TE 802 Assignment Three:

Teaching Writing in a Responsive Way

Name: _Julia Benvenuti______________________

Grade Level: _4th____

School: _Ray______________________________

Mentor Teacher: _Ms. Jenny Wejman___________

Start date of Literacy CLT: _11/5/2018___________

1. Purpose and Audience: Students will learn how to state an opinion and provide
reasoning with explanations for their opinion. The audience for each specific piece may
change as I will provide them with a different opinion topic each of the two weeks and
for the final draft. Opinion writing is an important topic to teach because it is in most
standardized tests and helps students learn to share their feelings about something
meaningful to them.

2. Genre and Mentor Texts: The genre that I will be teaching is opinion writing. It will
allow students to state their opinion, provide reasons with evidence, and restate their
opinion in a conclusion. As mentor texts I will use Scholastic articles that discuss an
opinion and then have a small blip from a student who agrees and a student that
disagrees. Each day I will also model what I want students to do. This model can stand as
a mentor text.

3. Writing Sequence Goals (2-4 maximum):

Students will write an introduction paragraph that clearly states their claim and introduces the
three reasons that will be explained in the body paragraphs.

Students will write three body paragraphs that each give specific evidence for one of the three
reasons introduced in the introduction paragraph.

Students will write a concluding paragraph that clearly restates the students opinion and
summarizes the reasons used to support that opinion.

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 4. Success criteria: Final draft rubric

☆ ✔+ ✔ ✔- 0

Introduction The introduction The introduction The introduction There is There is no

begins with a clearly states the clearly states the information in the introduction.
hook that lures the writer’s opinion writer's opinion. introduction that
reader into the and summarizes does not pertain to
writing, clearly the reasons that the opinion topic.
states the writer’s will be discussed
opinion, and later in the body
summarizes the paragraphs.
two reasons that
will be discussed
later in the body
paragraphs.

1st Body The paragraph The paragraph The paragraph Some of the There is no first
Paragraph uses three uses three uses two examples examples in the body paragraph.
concrete examples examples to to explain one paragraph are not
and precise explain one reason. connected to the
language to reason. reason.
explain one
reason.

2nd Body The paragraph The paragraph The paragraph Some of the There is no second
Paragraph uses three uses three uses two examples examples in the body paragraph.
concrete examples examples to to explain one paragraph are not
and precise explain one reason. connected to the
language to reason. reason.
explain one
reason.

Conclusion The writer clearly The writer clearly The writer clearly There is a There is no
restates their restates their restates their conclusion. conclusion.
opinion, opinion and opinion.
summarizes their summarizes their
two reasons, and two reasons.
ends in an
unforgettable way.

Transitional The writer links There are a variety The writer uses a The writer There are no
Words ideas using words of transitional few transitional overuses the same transitional words.
and phrases (e.g. words. words. transitional words.
another, for
example, also,
because).

Conventions Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates There are many

creativity and grade level some grade level limited spelling, grammar,
flexibility when appropriate appropriate understanding of and punctuation
using conventions conventions; conventions, but grade level errors in the
(grammar, errors are minor errors obscure appropriate opinion writing.
punctuation, and do not meaning. conventions and
capitalization, and obscure meaning. errors interfere
spelling) enhance with meaning.
meaning.

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5. Rationale: These goals explicitly state what is expected. This topic is important as it is
used and built upon in future grades and is an important aspect of certain standardized
tests. This topic is also important for life because students need to be able to clearly state
their beliefs and give reasons when they are questioned.

6. Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and
information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.A
Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure
in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.B
Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.C
Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in
addition).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.D
Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

7. Differentiated Instruction: On Tuesdays one of our student’s mother comes in to

provide additional support in the morning. We have her take a small group of 3 or 4
students who need more attention out into the hallway to help guide them as they work on
writing. My mentor and I are also constantly walking around the room providing support
where needed. Some students also go to other classrooms for writing to get more specific
support.
For students who work quickly they will either have the option of writing more body
paragraphs that state another reason with explanations, or they can free write about a new
topic

8. Provide a Teaching Outline Chart:

o What students learned and how you know they learned it?
● What students didn’t yet fully learn and how you know they didn’t learn
it? (Reminder: Different students may have learned different things, that is
fine and you should include both generalizations about the class, and
individual students in your reflection. Additionally, students might not
have learned something because you ran out of time to teach it. That is a
good thing to include in this section as well.)
● What will you do tomorrow based on what you learned from teaching
today? (again, think both about whole class instruction, and also what
individual students might need)

