Yoshi’s Dilemma: Writing Lesson

RATIONAL:

WHY:

• This lesson will be taught in order to aid students in reading through a posed dilemma and then choose a position in which to respond to the audience in letter format. The students will also be required to write at least two paragraphs in their letter, stating their position on the dilemma. They will also be checked for proper indentation, an introductory paragraph, and a central idea supported through simple facts or opinions. Students will be asked to respond using the reasoning of cause and effect, as well as posing and/or answering simple questions in the letter. Overall, the students will be required to read a short piece of literature to which they will write a responsive letter. Each of these objectives will help in meeting the parts of the language arts fourth grade writing standards.
  
• The learning goals set forth in this lesson will be to meet the required standards of the lesson. Students will be expected to comprehend the dilemma posed through the literature and write a responsive letter stating their opinion on the matter. Students have previously received a lesson on letter format and will be expected to produce a letter representing the proper format, as well as a multi-paragraph product. Both of these expectations will be based on the previous product in which the children learned proper letter format and then wrote a multi-paragraph letter to their parents.
  
• The students will benefit through this particular lesson because it will reinforce the letter format as well as practicing multi-paragraph products. The students will be expected to use critical thinking in a lesson such as this through the requirement of choosing a point of view regarding the dilemma and then supporting their view through simple facts.

WHO:

• The students that will participate in this lesson belong to a fourth grade classroom at Roosevelt Elementary School.
  
• There will be a total of thirty-two students consisting of fourteen boys and eighteen girls between the ages of nine and ten.
  
• Of these students, nine are on the free or reduced lunch program.
  
• Three of the students are considered English language proficient and seven are considered English language learners. Six of these seven children are classified as advanced intermediate English Language learners. The seventh child is considered an intermediate ELL.
  
• The learning styles of this group include: visual, audio, spatial, narrative, and aesthetic. This was determined by prior assessments and conversations with previous teachers.
  
• In this class, there are two children with special needs to be considered. One child has a 504 plan requiring a seat with a clear view of the instructional area, as well as allowing more time for the student to complete the assignment. There is also a child with an IEP plan showing the student’s current academic level at a second grade level. This student will be allowed more time as well as specific accommodations, including a single paragraph letter as opposed to a multi-paragraph letter. Furthermore, there are seven ELL students that will be allowed to write one to two paragraphs depending on their proficiency level. Due to the fact that most of the children are considered advanced intermediate ELL’s they will write two paragraphs, while the final ELL student considered to be intermediate may write only one paragraph.

WHAT:

• In order to participate fully in this lesson students need to comprehend multi-perspectives on a single issue. Students have been introduced to the concept of multiple perspectives through the discussions surrounding Sandra Kaplin. This includes many different academic terms, and the term ‘multiple perspectives’ is one of them. They students have practiced this idea with simple stories as well as complex ideas presented in a non-fiction story about Rachel Carson and the effects of DDT. After these experiences, the students should be prepared to look at a story and work with multiple perspectives on their own. They also need to understand how to develop their own opinions and write them in letter format to a specified audience, which they have also practiced during the time spent on Sandra Kaplin’s ideas.
  
• This lesson will build on the student’s understanding of multi-perspectives discussed during a previous story offering opposing views on a single subject. It will also require the students to recall proper letter format and correct indentation.

CONTENT INFORMATION:

• This lesson fits into the current curriculum regarding the environment. The students have been examining stories and multiple perspectives about environmental issues. This lesson will consist of a dilemma that involves the environment and the children will examine differing perspectives to decide what idea they support.
  
• This lesson fits into some of the California writing standards for the fourth grade:

DOMAIN WRITING:

Strand: 1.0 Writing Strategies and 2.0 Writing Applications

Substrand: Organization and Focus / Responses to Literature

Standards:

1.1 States that the students will be able to select a focus, an organizational structure and point of view based upon purpose, audience, length and format requirements.


Relationship to Standard: Students will read through a posed dilemma and choose a position in which to respond to the audience in letter format in order to meet this standard.


1.2 States that the students will make multi-paragraph compositions.


Relationship to Standard: The students will be required to write at least two paragraphs in their letter, demonstrating proper indentation, an introductory paragraph, and a central idea supported through simple facts or opinions.


1.3 States that the students will use traditional structures to convey information.


Relationship to Standard: Students will respond using reasoning of cause and effect, as well as posing and/or answering simple questions to meet this standard.


2.2 States that the students will write responses to literature.


Relationship to Standard: The students will be required to read a short piece of literature to which they will write a responsive letter.

• This lesson will be building on the student’s prior knowledge about multiple perspectives with regards to environmental issues as well as their prior knowledge about letter format. They will produce a letter based on a previous lesson and be allowed to refer back to their first letter to ensure proper format. They also will be reminded of previous lessons and discussions on what weighing the pros and cons of an issue means. They will be asked to determine the pros and cons of the issue presented in the literature and take a side to argue for or against.
• In subsequent lessons, the students will use their knowledge of multiple perspectives and development of opinion on differing issues. They will also be able to use the letter format in following lessons to compare and contrast information.
  

