Miranda Sirimis

Third Grade

Lawrenceville Elementary School

Ms. Gallagher
TCNJ Lesson Plan
Magazine Story Writing

Guiding and/or Essential Questions

How can words be powerful and used to make an impact?
How can working together with others help us be more productive and creative?
How do our surroundings have the ability to influence our thoughts, our ideas, and us?
Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Students Prior Knowledge
Prior to starting this lesson, students will have read the story Maxs Words by Kate Banks,
found in their Journeys literature textbook, earlier in the week. Students should be familiar with
the characters and the premise of the story. Students shouldve engaged with the text in a variety
of ways including literacy centers and whole class instruction, focusing on certain skills such as
target vocabulary found in the story, spelling words and patterns for the week, and
comprehension strategies related to determining the sequence of events in a story. Additionally,
students should also have been introduced to the genre of humorous fiction, what it means, and
have listened to other classroom read-alouds that pertain to this particular genre. Students should
also have had extensive practice with writing and composing narrative stories. Students have
been writing in their writers journals throughout the school year, and are familiar with the steps
involved in constructing a story that include brainstorming ideas, drafting, revising, and editing.
Students also have experience working in groups with other classmates to complete collaborative
assignments that require contribution from each group member.
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
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.3.3.A Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters;
organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which
the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from
print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing,
speaking, reading, or listening.
Learning Objectives and Assessments
Objectives
Students will identify the ways in which
writers get inspiration to write stories and
apply what they know about the writing

Assessments
The teacher will assess student responses and
contributions of how writers use inspiration
from their surroundings and ways they

process to develop their own stories with a

group.

personally get ideas when writing their own

stories. The teacher will assess students
explanations of the writing process and the
important parts of a good story, which include a
sequence of events; beginning/introduction,
middle, and end.

Students will compile words from various

magazines and arrange them in such a
manner to compose a single cohesive
narrative story.

Teacher will assess students finished stories for

appropriate completion of task, proper story
structure, creativity, and imagination.

Materials/Resources
[Curriculum Resource] Journeys literacy textbook and teachers manual
[Book]- found in textbook Maxs Words by Kate Banks
Large construction paper/poster paper
Assorted magazines
Scissors
Glue sticks
Markers, colored pencils, crayons, pencils
White board
Dry erase markers
Teacher example of story using cut words from magazine
Document camera and projector
Pre-cut sample/inspiration story starter words sorted into Ziploc baggies
Plan for setup/distribution of materials
Students will be seated on the rug at the start of the lesson. To display my example story to the
class, I will use the document camera and project the image on the white board so all students
can see clearly.
Afterwards, I will dismiss each group one at a time. As each group is dismissed from the rug to
begin work, I will hand one person the poster that will be used to complete their assignment on.
Along with the poster, I will hand students a Ziploc baggie of story starter words.
When students are seated with their groups, I will come around and hand each one a stack of
magazines that they will use to get started. Each group will be given at least five magazines to
start, so each student has one to look through. As the students continue their work in groups, I
will walk around and hand out more magazines as needed. The magazines will be placed in a
designated area of the classroom, the front rug, and students may choose to look through and
gather more if they would like. Students should be reminded that they are not supposed to have
more than two magazines at once. When they are finished looking through one magazine, they
will put it aside and I will come around to collect it and but it back on the front rug for other
students to look though and use if they would like.
Students have their own sets of scissors and glue sticks that they keep on hand at their desks.
Once students are dismissed from their groups, they will first go to their desk and gather the
materials needed before they begin working.