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 Day 1
Date:
11/5/2018
Daily Objective:
The writer will discuss their opinions about the read aloud topic.
Mini-Lesson Focus:
Read and discuss mentor text
Mentor Text:
Scholastic Article “Should We Have Zoos?”
Instruction:
“Last week we were introduced to opinion writing when we read the article about if we should
have assigned seats in the cafeteria. This week we will continue opinion writing, but our topic is
going to be if we should have zoos.” Pass out a copy of the article to each student and have them
glue it into their writer’s notebook.
X“Calmly head over to the carpet.” Review read aloud expectations and read the text.X
Call tables one at a time to go over to the carpet and form a circle. Have them bring only their
notebook’s with the article.
Introduce the topic by asking students “Raise your hand if you have been to the zoo.”
“Many of us have been to zoos. (Lincoln Park Zoo is good example.) I am now going to read the
article aloud about if we should have zoos.”
“In the article I just read, one student thought that we should have zoos, while one thought that
we should not. They both gave reasons for their opinion. Turn and talk with the person next to
you about what you think.”
XAfter students share with a partner ask who would like to share with the group.
Pick students who are raising their hand to share.X
“In order for everyone to get a chance to share we are going to use the microphone and pass it
around the circle to each person. Like with our restorative circle, only the person with the
microphone is talking and everyone is listening. Also like with restorative circle, you do not
have to share and can just say pass.”
Hand microphone to student and allow them to start sharing.
“You all shared lots of ideas on if we should have zoos or not along with your reasons why.
Tomorrow you will be continuing this topic by writing a letter to tell what you think and why.”
Plan for Conferring: n/a
Assessment:
Listen to students as they share aloud.
Teaching Notes:
Will need:
75 copies of article (about 25 for each class)

If finished discussing early have students start writing about their opinion.
Resources: n/a
Reflection:
Last week I introduced the topic of opinion writing to them with an article about having assigned
seats in the cafeteria. When we went over to read aloud the text on the carpet, a student asked if
we could sit in a circle instead of them all facing me up in a chair like our read alouds usually
4 TE 802, Fall 2018
are. I said yes, because why not. Once I finished reading and we were beginning to share, a
student asked if we could use the speaking stick that we use for restorative circle (only the
person with the stick can talk). The same student also asked if we could use the microphone that
we use to share our writing. Again why not, so I brought over the microphone, which became
our speaking microphone. We passed it around in a circle so that each student was given the
opportunity to share, but could pass if they wanted. Since it went well in this format, I decided to
try that out for all three of my classes this week.
207: This is my homeroom. They were the ones who requested this setup and are used to it. We
finished our discussion a bit before writing time was over so we had a bit of time to jot down
initial ideas about our opinion.
209: Also went fairly well with this group. Before we started, I let them know why we were
using this new format. (Circle allows us to face one another. Speaking microphone helps
everyone get a chance to share and reminds us to be good listeners.) Discussion took whole time,
so did not start writing about topic yet.
206: Before we started, I let them know why we were using this new format. (Circle allows us to
face one another. Speaking microphone helps everyone get a chance to share and reminds us to
be good listeners.) This class was a bit more of a struggle. They are a bit more rambunctious and
take more effort on my part to get their attention and focus. I had to have some students move to
different parts of the circle away from their friends and even had a couple students go back to
their seats. Taking into account that this is the last class of the day, I am expecting for them to be
a bit more restless.

5 TE 802, Fall 2018

 Day 2
Date:
11/6/2018
Daily Objective:
The writer will clearly state their opinion on a topic.
Mini-Lesson Focus:
Clearly stating an opinion
Mentor Text:
Scholastic Article “Should We Have Zoos?”
Instruction:
X“Yesterday I read aloud the article on if we should have zoos and we discussed it both with
partners and as a group.X “Who would like to remind their classmates what we read about and
discussed yesterday?”
Pick student raising hand. (should we have zoos or not).
“Today we are going to write about our opinion on the topic. In this type of writing it is very
important to clearly state your opinion. You have to choose a stance and stick with it. Everything
in your writing after you state your opinion must continue to support that opinion, otherwise the
reader will get confused.
Who would like to share with me their opinion on the issue?”
Pick a student raising their hand.
“You think we should (not) have zoos? Make sure to state that at the very beginning and then
everything after will support that.”
Pick a couple more students to share and restate what opinion they will need to continue to
support throughout.
“I would now like you all to write a letter to someone about your opinion on this topic. Who do
you think you should write your letter to?”
Pick a student raising their hand. Restate and discuss options students give.
“The person you are writing to is your audience. Make sure to state your opinion clearly and then
continue to support that opinion throughout so that your audience understands.”

