WRITING WORKSHOPCOMMON CORE NARRATIVEPRIMARY GRADES

By Emily Bonnemort & Melissa McGary 2012

First Grade

Student Examples

1 2 3

4 5

Technology

http://littlebirdtales.com/tales/view/story_id/62290 http://littlebirdtales.com/t

ales/view/story_id/61770

Check out our first grade digital stories by clicking on one of the links below!

Common Core Standards

Writing StandardsText Type

and Purposes

Production and

Distribution

Research to Build and Present

Knowledge

Language Conventions

Recount two or more sequenced events

Include some details about the event(s)

Use transition words to signal event order

Provide closure about the events

With Guidance and Support from Adults… Focus on a

topic Respond to

questions and suggestions from peers

Add details

Recall information from experiences

Use lowercase and capital letters correctly

Use end punctuation for sentences

Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for high frequency words

Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions

Students should also: Stretch words to record

beginning, middle, and ending sounds.

Record all dominant sounds

Use parts of known words to spell correctly

Space between all words

Definitions Personal Narrative- a story told in first

person, a true account or memory. This can be several connected smaller moments (e.g. a sleepover, a camping trip).

Small Moment Story- a story that zooms in on one tiny moment. For instance, a student would write about going on a ride at Disneyworld, rather than the whole trip to an amusement park.

Main Goals for Unit of Study

Students will Generate ideas Plan by thinking of and telling a story aloud Sketch several pictures to tell a story Write across several pages Write a story with a beginning, middle, and end Focus on one topic or small moment Write a story that can be read by themselves AND by

the teacher Write independently for 20-30 minutes Attempt to use strategies taught during mini-lessons or

conferences

Writer’s CraftWriters will learn how to add: a strong lead feelings details to pictures and story transition words dialogue a strong ending

Optional sound words an ellipse (…)

RUBRIC    1 2 3 4 Craft

Sequenced Events

Provides no events and no topic

Provides 1 event and stays on topics throughout some of the paper

Provides 2 events in sequential order and stays on topic throughout most of the paper

Provides more than 2 events in sequential order and stays on topic throughout the entire paper

Details Includes no details Includes 1 detail about the event

Includes 2 details about the event

Includes 3 details about the event

Transition Words

Uses no transition words or uses words incorrectly

Uses 1 transition word Uses more than one transition word

Uses transition words to signal event order and to transition from one detail to the next

Closure Provides no closure Provides a closure that does not match the event(s)

Provides a closure about the event(s)

Provides a detailed closure about the event(s)

Conventions

Punctuation No sentences begin with capital letters or end with punctuation

Few sentences begin with capital letters and end with punctuation

Some sentences begin with capital letters and end with punctuation

Most sentences begin with capital letters and end with punctuation

Spelling Records few sounds to spell words

Spells few high frequency words correctly Uses letter sound relationships to spell

Spells some high frequency words correctly uses knowledge of words patterns to spell words correctly Uses phonetic spelling to spell untaught words

Spells many high frequency words correctly Uses knowledge of common spelling patterns to spell untaught words

Spacing and letter formation

Paper is not neat or legible

Some of the paper is neat and legible

Most of the paper is neat and legible

The entire paper is neat and legible

6 STEPS

1. Teacher reads aloud narrative mentor texts2. Students participate in oral story telling3. Students plan stories by using a graphic organizer4. Students write5. Students revise by adding writer’s craft6. Students edit

1. Mentor Text

Frontloading: Defining Personal Narratives Have some empty

wall space ready ahead of time.

With the class, define personal narratives and add the definition to the wall.

Read Aloud Mentor Texts

Throughout the unit read aloud and discuss mentor narrative texts. Choose texts that represent a small moment or focus on a small moment part of the story.

Continually help students understand what a “small moment” is by discussing texts and zooming in on the most important part.

Mentor Texts Read aloud a mentor text. Discuss what kind of small

moment it is (a time the character(s) were scared, injured, surprised, etc.).

Discuss the story elements (characters, setting, problem, events, ending). Use the story element poster to help guide the discussion.

Sketch the story on an enlarged story planning graphic organizer.

2. Oral Storytelling

Oral Storytelling Teacher tells a

“small moment” story from his/her own life while pointing to the poster as he/she moves through the story elements.

Teacher sketches the story in the story planning graphic organizer.

