Pre-Writing Strategies

The 2014-15 5th graders are off to a fabulous new school year!  We are beginning our narratives with pre-writing strategies.  As we thought about ways to pre-write, graphic organizers came up in our discussion, leading us to a discussion on when to use specific organizers.  It was a great discussion. Hannah shared her anchor chart below:

Click below for examples on ways to use these strategies:

• Make a list
• Creating an event sequence using a web
• Creating an event sequence using a table to jot notes
• Creating an event sequence using sketching
• Creating an event sequence using stickynotes

Contagious Disease Projects

Publishing Fun
Check these contagious disease projects!

West Nile by Hannah
Tuberculosis by Stella

Pertussis by Nyssa

Cholera by Amber

Small Pox by Sam

Polio by Lola

Bird Flu by Joey

Scarlet Fever by Kassidy

Typhus by Kylie

Cancer by Nick L.

Leprosy by Gabby

Measles by Nick V.

Hepatitis by Jacob S.

Mononucleosis by Hayden 

Influenza by Carter

Mumps by Jacob K

Chicken Pox by Jackson
Malaria by Jadee

Giardia by Logan

Swine Flu by Grace

Writing an Informative Piece: Writing a one page essay

We used our research notes to create a one page essay.  This was incredibly easy after all the hard work of reading and organizing our notes.  We practiced orally summarizing then synthesizing our reading notes with a partner before writing.  Students posted their essays on their writing blogs.  Check them out.  Next step:  PUBLISH for an audience.  

Joey:  Bird Flu

Hannah:  West Nile

Stella:  TB Sanitoriums

Writing an Informative Piece: Organizing Paragraphs

You've written your thesis, chosen your categories/details, and have written an introductory paragraph.

Time to order your paragraphs.  

1. Click on the link to access the Research Guide google Research Guide Template
2. Make a copy of the doc and title your name/ research
3. Copy and past your introductory paragraph into the first box.
4. Write a topic sentence for each category in the box.  Use the remainder of the box to write the remainder of your details.  Complete at least 3 of these category boxes.
5. Make sure that your sources are listed at the bottom of the 2nd page.

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