2nd Grade Writing Unit 01 Launching with Nonfiction - The Reading ...

Writing Curricular Calendar, Second Grade, 2011-2012 20make a collection that isn't just good....but that is great.Like Sasha, am I right that you looked over your silly bands and decided that you would make acollection of pink silly bands, so you traded away your green ones, and now almost all of yoursare pink? Is that right? And am I right that there’s at least one silly band collection which is allanimal stuff....is that right?Well, what I want to tell you today is that what you are doing with your silly bands is the samething that professional writers do when we write all about books, letters and stories. I know youguys are only eight, and you aren't exactly professional authors yet...but the work you are doingwith your silly bands is so grown up and so writerly, that I wonder if you'd be willing to trydoing the same sort of stuff with your books and letters. You game?Teaching PointToday what I want to teach you specifically is that writers don't just put together any old pieceand then say, "I'm done." No sir-y! You know how you look at your silly band collections andthink, “How can I make this go from good to great?" Well, writers ask the same thing when welook at our stories, All-about books, and letters. We ask, “How can I make this go from good togreat?” And the secret to making our writing go from good to great is something you guysalready know because it is what you do with your silly bands. The secret is that writers plan. Weeither sketch it, tell it, or even jot a couple of notes about what we will write. This helps us to getour ideas and words organized and clear before we start writing or revising.(Teachers, we invite you to create your own teaching, active involvement and link, based on yourown writing plans and writing project.)Sample Minilesson EBy Antonella Della Gala, Lynette Vieira & Hindie WeissmanConnectionWriters, you know Mrs. Phelps and I are exercise partners, right? Well, we work together so thatwe can become stronger. (I demonstrate a muscle man gesture). You know the other day wewent down to Crystal Cove and Mrs. Phelps said to me, "Look, we walked up to Trader Joe's lastweek and I noticed that you didn't get tired. I think we can go a little farther today." I said,"Okay."Guess what happened when Mrs. Phelps said to me, "You can do it!” I did go farther and I gotstronger. Next week she's probably going to try to get me to go even farther.Teaching PointWell, guess what, writers? Writers have partners to help us do just the same thing. Today I wantto teach you that partners help each other become stronger writers. We help each other not justby noticing how much our partner has become a stronger writer but what kinds of goals we canset together. Just like Mrs. Phelps helped me, you can help your partner become a stronger writerand set ambitious goals together.Unit One – Launching with NonfictionReading and Writing Project, 2011 ©DRAFT