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Friday, August 29, 2014

Free Lesson Plan for 6 Writing Traits: IDEAS for 2nd-4th Grade

A FREE printable Lesson Plan to teach the Six (6) Writing Traits, IDEAS Trait to 2nd, 3rd, or 4th Graders in the library by the librarian, by a classroom teacher, or at a home school environment.  Use picture books to teach good writing; it's the best way. Alohamora Open a Book http://alohamoraopenabook.blogspot.com/

Last week I shared a lesson plan for the 6 Writing Traits. It was for the trait, IDEAS and it was geared to Kindergarten and 1st Grade students.  It obviously can be adapted to other grades, and I know some of you have already done that.  

I wanted to share another Six Writing Traits: IDEAS Lesson Plan, but this free lesson and printable is geared towards 2nd- 4th grade.  

You can obviously adapt the lesson to your grade, class, and student whether you are in a school or home schooled environment however you see fit.  

This lesson, as in any lesson I share with you, can be taught by the librarian in the library, teacher in the classroom, or a parent at home.  

I used several books for this lesson, but I only read one of them, Miss Nelson is Back by Harry Allard.  The books can easily be checked out from a library or purchased from Amazon

For any easy click and print version of the lesson plan click here for the document.  

I also reference a SmartBoard Notebook file.  It doesn't need to be used, but I love the visual and I always use a SmartBoard if I have access to it.  If you would like the file just email me {meganruth(at)gmaildotcom} and I will send it to you.  



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Written by/Copyright: Alohamora Open a Book  http://www.alohamoraopenabook.blogspot.com/

Lesson Plan written for library instruction or classroom instruction.

Six Traits of Writing: Ideas Lesson Plan for 2nd – 4th grade

What Taught/Objective:  Where we can get ideas for our writing. 

Materials Needed:    -          Smartboard file- Ideas (Email me for it: meganruthatgmaildotcom)
-          Books


How Taught:
1-     Show the 3 Polacco books.  What do all 3 of these books have in common?

a.       By the same author.  Patricia Polacco

2-   Every author gets their ideas a different way.  I was curious to how Polacco gets her ideas for her books.  She has written so many books.

a.   Where do you think she got ideas for her books?  They are so different.

b.   I just thought why not ask her or more like I am sure someone else has asked her and I can find her answer.  Where do you think I could look to find the answer to where she gets ideas for her writing?

c.   On her website she says that

                                                                          i. Go to website.  Mention you can find information on a lot of authors on the internet.

                                                                        ii. It talks about her, how she grew up, and her family.  I’ll keep looking b/c this information is interesting; it doesn’t answer my question of where she gets her ideas.

                                                                      iii. More than halfway down (prob ¾ down) she says she gets ideas the same place I do… her imagination.

                                                                      iv. So authors get some really fantastic ideas from their imagination.
 
                                                                        v. You can use your imagination and take a unique, original, approach to the topic/idea.

3-   Well what about these other books from different authors.  Do you think they all get their ideas from their imagination or do you think they might get their ideas from somewhere else?  Let’s look closer at them.

4-    A Drop of Water: A book of science and wonder by Walter Wick.

a.  Well I see water every day.  Whether it’s raining or snowing outside to drinking water.  Do you see water every day?

b.   Where do you think Walter Wick got his idea for this water book?

c.   So we can get ideas for our writing from the things we see around us?

d.   But he took a unique/original approach.  A way no one else has. 

5-   What about this other book?  Jack and the Giant: A story full of beans by Jim Harris.

a.   We are just guessing but where do you think he could’ve gotten his idea for this jack and the giant book.

b.   Now I have heard of Jack and the Beanstalk and it involves a big giant and beans.  Do you think this book could be similar to Jack and the Beanstalk?  Could we get our ideas from other stories? 

                                                                          i.  Yes, but we would have to change them.  They can’t be the exact same story.  We should change them a lot.

                                                                        ii.  Notice that this Jack and the giant/beanstalk story has a cowboy hat on and he is riding a buffalo and with a musical instrument- ukulele.  Well in the real story it is a harp and a chicken that lays golden eggs. 

                                                                      iii.  When you read the book you can tell that there are some similarities but they are very different as well.

                                                                      iv.  But he took a unique/original approach.  A way no one else has. 

6-   What about this book- Miss Nelson is Back by Harry Allard

a.   Where do you think this author could’ve possibly gotten his idea?

b.   Well everyone goes to school.  They look like they are at school.  Maybe this could’ve happened to him.

7-   Let’s Read Miss Nelson is Back and maybe we can get a better idea.

8-  That was a fun story.  We could possibly say that the author’s idea came from his imagination.  Authors also write from things that happen to them.  We could say that this possibly happened to him.  Though we don’t know for sure, we could find it online.

9-   So if I want to write something… where could I get some ideas for my writing?  B/c I can’t write something amazing if I don’t have any ideas.

a.  Imagination like Polacco

b.  Things around us like our Water book.

c.   Other stories but changed a lot like our Jack and the Giant

d.   Things that happen to us or maybe people we know

e.   We always want to take a unique/original approach.  A way no one else has. 


How Assessed:  By the review at the end of where to get ideas for our writing.  At this point if you are in the classroom you can begin to have the students brainstorm using a web or just list out individually some ideas they have and/or where they can get ideas for writing.   

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Happy fun picture book reading and teaching students and kids on the IDEAS writing trait! 

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