Lesson Steps
1. Lesson Beginning: The lesson will start with the students seated at the front rug. I will
start by asking the students to recall information from the story that they read this week,
titled, Maxs Words by Kate Banks. In the story, Max collects and cuts words from a
variety of sources that he then uses by putting them together to write his own story. I will
ask students to recall these main events of the story, asking what Max collects and how
he decides to use what he collects. I will call on students one at a time to answer the
questions. Students should be able to recall the information quickly and easily as they
have been working with the story for the past few days.
2. After students have recalled the main content of the story, I will ask them to connect this
content to broader ideas about the writing process and how they can apply Maxs
experience to their own writing endeavors. I will start by asking students what the
purpose and intent of Maxs collection was and why he started to cut all collect words
from various print sources. Students should be able to connect this information to the way
Maxs word collection inspired him to write his own story. The words served as the basis
and inspiration for which he constructed the story in the book. I will then have students
share their own experience with the writing process and ways in which they get
inspiration to write. As students raise their hands and contribute responses, I will write
down what they say on the white board, generating a class list. Students cannot only use
this list to learn more about their classmates, but they can use it to help them in their own
writing as well, when they are struggling to think of ideas.
3. Once I have finished this introductory discussion with the class, and our list has been
generated on the white board, I will explain to the students we are now going to be given
our own opportunity to write/compose a story, the same way Max did in the book. I will
explain the instructions for the activity and how they will be working in groups to look
through magazines, cut out and collect words, and put them together on a poster paper to
formulate a story. I will explain to the students that their stories can be about anything
they want, and the point is to use inspiration from the words they find to help them. The
words they come across may help trigger ideas for their story. I will explain that even
though their story can be silly and wacky, it should still make sense and follow a logical
story structure, just like other work they may have written in class before. When I say
logical structure, I will clarify that it should have a beginning, middle, and end. If doesnt
matter how long the story is, as long as it is well composed.
4. To help students, I will then show them an example of a story that I made using words
that I collected from magazines. I will show the students my story, read it out loud to
them, and reiterate the points that I made previously, offering suggestions. I will explain
to the students that the first thing they should do is cut out all their words. They should
collect the words, lay them out in their story, and then at the very end is when they should
glue the final product on their poster, once they are sure this is how they want their story.
I will also explain to the students that since they are working in groups, everyone should
be involved in the story production and that they should be working collaboratively with
their classmates. I will connect this to what the students learned from their story last week
that emphasizes the importance of teamwork and how they should keep this in mind as
they complete the assignment. I will also connect it to this weeks book and ask students

how Max used collaborative strategies when composing his stories. Students should
realize that Maxs brothers, Benjamin and Karl, contributed words to his story in the book
as well, thus reinforcing that every classmate should be contributing within their group.
5. After having thoroughly explained the instructions to the class, I will divide them into
groups one at a time, calling out the names that have already been presorted. Before
calling out the first groups names, I will explain that each group will also be receiving a
bag of words that I cut out ahead of time. Students can use the words as inspiration to
start their story, although they are not required to do so. I will also explain that students
may come across gaps in their stories because they are missing certain words. In this
case, students will be allowed to write in their own words on the poster. However, I will
remind them they should only be doing this sparingly, and that the vast majority of their
story should come from words that they cut from magazines. Students will then be
dismissed, one group at a time to begin working on the assignment.
6. As students are working in their groups, I will walk around the classroom to offer help
and guidance as needed. I will answer any questions that the students may have as they
are working. I will ensure that each group member is contributing, is actively involved,
and has a role/job to complete. My role as the facilitator of this activity will be to ensure
that that the students are staying on task, completing the assignment appropriately, and
working together effectively as a group.
7. Closure: Once the students have been given ample time to work on their stories, they will
be asked to clean up the materials and return the magazines to the pile on the front rug. I
will come around and collect each groups posters, checking to make sure that their
names are written on it. Students will return to their seats and I will explain to them that
we will be expanding on this activity again tomorrow with Miss Alu and will be
revisiting their stories that they made today.
Key Questions
What does Max collect in the book?
How does he use the words that he collects?
What is the purpose of his collection?
How do you get inspiration to write a story?
How does Max get inspiration for his story in the book?
How is a good story composed? What parts does it have?
How do his brothers, Benjamin and Karl, contribute to make the story even better?
Logistics
Timing (Approximately 41 minutes total)
Introduction and recall of story content- 3 minutes
Writing inspiration discussion- 5 minutes
Activity explanation and sample- 5 minutes
Activity completion and group work- 25 minutes
Clean up and closure- 3 minutes
Transitions
I will call the students over to the rug, if the class is not already seated there, one table at a time.
Once all the students are seated on the rug, we will start our discussion. After the discussion is

