readings as teaching points to close the lesson for today.


41

Inicios para composiciones expositivas

Ejemplos de inicios Inicios re-escritos y organizados

Es muy común ver al correcaminos en el suroeste y es el pájaro del estado de Nuevo México.

INICIO CON PREGUNTA Cuando oyes la palabra rápido, ¿en qué piensa? ¡Yo pienso en el correcaminos!

Los armadillos están relacionados con los perezosos y los osos hormigueros. El armadillo de nueve franjas es el mamífero oficial del estado de Texas.

INICIO CON DEFINICIÓN Nocturno: un animal que duerme durante el día y es activo durante la noche. Los armadillos son mamíferos nocturnos que viven en Texas.

Un coyote es un miembro de tamaño mediano de la familia de los perros. Está relacionado con el lobo pero es mucho más pequeño.

INICIO CON RASGOS DEL PERSONAJE

Leal y devoto a su familia: puede ser

que no sea lo primero que piensas cuando escuchas la palabra coyote. Sin embargo, los coyotes viven en familias como los humanos.

Los cacomixtles y los coatíes están relacionados con los mapaches, y ambos viven en el suroeste. El cacomixtle es el mamífero oficial del estado de Arizona.

INICIO DESCRIPTIVO Es igual en tamaño que un gato. A diferencia del gato, tiene cola muy larga y tupida. La cola tiene rayas distintivas en blanco y negro y por eso se llama gato de cola anillada.


42

Lesson 5:

Keeping the Focus & Editing 90 Minutes

Part One: Revising to Keep the Focus

Use the work of a student who has a good lead, supporting ideas, and a conclusion that

sums up why the animal he or she picked should be the class mascot. Make a transparency of

the student’s work or place it on the ELMO.

Read the selection together with your class. Then ask, ¿Por qué es este un ejemplo de una

buena composición? As students suggest ideas, post them on a chart. For example, they might

say:

• un inicio que capta tu atención

• describe rasgos del animal que va con nuestra clase

• presenta hechos interesantes sobre el animal, en especial los que apoyan la idea principal

• resume la idea principal en la oración final

Remind the class that their goal was to write a composition about why the animal they

chose would make a good mascot. Provide time for students to work on improving the focus of

their writing so that the whole article supports their main idea about why this animal would

make a good class mascot.

Part Two: Editing for Complete Sentences

This editing lesson is the same lesson that was taught during the personal narrative lesson

last week. Because writing in complete sentences is very challenging for many beginning

writers, we feel that the repeated practice will help them to hear what complete sentences sound

like and instill the importance of writing with complete sentences.

Teach students how to edit their stories for complete sentences. Make a chart that shows

examples of sentences, fragments, and run-ons from your students’ stories. See the attached

Sentence, Fragment, and Run-on Chart.

Explain that a complete sentence tells a complete idea. It should ‘stand alone,’ meaning

that you could say the sentence by itself (outside of the story) and it should make sense on its

own. Give a few examples of complete sentences.

Then show writers a sentence fragment. A fragment is a part of a sentence that does not

make sense on its own. Show examples. It is usually the beginning or ending of a complete

sentence.

Next show a few examples of run-on sentences. Run-on sentences are really two or more

sentences that have no punctuation dividing them.

Using your own writing, show students how to use two different colors of pencils or

crayons to underline each complete sentence in an alternating color. However, they need to

make sure they are underlining only complete sentences!


43

Underline the first sentence of your writing in one color and say the sentence aloud. Ask,

¿Es una idea completa? ¿Puede ser independiente? ¿O es parte de una frase que no tiene

sentido por sí misma? ¿Es más que una oración sin puntuacion? If it is a fragment or run-on,

the writer needs to fix it to make it a complete sentence and underline only the complete

sentence in the first color.



Now writers are ready to work with partners to analyze the sentences in their own stories

and underline them in alternating colors, the same as you just modeled.

If the writer notices that he/she is underlining a very long sentence, it is a sign that they

should look more carefully—it might be a run-on. Conversely, if the writer notices a very short

sentence, he/she should look carefully to make sure it is not a fragment.




Part 3: Editing for Correct Spelling


mind, writers read their stories and make sure all Word Wall words are spelled correctly.

Writers should read with their partner to double-check their spellings. They should also find the

correct spellings of any words they circled while drafting (because they were unsure of the

spelling.)

If time allows, end the class today with a brief “gallery walk.” Have students leave their

article on their desk along with their note taking guides and index cards (leads and conclusions).

Everyone moves over one desk so that they are seeing someone else’s work. Give writers a few

minutes to read their peer’s work, and then move them to the next desk. Repeat a few times.

Then ask if anyone read a particularly interesting response that showed a lot of thinking.

Encourage that student to share aloud what they wrote.

At another time, you may have students read everyone’s articles and vote for the mascot

they think best matches their class. Groups then create a class flag or other items that show the

new class mascot!


