Sawyer 1

Dr. Hartman,

My first idea for this project was to take the work we just completed over the last few weeks and
write it into a unit. I did not sit down and develop this unit from start to finish before I taught it. It
developed itself from the idea that my students needed to learn about perseverance and
determination. I started with the Angela Duckworth TED talk and the rest grew beautifully into
what I dubbed the Grit Unit. The success with these lessons drove my desire to capture those
spontaneous moments, fine tune the activities neatly in a plan, and then share all that for this
WAD. The changes in my class were not due to a change in the way we work with text. The
changes were in my thinking. I went into the last few tasks armed with the ideas from the texts
we had been reading and a philosophy that now entertained the notion that all children could
write. I wanted to recreate all this into a neat and tidy unit and pull out the cumulative writing
assignment for this writing design. I realized when I almost hyperventilated at the thought, I
needed to abandon the idea and move to what I am getting ready to teach. I spent Friday lunch
break sketching out the lesson plans I was going to present and all day Saturday working on
them. When I sat down to put the final touches on this new plan and review the videos again, I
realized I was giving you the process lessons I use for reading, discussing, and writing and not a
writing assignment design. So today around 4:00 P.M., I started all over.

A new activity I will be using that you will not see the lesson for is the mentor sentence. I know
the gist of this activity but have never used it. While reading various books on writing, I
reacquainted myself with the name Jeff Anderson and had the Aha experience of recognizing
that name as both teacher and author and now, as creator of the Mentor Sentence activity. This
is going to be a whole new direction. I know I may have a rocky start, but I intend to stick with it
at least for the nine weeks and see if there are differences in my students composition.

I am excited about my new attitude toward writing. I think my enthusiasm is showing up in my

students or they are good fakers. Thank you for helping me find new avenues that I would not
have discovered on my own in my busy school life. I save my professional reading for the
summer, so having to read while I am teaching is giving me opportunity to apply a strategy or try
an activity in real time.

I have peer feedback groups listed in my Steps for Success even though Im not sure what all we
will be doing. I know that I will develop a kid friendly document similar to Peter Elbows rationale,
but Im still thinking about what that needs to look like. The change for me is that Im willing to
devote class time to try peer groups again.

I would like to know what you think about the tasks I use with the students before we ever get to
the big writing. And, my last thought is I am unsure if I have met the intent of this activity.

Appreciatively,
Denise

WAD Part 1
ENG 683
8 October 2017
Denise Sawyer
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Rationale and Context:

Writing and discussing text helps students increase comprehension and gain the vocabulary
needed for written expression. Students are able to clarify and adjust understanding and hear
perspectives that may be different from their own. In the recursive process of reading, writing,
discussing, and thinking, they are able to create meaning and connections for their own lives and
write authentically. The Cornerstone Foundational Skills from the Tennessee State Department
of Education addresses the rationale in this way:

Writing also makes young people better readers. In their 2010 report, Writing to Read: Evidence for How
Writing Can Improve Reading, Graham and Hebert connect writing to reading comprehension: students
better understand material they read if they write about it. This works in several ways. First, writing provides
students with a tool for visibly and permanently recording their thoughts and ideas about a text and
analyzing, connecting, personalizing, and manipulating key ideas from text. This has a strong impact on
making text more memorable and understandable for students. Second, knowledge about text structure and
organization is improved by having students engage in the process of composing text (Tierney & Shanahan,
1991). Writers gain insights about reading by creating text for an audience to read. When they write,
students must make their assumptions and premises explicit as they observe the rules of logic, making them
more aware of these same issues in the material they read. In a 2011 meta-analysis of the impact of writing
and writing instruction on reading, published in the Harvard Educational Review, Graham and Hebert report
that increasing how much students write and implementing process writing approaches in the classroom
improve student reading comprehension (p.50).

This writing assignment will be the culminating writing assignment for the nine weeks. It is
designed for sixth grade students to practice narrative nonfiction writing that will help them
verbalize personal experiences and synthesize information from multiple texts. Lessons are
scaffolded in a way to support the required writing, which is the focus of this WAD.