**Refer to First Grade Writers by Stephanie Parsons pgs. 82-84.

Oral Storytelling Read a small moment mentor text. Teacher tells the students another story

similar to the mentor text. First tell a stretched out, bed to bed to story (not a small moment). Ask students which part of story they want to hear more about. Tell the story again, zooming in on the most important part.

Have 1-3 students orally share stories from their own lives that are similar to the day’s mentor text (time they were scared, injured, surprised, etc.). Guide students to use the poster to help them tell organized stories.

Guide students to focus on the most important part to ensure it is a small moment.

Record their story ideas on the chart.

Oral Storytelling Continue to read new mentor texts

and add to the chart. Continue having 2-3 students share

stories similar to the mentor text. Classmates ask questions to clarify

while the story teller retells the story several times, taking in suggestions.

Model story planning by taking a few student’s stories and illustrating them on the enlarged story planning graphic organizer.

***As students story tell, keep a record of their stories to spark ideas when the writing begins.

3. Story Planning

Story Planning Students remember the

story they shared. Students review their story

by telling it to a partner. Give students story

planning graphic organizer. Students point to each box

as they tell each part of their story.

Students sketch their stories in the boxes.

**Refer to Writing In a Title I School pgs 66-67

Begin Sketching Teacher models using his/her story

planning graphic organizer to sketch illustrations in an enlarged color-coded writing booklet.

Students use their story planning graphic organizer to sketch illustrations in color-coded writing booklets.

Color code your enlarged graphic organizer to match the booklets.

4. Begin Writing

Teacher Models Writing Teacher models writing by adding the words to his/her

illustrated booklet. Emphasize that writers make sure the words they write match the plan they have made previously.

** Write a simple/poor version of the story with minimal details. You will be editing it during upcoming writer’s craft mini lessons.

Students Begin Writing Students begin writing their stories

5. Revising: Craft Mini Lessons

Expectations As mini-lessons are taught, keep track of expectations on a

color coded poster. Students have a matching checklist to keep in their writing

folders.

Writing a Strong Lead Look at examples of leads from mentor texts. Discuss that strong leads set the scene. Teach that strong leads may include:

Weather Time of Day Setting Character Strong Opinion Sound Words

** Refer to The Craft of Revision pg 43 by Lucy Calkins

Strong Lead Teacher revises

his/her original story by writing a strong lead.

Students revise their stories by adding a strong lead.

Adding Details Teacher reads his/her story aloud. Every page, stop and ask the students, “Is there

anything you want to know more about?” Think-aloud to elaborate the story. Add details with red pen.

Adding Details Make a copy of student(s) work. Use

the document camera to project the story while the student reads aloud. Stop each page and let the class ask questions. Demonstrate how to incorporate suggestions to add details. Write details in the booklet with red pen.

Students “turn and talk” to discuss where they can add details to their stories. Partners each read a page of his or her own story, stop and ask each other questions.

Students add details to their stories.

Adding Feelings Read mentor texts. Discuss parts where characters stated how they felt. Discuss why feeling made the story more interesting. Brainstorm a list of feelings. Teacher models how to add feelings to his/her story

using a blue pen.** Refer to Small Moments: Personal Narratives pg 93

Adding Feelings Make a copy of student(s) work. Use

the document camera to project the story while the student reads aloud. Stop each page and let the class infer how the student felt. Demonstrate how to incorporate suggestions to add feelings. Write on the booklet with blue pen.

Students “turn and talk” to discuss where they can add feelings to their stories. Partners each read a page, stop and ask each other questions.

Students add feelings to their stories.

Showing Feelings Read mentor texts. Discuss parts where characters showed

their feelings or emotions. Discuss why it made the story more

interesting. Model showing feelings by acting some

out. For example, for angry, stomp your feet. For sad, frown and shrug you shoulders.

Ask students to act out some feelings (sad, excited, surprised, angry, grumpy, etc.).

**Refer to Craft of Revision by Lucy Calkins pgs 59 & 67

Showing Feeling Brainstorm ways to show

feelings. Teacher models how to

show feeling in his/her story using a brown pen.

Showing Feelings Make a copy of student(s) work.

Use the document camera to project the story while the student reads aloud. Stop each page and let the class discuss how to show feelings. Demonstrate how to incorporate suggestions. Write on the booklet with blue pen.

Students “turn and talk” to discuss where they can add show feelings in their stories. Partners each read a page, stop and make suggestions.

Students find places in their stories to show their feelings.

