Grades 5 and 6 Writing Units of Study.pdf

7. Are there places for examples of your modeled writing, your works in progress?
_______ Yes _______ No
8. Is there an editing checklist the students can refer to all year long?
_______ Yes _______ No
9. Is there a large calendar with writing celebration dates/publication deadlines
clearly written in?
_______ Yes _______ No
10. Is there a library with books students can read and refer to for writing, including
a place to put books that are the genre you are currently studying?
_______ Yes _______ No
Teresa Caccavale & Isoke Nia
Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
The first unit of study should focus on helping students understand the structures of writing
workshop, the basic principles of writing process, and revision strategies that you feel they
could use, based upon your early assessments. Many teachers start with personal narrative
because they find that writing form experience is easiest for students. –Janet Angelillo
Overview of Unit
First, introduce Writer‘s Notebooks by sharing your Notebook with students. Create a
chart with the students of ways to Collect in the Notebooks (lists, webs, artifacts,
photographs, sketches, etc.) and a chart of what to Collect in the Notebooks (memories
you don‘t want to forget, special words/phrases, story ideas, fierce wonderings, etc.).
Keep adding to these charts as the students discover new ways to Collect and new ideas
for Collecting.
Have kids Collecting in their Notebooks for several days, building stamina as writers and
developing a sense of ―I am a writer.‖
Teach the steps in the writing process and the procedures of writing workshop. Assign
students the task of writing a personal narrative so that they have an authentic
assignment. Teach revision strategies within the context of writing those narratives,
choosing strategies that are simple so that students can be successful right from the
start.