Title or topic of lesson and Grade Level: Dinosaur Creative Writing Topic; 2nd Grade Lesson Guiding Question

(s): - What is creative writing? Imaging if you walked into your backyard and saw A Dinosaur! - What would the dinosaur look like? - What would you say to the dinosaur? - What would you do with the dinosaur? Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3 Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.5 With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. Learning Goals and Assessments: Learning Objectives TSWBAT express their thoughts, feelings and emotions while writing about a dinosaur they would hypothetically see in their backyard. Assessments The students will compose a piece of writing that allows them to use their imagination about a dinosaur in their backyard. They will be encouraged to describe what the dinosaur looks like, while also including what they would say to the dinosaur and what they would do with the dinosaur.

Materials: Did Dinosaurs Live in Your Backyard? by Melvin and Gilda Berger, poster with guiding questions, students writing notebooks Pre- lesson assignments and/ or prior knowledge: The students will be aware that dinosaurs existed millions of years ago prior to becoming extinct. They will have looked through the dinosaur and fossil library of books, seeing many images of dinosaurs as well as reading multiple descriptions of them. The students will have also learned about the types of eaters (omnivores, herbivores, and carnivores) and are able to describe the types of teeth that coincide with certain dinosaurs. Lesson Beginning: Students will be asked to sit on the carpet for a read aloud. The teachers will introduce the book, Did Dinosaurs Live in Your Backyard?, which will prompt a discussion with

the children. They will be asked if dinosaurs could have possibly lived in their backyard. Questions such as how do you know if they lived in your backyard? will be asked, trying to have the students realize that fossils have been found all around the world. Therefore, it is quite possible that dinosaurs did live in their backyards millions of years ago. Instructional Plan: - Teacher will read excerpts from the book, which is in question and answer format - Students will be informed that they will be making a creative writing piece about a dinosaur that is living in their backyard - Teacher will ask what is creative writing? (Allows students to express their feelings, thoughts and emotions in a more informal way) - Teacher will model how to write with imagery- ask students to close their eyes; teacher will begin to describe walking outside of a backdoor and seeing a dinosaur; the dinosaur being described has a little yellow beak, large feathered pink wings, a round purple body, thin, scaly legs with orange webbed feet, and small black eyes - Students will be asked to include three pieces of information in their writing- What does the dinosaur look like? What would you say to the dinosaur? What would you do with the dinosaur? - Students will return to their seats to start writing in their writing notebook Differentiation: The teachers will model how to write with imagery, so the reader is able to see their dinosaur without a picture. Students will write their creative writing pieces independently. Questions that should be answered in their writing will be displayed on the white board for the students to refer to. ESL students, who sit near one another, will be provided with more support. The teacher will guide their writing by asking more questions for those students to answer. Questions: - Do you think dinosaurs could have lived in your backyard? Why? - What is creative writing? - Why is it sometimes beneficial to write creatively instead of academically? - If you were to walk outside and see a dinosaur in your backyard What would the dinosaur look like? What would you say to the dinosaur? What would you do with the dinosaur? Instructional Management: A whole group discussion will take place regarding if the students think it is possible that dinosaurs once lived in their backyard. Although each student is encourage to participate in the discussion, those who cannot provide appropriate feedback will be asked to sit at their desk. Students will work independently while writing and will not be sharing ideas until after everyone is finished. Transitions: Students will use their prior knowledge about where dinosaur fossils were found to formulate knowledgeable predictions about dinosaurs living in their backyard. They will also use

their knowledge to create an image of a dinosaur that they would see in their backyard. Students will be asked to move between their desks to the carpet throughout the lesson. Closure: The students will be called upon to read their writing pieces aloud to the class. We will discuss similarities and differences between the writing. Teachers will revisit the question asked in the beginning of the lesson; could dinosaurs have lived in your backyard? Students will be guided to the conclusion that they could have because dinosaur fossils have been found where we live.