Writing time

Student sharing 10-15 minutes before end of lesson. Share in partners or with table and then
come back together as whole group. Ask students to compliment each other and then ask those
complimented if they would like to share with the whole class.
Plan for Conferring: go around to all tables
Assessment:
Look over writer’s notebooks- has single opinion clearly stated
Teaching Notes:
If students say they are finished encourage them to add more detail or, depending on the work,
allow them to free write.
Resources: n/a
Reflection:
Here are some of the audiences students chose to write their letter to: zoo keeper, Chicago Parks
District, the Mayor, the President, etc.
6 TE 802, Fall 2018
Many of the students were able to clearly state their opinion and had it as the first sentence of
their letter. Some students just wrote “yes” or “no” and I reminded them that the person getting
this letter did not read the article with us, and therefore does not know what we are saying yes or
no to. Some students finished early and either drew a picture to accompany their letter or free
wrote.

7 TE 802, Fall 2018

 Day 3
Date:
11/7/2018
Daily Objective:
The writer will list at least 3 reasons for their opinion.
Mini-Lesson Focus:
Providing at least 3 reasons that support the opinion.
Mentor Text:
Scholastic Article “Should We Have Zoos?”
Instruction:
“Who would like to remind their classmates what we worked on on Tuesday.”
Call on people raising hand. (Stating our opinion clearly.)
Introduce OREO, ask what they notice about it. (Acronym, Opinion twice, etc.)
“On Tuesday we were in this part of the oreo, stating our opinion. Today we are now in the this
part, providing reasons.” (point to oreo)
Have student read expectation.
“To model for you what you are doing today, I made a list of reasons. I used the article we read
last week about if we should have assigned seats or not.”
“What do you notice about my list?” (numbered, not complete sentences)
Pick on students raising hand.
“You are now going to create a list of reasons to support your opinion. Your list should have at
least 3 reasons and they should all clearly support your opinion.”

Writing time

Student sharing 10-15 minutes before end of lesson. Share in partners or with table and then
come back together as whole group. Ask students to compliment each other and then ask those
complimented if they would like to share with the whole class.
Plan for Conferring: go around to all tables
Assessment:
Look over writer’s notebooks- has a list of at least 3 reasons
Teaching Notes:
Oreo poster
My sample list:
Opinion: We should not have assigned seats in the cafeteria.
- students have time to talk with their friends
- students get freedom and choice\
- if they have assigned seats they could be put next to someone they don’t get along with

If students finish list early encourage them to think of more reasons or, depending on the work,
allow them to free write.
Resources: n/a
Reflection:

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Using a different topic for my example confused some students. I noticed that they were copying
down exactly what I wrote on the board. When I saw this I individually gave those students
guidance on using my example as a guide for how to make their own list about their topic.
Some students did not use the list format. They wrote complete sentences, a full paragraph, or
even a whole other letter. With those students I individually let them know that today’s writing is
very informal. I pointed back to my example and how there are no complete sentences and I use
bullet points to seperate my ideas.

*My homeroom class does not have writing on Wednesdays because we meet up with our
preschool buddies. With their buddies this week students wrote a letter for the preschool families
about what they do with their buddies. I then taught the above lesson for them on Thursday.
They will have only 2 days of working on giving specific examples instead of 3.

9 TE 802, Fall 2018

 Day 4
Date:
11/8/2018
Daily Objective:
The writer will provide 3 examples to support one of their reasons in a list.
Mini-Lesson Focus:
Providing specific examples.
Mentor Text:
Scholastic Article “Should We Have Zoos?”
Instruction:
X“Yesterday you all made lists of reasons that supported your opinion.X Who would like to
remind the class what we worked on yesterday in our writing? Today we are going to work on
providing evidence for one of those reasons.”
“Let’s all flip to our lists that we made yesterday. Look through your list, find your best one, and
circle it.”
Give students time to find and circle one.
“I also circled one of the reasons from the list I made yesterday. My best reason was that if
students have assigned seats they could be put by people they don’t get along with. Now what I
am going to do is explain my reason with specific examples.”
Share sample list.
“What do you notice about my list?”
Pick student raising hand. (all the examples relate to the original reason, not complete sentences,
bullet points)
“Now what you are going to do is think about the one reason you circled and list 3 specific
examples to support that reason.”

