Room 9 Writing

Teacher Notes

Term 3 2017

Weeks 1 and 2: Writing a narrative

1. Hook learners into writing task by sharing Stardome Odyssey movie trailer.
2. Link to Term 3 animation task and stack.
3. Whole class to watch animated video about finding another planet: Clangers. What is the story? Who are main characters? What is the problem? Students to Think Pair Share within whole class.
4. Discuss task and template. Co-construct a vocabulary bank. Students to discuss potential characters and details of setting with a buddy. Problem is given: earth becoming uninhabitable/about to be destroyed. Discuss with a buddy.
5. Students to make a copy of template and begin writing independently.
6. Teacher to work with small groups or individual students based on needs.
7. Students to share their story orally with a buddy and written presentation on individual blogs.

WALT: tell a story using a variety of sentences of different lengths; and

WALT ask for feedback to help us make changes that add impact to our story.

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Weeks 3 & 4: Earth’s natural resources

Monday/Tuesday reading focus to support development of student knowledge about Earth’s natural resources. This writing unit to begin on Wednesday and continue on Thursday/Friday around Kiwisport and Assembly.

• In groups of 3 or 4, students to write post-it notes with their current ideas about earth’s natural resources. Organise onto white board. Discuss as a class. Take photo of post-its to add to site.
• Watch videos to support student knowledge. Discuss video content through TPS. Following this, students to add ideas to padlet individually as resource bank to support writing.
• Explain writing task to whole class. Model writing and introduction. Class to co-construct introduction.
• Link organisation of ideas in padlet to how ideas can be organised into paragraphs in writing. Session 1: students to plan what big ideas they will include. Take one big ideas - focus on writing one paragraph with sub-heading, topic sentence and supporting detail.
• Session 2 onwards: students to create new paragraph for each additional big idea to be shared using sub-heading, topic sentence and supporting detail.
• Session 3: Model writing a conclusion. Independent learners to write personal conclusion. Those learners needing further support to co-construct “shared” conclusion with teacher.
• Students to share individual writing on personal blogs with title, image, writing and labels.

Walt: use paragraphs in our writing to organise our ideas.

Wal: how and why water, air and soil are necessary for life on Earth.

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Week 5: What is a solar eclipse?

The original plan was a grammar focus for writing on Tuesday. However, as a result of the total solar eclipse in the US on Tuesday morning (NZ time), and our inquiry focus turning to life beyond earth, I have changed the writing plan to engage learners in further explanation writing based on this rare natural event. Here is a link to NASA’s resources.

• Watch videos to support student knowledge. Discuss video content through TPS. Also watch some photos/footage after the actual event in the morning (as live-streamed on NASA TV).
• Explain writing task to whole class, with emphasis on text structure: introduction, paragraph body and conclusion.
• Reinforcement of topic sentence and supporting detail. Reading article, Night Light by David Hill, to be used as written exemplar.
• Students to plan the big ideas they will include in their two paragraphs, then write their explanation.
• Individual students to be supported based on individual needs, particularly Mata-Au reading group.
• Students to share individual writing on personal blogs with title, image (retrieved from Wikimedia or drawn using Pixlr), image of Google drawing and labels.

Walt: use paragraphs in our writing to organise our ideas.

Walt: explain a natural event.

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Week 6: What would you take to space?

• Show students video of Chris Hadfield brushing his teeth in space to hook learners into writing topic.
• Ask students to TPS about the kind of things he would put in his suitcase to take on a mission to the ISS.
• Ask students to imagine that they have been invited to join Chris on a trip to the ISS. What would they put in their suitcase? TPS.
• Learners to decide on 5-10 items they would put in their astronaut suitcase/kete and add the words to drawing template (approx 10 minutes).
• Call students back together. Whole class discussion: Why have you chosen this item? Why is it important to you? What will it help you do?
• Focus on sentences: refer to previous sentence writing, presentation and cause/effect words we can use to write complex sentences.
• Students to write sentences explaining why each object in suitcase is important/useful/valuable using template.
• Individual students to be supported based on individual needs, particularly Mata-Au reading group.
• Students to share individual sentence writing on personal blogs with title and labels.

Walt: write our ideas using complex sentences.

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Week 7: Animation voice over

Walt: make connections between spoken, written and visual language.

Walt: use correct sentence punctuation.

1. Students have been creating animated movies during Term 3 as part of their specialist Creative Space learning. The focus this term has been to tell a story about exploring space as Earth is no longer habitable. Now it is time for each to create a voice over to share their story of exploration/life beyond earth - Guardians of the Galaxy.
2. Using the planning doc, discuss the expected structure of the writing/voice over:
1. What will you say for each slide/stage of your animation?
2. Most importantly - timing: How long should it be?
3. Students to discuss their animation’s story with a buddy. Whole class sharing.
4. Students to complete writing in planning doc. Buddy to read and give oral feedback, including punctuation.
5. Students to practise reading/saying script aloud to a buddy. Check timing. Record.

Week 8: The colours of light

• To continue focus on our inquiry about life beyond earth/Guardians of the Galaxy, show students NASA science video which explains why the sky is blue to hook learners into writing topic.
• Students TPS what they have noticed. Watch video for a second time.
• To give students an understanding of how light changes colour under different conditions, teacher to demonstrate sunset experiment using beaker of water, milk and a torch.
• Students to watch youtube video of sunset experiment.
• Students to make copy of and complete cloze writing activity.
• Individual students to be supported based on individual needs, particularly Mata-Au reading group.
• Students to share writing on personal blogs with title, labels and, as appropriate, photograph of experiment.

Walt: explain how and why something happens.

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Week 9: Recount

• To build upon authentic opportunities for personal recount writing, students tasked with recounting what they did, learnt and enjoyed during the Team 4 visit to Stardome.
• Students to Think, Pair, Share their ideas and experiences with a buddy/whole class.
• Students to plan their writing using Hamburger template provided to promote sequencing of series of events.
• Teacher to work with individual and/or small groups of students based on individual needs during the writing process, primarily to support those students who are learning to become independent writers.
• Those who were away for the Stardome trip to write a recount about a personal event.
• Students to share completed recounts on individual blogs.

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Walt: recount a personal experience with correct sentence punctuation.

Week 10: Formal email

• To build upon authentic opportunities for personal writing, students tasked with writing a formal email. This task also supports Cybersmart curriculum: we are not invisible.
• Students to Think, Pair, Share their ideas about structure and language with a buddy/whole class. Class to co-construct appropriate formal email to Mr Burt as model/exemplar.
• Watch video of Chris Hadfield preparing to sleep on the International Space Station. Ask what students remember about life on ISS that they have learnt about so far? Do they have any questions about life on the ISS? Buddy chat to come up with ideas to include in a formal email to Commander Hadfield. Complete writing on prepared slide on presentation.
• Teacher to work with individual and/or small groups of students based on individual needs during the writing process, primarily to support those students who are learning to become independent writers.
• Students to share completed presentation on individual blogs.

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Walt: write a formal email with correct sentence punctuation.