Alternate Instruction Packet Instructions for Writing Days 1 – 5
Day 1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
Think about the greatest gift you have ever received. It can be a material gift or a gift of time or an experience like a vacation that was given as a gift. Who gave you the gift? How did receiving the gift make you feel? What about the gift makes it the greatest gift you have ever received?
Today you will create a thinking chart, like we have in class, for gifts. Your chart should include three different gifts, who gave you the gifts, and your reaction to receiving the gift. Give a short explanation for all three gifts in your chart. Your chart might look something like this:
| Gift I Received | Who Gave Me the Gift | How I Reacted to the Gift |
| A real watch | my mother | She had told me that once I learned how to tell time, she would buy me a watch. I had learned by the middle of the year so for Christmas, she got me the watch. It was a Timex, the best type. It didn’t have to be wound up and I wore it every waking minute. I was so proud of that watch! |
| A Nintendo | my parents | I had had a slow start to my Christmas. We had went to my grandmother’s house to open presents early on Christmas Eve. I was so excited to open the first presents of the year. I was probably 10 years old or so. When I opened the largest box under the tree I found that it contained a lot of paper, a hair brush and some hair combs. I was so disappointed. When we got home my mom announced that Santa had come early for me and left me something in my room. It was a Nintendo! They hooked it up and played games with me all afternoon. |
| A pair of tall boots | my parents | I had wanted a pair of tall boots for a while. My birthday was in September, so I had to wait until Christmas. There was a box under the tree that was just about the right size to be a pair of boots. I couldn’t wait to open presents. When we got up Christmas morning, I did have a pair of boots to open! I loved them so much; they were just what I wanted. When I went to bed that night, my mom came in to tuck me in and I told her again how much I loved my boots. She threw back the cover because she thought I was wearing my boots to bed…and I was! |
Please use my chart as an example and give good details. This will help you begin your introduction on Day 2!
Day 2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3.a
Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.
Review the thinking chart you made for Day 1. Please select one gift to write about today. You will only focus on your introduction today. It is important that you consider your audience, introduce a narrator and/or characters, and organize your events that occur naturally and logically. Your introduction should grab the reader’s attention and make them want to read more of your narrative. Your introduction paragraph should contain 5-7 sentences.
Once you have your introduction written, find someone to read it to. Ask them the following questions:
- After hearing my introduction, can you tell me what my story is going to be about?
- Does my introduction grab your attention in a way that makes you want to find out the rest of the story?
- Did I introduce my characters using enough detail?
If the answer to any of those questions was NO, you need to revise your introduction and fix any area that it is lacking. Make sure you read what you have written out loud BEFORE you share it with someone else!
Day 3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3.b
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, and description, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3.c
Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another.
Review the introduction that you wrote on Day 2. Reread everything you have written so far. Today you will focus on the body of your narrative. Remember to use narrative techniques such as dialogue to tell your story. Your characters should be well described. You should describe the events using great details so that the reader feels like they were there when this gift was given.
Use transition words to move time along in your story. The body of your paper should be at least one good paragraph of 5 – 7 sentences.
Once you have your body paragraph(s) written, find someone to read it to. Ask them the following questions:
- Can you identify and describe the characters in my story?
- Do you know what the greatest gift I have ever received is?
- How much time has passed from my story beginning until now?
- Did I use transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence and show how time has moved on?
If the answer to any of those questions was NO, you need to revise your introduction and fix any area that it is lacking. Make sure you read what you have written out loud BEFORE you share it with someone else!
Day 4
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.3.e
Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
Review the introduction that you wrote on Day 2 and the body paragraph(s) that you wrote on Day 3. Reread everything you have written so far. Today you will focus on the conclusion to your paper. Remember that your conclusion should leave your reader feeling that your story has ended without you adding the words, “The End” at the end. Your narrative should have a resolution that does not leave any unanswered questions for your reader. Be careful not to introduce new characters or new information in the conclusion.