Writing time

Student sharing 10-15 minutes before end of lesson. Share in partners or with table and then
come back together as whole group. Ask students to compliment each other and then ask those
complimented if they would like to share with the whole class.
Plan for Conferring: go around to all tables
Assessment:
Look over writer’s notebooks- has reason circled and at least 3 examples to support
Teaching Notes:
My sample list:
Best reason: Students could get put by someone they don’t get along with
- students could get in fights
- fights are loud and people can get hurt
- students are then in a bad mood the rest of the day

If students finish early encourage them to pick another reason from their list to explain or free
write.
Resources: n/a
10 TE 802, Fall 2018
Reflection:
I again ran into the problem of a couple students copying my example instead of using it as a
guide for their own work. This caused them to be writing about a totally different topic.
Tomorrow I will use an example related to their topic. My mentor reminded me that it is their
first time being exposed to this writing, so it is okay if I model something that they may then
copy down. It is a start that they can build off of.
While walking around the room as students were working and talking to individual students, I
could see that they are not yet grasping the difference between a reason and supporting example.
Many students listed examples that did not relate to that reason and instead discussed a second
reason. Because of this I am going to reteach this topic tomorrow instead of using the tablets to
find facts online. My mentor and I also discussed that 3 examples may be a bit much for some
students, so I will only require 1 to start.

*My homeroom will now be on the same page since I am reteaching this to the afternoon classes.

11 TE 802, Fall 2018

 Day 5
Date:
11/9/2018
Daily Objective:
The writer will provide X3X specific examples to support one of their reasons in a list.
Mini-Lesson Focus:
XUsing digital tools to find appropriate and necessary examples.X Providing specific examples
Mentor Text:
Scholastic Article “Should We Have Zoos?”
Instruction:
X“Yesterday you all chose one of your reasons and explained it in more detail. Today you are
going to further explain another reason from your list.X
“Who would like to remind their classmates what we did yesterday in writing?”
Pick student raising hand. (207: list of reasons, 206 & 209: 3 examples for reason)
“Today we are going to (continue to) work on providing specific examples to support our
reasons. Everyone turn to your list from Wednesday. Read through your list, pick out your
(next) best reason, and circle it.”
Give students time to look over and circle one. XWhile they are doing so, have tables one at a
time go over to get tablets.X (not using tablets)
X“Sometimes you may not know a lot about a subject or you want to find more convincing
evidence to really support your opinion. That is when you can use other sources to help you.
What are some sources you could use?”
Pick students who have their hand raised.
If a student does not bring it up, talk about the internet and how their are online resources we can
use to inform us on topics we are interested in. Talk about legitimate sources.
“You are now going to use the internet to help you find facts and resources to use as more
convincing explanations. What are some key words you could type in to start your search?”
Pick students raising hand to share. Write some key phrases on the board.X (Not using any of
above between Xs)
“Who would like to share the reason they circled?”
Pick students raising hand. Then pick one of the provided reasons to write on the board.
“We are now going to work together to come up with examples to support this reason.”
Ask students question to assist them in coming up with examples.
Possible questions: Why are the enclosures too small? What will happen to animals in small
enclosures? What can we learn about animals at the zoo? How can animals get hurt? What about
a zoo is too expensive? (Current examples based on reasons I have seen so far.)
Write down examples in list format on board.
“We have now given 3 examples that support our reason. Each and every example relates to the
reason we chose. Now it is your turn to try this with the reason you circled.”

Writing time

12 TE 802, Fall 2018

Student sharing 10-15 minutes before end of lesson. Share in partners or with table and then
come back together as whole group. Ask students to compliment each other and then ask those
complimented if they would like to share with the whole class.
Plan for Conferring: go around to all tables
Assessment:
Look over writer’s notebooks- has reason circled and at least one piece of evidence to explain
Teaching Notes:
If students finish early encourage them to pick another reason from their list to explain or free
write.
Resources: n/a
Reflection:
207: It definitely went over better than it did with the afternoon classes yesterday. I think using a
model based off of a student given reason and then having them help me come up with examples
was very beneficial. I still am noticing that some students do not fully understand the difference
between reasons and examples. We will be continuing to discuss examples in the next lesson.
206: Definitely saw more of an understanding from students when I created an example based on
a students reason.
209: Also saw more of an understanding, but had many behavior problems, causing me to not to
be able to conference and grade as much as I needed to.

