Reading for Writing: Modeling the Modern Essay

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 19.01.08

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction
  2. Demographics
  3. Content
  4. Good Writing
  5. Teaching Strategies
  6. Reading Activities
  7. Writing Process
  8. Appendix:  California Common Core State Standards
  9. Bibliography
  10. Notes

Writing through Reading

Sheilvina Knight

Published September 2019

Tools for this Unit:

Reading Activities

Reading the book should take one week reading every day.  During the second and third week you will work with the students as they write their narrative.  This schedule should be followed for each of the books.

Each Kindness

Day 1

Read Each Kindness (cold read; whole class)

Tell the students what specific part you liked best about the story and why

Have students turn and talk, asking each other what did they like best about the story and why (switch partners after 1 minute).  Call on 2 to 3 students to tell the class what their favorite part of the story was and why.

Day 2

Read Each Kindness (vocabulary and character)

Write the vocabulary words on an anchor chart and discuss what they mean before reading the book, it would be best to have pictures for a visual; settled, ragged, tattered, thawed, rippled.

Talk about Maya and Chole’s character traits the girls show when they first met, what words were used to describe each person.  Make an anchor chart

Have students turn and talk have one student talk about Maya and the other student talk about Chole, explaining to each what words or phrases in the book help them to determine the character traits of each girl.  Have 2 students talk to the class what character traits Maya and Chole exhibited.

Day 3

Read Each Kindness (vocabulary, feelings of characters)

Review the vocabulary words

Discuss how the character’s feel and what words or phrases were used that showed their feelings.  Have students turn and talk about how they would treat someone new who came into their class.  Call on 2 or 3 students to tell the class what they would when someone new came to the class.

Day 4

Show a quick video about the author: https://youtu.be/0J_mNZVoeMM (stop at 0:46).

Show video of the author reading the book:  https://youtu.be/kj7Oc0ZoOjM

Talk to the students about what does it mean to be an author and explain that they will be authors because next week they will be writing their own story.

Have students turn and talk telling each other about one of their favorite books.

Day 5

Call students up review the vocabulary.  Call students up one at a time to retell the story page by page.  Give each student a pebble and have them tell how they have shown kindness to others and drop it in a pail to see the ripples.

Owl Moon

Day 1

Read Owl Moon (cold read; whole class)

Tell the students what specific part you liked best about the story and why

Have students turn and talk, asking each other what did they like best about the story and why (switch partners after 1 minute).  Call on 2 to 3 students to tell the class what their favorite part of the story was and why.

Day 2

Read Owl Moon (vocabulary and tone)

Write the vocabulary words on an anchor chart and discuss what they mean before reading the book; it would be best to have pictures for a visual.

Vocabulary:  owling, woolen, shrugged, disappointed, clearing, pumped

Discuss what tone is, make an anchor chart then have students figure out the tone of the narrative and what words or phrases express it.  Have students turn and talk about the tone of the narrative and how they know the tone. Call 2 or 3 students to tell class what they talked about with their partner.

Day 3

Read Owl Moon (vocabulary and character)

Review the vocabulary words

Discuss how the character’s feel and what words or phrases were used that showed their feelings.  Have students turn and talk about a time they went on a special trip with someone.

Day 4

Show a quick video about the author: https://youtu.be/kj7Oc0ZoOjM (stop at 1:11)

Show a video with the author reading the book: https://youtu.be/FYSgG2cK4ng

Compare and contrast Each Kindness and Owl Moon, make an anchor chart

Day 5

Have students retell the story page by page.

Show a video of a Horned owl: https://youtu.be/bt3X8MJgJWo

Mango Moon

Day 1

Read Mango Moon (cold read; whole class)

Tell the students what specific part you liked best about the story and why

Have students turn and talk, asking each other what did they like best about the story and why (switch partners after 1 minute).  Call on 2 to 3 students to tell the class what their favorite part of the story was and why.

Day 2

Read Mango Moon (vocabulary and character)

Write the vocabulary words on an anchor chart and discuss what they mean before reading the book; it would be best to have pictures for a visual.

Vocabulary:  papi, tios, piñata, jewelry

Discuss how the character’s feel and what words or phrases were used that showed their feelings.  Have students turn and talk about how they would feel if a loved one had to go away and why.

Day 3

Read Mango Moon (vocabulary and tone)

Review the vocabulary

Discuss what tone is, review anchor chart then have students figure out the tone of the narrative and what words or phrases express it.  Have students turn and talk about the tone of the narrative and how they know the tone. Call 2 or 3 students to tell class what they talked about with their partner.

Day 4

Meet the author: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/social-welfare-professor-emerita-also-award-winning-children-s-book-author

Have students retell the story page by page

Day 5

Read Mango Moon

Look up orange sunsets on google.com and bring mangos, have students compare sunsets and mangos.

Discuss metaphors with students and where they are found in the narrative.  Have students turn and talk about the metaphors found in the story.

Eat the mangos with students

Jabari Jumps

Day 1

Read Jabari Jumps (cold read; whole class)

Tell the students what specific part you liked best about the story and why

Have students turn and talk, asking each other what did they like best about the story and why (switch partners after 1 minute).  Call on 2 to 3 students to tell the class what their favorite part of the story was and why.

Day 2

Read Jabari Jumps (vocabulary, character, and feelings)

Vocabulary: diving, curling, rough, sprang

Discuss how the character’s feel and what words or phrases were used that showed their feelings. Have students turn and talk about how they overcame fear.  Call upon 2 to 3 students to share with the class.

Day 3

Read Jabari Jumps (vocabulary and tone)

Discuss what tone is, review anchor chart then have students figure out the tone of the narrative and what words or phrases express it.  Have students turn and talk about the tone of the narrative and how they know the tone. Call 2 or 3 students to tell class what they talked about with their partner.

Day 4 

Meet the author: https://youtu.be/e2HgM0nnTzk (stop at 3:25).

Author reads the book: https://youtu.be/0ZnQiwPAjjQ

Day 5

Have students retell the story page by page

Look at Olympic divers: https://youtu.be/4ysjURAArmg

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