Whitmer, Cynthia READ 7140, OWA 1 Interdisciplinary Writing Unit:School and Student Characteristics and Individual DifferencesSchool System and School Your name and grade level: Cynthia Whitmer, 4thGrade Name of school system: Brooks County Name of school: Valdosta State ElementarySchool’s Student Characteristicso Students _350___ Number of boys _255__ Number of girls _5-12___ Age rangeo Ethnicity (number of students) _350_ African American ____ Asian American ____ Native American _90_ Hispanic _160 Caucasian ____ Othero Reading Achievement (Give percentages.) Based on: _____CRCT_____________________________ _30___ % Above-average or advanced skill level _65__ % Average or intermediate skill __5__ % Below average skill levelo Writing Achievement (Give percentages.) Based on: GA Writing Test___________________________ _30_ % Above-average or advanced skill level _65__% Average or intermediate skill __5_ % Below average skill levelClassroom’s Student Characteristicso Students __15__ Number of boys __4__ Number of girls 10-11__ Age rangeo Ethnicity (number of students) _11__ African American ____ Asian American ____ Native American _2___ Hispanic _6__ Caucasian ____ OtherWhitmer, Cynthia READ 7140, OWA 2 o Reading Achievement (Give percentages.) Based on: Dibels_____________________ ____ % Above-average or advanced skill level _95___ % Average or intermediate skill _5__ % Below average skill levelo Writing Achievement (Give percentages.) Based on: GA Writing performance test__________________________________ ____ % Above-average or advanced skill level _95___ % Average or intermediate skill _5__ % Below average skill levelo Classroom Organization (Check as many as apply.) _X___ Homogeneous _X___ Heterogeneous _____ Self-Contained __X__ Team Teaching _____ Departmentalized _____ Parallel Block List other programs: Individual Differenceso Students Attending Pull-Out or Supplementary Programs (number of students) __6__ Title I ____ Reading ____ Gifted _1___ Early Intervention Program ____ Safety Net List other programs:o Language Proficiency (number of students) _17___ English language _2 __ Bilingual ____ Other languages List other languages:o Students with Individual Education Plans (IEP) (number of students) ____ Blind or visual impairment ____ Deaf or hearing impairment ____ Developmental delay ____ Emotional or behavioral disorder ____ Learning disability __1__ Mild intellectual disabilityWhitmer, Cynthia READ 7140, OWA 3  __1__ Other health impairment ____ Physical disability ____ Speech ____ OtherInterdisciplinary Exopository Writing Unit, READ 7140Grade level (K-5): Fourth GradeContent area connection Content area: ScienceTopic and/or concept: Previous content area lessons: Students have read and discussed the importance of animals and their habitats. Students have discussed information regarding decomposers, consumers, and producers. Students have also learned classifies an animal as a carnivore, omnivore, or herbivore. Genre of writingExpositoryStage of writing: PrewritingEnglish Language Arts GPS:ELA4W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure. The studenta. Selects a focus, an organizational structure, and a point of view based on purpose, genre expectations, audience, length, and format requirementsELA4W2 The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.Critical Component: The student produces a narrative that:a. Engages the reader by establishing a context, creating a speaker’s voice, and otherwise developing reader interest.c. Creates an organizing structure.Content Area GPS: S4L1 Students will describe the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.a. Identify the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in a community.b. Demonstrate the flow of energy through a food web/food chain beginning with sunlight and including producers, consumers, and decomposers.c. Predict how changes in the environment would affect a community (ecosystem) of organisms.Student MaterialsWhitmer, Cynthia READ 7140, OWA 4 National Geographic. (2007). Animals. Retrieved May 18, 2007 http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animalsWhitmer, C. (2008). Graphic organizer for expository prewriting stage. Unpublished Manuscript. Valdosta State University, GA. variety of textbooksencyclopediascomputersblank graphic organizer Teacher MaterialsTompkins, G.E. (2008). The writing process. Teaching writing: Balancing process and product. (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River. NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.Whitmer, C. (2008). Scoring guide for expository prewriting stage. Unpublished Manuscript. Valdosta State University, GA. Teacher Planet. (2001). Animals and their habitat Retrieved May 18, 2008.www.teacherplanet.com/resource/animalhabitats.phpWhitmer, C. (2008). Graphic organizer for expository prewriting stage. Unpublished Manuscript. Valdosta State University, GA. overhead projectoroverhead projector penstransparency of graphic organizergraphic organizer Grouping Arrangements Explanation of Instructional Grouping Options: Whole group: When introducing the expository form of writing, I will keep the students in a large group setting. This will allow for everyone to hear the same information at the same time. Also, this will help with time management. During the practice activity, students will be in a large group setting as well. I will be able to scaffold students according to their learning. Students’ zone of proximal development will differ, therefore, instruction will be provided as needed. Once directions have been given and we have finished the practice graphic organizer, students will begin work on their own to complete their graphic organizer. Students with developmental, cultural, or linguistic needs will be grouped according to terms