13 TE 802, Fall 2018

.
Day 6
Date:
11/13/2018
Daily Objective:
The writer will provide specific examples for reason 3 in paragraph form.
Mini-Lesson Focus:
XConsidering the audience’s thoughtsX Providing specific examples
Mentor Text:
Scholastic Article “Should We Have Zoos?”
Instruction:
“At the end of last week we were focused on explaining the reasons that supported our opinion.
Today we will continue with that.”
“Flip your notebook open to your reason list from last week. Find and circle one more reason
you think supports your opinion well.”
Give students time to find and circle one.
“Who would like to share with us the reason you circled?”
Pick a few students who are raising their hand to share and then pick one to use in order to create
an example model on the board.
“We are now going to work together on what would be one of the body paragraphs of our
writing. First, we will write our topic sentence, which states the reason that we chose.”
Write topic sentence on board.
“Now we need to support our reason with specific examples.”
Ask students question to assist them in coming up with examples.
Possible questions: Why are the enclosures too small? What will happen to animals in small
enclosures? What can we learn about animals at the zoo? How can animals get hurt? What about
a zoo is too expensive? (Current examples based on reasons I have seen so far.)
As students give examples, write them in complete sentences in the paragraph.
“We now will finish up the paragraph by restating _____”
“Now it is your turn to do this with the reason you circled. Write a paragraph that explains your
reason using specific examples.”
X“Today you will work on giving an explanation for this reason. Remember who your audience
is and make your evidence something that your audience wants to hear because they are the one
you are trying to convince.”
Who did we say would be a good audience for our writing on zoos when we started last week?”
Pick students who have their hand raised.
“Think about what _______ would care about and tailor your writing to that.”X
(209 will not be doing this lesson. They will focus on writing stamina. Last Friday, students were
too disruptive and off task, showing me that I cannot trust them to work when I have my back to
them and am conferencing. Students will be expected to write the whole time and as they do that
I will call over students I was not able to conference with on Friday.)

Writing time

14 TE 802, Fall 2018

Student sharing 15 minutes before end of lesson. Share in partners or with table and then come
back together as whole group. Ask students to compliment each other and then ask those
complimented if they would like to share with the whole class.
Plan for Conferring: go around to all tables
Assessment:
Look over writer’s notebooks- has reason circled and at least one piece of evidence to explain
Teaching Notes:
If students finish early encourage them to pick another reason form their list to explain or free
write.
Resources: n/a
Reflection:
207: Students started off a little off topic as one student was being a bit disruptive. A few
students got little work done, showing that they were not on task during writing time. Many
students showed an understanding of providing examples.
206: Students were coming in only a few at a time and a couple were held back quite a bit by
their homeroom teacher. This caused me to have to repeat and/or summarize the mini lesson
multiple times for students as I went around conferencing. Students had very little time to share,
as I lost track of time speaking to students.
209: As stated above, this class did not do the lesson today. In order to let them know the
importance of me giving individual feedback to each student, I had them free write while I called
over students who I was not able to conference with on Friday. Students were focusing on
writing stamina. A couple students were not engaged and were argumentative, but a majority of
the class stayed focused and quiet. I let them know that I was proud of their hard work and gave
them time to share. At the end of class I again complimented their focus and their enthusiasm
while sharing. I let them know that this is what I want to see when we continue our opinion
writing.

15 TE 802, Fall 2018

 Day 7
Date:
11/15/2018
Daily Objective:
The writer will write an introduction that clearly states their opinion and summarizes the reasons
for that opinion.
Mini-Lesson Focus:
Introduction writing
Mentor Text:
Scholastic Article “Should We Have Zoos?”
Instruction:
“Recently we have been working on the main part of our opinion writing, our body paragraphs.
In each of these body paragraphs you wrote a reason and gave an explanation for that reason. We
are going to work a bit backwards now and write our introduction paragraph. Who remembers
what our introduction should include? We used an introduction paragraph in our explanatory
writing.”
Pick students who are raising their hand to share. Comment as they share about if those aspects
are correct or included in an opinion piece introduction.
Make sure to bring up: clearly stating opinion, listing reasons that will be further explained in
body, and luring lead to get audience intrigued.
X“Based on the assigned seating reading this is an example of how I would write an introduction
paragraph.”
Share sample intro.X
“We are now going to create an introduction paragraph together.”
“What do you think is an exciting way to start of my intro?”
Pick student raising hand. Write hook sentence and then opinion sentence based on where hook
leads.
“What is one reason someone used to say we should (not) have zoos?
Pick student raising hand. Write sentence with reason. Ask for other reason and complete
sentence on board. Finish off paragraph if needed.
“Do you see the 3 important aspects of an introduction in my paragraph?”
Pick students who are raising their hand to point out what they see in my sample.
“Now it is your turn to write an introduction paragraph for your opinion writing about zoos.”
“Look back at the reasons you choose to write about on Friday and Tuesday. Those are the ones
you will include in your intro.”

