Students Helped to Determine the Tickled Pink and the Green To Grow For Our Bump Up Wall Examples
Next Writing Focus is Explanatory - Paragraph Form and Procedural Form
Students had a chance to hear an explanatory paragraph read to them and then they read a few themselves. After that, a discussion was held about what was the same and what was different between the explanatory and other paragraphs we have read/written. They also had a chance to read some procedural texts and then discuss the criteria for that style of explanatory writing.
In the next little bit, students will be having opportunities to write a few of their own using specific success criteria. |
They Will Huff and They Willl Puff and They Will Blooooowwww You Away With These Fractured Fairy Tales!
Everyone's fractured fairy tale is written and published. The published books will find their way home once they have been marked (It will take some time to allow me to do a thorough job of assessing). It will be worth the wait as the students worked hard to create entertaining, well written, and beautifully illustrated books.
Fee Fi Fo Fum! Gr. 3 Narrative Writing Has Just Begun!
We started with reading a few traditional fairy tales and taking a look at all the parts that create a story.
Next we read all sorts of fractured fairy tales - when authors rewrite an original fairy tale and change it in some way. Using a VENN diagram, we compared how they were the same and different to the original fairy tale. All of this laid the foundation for writing a fractured fairy tale. Today students decided on which fairy tale or tales they were going to us and how they would change them.
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We also discussed what do all fairy tales have (the characteristics).
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Persuasive Writing Is Finished For Now
Students have just finished their good copies of letters written to friends or family trying to persuade them to see a certain movie (the movie they created or used for their media movie poster). I feel that students have a good understanding that it takes convincing reasons with detailed support to persuade someone to do something. I also am seeing that almost everyone understands what is needed to write a well organized paragraph. We will continue working on some of the basics however (capitals, periods, complete sentences) as that still seems to be a challenge for many. We will practice these skills as the students learn to use writing to show their level of understanding/comprehension of a text they have read.
All The Preparation Is Done and Students Have Started Planning Their Movie Posters!
We analyzed movie posters and created criteria that would result in a poster that caught people's attention and convinced them to see the movie. Students also helped to create a plan for Mrs. V.P's movie poster and gave her feedback on what was working and what she could do to make it better. She is now ready to do her real deal poster!
Persuasive Writing and Media
Students completed a persuasive paragraph attempting to convince parents or myself of something. They showed that they understand that inorder to convince/persuade someone, they need to have strong reasons with some support. This week, we will look at persuasion in media - advertising for food, objects, movies, etc.
Persuasive Writing - Step 1....Have an Opinion and Give Reasons To Support It
Today, students got a taste for debating. The topic of conversation was squish the ant or don't squish the ant. Girls and boys picked a side (for or against) and then politely but thoroughly debated the topic as a whole class. Reasons for not stepping on ants were so convincing that 2 undecided and about 3 pro-squishers changed their minds and decided it was better not to step on ants. Ask your child what some of the great reasons were! Tomorrow we will try which makes a better pet...cat or dog.
Last Descriptive Paragraph Was Completed Just Before Christmas
Topic Choices Were
1. Christmas Morning OR 2. Santa's Village
Students will be bringing home their writing notebooks with all of their descriptive writing work, checklists and assessments. Please take the time to go over all three pieces of writing and each assessment/feedback given. Hi-light the progress your child made during this writing journey. Sign the attached sheet and return the book to school at your earliest convenience.
The next style of writing we will explore is persuasive writing.
The next style of writing we will explore is persuasive writing.
Second Descriptive Paragraph is Under Way
Topic: Describe a Special Place to You
Each day before writing we start with a short lesson on areas of improvement needed as seen from the feedback provided from the first paragraph. Many students needed targeted practice for punctuation placement, ensuring the sentence is complete, and how can I add more description to help the reader visualize (e.g. adjectives and vivid verbs to activate as many of the 5 senses as possible). We also took another look at what makes a descriptive paragraph a "I've Got It" level. A new checklist was created to include the 5 senses.
First Attempt at Writing a Descriptive Paragraph Is Complete!
Students have travelled through the writing process (topic: "What would it be like in war?) from brainstorming, writing a sloppy copy, editing, and finally finishing by typing a good copy using Google Docs. Students tried using the voice activated typing method. Some students really enjoyed using it as a useful tool while others thought it took more time with many errors and chose to type by hand. My job is to take the time this weekend to read and provide feedback to every student about their piece of writing so they know what to do for their next paragraph (topic - a special place to them). Someone once said, "Write what you know" and students seem excited by this topic. They are ready to use ROPES again, use lots of descriptive language and to even step it up by ensuring that readers of their paragraph will have as many of the five senses activated as possible - not just sight.
Critical Thinking To Become Better Writers
Once the criteria was decided upon, each group of 3 was given a packet of 4 paragraphs that they had to level using the criteria. This exercise was to experience finding specific success critieria to prepare them to self analyze their piece of writing. All groups came to a consensus on what level each paragraph reached and why they were placed there. The last step today was to go back and apply this to their own paragraph and see if they could bump it up to make it even better.
Before going back to their own paragraph, students helped determine what the success criteria would be to write a "I've Got It" descriptive paragraph by looking at the group one we wrote. Above is the success criteria students decided were needed to write a descriptive paragraph.
Using Descriptive Sentence Writing To Create Descriptive Paragraphs
Using the acronym ROPES, students got their first glimpse today at the makings of a paragraph. We took some of their descriptive sentences (created in groups of 3 at the whiteboard vertical surfaces) and wrote a paragraph as a class. Tomorrow we will add the S sentence, I will take photos of it all and then I will post them so you know what ROPES stands for as well as what a "I've Got It!" paragraph looks like.
Google Docs, Success Criteria, and Class "Bump Up Wall"
These are the ingredients students are using to create the best descriptive sentences possible. Students have access to this document on their google drive or in their docs. Each student knows how to access this document and how to fill it in. They are allowed to continue working on this document at home. There are 3 extra pictures with an opportunity to brainstorm descriptive words (e.g. vivid verbs, adjectives, etc.) and also to create a descriptive sentence. I will be posting photos (DONE!) of our success criteria as well as the example for each level of the "Bump Up Wall" either later this evening (Sat.) or Sunday morning to provide a little extra guidance if needed. Stay tuned.
Sentence Writing - Used in Every Subject and Everyday Life
Sentence writing is an important skill. Here at school we are emphasizing the importance of proper use of capitals (at the start of a sentence and not in the middle, proper nouns, etc.), remembering punctuation, and using tools available to help spell new words (e.g. personal dictionary, words in the environment like on a chart paper). When your child is writing at home please do the same (e.g. in Word Wizard).
Word Wizard
As part of our writing development, it is important to take a look at words (e.g. spelling patterns). Word Wizard will be targeting this as well as practicing writing Gr. 3 level sentences (longer, more detailed). As the year progresses, this at home practice will benefit your child's writing here at school. Thank you in advance for this support. |
Just Getting Started
I hope you enjoyed reading the letter your child wrote to you in the Friday Journal and took the time to write them a letter answer (I will give them time to read them to themself in class). Boys and girls are already competent writers with tools at their disposal that they know how to use (e.g. personal dictionary). My job this year is to give them purposeful opportunities to further develop their writing using a variety of styles (e.g. letter, procedural, narrative, persuasive, etc.) while writing complete sentences and detailed paragraphs. This page in the blog will keep you up to date on the writing that is going on in the class. Stay tuned.