Unit Title: Biography
Time Allocated for Lesson: 40-45 minutes
Teacher: Jessica Crisafulli
Grade/Subject: 3rd Writer’s Workshop

Lesson Objectives:
-Writers will recall the features of a biography
-Writers will collect and organize information
-Writers will formulate information into a paragraph

State Standards NJCCCS:
3.1: a. Concepts about print, g. Comprehension Skills and Response to Text, h. Inquiry and Research
3.2: a. Writing as a process, b. Writing as a product, d. Writing forms, Audiences, and Purposes
3.3: a. Discussion, b. Questioning and Contributing, d. Oral Presentation
3.4: a. Active listening, b. Listening comprehension

Materials:
Promethean board
Writer’s notebooks
Pencils

Anticipatory Set:
-Teacher will review the features of a biography from a flip chart using the Promethean board.
-Students will recall features of a biography from selected text in guided reading group.

Instructional Input:
Teacher will tell students that they will be gathering and organizing information about their biography partner. Together we will discuss interviewing one another about each other’s lives in order to write a biography about their partners. We will discuss and brainstorm information that we could ask one another (hobbies, birth information, likes and dislikes, challenges, achievements, etc). The teacher will record the responses on a graphic organizer for all to view. The teacher will then model what the interview should look like by interviewing Mrs. Clark using the information we gathered on the graphic organizer. The teacher will record the answers to the questions on the graphic organizer in list form. When the interview is completed, the teacher will model how to take information and formulate it into a paragraph.

Modeling:
The teacher will then model what the interview should look like by interviewing Mrs. Clark using the information we gathered on a graphic organizer. The teacher will record the answers to the questions on the graphic organizer in list form. When the interview is completed, the teacher will show an example of how to write a paragraph based on the answers and information in the graphic organizer.

Checking for Understanding:
Teacher will check for understanding by walking around and observing the interviews. Teacher will check for understanding by conferencing with the students when they begin to write their paragraphs.

Guided Practice/Independent Practice:
The students will interview their biography partners and then write a paragraph about their partner using the gathered information. Teacher will encourage students to work cooperatively with their partners. Students will share paragraphs with each other. Students will independently be writing paragraphs based on the gathered information from their interviews.

Closure:
Teacher will review the objectives of the lesson. Students will recall directions or next step. Some students will share paragraphs with the class. The teacher will let the students know that they will continue writing their paragraphs during the next writer’s workshop.

Accommodations/Adaptations:
Teacher will conference individually with students in need of extra assistance. Teacher will assist ESL and students in need with questions to ask their partners. Teacher will suggest that these students be interviewed first. Teacher will guide certain students to help them organize information gathered from the interview.