Writing time

Student sharing 15 minutes before end of lesson. Share in partners or with table and then come
back together as whole group. Ask students to compliment each other and then ask those
complimented if they would like to share with the whole class.
Plan for Conferring: go around to all tables
Assessment:
Look over writer’s notebooks- has intro that includes their opinion and the reasons clearly stated
16 TE 802, Fall 2018
Teaching Notes:
If students finish early allow them to free write.
Resources: n/a
Reflection:
Today the fourth grade classes did not rotate. This means I only had writing with my homeroom
class today. Since the students had already stated their opinion several times throughout their
earlier writing and already had reasons picked from earlier lessons, that part of the intro was
mostly just copying/rewriting what they already had. The only new part was the luring lead, but
even then, the students had to have luring leads for their narrative and explanatory writing. When
I made an example with the students, we used a question as our luring lead. Before I had students
work on their own I let them know that this is not the only type of luring lead. When I went
around conferencing though, many students had basically the same question as their luring lead.
Since I did not meet with my afternoon classes, before we review conclusion tomorrow, I will
remind them of the letter we wrote at the beginning of the unit and how it acted as an
introduction because in it they stated their opinion and reasons, along with getting their reader
interested with exciting sentences or questions.

17 TE 802, Fall 2018

 Day 8
Date:
11/16/2018
Daily Objective:
The writer will write a conclusion that clearly restates their opinion and summarizes their
reasons.
Mini-Lesson Focus:
Conclusion writing
Mentor Text:
Scholastic Article “Should We Have Zoos?”
Instruction:
“Who would like to remind their classmates what we did yesterday (previously) in writing?”
Pick student raising hand. (207: introduction/ 206 and 209: supporting examples)
207: “Now that we have written our introduction and body paragraphs, what do you think comes
next?”
206 and 209: now that we have written our body paragraphs, the main information in the writing,
what to we need at the end of our writing?”
Pick student raising hand. (conclusion)
“Think back to writing a conclusion for your narrative or informational writing. What do you
think are important parts that we need in a conclusion?”
Pick students raising hand. Comment as they share about if those aspects are correct or included
in an opinion piece conclusion.
Make sure to bring up: restating opinion, restating the reasons covered in the body paragraphs,
and having an unforgettable ending.
“We are now going to create a conclusion paragraph together. First, what is our opinion?”
Pick student raising hand. Write sentence on board. (sample: In conclusion, I believe that we
should (not) have zoos.)
“Now that we have restated our opinion, we need to also restate our reasons. What is a reason
you wrote to support this opinion?”
Pick student raising hand. Start sentence. Ask for another reason. Finish sentence.
“Now that we have summarized what we have written in our body paragraphs, we need to finish
our writing in an unforgettable way so that the reader will remember and think about what we
wrote. How could we end this in an interesting way?”
Pick student raising hand. Write sentence.
“Do you see the 3 important aspects of a conclusion in our paragraph?”
Pick students who are raising their hand to point out what they see in the sample.
“Now it is your turn to write a conclusion paragraph for your opinion writing about zoos.”

Writing time

Student sharing 15 minutes before end of lesson. Share in partners or with table and then come
back together as whole group. Ask students to compliment each other and then ask those
complimented if they would like to share with the whole class.
Plan for Conferring: go around to all tables

18 TE 802, Fall 2018

Assessment:
Look over writer’s notebooks- conclusion that states opinion and reasons clearly
Teaching Notes:
If student finishes early, allow them to free write.
Resources: n/a
Reflection:
Again with the conclusion they are just restating their opinion and reasons that they have already
written multiple times, so the only new part was the unforgettable ending. I did an example on
the board to show the format I should see. Many students did very well. One thing I had to say to
a few students though was that no new information is brought up in the conclusion. All of the
explaining happens in the body paragraphs, while the conclusion acts as a summary.

