Expository+&+Research

=Unit Objective:=

=Essential Questions:=

=Required Lessons:=

=Word Study Alternative:=

=Weekly Pacing:= __**Week 1:**__
 * Reading – **


 * Writing – **

Please click on the link below for a book list.



=Writers Workshop=

Week 1:
The class will decide on a research question to answer as a class; research will be performed together, through reading, note-taking, interviewing experts, and viewing graphics that will add to research; the teacher and students will gather resources pertaining to the topic; the teacher will read a text pertinent to the topic pointing out charts, pictures and diagrams; together, write brief comments about the topic and select graphics that support the desired research question; the class will #|continue to work on this research question throughout the week. Write short letters that put ideas in chronological order and use appropriate conventions: Date, salutation, closing.

Lesson:
Read aloud: __I Wanna Iguana__




 * Discuss the main idea of this book and what the character's purpose was in this story.
 * Discuss what type of writing that the character used for his purpose (letters).
 * Ask students what they already know about letters (refer to the essential questions for more discussion/question ideas).
 * For the week in Writers Workshop mini-lessons, focus on the conventions of a friendly letter and provide opportunities for students to practice writing letters for various purposes.
 * Be sure to also read mentor author texts with the main idea of letters.
 * Click on the links below for some great activities:

Five Parts of a Letter Cut-and-Paste

Monster Letter Writing Project

Lyrics for Parts of a Letter Song

Template for Tooth Fairy Body to Accompany Letter to the Tooth Fairy



Pretty chart!

Week 1:
The unit can #|begin with the idea that readers read expository texts to learn more about topics they are interested in; remind the students that when researching, readers ask questions and read, using text features, to gain information pertaining to their questions/topic; the teacher will share an expository text modeling how the text features can help direct the desired research; after reading, as a class, state the main idea and discuss if it is relevant for the research; on sticky notes, students write a fact or detail that may support the research and add to the chart;(If you are using with Social Studies, reading about holidays, customs, and traditions would correlate well.)

Here are some excellent recording sheets the students can use:







Writers Workshop
= Week 2: = Teacher will select a book on a topic which students have background knowledge and demonstrates reading with the purpose of generating questions based on “what we want to know more about” (ex. RAN chart – example should be adjusted to meet needs of first grade readers); the teacher models how to choose a source to gain information on the questions (possibly use PebbleGo); the teacher will focus on recording brief comments as a form of note-taking (sticky notes could be used as a tool); teacher will model showing the students how to pick questions that are most relevant to their topic; the teacher will also discuss the difference between fact and opinion.
 * As a class, have students brainstorm what animal would be a dream class pet.
 * This week, you will be working whole group in your writers meetings to choose the animal you would like as a pet, thinking of things they would like to know about this animal in order to properly care for it (facts) and inferring based on this evidence why it would make a great pet.
 * The final week, students will be independently writing a letter to Mrs. Snow to persuade her to let the class have this pet, including the facts and information that they learned about this animal.
 * The emphasis here is RESEARCH to find INFORMATION.
 * These are two great units used to organize your research process and incorporate inferencing into your lessons as well. (One will be sent out for you because it is too large of a file to link.)

Here is a class anchor chart you can base your own on:

Please contact Ami for your research books for your chosen "dream pet" and use the laptops for online research during your scheduled laptop time.

Week 2:
Teacher and students will work together to decide on and create a visual display or dramatization to convey to results of the research

Introduce students to the part of speech: adjectives.
 * Adjectives**

Read alouds:






 * Charts:**


 * Activities: Tie in with your research project - create your 3D pet and what you will need to make those adjectives. You can also explore these other activities...**









Today, we used adjectives to describe ourselves! First, I had the students use their white boards to brainstorm 7 adjectives. This allowed me to quickly fix their spelling as well as correct any words that weren't actually adjectives. Then, they made this project (copied their adjectives onto small pieces of white paper, drew/cut themselves out, and wrote their name at the top):

Tomorrow, we will use these sentences to sort regular adjectives, comparative adjectives, and proper adjectives. I am going to give each student a sentence, they will read it to the class, and we will put the adjectives into the correct column.

Click [|{HERE}] to download the sentences (there are more in the document than what I have posted here)









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=Writers Workshop=

Week 3:
This week, the teacher will guide the students in the letter writing portion of research; the teacher will model the various components of a letter, making sure the letter is a summary of the research project; students will work on writing a letter that uses all of the components and pertains to the research.

There is a paper template we will be using to write our letters to Mrs. Snow to persuade her to get our class our dream pet. Students need to incorporate their learned facts as well as their inferences as to why this evidence supports getting this animal as a pet.

=Reading Mini-Lesson=

Week 3:
Bring model for research project to an end as well.

#|Complete adjectives lessons. Revisit nouns, verbs, and/or punctuation if needed.