Sheri Bashlor, READ 7140 1Interdisciplinary Writing Unit: Informational, 4th GradeSheri M. BashlorREAD 7140Valdosta State UniversityMay 2006Sheri Bashlor, READ 7140 2Genre/Mode of WritingStudents will write an informational report about the water cycle, explaining evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. The informational report should be five paragraphs inlength, providing information about the water cycle and the main components. The report should have an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. A further explanation of the genre is in the prewriting stage lesson plan. Content Area IntegrationContent Area: ScienceContent Area GPS: S4E3 Students will differentiate between the states of water and how they relate to the water cycle and weather.a. Demonstrate how water changes from solid (ice) to water (liquid) to gas (water vapor/steam) and changes from gas to liquid to solid.b. Identify the temperatures at which water becomes a solid and at which water becomes a gas.c. Investigate how clouds are formed.d. Explain the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, and precipitation).e. Investigate different forms of precipitation and sky conditions (rain, snow, hail, clouds, and fog.Prior Knowledge: The students have completed a science unit on water changes, water temperatures, cloud formation, and different forms of precipitation. They all have thoroughly been tested on the subject and completed a data collection sheet of their findings.Sheri Bashlor, READ 7140 3Explanation of TermsThe Writing Process: “The writing process is a way of looking at writing instruction in which theemphasis is shifted from students’ finished products to what students think and do as they write. The stages are prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing” (Tompkins, 2004, p.10).Prewriting: “Prewriting is the getting-ready-to-write stage. During the prewriting stage, the activities are: choosing a topic, considering purpose, audience, and form, and generating and organizing ideas for writing” (Tompkins, 2004, p.10). Drafting: “During the drafting stage, they focus on getting their ideas down on paper. The activities in this stage are writing a rough draft and writing leads” (Tompkins, 2004, p.17). Revising: “Writers clarify and refine ideas in their compositions during the revising stage. The activities in the revising stage are: rereading the rough draft, sharing the rough draft in a writing group, and revising on the basis of feedback received from the writing group” (Tompkins, 2004, p.18).Editing: “Editing is putting the piece of writing into its final form. Children move through three activities during the editing stage: getting distance from the composition, proofreading to locate errors, and correcting errors” (Tompkins, 2004, p.22).Publishing: “In the final stage of the writing process, children publish their writing and share it with an appropriate audience” (Tompkins, 2004, p.25).Modeled Writing: “Teachers demonstrate or model how expert writers write while children observe, and this is the level of the greatest support” (Tompkins, 2004, p.29).Shared Writing: “In shared writing, the teacher and children work together to compose a text, and the teacher serves as the scribe to record the text for children” Tompkins, 2004, p.31).Interactive Writing: “Teachers and children create a text and “share the pen” to write the text on chart paper. The text is composed by the group, and the teacher guides the children as they write the text word-by-word on chart paper” (Tompkins, 2004, p.34).Guided Writing: “Teachers scaffold or support children’s writing during guided writing, but children do the actual writing themselves. Teachers plan structured writing activities and then supervise as children do the writing” (Tompkins, 2004, p.36).Proofreading: “Children proofread their compositions to locate and mark possible errors. Proofreading is a unique form of reading in which children read word-by-word and hunt for errors rather than read for meaning” (Tompkins, 2004, p.22).Narrative Writing: “Students use narrative writing to create both fictitious and true stories that entertain readers. A fully developed story involves a problem, which is introduces in the beginning, becomes more complicated in the middle, and is resolved at the end. Students retellSheri Bashlor, READ 7140 4familiar stories, write sequels and new episodes for favorite characters, and compose original stories” (Tompkins, 2004, p.339).Expository Writing: “Students use expository writing to learn and to share information” (Tompkins, 2004, p.303). Graphic Organizer: A graphic organizer helps students to organize their thoughts and ideas. A graphic organizer is a great tool to use during prewriting.Scoring Guide: A scoring guide helps guide a teacher and students in assessing students’ achievement on different writing assignments.Checklist: A checklist is often used for students to check off different areas of completion when going through each stage of the writing process.Tompkins, G.E. (2004). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product. (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.Sheri Bashlor, READ 7140 5Informational Writing Pre-AssessmentWriting PromptsDirections: The teacher will write the following prompts on the board. Each child will pick one topic to write an informational essay on, which should include: an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. The purpose of the essay will be to inform.Prompt #1: Write an essay about three major rules at the school you attend (explaineach rule and why you like or dislike the rule).Prompt #2: Write an essay about the life of a butterfly (previously taught).Bashlor, S. (2006). Informational writing pre-assessment. Unpublished manuscript. Valdosta State University, GA.Sheri Bashlor, READ 7140 6Lesson Plan #1: PrewritingGrade Level: 4th GradeContent Area Integration:Content Area: ScienceContent Area GPS: S4E3 Students will differentiate between the states of water and how they relate to the water cycle and weather.a. Demonstrate how water changes from solid (ice) to water (liquid) to gas (water vapor/steam) and changes from gas to liquid to solid.b. Identify the temperatures at which water becomes a solid and at which water becomes a gas.c. Investigate how clouds are formed.d. Explain the water cycle