19 TE 802, Fall 2018

 Day 9
Date:
11/19/2018
Daily Objective:
The writer will discuss their opinions about a read aloud topic.
Mini-Lesson Focus:
Read aloud and discuss mentor text
Mentor Text:
Scholastic Article “Should Schools Allow Cell Phones?”
Instruction:
“The last couple weeks we have been working on opinion writing when we discussed and wrote
about if we should have zoos or not. This week we are going to get the opinion topic that we will
use for our final draft.” Pass out a copy of the article to each student and have them glue it into
their writer’s notebook.
Call tables one at a time to go over to the carpet and form a circle. Have them bring only their
notebook’s with the article.
Introduce the topic by asking students “Raise your hand if you have a cell phone.”
“Many of us have cell phones. I am now going to read the article aloud about if we should allow
cell phones in school.”
“In the article I just read, one student thought that we should have cell phones in school, while
one thought that we should not. They both gave reasons for their opinion. Turn and talk with the
person next to you about what you think.”
“In order for everyone to get a chance to share we are going to use the microphone and pass it
around the circle to each person. Like with our restorative circle, only the person with the
microphone is talking and everyone is listening. Also like with restorative circle, you do not
have to share and can just say pass.”
Hand microphone to student and allow them to start sharing.
“You all shared lots of ideas on if we should have cell phones in school or not along with your
reasons why. Tomorrow you will be preparing for our final draft by creating an outline for our
writing.”
Plan for Conferring: go around to all tables
Assessment:
Listen to students as they share aloud.
Teaching Notes:
If discussion ends early enough hand out outline for them to glue in and be ready for tomorrow.
Resources: n/a
Reflection:
207: It always takes students longer to cut and glue than I would expect. Once that was finished
we went over to the carpet. Some students were talkative and Ms. Wejman even had a student go
back to his desk. Some students also wanted to share more than once, so we passed the speaking
stick around the circle more than once. Having them on the carpet for a long time though had a
couple of them being silly. With the other two classes we will only go around once and then go
back to our seats to start the outline, since we will not be switching tomorrow.

20 TE 802, Fall 2018

206 & 209: With these classes I passed out the article, they cut it out and we went to the carpet. I
read the article and each student got one chance to share as the speaking stick went around the
circle. We then went back to our seats and I passed out the OREO outline I made for them. They
started to fill it out. A few finished it. Since we are having our Thanksgiving party tomorrow,
Ms. Wejman came in to let them know that we would have students finish up writing during the
party tomorrow if they weren’t participating effectively in writing today.

21 TE 802, Fall 2018

 Day 10
Date:
11/20/2018
Daily Objective:
The writer will create an outline for their final draft.
Mini-Lesson Focus:
Outline
Mentor Text:
Scholastic Article “Should Schools Allow Cell Phones?”
Instruction:
“Who would like to remind us all what we read about yesterday?”
Pick a student raising their hand. (cell phones in school)
“As I stated yesterday, this is your topic for the final draft. We have been working for a couple
weeks now on opinion writing and once we get back from Thanksgiving break you will be able
to show me what you learned from your final draft. Today though we are going to get our ideas
down in an outline so that it will be easier to then write it in an essay format.”
Hand out outline page. Have students cut and glue it into their writer’s notebook.
“What do you notice about this outline?
Pick students who are raising their hand to share. Go over each part and what is expected as they
point it out.
“Now is the time for you to think about your opinion and get your ideas out in this outline.

Writing time

Student sharing 15 minutes before end of lesson. Share in partners or with table and then come
back together as whole group. Ask students to compliment each other and then ask those
complimented if they would like to share with the whole class.
Plan for Conferring: go around to all tables
Assessment:
Look over writer’s notebooks- filled in outline
Teaching Notes:
Link to outline sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AASvQJhZsMfm-
SmsnMbh1WdMebdwQ448N1jOkO8ybwM/edit?usp=sharing
If student finishes early, allow them to free write.
Resources: n/a
Reflection:
No switching, only my homeroom. After having a student remind us of what we discussed
yesterday, I handed out the outline for them to glue in. Multiple students asked what to write in
the outline. I restated that this was for the cell phone article and our final draft. Students were
also asking what to put in different boxes. Since they have not seen an outline in this format, I
should have gone through with them what would go in. Some students were able to follow the
prompts on the page to figure it out, but I should not have expected them to know.

22 TE 802, Fall 2018

From Nov. 26-30 students will be working on their final draft. By the end of the week they will
have a four paragraph paper (introduction, two body paragraphs and conclusion). Each day there
will be a different focus to help students improve their work.
Monday: Rubric intro
Tuesday: Transitional words
Wednesday: Punctuation and spelling (use tablets)
Thursday: TAG (Peer editing)
Friday: Last revisions

23 TE 802, Fall 2018

Overall Reflection

First: Analyze Student Work

DEFINE ASSIGNMENT Exceeds Target Meets Target Needs Support

CRITERIA

Before sorting work: Has a ★ in all areas Has a ✔+ in all Has below a ✔+
of the rubric and areas
may have more of the rubric
than asked.