complete and instructions for the activity have been given, students will be dismissed one group
at a time and will move to a spot in the classroom that they choose to begin working. Students
may choose to either work on the floor or at tables. Students should choose an area of the
classroom that they feel comfortable, have enough space to work, and far enough away from
other groups that they will not be distracted. When the allotted time to work on the activity has
ended, I will signal to the class that time is up and tell the students to clean up and return to their
seats.
Classroom Management
During the class discussion, when students are seated on the rug, I will ensure that they are
seated properly and behaving appropriately. Each student should be seated on their own leaf to
ensure that there is enough space between each of them.
I will call on students one at a time, and only ask students to contribute responses if their hands
are raised, are listening attentively, and being quiet.
When students are contributing responses in regards to how they get inspiration for their writing,
other classmates may feel the need to call out and say that they do the same thing. To avoid
disruption, students will be reminded to the use the connection symbol instead of shouting out. I
will limit the number of responses I take from students to control time.
To avoid later conflict and student arguments during group work, I will be choosing the groups
that the class will be working in. The students that will be working together in each group are as
follows:
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Sahir
Charlie
Owen
Max
Alexa
Berjis
Akshat
Alicia
Sachin
Nicolas
Reidee
Quinn
Brianna
Charlotte
Luke
Charan
Emily
Amritha
As students are working in their groups, I will remind them that I am looking for good teamwork
and collaboration with their classmates. I will also remind them that they have opportunities to
earn table points for their team or shining star tickets for individual students that are working
nicely and as they should be.
If the class gets out of hand at any points, I will use the two-finger symbol to indicate that they
should settle down, lower their voices, and focus on the assignment. I will be walking around the
classroom as they work to ensure that things are running smoothly and efficiently.
Throughout the work period, I will check in with the students and give them reminders as to
what point they should be at in completing the assignment. When there is five minutes left in the
group work period, I will announce it to students and tell them that they should start finishing up
and putting any last minute finishing touches on their work. I will also announce when there is
one minute left and that students should be almost done with their work.
Differentiation
This lesson allows for differentiation opportunities throughout that will allow students with
various learning styles and skills to be successful. The lesson is differentiated in the group
placements based on student work habits and personalities. Having students work in groups
allows them to each take on a role that they feel most comfortable with based on their skill level
and capabilities. Some students may be better at generating ideas for the story where others may

be better at composing the structure of the story. The assignment is a collaborative effort that
allows students to work together and produce a story that is a culmination of all their strengths
combined. This activity works well for students who enjoy arts and crafts and work better with
visual support. The activity is very tactile in that students are able to physically cut out words
from magazines and manipulate them in such a manner to form a story. Students who are not as
strong verbally or linguistically will benefit from this as the words are already produced for
them; it is simply a matter of putting them together in a way that makes sense. Some students
may struggle with writing and the revision process, often feeling the need to go back, erase their
work, start over, etc. Using cut words aids in this process as students can move them about freely
and edit the story how they choose before producing the final product by gluing the words to the
paper. Using words already written out and produced for them allows students to solely focus on
the content of the story, rather than also having to focus their attention on spelling and other
grammatical word writing conventions. An example of a finished story following this format will
be shown to students and can be used as a model. The sample story will remain projected on the
whiteboard throughout the duration of the lesson for students to refer back to while working if
necessary. I will wear the microphone around my neck to ensure that Charlie can hear me
properly throughout the lesson and can hear the instructions for the activity clearly.