WHAT:

• As an educator, it is important to understand the essential elements of interactive writing (McCarrier, Pinell, and Fountas, 2000). To begin, the teacher must know how to connect the prior experiences and opinions developed by the children to the current assignment. Next, the educator should aid in developing a discussion of the issue to establish the purpose of this assignment and application to learning. The students must also have a previous knowledge of how to construct the text, or letter, they are writing. Upon composing this text, the students must understand how to proofread their own text and that of a fellow student. Finally, they must understand how to extend this learning into other realms. This may take some prompting on the part of the educator, but it is necessary to connect the learning to future tasks. In this case it would be beneficial for the educator to remind students of the letters they wrote to their parents, the letters that they read about in a previous story, and the concept of writing a letter to a friend or politician to discuss issues or thoughts.
  
• The meaning behind the letter format: A letter is defined as ‘a piece of writing to be sent to a person or group’. This means that the students will be writing their thoughts explicitly to a particular audience. They will also employ the format that was outlined in a previous lesson. This includes: an address and the date at the top right, a formal greeting, indentation at the first line, correct punctuation, indentation on any subsequent paragraphs, and a proper closing followed by a signature. The children will also include their reasoning about the cause and effects of the issues presented to them in the letter to Yoshi. They will be asked to write what will occur as a result of the actions that Yoshi will take or not take, based on their advice.
  
• The information above was found in the language arts reader, and the proper letter format is from a poster display in the classroom and lesson a lesson based on that presentation done two days prior.
  

OBJECTIVES:

Cognitive:
The students will be expected to write a letter demonstrating that they have a particular opinion about the dilemma presented to them. They will also write the letter properly, using indentation, and correct punctuation. This will be demonstrated in their product, whether they persuasively illustrate their opinions about one side of the issue and whether they use proper indentation and punctuation.

Affective:

Students who have difficulty with reading and writing will be given specific support by the teacher, as well as lowered requirements for English Language learners. This will be done so that those students can finish the work in the allotted time in order to feel better about the work they have accomplished.

Those who move at a faster pace and are quite sure of their work will be asked to help proofread others work at their table groups. They will also be asked to make a more lengthy argument in their letter regarding the stance they have taken on the issue. This will be done to help promote a greater sense of self by helping those around them.

Social:

Students will be expected to listen well during the instructional time and raise their hands to participate in the discussion. They will need to respect those around them at their table groups by refraining from talking during the writing time. If they do not follow these guidelines, they will be given a class warning, followed by check marks on the board next to the word ‘class’, which removes minutes from the recess time. They will also be expected to behave appropriately when using the materials passed out to them including rough draft and final draft paper.

MATERIALS:

Thirty-two copies of

Yoshi’s Dilemma

, rough draft paper, colored pencils for peer editing, final draft paper, and overheads to use as a model. (It would be helpful to tack up a poster containing the essential elements of the letter format).

LESSON PROCEDURES

Explicit Instruction:


10:30 Students return from recess and will sit quietly in their seats awaiting instruction.


Engage:


10:30 The educator will promote an excited feeling in the room when discussing the pros
and cons of the issue presented. The educator will speak in an exuberant tone and
demonstrate a passion for the materials by engaging the students in the issue through a discussion.

10:31 Educator tells students that they will be employing their new skill of writing a letter in
the following assignment. Remind them that this is a new tool that they can now
use to write letters to anyone they imagine.

10:33 Check for understanding: Ask students to tell the different parts that construct
an appropriate letter. (Address, Date, Greeting, Indent, Closing, Signature).


Explain:


10:32 Educator will review the entire letter format with students on the overhead.
Place a college-ruled sheet on the overhead and discuss margins on the page.
Remind students that their rough draft paper will not have margins. Next, draw a margin on the page to illustrate to students where the margin will appear on their final draft paper.

10:38 Begin letter format by writing the school address at the top right hand side of the page
followed by the date.

10:40 Check for understanding: Ask students why you would write an address and the date
at the top of the page. (Return address, reference to the date written).

10:42 Remind students to use a proper greeting, such as ‘Dear’ and to write the word ‘Dear’
at the margin line. Next, remind students to indent the first line under the greeting. Also, tell students to move every subsequent sentence out to the margin.

10:45 Check for understanding: Ask students to raise their hands and repeat the instructions with regards to proper letter format.


Explain/Explore:


10:50 Inform students that they will now be given a dilemma where they have to make a choice about what a young boy should do.

10:51 Define dilemma, ‘a situation where someone must choose between unpleasing options’. Require at least two students to restate in their words what the definition
means to them to gain clarification for each student.

10:52 Tell the children that they will now read through a dilemma in which a young boy must decide between two difficult choices. Pass out the literature and call on
different students to read parts of the passage.