After sorting work Getting mostly ✔+ Getting all ✔ and ✔+ Getting mostly ✔ and
(revised criteria): and ★ below

Sample student https://drive.google.comhttps://drive.google.com/https://drive.google.com/

writing for each level /open?id=1Y3xvus2Hk3open?id=1ZsJYCRtHAyopen?id=1j6wMurdd6uO
fNXTQzrWA9WTpUIA_UFUCpcnyghF7xaunvGIvAj691oBs67a-jJXvdf7Y
8lRb- orw

https://drive.google.comhttps://drive.google.com/
/open?id=1swvLFVehF open?id=1Yj8gesnXaD
zgafITuohk02a4yKu_FxDbOht7rvKnd75JgQRZh
cP- L3o

Additional teaching I would encourage I would work with I would work with this
support: students in this these students group on the
group to come up on the details of difference between
with a third reason to their writing. reasons and
explain, since 5 (e.g. explaining their examples.
paragraph essays examples instead
are what will be of just listing them)
expected in future
writing. I could also
work with them on
using a
counterargument.

24 TE 802, Fall 2018

Second: Answer Questions in a Written Reflection
Throughout my writing unit I was able to learn more about myself as a teacher. I found

that I am much better at giving individual feedback and guidance, over giving a whole group

mini-lesson. Each day during writing, after I had taught my mini-lesson, I would go around to

look at each students work. During that time, I would discuss with them what I saw and they

would ask me questions. I felt like I did well at being responsive to individual needs. This is hard

though when I have a large class because I will likely not get to talk to each student each day.

This is why I will work to improve my mini-lessons, so that on days I do not give individual

attention to a student, they can still work and understand.

One specific experience that I learned and will improve upon is my giving of examples.

When I first started, I was worried that students would copy my work so I used a different

opinion topic to provide my model for the students. This only confused students and made them

think they should be writing about my topic. After talking to my mentor, I realized that as

students learn it is okay for them to copy and use my model. That is what it is for, and as

students learn they will then start providing their own ideas.

Throughout my writing unit I was also able to observe what my students learned. As a

class I saw a big difference in their ability to clearly state their opinion. At the beginning of the

unit they were just saying for example, that zoos were bad or that assigned seats were

annoying, but they were not explicitly saying that we should not have zoos or not have assigned

seats. By the end of the unit, many of the students were clearly stating their opinion in a

complete sentence in both their introduction and conclusion. Another aspect my students

improved on was providing reasons. At the beginning of the unit the students were saying things

like “Zoos are horrible” or “Assigned seats are stupid” as their reasons for why we should not

have them. As the unit went on, students were able to give specific reasons for their opinion,

that someone reading could understand and maybe even agree with.

25 TE 802, Fall 2018

 As a class, my students also have room to improve. One aspect they can still improve on

is giving supporting examples. Many of the students are still giving a bunch of different reasons,

instead of providing a couple reasons with many supporting details to make them stronger. An

aspect of writing that all of my students could improve upon is the format of their writing. Many

of my students had one huge paragraph for their final draft instead of four separate paragraphs

and some students had paragraphs that were only a sentence. This made it hard for me to

grade their final draft when the rubric specified expectations for each paragraph.

Watching my students in writing, I have found that there are a few things that many of

them get excited about in writing. With our opinion writing, many of the students felt very

strongly about a topic and were excited to write about it. This is why I find it so important to find

topics your students can relate to. Another thing many of my students seem very interested in is

drawing. This is the only thing they should do in writing, but it is something that I can work to

incorporate more. Illustrations are a very important aspect in children’s books. I have also

encouraged a couple students to try working on graphic novels or comics during free writing

time. This would allow them to enjoy drawing, while incorporating writing through speech

bubbles and captions.

Based on all of this, I have found that there are things I would change in my writing

sequence if I were to teach it again, as well as things I would keep the same. One thing I would

change is that I would give more time to emphasizing the difference between reasons and

examples. I would talk about how reasons were more general, while examples gave more

specific details. I could even make some sort of sorting or matching game to help students

understand. It would have statements that were either reasons or examples and students would

group the specific examples with the appropriate reason.

A second thing I would change for future lessons is that I would not only teach the

content, but also teach the structure of the writing. While going over students’ final drafts I

26 TE 802, Fall 2018

noticed that many of them did not break apart their paragraphs, or had too many breaks in their

page. In the future I will make sure to teach the structure I expect to see, instead of assuming

the students know how.

Overall, I feel the unit went well. Students were passionate about the topics and clearly

stated their opinions. I saw evidence of understanding in their final drafts and am continuing to

see this evidence while conferencing and giving feedback on these final drafts.

Third: Presentation for Final Class

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DrRfQ1az_0b11bnlhUKTcteJ1XdTHwN3XfQQrS8F2jc/
edit?usp=sharing

27 TE 802, Fall 2018