Adding Dialogue Read mentor texts Discuss parts where characters talk to

each other. Discuss why it made the story more

interesting. Teacher reads his/her story aloud. Every page, stop and ask the students,

“Where could you add talking?” Think-aloud to add dialogue to the

story Add dialogue with green pen**Refer to The Craft of Revision by Lucy Calkins pg 19

Adding Dialogue Make a copy of a student(s) work.

Use the document camera to project the story while the student reads aloud. Stop each page and let the class discuss where to add dialogue. Demonstrate how to incorporate suggestions to add dialogue. Write on the booklet with green pen.

Students “turn and talk” to discuss where they can add dialogue to their stories. Partners each read a page, stop and make suggestions.

Students add dialogue to their stories

Interesting Ending Read mentor texts. Discuss interesting endings. Discuss how the author “stays in the

moment” and adds details to make the ending more interesting.

Emphasize that authors “stay in the moment” and don’t write I went to bed, or Then we went home. They also don’t move to the next day or activity

Teacher models how to write an interesting ending using an orange pen.

**Refer to Small Moments: Personal Narratives by Lucy Calkins pg 101

Writing an Interesting Ending

Make a copy of student(s) work. Use the document camera to project the story while the student reads his/her ending. Choose examples that have boring endings. Demonstrate how to incorporate suggestions to add an interesting ending. Write on the booklet with orange pen.

Students “turn and talk” to discuss how they can change their ending to make it more interesting.

Students write an interesting ending.

6. Editing

Editing

http://chartchums.wordpress.com

Writers Reread Their Work

Before this lesson, tear out one of your previously written pages and replace it with a page that contains sentences that do not make sense.

Teacher models rereading his/her story. Teacher thinks aloud, “that didn’t make

sense.” Teacher edits the writing to make it

easier to understand. Students read their stories aloud to a

partner and make changes when it doesn’t make sense.

You may want to teach this lesson multiple times throughout the unit.

Capitals and Periods Before the lesson rewrite a

page of your teacher booklet with no punctuation.

Model how to add punctuation to tell readers to stop. Model how to begin sentences with capital letters.

Using the document camera, project a few pages of student work. Have the class help decide where to add periods and capital letters.

Students read through their writing to add punctuation.

High Frequency Words Before the lesson rewrite a page of

your teacher booklet with sight words that are spelled incorrectly.

Model how to use the word wall to spell words correctly.

Instruct students to cross out the incorrectly spelled word and write the correctly spelled word on the top.

Using the document camera, project a few pages of student work. Have the class help locate incorrect sight words.

Students read their writing to edit sight words.

Hearing and Recording More Sounds

Before the lesson rewrite a page of your teacher booklet with invented spelling words with 2-3 sounds recorded.

Model how to stretch the word and record more sounds.

Instruct students to cross out the word and write the “stretched out” word on the top. *the words do not need to be spelled correctly. Expect dominant sounds and known word parts

Using the document camera, project a few pages of student work. Have the class help locate words that can be “stretched out.”

Students read through their writing to stretch out words and record more sounds.

Sources Little Bird Tales Website: A free kid-friendly

website where students can type, illustrate, and record their stories digitally. http://littlebirdtales.com/home/default/

First Grade Writers: Units of Study to Help Children Plan, Organize, and Structure Their Ideas: A practical, concise laid out description of five units of study for writing workshop. Contains a variety of helpful tables, charts, assessments, teaching points for mini lessons and conferences, troubleshooting tips, and month-by-month planning assistance.

Parsons, S. (2005) First Grade Writers: Units of Study to Help Children Plan, Organize,

and Structure Their Ideas. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

Sources Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Teaching Writing K-2: A set

of six books to guide a yearlong writing curriculum. Each unit of study contains detailed writing goals, assessment rubrics, and lesson plans for each day. Calkins, L., & Oxenhorn, A. (2003). Small Moments: Personal

Narrative Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Firsthand HeinemannCalkins, L., & Oxenhorn, A. (2003). Writing for Readers: Teaching

Skills and Strategies. Portsmouth, NH: Firsthand HeinemannCalkins, L., & Oxenhorn, A. (2003). The Craft of Revision.

Portsmouth, NH: Firsthand Heinemann

Writing In a Title I School: Contains carefully crafted planning tools, lessons, and graphic organizers to make writing workshop fit seamlessly into your dayAkhavan, N. (2009). Teaching Writing In a Title I School,

Portsmouth, NH: Firsthand Heinemann