The texts chosen are high interest and are within the sixth grade complexity band. These books -
-Titanic Young Survivors: 10 True Tales by Allan Zullo, The Great Chicago Fire (exemplar text)
by Jim Murphy, and Onward: A Photobiography of Matthew Henson by Delores Johnson--will
engage and sustain students attention as they process new information and concepts. Tasks are
designed to scaffold student understanding and give them opportunity to enter the texts multiple
times, process the information, clarify or adjust thinking, and note their thinking. These tasks will
also serve as formative assessments and will allow me to assess and clarify understanding as
they work through daily writing activities. The route I take with these texts is dependent upon
data collected through pretests, common assessments, formative assessments, daily
composition, but more importantly, my students themselves. I also use additional media such as
songs and diary entries to support these texts. I am eager to use strategies gained from my
reading to address the needs I see in my students learning. I have never used mentor sentences
so I decided to use Jeff Andersons Mentor Sentence Activity each day to see if my students will
start incorporating new structures in their writing.

The end of this document contains the first lesson of the unit to give you a better understanding
of what I mean when I use the word task. I also attached the supporting standards. Although I
will hit on all those standards, I only display the one we are focusing on for the day/week. My
first week Mentor Sentences are there as well.

The content of the chosen texts works to help develop a students self-awareness and empathy.
Empathy builds classroom culture, strengthens community, and prepares leaders according to
Lauren Owen, author of the Edutopia article Empathy in the Classroom: Why Should I Care. I
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think it will lead to more authentic writing. Although they dont have a choice in the prompt, they
do have a choice in the evidence they choose and the personal experience they wish to convey.

Learning Objective--Increase student understanding of different historical tragedies while

developing empathy with victims and family members of those involved. Engage students in
close reading with text dependent tasks and questions that require thinking, discussion, and
written response.

Student Handout
Introduction:
Throughout the stories we have read and the conversations we have had about different
tragedies such as Hurricane Harvey, we have been thinking about the different ways people
respond to tragedies. You have several stop and jot notes in your journal and you still have your
graphic organizer outlining the texts we read. I still want you to think about the people and
communities we have read about but also start thinking about how you would respond. How
have your personal communities responded to disasters or emergencies in the past? Do you
remember participating with the school in sending things to Texas for Hurricane Harvey victims?
Thats a community you are involved in. Some of you told me your church sent help to Puerto
Rico--your church is considered a community too. Think about all those things and jot down on
the back of your organizer what you may be thinking now.

Remember, your organizer looks like this only bigger. and competed. ;)

Text Tragedy or Responses of the people Responses of the Questions or

Disaster involved community around them responses to what
you have read

Purpose:
Why are we doing this? There are so many stories, books, movies, and all kinds of media
surrounding the disasters. Sometimes we are left with an opinion or understanding of what
happened that may not be grounded in facts. Often, however, we hear one report after another
and forget these are real people with real pain and heartache. I want you to think about what it
must have been like for people involved in those tragic situations, man-made or nature-made.
Think about what people might need during hard times. When we have finished with our table
discussions, you are going to use evidence from the stories and your own experiences to
respond to our essential question.

Student Outcome:
Students will be able to write a nonfiction narrative grounding discussion in text evidence and
personal experiences.

Tennessee Cornerstone Standard:

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6.W.TTP.3 Write a nonfiction narrative that develops real experiences or events using effective
techniques, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

Materials:
Journal and pencil, graphic organizer, Chromebook, rubric. You can still access the texts via
Google Classroom. You may need to refer to them to get your story straight.

Essential Question:
How do people respond when disaster or tragedy strikes?

Assignment: The goal of your essay is to discuss the different ways people react or respond
when tragedy strikes. Use evidence from the texts we read and include your own experiences.
Thinking about these questions may help you get started with how you want to organize your
paper or with what you want to discuss: What are some historical tragedies that have happened
and how have different people responded to them? What makes people react the way they do?
What text evidence do you have that supports what you are saying? How does it connect to your
point? What experiences have you had? How are they similar or different than the ones you read
about?

