Writing an Informative Piece: Writing an Introductory Paragrapha

After determining a thesis, students then webbed (or jotted notes in a table) about which key ideas they wanted to share in their paper.  They are in the process of using their notes to write an introductory paragraph.  See examples below:

By Kylie






by Grace

By Kassidy

By Stella

Writing an Informative Piece: Research Question to Thesis Statement

After developing a research question, students turned it into a thesis statement. They also determined whether their paper will use a compare/contrast structure or chronological structure.

Here are a few examples:

Compare/ Contrast Structure by Kylie

Chronological Structure by Grace

Chronological Structure by Kassidy

Compare/ Contrast by Joey

Chronological Structure by Lola

Research Question:  How could one simple sneeze turn out to be so deadly?

Thesis:  Even though there is a successful vaccine, Pertussis is still very common.

Chronological Structure by Nyssa

                             

Writing an Informative Piece: Formulating a Research Question

We've been reading, reading, reading about contagious diseases.  Each student chose a different disease to read more closely about.  While reading, they summarized their reading by jotting notes in a table. Beside the notes, they also jotted questions that developed as they read.  After reading multiple sources, students were asked to develop a question they'd like to research more.  One that could be used to inform others about something interesting.

Research Guide Template

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wWRT_0DyapGjh3wRO_l9ICJX27VqsgaW_NgC4uw6ij8/edit?usp=sharing
Below are a few examples:

By Kylie

By Grace

By Lola

By Kassidy

By Nyssa

By Joey

By Stells

Students were also asked to cite their source on their table.

Narrative: Pacing

Pacing is a narrative technique that authors use to control a reader's movement through the text. Effective pacing serves to maintain the reader's interest and an appropriate sense of suspense; it allows for lingering on details at just the right time and minimizes details at other times.

Narrative: Using Dialogue

Dialogue 

Dialogue is a tool that narrative authors use to move stories along and show how characters respond to and feel about situations. On