Writing Lesson Plan

Big Idea: Classifying Our World

Standard: 1.W.3.2 Develop a topic sentence or main idea, provide some facts or
details about the topic, and provide a concluding statement.
Objective: After the mini-lesson, students will be able to write a full sentence
describing what they enjoy about winter.
Trait of Writing: Ideas
Assessment:
Students will be given a sentence starter that says I like Winter because.
Students must finish the sentence with at least one reason they enjoy the season of
Winter. (worksheet attached)
Special Considerations (Adaptations, Accommodations, etc.):
Management of Time:
- About 35 minutes for entire lesson
- Times listed next to each section of the lesson
Management of Materials: I will use the smart board to project the list we create as
a class (with pre-chosen pictures) on the board for students to refer to during writing
time
Management of Space: during the read-aloud, students will be on the carpet in their
assigned squares. They will transition to their desks for the mini-lesson, and then stay
in their desks during the writing task.
Management of Behavior: Students will sit smart on the carpet in their assigned
seats. If students are off task or misbehaving in a way that is a disruption, they will
clip down on the chart. In the same way, if I notice amazing behavior and procedures
by certain students, they will clip up on the chart.
Adaptations to Diverse Learners:
- I will have Noah, Levi, and Gezelle sit closely to me during the writing time so I
can access them all easily for questions.
- If I notice that Heaven and Keelan are having trouble sitting still during the
lesson, I will have them put their chair at the back of the room and stand to write.
Minilesson (listening and speaking):
I. Anticipatory Set (2 minutes)
- Have you ever thought about something really great; I mean, it was the best ever, and then
you forgot about it?
- Let students respond
- I do it all the time. I will think of something in the car, or while I am taking a shower, but
then when I get out, I forget.

- Is there a way that I could remember all the cool things I was thinking about?
- Have students give suggestions and probe them toward saying that I could write down my
idea
II. Purpose
- Today we are going to learn how to come up with and keep track of our great ideas
since we will use them our whole lives.
III. Introduce the Topic (3 minutes) (listening)
- So I told you we are talking about ideas. Ideas are things we come up with on our own
that we can write about. When we think of an idea, it is important to write it down so you
can remember what it was. Big ideas are important because they are creative and
personal to you. They make you unique. Another thing to remember is that when we talk
about ideas, we are not just talking about one simple thing, like a turkey. An idea would
be that turkeys might get scared around Thanksgiving. Ideas are something we can write
a story about.
IV. Share Examples (Read Aloud) (10 minutes) (listening and speaking)
- Read Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
- In this book, this pigeon had the idea that he wanted to drive the bus. And throughout
the book, he tried and tried to drive the bus, but we wouldnt let him. So what did the
Pigeon do when he didnt get to drive the bus?
- Let students respond and probe the answer that he came up with a new idea
V. Provide Information (Model) (5 minutes) (listening and speaking)
- We are going to practice coming up with great ideas, just like the pigeon.
- I am going to give you a topic, and I want you to think really hard in your brains to come
up with things that go with that topic. Think of things you picture in your mind, or
somethings you did that reminds you of the topic. A good idea is something you can write a
lot about. It shouldnt be one random you just thought of. It should be something you can
think a lot about.
- So our fist topic is School. I want you to think of ideas you could write about school. A
good idea is something you can write a lot about. It shouldnt just be one word, like a pencil,
because you cant write a lot about a pencil. Raise your hand if you can tell me something
you think of when I say school. It could be a favorite subject, or something that you like to
do at school, or something that school makes you think of.
- Let students give ideas and make a web of the ideas on the board for students to see.
VI. Supervise Practice (5 minutes) (writing)
- Now, we did one web together about school. I am going to give you a worksheet with a
web on it where you can write ideas about Winter! I want you to either write words or
draw pictures of ideas you have when you think about Winter.
- Give students the worksheet.
- I will walk around the class during this time to remind students of directions and make
sure they are doing the task assigned.
VII. Assess learning
For formative assessment, I will listen to student responses and try to call on
every student to gauge if students understand what big ideas are that they could write
about. I will also watch as students fill in their idea webs

For my summative assessment, students will be given a sentence starter that

says I like Winter because. Students must finish the sentence with at least one
reason they enjoy the season of Winter. (worksheet attached)

Writing (5 minutes):
Now I am going to give each of you a worksheet. It says I like Winter because and
then you are going to finish the sentence. I want you to use one of your ideas from your
web. Make sure you write a good sentence. Dont just say I like Winter because it is
pretty. Instead say, I like Winter because the trees are pretty when they are covered in
snow.
Students will write a complete sentence describing at least one thing they like about
Winter. They will be given a sentence starter that says I like Winter because
Have students check with me when they think they are finished so I can make sure they
completed the task fully.

Sharing: (Whole Group) (3 minutes) (Speaking)

Would anyone like to come in front of the class and share what they wrote in their
sentence?
Give a few students the chance to respond
Reflection:
1.
How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those
who did not, why not?
2.
What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3.
How should I alter this lesson?
4.
How would I pace it differently?
5.
Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6.
What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and
ability levels?
a.
Blooms Taxonomy
b.
Gardners Multiple Intelligences
7. Were students able to come up with their own good ideas about
Winter?
8. Were students able to write a good complete sentence, or did they
mostly write short, easy sentences?

Name ________________________________________

IDEAS ABOUT WINTER

WINTER

NAME _____________________

Finish the sentence

I like Winter because

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