UNIT PLAN TEMPLATE

Unit Title & Subject(s): Writing to Inform: Wonders of the Natural World

Topic or Unit of Study: Writing informative compositions

Grade/Level: 5^th grade

Instructional Setting:

(e.g., group size, learning context, location [classroom, field trip to zoo, etc.], seating arrangement, bulletin board displays)

27 mixed ability students in general education classroom setting.

Unit Timing Overview:

Day 1-2: Research and start rough draft

Day3-4:  Finish rough draft and revise

Day 5:  Final draft turned in

Your State Core Curriculum/Student Achievement Standard(s):

5.W.3.2 Write informative compositions on a variety of topics that –

• Introduce a topic; organize sentences and paragraphs logically, using an organizational form that suits the topic.  
• Employ sufficient examples, facts, quotations, or other information from various sources and texts to give clear support for topics.
• Connect ideas within and across categories using transition words (e.g., therefore, in addition).     
• Include text features (e.g., formatting, pictures, graphics) and multimedia when useful to aid comprehension.
• Use appropriate language, vocabulary, and sentence variety to convey meaning; for effect; and to
• Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

 (Indiana Department of Education, 2014) 

Unit Objective(s):

Should be measurable (condition, behavior, and criterion).

Objective 1: Students will be able to collect information from varied sources (i.e. books, websites, and magazines) in order to complete a prewriting graphic organizer.

Objective 2: Working in small groups students will be able to develop clear topic sentences that introduce the main ideas of at least three paragraphs (Introduction, supporting, and conclusion).

Objective 3: Given a sample framework, students will be able to write an effective informative essay about a wonder of the natural world that contains a minimum of five facts about the topic.

Objective 1- Active Paticipation:  This objective would include elements of the active participation instructional strategy. Instead of the teacher giving a list of possible topics, the students can be actively involved in brainstorming wonders of the natural world that they can choose topics from. They can also help create a master list of research resources and types of information to look for while filling out their graphic organizers. Students will also be active participants while doing their research, discerning which sources are the most reliable and making sure they are using varied materials.

Objective 2- Cooperative Learning:  This objective uses cooperative learning to enhance student understanding of the objective. After a mini-lesson about topic sentences the students would work in small groups to first write and then revise their topic sentences for the minimum three paragraphs contained in their essays. They can have fellow students in their groups read their topic sentences and offer constructive criticism or suggestions. Then they can revise and refine their sentences based on peer feedback.

Objective 3- Whole group instruction:  This objective uses whole group instruction to provide an example of an effective essay to the students as a framework for when they are writing and to introduce and explain the rubric that will be used to score the final drafts of the student’s essays. The teacher could introduce two pieces of writing and lead the class through comparing an effective and ineffective essay. Then the class could be shown how each essay would be scored according to the rubric. In this way the students will have a clear example in mind when they are writing and a firm understanding of how their writing will be scored.

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Use of Technology:

Objective 1: A technology work station would be useful when the students are conducting their research and collecting information for this objective. The students would use a list of educational websites to help them learn about their topic and complete their graphic organizer. This could be done all together in a computer lab setting or in small groups on a few classroom computers as a learning center. This would be in addition to the use of other research materials.

Objective 1 Assessment- The assessment for this objective is formative when you are considering it as a part of the unit and summative when considering just the objective at hand. The assessment would be as simple as marking if the student has completed their prewriting graphic organizer with facts that relate to the topic they chose for their essay. If they have completed it with relevant facts they have completed the objective (summative) and formatively they have a good basis to begin writing the rough draft of their informative essay.

Objective 2 Assessment- The assessment for this objective would be formative and informal. The teacher would be circulating among each group checking for understanding and using questioning strategies to make sure students understand the purpose and elements of a topic sentence. The teacher might use a checklist to make sure that she has checked in with each student, verify that each student has composed at least three topic sentences and have marked on the checklist which students might need more scaffolding or support for this objective.

Objective 3 Assessment- The assessment for this objective would be summative. This assessment would be a rubric that defines specific aspects of the essay that will be considered and a level of performance for each aspect. As defined in the objective the students would be scored on whether or not they had at least five facts in their essay and whether their essay was effective. Effectiveness could include elements of organization (introduction, support, and conclusion), sentence variety, grammar, spelling and punctuation. The rubric would have to be simple, direct and clearly communicated to the students so that they have a firm understanding of the expectations for the writing and assessment of their final drafts.