Topic:

Drafting personal narratives

Standards:

ELACC2W3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

ELACC2L3: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Essential Question:

How do writers organize their writing?

Duration:

about 1 hour

Materials:

graphic organizer from previous day, marker

Overview or notes pertaining to lesson:

Students will learn how to draft a story from a graphic organizer.

Mini Lesson:

Students bring writer’s journal to the floor.  I find that it is very difficult for students to move from a graphic organizer to the notebook. Today we will be focusing on writing the story in our journals. I will introduce the lesson by saying that we have brainstormed, chosen a topic, and used sequencing words to put our ideas for our story in order on our hand graphic organizer. Today we will be writing our story in our writing journals. We are not writing a new story! We are simply rewriting our story onto paper like an author of a book would do. Model rewriting your story from the graphic organizer onto journal paper that is lined. Make sure to point out the sequencing words to keep the story in order. Focusing on making complete sentences during this time, with a capital letter and period. Focus also on writing from the red line, to the end of the line, and show students that we keep writing on the same line, even if we have a period. I always have students who start new lines after they put a period.

Guided Practice:

Have students practice with their first sentence in their journals. Monitor, share good examples.

Independent Practice:

Allow students to finish drafting at their seats. Walk around and help those struggling.

Closing:

Discuss the important things we learned about drafting.