Steps for success:

1. Review the graphic organizer you made as we read and discussed the texts.
2. Look at the stop and jot notes you made in your journal.
3. Access your texts for support.
4. Open a Google Doc, rename it, share it with me. See correct format page in your note
folder in Google Classroom. Remember: DO NOT share that doc without retitling it with
your last name and topic.
5. Remember our work with the mentor sentences. I expect you to experiment with what
you have learned.
6. Have your paper ready for peer feedback groups in five days. Write the date here _____.
7. Have your adjustments and touch ups completed two days after. Write that date_______.
8. Remember, I will still give you feedback via the comments on Google Docs, so you have
ample time to adjust your writing through the week. Use the rubric for help.
9. Lets go back and read our purpose and talk for a bit; then review the assignment, open a
new Doc, and lets do this thing!

Student Rubric:

Focus and Development Language Conventions

Organization
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4 I have strongly: I used text evidence from more My word choice is My writing is
than one source. awesome! I used consistent with a
established point of sensory details and good command of
view I explained the connection precise language. grade level
between the evidence to the conventions.
established context point I am making. The words fit the I may have minor
prompt well. errors but they do
engaged and oriented I did this each time I cited not interfere with
the reader evidence. I experimented with meaning.
sentences like our
used organizational I shared my own experiences mentor sentences.
structure to sequence and made the connection with
events & experiences the sources. My sentences are
not all the same.
unfolded the events I did not forget or lose the I varied the type
logically and main idea when I added and the length.
progressed smoothly interesting details.

included a conclusion I was careful to organize the

ideas logically and effectively
and make sure they connected
to my prompt.

3 I have somewhat: I explained my main idea, but I Most of my words I might have a few
need to add more information. go well with the minor errors or
established the point of purpose. even one major
view I need to add more text error, but it does
evidence and take out details I may have made not interfere with
established context that dont connect to my point. better word or the meaning of my
phrase choices. paper.
engaged and oriented I need to be sure all my
the reader evidence is explained and I didnt try using an I could have made
connects to my ideas. idea I learned in sure I ran a
used organizational the mentor grammar check
structure to sequence I need to be sure my personal sentences. and resolved all
events & experiences experience connects to the my teachers
texts in some way. My sentences are comments.
unfolded the events well written, but I
logically and did not vary many
progressed smoothly of them or I have a
few repeated
included a conclusion beginnings.

2 I did not really establish I need to write more clearly I need to use I have frequent
a point of view. and be sure I keep the words from our errors that
I am limited in the way I purpose in mind. discussions and interfere with
engaged the reader. readings. meaning.
I need to be sure I have
My paragraph is a little evidence from the texts we My sentences I didnt use the
confusing at times. read and that I talk about how sound similar or spell checker
 Sawyer 6

that evidence supports the are repeated. suggestions.

My events may not flow point I am making.
in a reasonable I didnt use I didnt resolve my
sequence or make I need to be sure I connected it transitions from teachers
sense. to my life. one idea to comments.
another. My
My conclusion might be paragraph might
weak or unrelated to my read like a list.
narrative.

1 Oh, no! I may not have paid enough I need to choose a I have a lot of
I have some gaps in my attention to what I am variety of words mistakes.
story. supposed to write. especially some
I may be missing a that we came I probably didnt
beginning, middle, or a I need to find and use across in our texts. check all those
conclusion. examples from the stories. wavy red lines
I need to think about how to I need to use under my words.
I might need to think include my own experiences. complete
about what the sentences so my I may not have
assignment was, review I need to make sure I thought reader will used my peer
my notes and try again. about the questions in the understand what I feedback time
assignment and review my am trying to say. wisely for help.
steps or success.
I may not have
really given it my
best effort.

These documents are not part of the student handout. I wanted

you to see the other things involved before we get to this stage. I
do task sheets similar to this for each text.

