Becoming Butterflies: A Transformative Writing Unit

byLauren E. Freeman

Students across the nation today are faced with a continual metamorphosis in writing; from summaries, to responses and text-dependent analyses to reports.  These are usually thought of by the children as bland pieces that are only completed for the teacher and a very important grade.  With letter writing and “snail mail” a thing of the distant past, you would think that writing has become the same.  However, in the midst of it all, the youth today are a generation that actually writes the most, with minute to minute texting, tweeting, posting and snapping! 

This curriculum unit will guide students in the intermediate elementary level toward change.  The change is aimed at transforming the writing process and outcomes in the minds of the children as well as the artifacts produced.  Through the use of mentor texts, collaborative writing and sharing, as well as crafting a multitude of essays that include personal experience, profile and memoir, the students will emerge, stronger than ever, in their writing style, technique and thought process.  In the end, the children will be able to reflect on the stages of this transformation through the use of daily journals they have kept along the way.

(Developed for Reading, Writing, English and Grammar, grade 3; recommended for Reading, Writing, English and Grammar, grades 3-4)


Comments (0)

Be the first person to comment