44











Atrás de la casa,


Oración corrida






45

WEEK 4

PUBLISHING AND

CELEBRATIONS

Lessons 1 and 2:

Choosing a Piece to Publish, Final Drafts,

Illustrations, and Conferences 90 Minutes

Students read over again all three drafts they have produced over the last 3 weeks. They choose

the draft they feel shows their best writing, to polish and share with the audience you have

arranged for them.

Discuss your plans for the way they will share their writing with the audience later this week.

Will each child take a turn to read their writing in front of the whole group? Will children sit in

groups and read only to their small group? Be clear about your expectations for all children to

publish one composition and to share this writing with the audience. Tell students in advance in

what order they will read their compositions, so students can be prepared.

You will need to decide what form you’d like their writing to take. Do you want the published

pieces typed? Will you have enough time for all writers to type their pieces? Will writers

include illustrations? Will the final draft be in ‘book form’? Do you have the materials to make

books?

A few other considerations: You might want to gather a copy of your students’ writings into

one anthology to save as writing samples you can show next year’s students. And you will

definitely want to send a copy of these writings to the students’ 4th grade teachers, so they can

see the work you have done to prepare your students for 4th grade writing. Fourth grade teachers

will want to see the level of writing the students are producing so they can build on the

foundation you have begun to prepare your students for the 4th grade STAAR writing test.

Once students have decided on the piece they will publish, you will want to conference with

each writer to make any final suggestions for their final draft.

Students may take turns typing their drafts while you conference with writers.

Others may begin their illustrations. Be sure to give writers guidelines for their illustrations,

such as:

- drawings must show the important parts of the writing

- illustrations must include a caption that describes what the drawing is showing

- illustrations and captions must be neat and colorful

As you confer, do not become overwhelmed by the number of corrections you feel you need to

make in their writing. You can save time by reading your students’ writing in advance of your


46

conference with them. Make note of only 1-2 revisions you will recommend the writer make to

the content of the writing.

Which 1 or 2 changes will make the biggest impact on this writing?

Conference only in terms of the lessons you have taught them. For example, for the personal

narrative, use these questions to guide your revisions:

Is the story organized in a sequence that makes sense?

Did the writer include enough details so you can understand the story?

Does the writer have an interesting lead?

Does the writing have an ending that wraps up the story?

Does the writing contain fragments or run-on sentences that need to be fixed?

Are Word Wall words spelled correctly?

For the expository pieces, use these questions to guide your revisions:

Does the composition have a central idea stated in the introduction?

Does the writer use an interesting lead?

Does the composition contain 2-5 reasons to support the central idea?

Does each paragraph have examples, explanations, or anecdotes to support each reason?

Does the composition have concluding statements that summarize, tell how the writer

feels, and leaves the reader with a final thought?

Did the writer use transitions effectively?

Does the writing contain fragments or run-on sentences that need to be fixed?

Are Word Wall words spelled correctly?

If the writer needs help with both revising and editing, make only a revision suggestion during

this conference. Then, ask this writer to come back for another conference during which you

can help with editing suggestions.

Lessons 3 and 4:

Final Drafts, Illustrations, and Oral Practice 90 Minutes

Students continue to work on their final drafts and illustrations. You may continue

conferencing if needed.

Remember that you will be the final proofreader of their work, so you will be able to make

any changes in spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and paragraphs that the

students have overlooked.

As students finish their final drafts and illustrations, they should begin practicing the reading

of their writings, so they will be able to read with fluency and expression. You may need to

model what fluency and expression sounds like, as compared to a reading of the same piece

without fluency and expression.


47

Show students how to stand straight and hold their papers low enough so their voices travel

over their paper and out to the audience. Have them practice speaking clearly and loudly

enough for the audience to hear.

Lesson 5:

Sharing Writing With an Audience 90 Minutes

Begin your publishing celebration by praising your writers for the hard work they have done

to complete their writings. Remind them that they should feel proud of their efforts to

produce high quality writing.

Before you begin with today’s presentations, talk to the audience about your expectations

for being a good audience and good listeners. Remind them that fellow writers are an

understanding audience for other writers who are presenting their compositions. They know

the hard work a writer does to perfect his/her writing for an audience. They show respect to

a presenter by sitting still, listening attentively, and clapping after a writer is finished.

You will need to orchestrate the flow of events during your publishing celebration. Be

prepared to tell parents/guests where to sit and what to expect. Thank your guests for

coming to support your budding writers. Tell them how proud you are of the hard work

your students have put forth to make their writing the best work they’ve completed all year!


48

Appendix

Mentor Texts

Documents

3rd Grade ting Camp Spanish - Austin ISDcurriculum.austinisd.org/schoolnetDocs/languageArts... · Magda’s Piñata Magic/Magda y la piñata magica, by Becky Chavarria Chairez Lesson