Task 1 Task 2 Task 3

During the first read of The
Sinking of the Titanic, in
addition to other annotations
you would like to make:
*mark places where you get
stuck or confused
*mark places that you think are
significant to the central idea
*circle words that are unfamiliar
Partner Work--discuss what you
read, particularly places that
you may have gotten stuck.
Partner to the other side--
highlight sentences that you think
are strong observations/ opinions
the author makes about the Titanic.
One sentence I have highlighted is
in paragraph 25: ...the most
magnificent, best engineered ship
ever built
Try to find 7 to 10 different
sentences or phrases throughout
the text.
Discuss your findings with your
What is the authors opinion
about the topic?
Record your thoughts in your
journal.
Reread paragraph 4. How does
this paragraph contribute to the
authors ideas about the sinking
of the Titanic? (Thinking key: ask
yourself why the author let one
sentence be in a paragraph by
itself. Can he even do that?!)
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Together, write your big take
away sentence about what the
text is mainly about.
Record this in your journal.
table. Use the chart paper for your
group to record the top 5 your
group thinks are the strongest or
most vivid.
Participate in a gallery walk to
observe each others findings. Look
for ideas that are similar and those
that are different perspectives. Be
prepared to share your thoughts
with the group. Take your post it
notes and pencil with you to write
down your thoughts as you tour.
Add your thoughts to your journal
notes.
What other details or patterns
does the author use to reveal his
point of view? Star * those that
stand out in your text.
Discuss your findings with your
groups.

Task 4 Task 5 Task 6

Reread paragraph 29. Why do Read paragraphs 9 and 10 again. Review the annotations on your
you think people are still What do you think the Titanic text, the information you wrote in
fascinated with the Titanic? symbolized? Why was that your journal, plus the charts we
Talk to your elbow partner about important for people? made around the room.
your thoughts.
Record your response in your What is the authors perspective
Write one powerful cause and journal. of the Titanic? How is that idea
effect sentence in your journal introduced and developed in this
explaining a reason people are Discuss your responses to each of chapter? Be sure to ground your
still fascinated with the Titanic. these questions with your group. discussion with text evidence.
Use evidence from the text to Place this writing in Google Docs.
support your opinion. Go back to the GIST statement you
made on your first read. Now that
Tea party share. (Reminder to you have read and discussed the
walk and discuss in small text a little more, how do you need
groups and keep moving around to adjust your statement to reflect
the room visiting with different the central idea of the text? Revise
guests until tea time is over.) your statement and share with a
table friend.

Supporting standards
6.RI.CS.6 Determine an authors point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is
conveyed in a text
6.RI.KID.2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through details.
6.RI.KID.3 Analyze in detail how a key idea is introduced, illustrated, and developed in text.
6.RI.CS.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall
structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas.
6.RI.KID.1 Analyze what a text says explicitly and draw logical inferences; cite textual evidence
to support conclusions.
6.L.VAU.5 When reading, listening, writing, and speaking, explain the function of figurative
language, word relationships, and connotation/denotation and use them correctly and effectively.
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6.L.VAU.6 Acquire and accurately use grade-appropriate general academic and domain specific
words and phrases; develop vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase
important to comprehension or expression.
6.RI.RRTC.10 Read and comprehend a variety of literary nonfiction throughout the grades 6-8
text complexity band proficiently, with a gradual release of scaffolding at the high end as needed.
6.SL.CC.1 Prepare for collaborative discussions on 6th grade level topics and texts; engage
effectively with varied partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own ideas clearly.
Cornerstone writing standards to write routinely are also supported.
6.W.TTP.3 Write narratives (fiction and nonfiction) to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective techniques, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event
sequences.
6.W.PDW.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Mentor Sentence: Out on the open sea, the ship handled beautifully, slicing through the water at
near her top speed (Titanic Young Survivors, p.5).
Teacher Note--This will be my first attempt using a mentor sentence. I plan to use Pear Deck
for student responses in order to project and discuss.

Mentor Sentence Invitations:

Day 1--Students are invited to notice what makes this an exceptional sentence.
Day 2--Students are invited to think about why the author used the two commas?
Day 3--Students are invited to look at the details and think about the image they create.
Day 4--Students are invited to re-craft this sentence.
Day 5--Students are invited to imitate this sentence to make one of their choosing.

I am so pumped about using mentor sentences for this nine weeks!