Your conclusion paragraph should be 5-7 sentences long.
Once you have your conclusion paragraph written, find someone to read it to. Then ask them the following questions:
- Is there any new information or are there any new characters in my conclusion that I had not introduced earlier?
- Does my conclusion feel/sound complete?
- Are there any questions that you still have about what happened in my story that you feel I need to address before I end my story?
Address any issues that you discovered as you reviewed your conclusion. Make sure you read what you have written out loud BEFORE you share it with someone else! J
Day 5
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Review the introduction that you wrote on Day 2, the body paragraph(s) that you wrote on Day 3, and the conclusion you wrote on Day 4. Reread everything you have written so far. Today you will focus on revising and editing your paper. Remember that revising is about word choice and making your sentences more complex and that editing your paper is about looking for misspelled words and punctuation errors.
Read your story out loud to yourself at least one more time. As you read, listen especially close for parts of your story that are hard to read aloud. Sometimes this is a signal that something needs to be fixed. When sentences are difficult to read, that could mean that your word choice or sentence length is off and needs to be revised. If you have a dictionary or thesaurus at home, this would be the appropriate time to get it out and dust it off. If you do not have one at home, you can use the internet to help you. Dictinary.com is a great resource for word choice and definitions. It will even pronounce unknown words for you.
Now is the time to play with commas! Try adding commas in your sentences. Does it improve how the sentence is read? Does it make the sentence awkward? As the writer, you get to control the punctuation. Remember commas cause the reader to pause, so make sure you are using them in places where the reader should pause but not stop.
Once you have finished revising and editing your paper, you should write a final copy. If you have internet, you can even publish your finished work by typing it on our class forum. You can get to our class forum by following this link: http://toddtcms.ss8.sharpschool.com/staff_directory/language_arts/lisa_porter/WritingForum/
Remember that I am available by email to help you if you need it. I will also be monitoring the forum. There is a new topic there for you to ask questions. I will answer them as quickly as I can.
Writers, off you go!
Alternate Instruction Packet Instructions for Writing Days 6 – 10
Day 6
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.a
Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
Read the article, U.S. investigates safety issues after hoverboards catch fire, cause harm from Newsela. If you have access to the internet, be sure to adjust the Lexile level of your article before you begin reading. I have already assigned this article to you.
Now reread the article. This time, think about the cause and effect relationships that exist within the article. Underline key word(s) that identify a cause or an effect of hoverboards catching fire or causing harm. Circle any quotes that you find and put a box around any unfamiliar words.
Today you will look up any words you identified as unfamiliar. Also you will define the following terms and be able to use them in your writing with comfort. Also, you will need to answer the four questions (quiz) at the end of the article.
| Word | Definition | Use it in an original sentence (not from the article) |
| gadgets | a small, useful device | My husband uses many funny looking gadgets when he is working on his truck or fixing things around the house. |
| emerged | | |
| diligently | | |
| lurch | | |
| orthopedic | | |
| dormitories | | |
Please use gadgets as an example of my expectations and create good, 6th grade sentences. :)
Day 7
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.a
Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
Review the article that you read for Day 6. Review also what you underlined as cause and effect relationships. Write down at least three different cause and effect relationships you found in the article. Explain how each cause is directly related to the effects. For example, the title of the articles implies that hoverboards catch fire. What relationship exists that is causing them to catch fire? Cause harm to riders?
Day 8
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.a
Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
Review the article that you have been reading for Day 6 and 7. Also review the cause and effect relationships that you identified from the article. Today you will write an effective introduction for an informational paper about hoverboards. Your introduction should grab your reader’s attention. Please do not begin your introduction with a question and refrain from using personal pronouns. Once you have finished your introduction, have someone at home read your introduction and give you feedback by answering the following questions:
- Did I introduce my topic in a way that makes you want to read more?
- Did I ask any questions?
- Did I use any personal pronouns (I, me, my, you, your, we)?