10:55 Stop students and discuss the two options that face the young boy.
One: to continue whaling to provide for his family and eventually cause the Minke whale to become extinct. Two: Stop whaling and have difficulty finding a new job while his sick mother is dying at home.

11:00 Check for understanding: Ask students to list the pros and cons of the aspects of this situation.

11:02 Write this list up on the overhead as pros and cons with regards to the dilemma.

11:05 Discuss with students the two sides of the issue and tell them that they will now write a letter to the young boy offering him advice from their own point of view on the
subject. The educator will explore with the students what this might look like on the overhead. Explain that they must have a topic sentence stating their opinion on the situation and write three supporting sentences for this topic sentence. Remind them about paragraph format before writing this letter to build on their prior knowledge. In order to differentiate instruction to include all students inform them
that you expect at least two short paragraphs, but if a student feels that s/he can
write more, they may write up to four short paragraphs. Inform the ELL and special
needs students that they may write one or two paragraphs depending on their level of academic ability.

11:07 Tell students that they will first write a rough draft that they must have proofread and signed by a peer before the teacher will check it over. When peer editing
the editor must provide two praises, one criticism and underline any words that appear to be misspelled. This will be done as a team in order to discuss any
issues that arise pertaining to the students work. After a fellow student and the teacher have both read it over and signed the rough draft, the student will
be allowed to begin their final draft.

11:10 Check for understanding: Ask students to raise their hands and repeat the process of
writing the letter. Ask two students to repeat the process allowed to the class for
clarification.

11:15 The educator will communicate the learning goals to the students at this time.
Stress that proper letter format is a requirement for the fourth grade. Stress that the
response to this literature will meet a standard for fourth grade as well, so the
teacher expects their best work. Next, pass out the rough draft paper and allow
students to begin work on their rough draft. Remind them that they can refer back
to their passage for spelling and ideas.

11:18 Teacher should monitor the classroom, walking around and responding to any
questions one on one. Check that the students have their finished product checked
by a fellow classmate before they raise their hand and ask the teacher to look it
over.


Extend:


11:20 Remind students that they may write further paragraphs to develop their opinion on
the matter and attempt to persuade the young boy they are writing to, to agree with their point of view.

11:25 Call students back together with a tone sound. Say “Stop, Look Listen” after ringing
the tone. Take a moment to remind students the value of the letter format in that they can now write to any person they can imagine.


Closure:


11:26 No matter where students are in the process, ask them to listen carefully as you reflect
on the lesson.

11:27 Explain to students how this lesson relates to previous units that dealt with the
environment.

11:28 Check for understanding: Ask students to raise their hands and tell you what stories
they have read that apply to this subject matter and how.

11:30 The teacher will summarize the ideas stated by the students and add to them as s/he
sees necessary. For example, be sure to reflect on any stories read about whales, and be
sure to discuss multiple perspectives discussed during the previous unit and how
this relates to the topic at hand. Furthermore, include reflection time on the
students’ opinions. Discuss how the students have stated an opinion and supported
it in their letters to Yoshi.

ASSESSMENT:

• During the lesson, the teacher will monitor learning by checking for understanding and requiring more than one student to respond to the questions posed. It will also be necessary to walk around the classroom while the students are working to watch as they compose their letters, checking that they are following the format that was covered prior to the project.
  
• To check that the objectives are being met watch for proper letter format and proof of critical thinking in the letter. The student should clearly express one opinion on the dilemma to display an understanding of the lesson.
  
• Furthermore, the students should display the affective and social objectives through cooperative work with a partner during the peer editing part of the process. They should offer two comments that compliment the work, one criticism and underline any words that they believe to be misspelled. They will do this as a pair discussing each of the issues raised. Explicitly watch that this occurs during the peer editing process to assess the learning properly.
  
• In order to record some of the interactions, write simple comments on the student’s rough drafts that they will submit at the end of the lesson. Be sure to write a compliment or solicit further comments from their peers on the rough draft to remember the interactions that occurred.

PRODUCT:

• In order to collect evidence of student learning, request both the rough drafts with the corrections written on them along with the final drafts. Use these to compare to one another and assess the comprehension and learning that occurred during the lesson.
  
• To document student achievement that students will need to make all of the proper corrections to their final drafts, and follow each of the guidelines set forth in the lesson.
  
• To be sure that the cognitive objectives were met, check that the letter format was followed entirely, that a specific opinion was expressed in the letter, and that the students corrected his/her own work with a peer prior to executing the final draft.
  
• Keep in mind modifications for ELL’s, 504′s or IEP children. In this specific class ,there is one 504 and one IEP that will be required to write only one paragraph. ELL children will be directed to write one to two paragraphs depending on their level of proficiency. Students should be able to state their opinion and support it in one paragraph by following proper paragraph format. This includes a topic sentence stating an opinion, followed by three sentences that support that topic sentence.

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Jill Bertaina

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