Awesome Authors
Athens Elementary
Third Grade/Fourth Grade
Tara Strunk, Missy Edens, Celia Dyer
Organizer
What can I learn about authors and how they write to help me become a better writer? (techniques, strategies, pre-writing process)
Essential Questions
Academic Expectations, Core Content & Demonstrators
1.2 Students make sense of the variety of the materials they read.
RD-E-1.0.7 Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays
RD-E-1.0.10 Connect literature to students’ lives and real world issues.
1.11 Students write using appropriate forms, conventions and styles to communicate ideas and information to different audiences for different purposes.
WR-E-1.1 Reflective Writing
o Influences (who and/or what) on the writer’s progress and growth
o Strategies used during the development of pieces
WR-E-1.2 Personal Writing
o Development of ideas based on personal experiences
o Sensory details
o Writer’s thoughts and feelings
WR-E-1.3 Literary Writing
o Creation of an effect (e.g., comedy, suspense, horror)
o Focus on engaging an audience
WR-E-1.4 Transactive Writing
o Text and language features typical of the selected form
o Information to engage the reader and to clarify and justify purposes
Culminating Activity
Post student writing on website students create a "How Author’s Write" website. Students will work in pairs to write authors to gain information about how that author writes. Essential questions for the unit will be the basis of student email to the author. Once the students receives a response from the author they will write a piece entitled "How to Write Like (Author Name)" which they will publish on the web. Students will use Front Page to design their web page. This website will be used as a resource for the school on how to write like a professional author.
Open Response Question – Pre and Post Test
Place 3-4 books on each student’s desk.
Choose one book and read it silently. Explain (in writing) to a friend why you chose the book you read. What techniques did the author use to make you want to continue read this book?
Scoring Guide
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4 |
Response shows a thorough understanding of the techniques authors use to engage and hold a reader’s attention. Uses significant examples from the book to support claims |
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3 |
Response shows a general understanding of the techniques authors use to engage and hold a reader’s attention. Uses example(s) from the book to support claims |
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2 |
Response shows a basic understanding of the techniques authors use to engage and hold a reader’s attention. Uses example(s) from the book to support claims |
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1 |
Response shows a minimal understanding of the techniques authors use to engage and hold a reader’s attention. Uses example from the book to support claims |
| Core Content |
Lesson Plans |
| Unit Pretest | |
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RD-E-1.0.10 Connect literature to students’ lives and real world issues. |
Unit
Introduction
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WR-E-1.1 Reflective Writing WR-E-1.2 Personal Writing WR-E-1.3 Literary Writing WR-E-1.4 Transactive Writing |
Put up charts with essential questions
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WR-E-1.1 Reflective Writing WR-E-1.2 Personal Writing WR-E-1.3 Literary Writing WR-E-1.4 Transactive Writing |
Students email an author to ask
essential questions
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RD-E-1.0.7 Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays |
Creating ownership of classroom library
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RD-E-1.0.7 Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays |
Genres at a glance, whole group, and then stations for small groups to compare and contrast using Venn diagram so that students will then be able to make personal decisions on choosing books to read |
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WR-E-1.1 Reflective Writing WR-E-1.2 Personal Writing WR-E-1.3 Literary Writing WR-E-1.4 Transactive Writing RD-E-1.0.7 Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays |
Lesson on hooks and leads
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RD-E-1.0.7 Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays |
Maintain a class list of books read aloud during class and also introduce the reading list in the student’s Reader’s Notebooks (refer to genres at a glance). This list will be a classroom display (chart perhaps), which details author and genre. |
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RD-E-1.0.7 Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and plays |
Poetry Anthology |
| WR-E-1.4 Transactive Writing | Letter writing to teacher
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RD-E-1.0.10 Connect literature to students’ lives and real world issues. |
Author visit
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| Post Test |
Technology Component
(To be completed in the lab in conjunction with the Technology Resource Teacher)
Extensions to be Taught Later
Resources
Technology Resources
Professional Resources
Literature Resources (Lists complied from Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6)