You need to revise your introduction and fix any area that it is lacking. Make sure you read what you have written out loud BEFORE you share it with someone else! J
Use the introduction rubric to assess your own writing.
| Needs Improvement | Criteria | Above & Beyond |
| Day 8 Rubric – Introduction CCSS.ELA - CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.a |
| | Topic introduced in a way that is effective (no questions). If so, write the sentence that best introduces your topic. | |
| | Is it clear after reading the introduction what my paper is about? If so, write what my paper is about. | |
Day 9
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.a
Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.b
Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.e
Establish and maintain a formal style.
Review the article from Days 6 – 7. Also review the cause and effect relationships you wrote about on Day 8 and the introduction you wrote on Day 8. Today you will continue from the introduction to the body. You will need to identify what you believe is the best cause and effect relationship that exists within the article. Your body paragraph should include evidence or a quote from the article that helps explain the cause and effect relationship.
Once you have your body paragraph written, find someone to read it to. Then ask them the following questions:
- Did I ask any questions?
- Did I use any personal pronouns?
- Does my paragraph contain a cause and effect relationship from the article?
- Did I include a quote or piece of evidence that helps explain the cause and effect relationship?
Address any issues that you discovered as you reviewed your body. Make sure you read what you have written out loud BEFORE you share it with someone else! J
Use the following rubric to assess your own writing.
| Needs Improvement | Criteria | Above & Beyond |
| Day 9 Rubric – Body – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.b & CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.e |
| | Body paragraph includes a quote or piece of evidence from the article. If so, write the sentence that includes the quote or evidence. | |
| | Body paragraph is free from questions and personal pronouns. Maintaining a formal style means that the tone of the paper is informational, not conversational. The author, you, is not telling a story, they are presenting facts. | |
Day 10
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.f
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.5
With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
Review the introduction that you wrote on Day 8 and the body paragraph that you wrote on Day 9. Today you will write a conclusion for your paper and publish the final copy on our class forum (if you have access to internet).
Make sure that your conclusion follows or flows from the information that you presented in your paper. You should not introduce any new information or quotes in the conclusion. It does not have to be long to be effective, so worry more about making sure that you maintain your formal style and summarize or conclude your paper effectively.
Once you have written your conclusion, find someone at home to read it to. Ask them if they can tell from your conclusion that the paper has ended in a way that makes it feel complete.
Use the following rubric to assess your own writing.
| Needs Improvement | Criteria | Above & Beyond |
| Day 10 Rubric – Conclusion – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2.f |
| | Conclusion sums up the main point of the paper and does not introduce any new information. The end is not an effective conclusion. Saying, “now you know…,” is also not effective. | |
| | Maintain a formal style. Conclusion paragraph is free from questions and personal pronouns. | |
Read your entire paper out loud to yourself at least one more time. Revising has to do with word choice and sentence structure and editing has to do with misspelled words and punctuation. As you read, listen especially close for parts of your paper that are hard to read aloud. Sometimes this is a signal that something needs to be fixed. When sentences are difficult to read, that could mean that your word choice or sentence length is off and needs to be revised. If you have a dictionary or thesaurus at home, this would be the appropriate time to get it out and dust it off. If you do not have one at home, you can use the internet to help you. Dictinary.com is a great resource for word choice and definitions. It will even pronounce unknown words for you.
Now is the time to play with commas! Try adding commas in your sentences. Does it improve how the sentence is read? Does it make the sentence awkward? As the writer, you get to control the punctuation. Remember commas cause the reader to pause, so make sure you are using them in places where the reader should pause but not stop.
Once you have finished revising and editing your paper, you should write a final copy. If you have internet, you can even publish your finished work by typing it on our class forum. You can get to our class forum by following this link: http://toddtcms.ss8.sharpschool.com/staff_directory/language_arts/lisa_porter/WritingForum/
Remember that I am available by email to help you if you need it. I will also be monitoring the forum. There is a new topic there for you to ask questions. I will answer them as quickly as I can.
Writers, off you go!