Classroom Resource

Writers' Workshop: The Biographical Sketch

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

3, 4, 5

Overview

While engaging in the processes of researching, writing, and evaluating short biographical sketches, students can master essential writing skills and enhance their content area learning. In this unit, students discuss standard elements in a biography and examine the characteristics of the genre in a workshop setting. After selecting and researching a contemporary or historical figure using online databases, students practice writing short biographies. They then offer feedback on others' compositions and publish final drafts for reading aloud and displaying in class.

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.R5

Utilize the writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.3.R5

Vocabulary

  • Writing process
  • Plan
  • Draft
  • Revise
  • Edit
  • Publish
  • Genres

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The writing process steps are to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish.
  • Various genres of writing.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Plan writings in various genres.
  • Draft writings in various genres.
  • Revise writings in various genres.
  • Edit writings in various genres.
  • Publish writings in various genres.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • The writing process is a set of steps that make writing easier.
  • There are different categories, or genres, of writing that can be used for different purposes.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.34

Write informative or explanatory texts about a topic using sources, including an introduction, facts, relevant details with elaboration, and a conclusion.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.3.34

Vocabulary

  • Informative text
  • Explanatory text
  • Sources
  • Topic
  • Introduction
  • Facts
  • Relevant details
  • Elaboration
  • Conclusion

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Informative or explanatory text is a piece of writing that provides factual information that was gathered from research sources.
  • Informative or explanatory text begins by introducing the topic, provides facts and relevant details, and ends with a conclusion.
  • Elaboration means to supply additional information about a detail by using academic, content-specific vocabulary or by including text features.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Gather information from sources.
  • Write an informative or explanatory text using information gathered from sources.
  • Write an informative or explanatory text that begins with introducing the topic, provides facts and details about the topic, and ends with a conclusion.
  • Elaborate on details included in the text.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Informative or explanatory writing follows a predictable text structure that includes introducing the topic, providing facts or additional details about the topic, and ends with a conclusion.
  • They must gather their facts about the topic from a research source.
  • Informative or explanatory writing can be used to tell facts about a topic.
  • Writers elaborate details included in the text by using academic, content-specific vocabulary and text features.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.39

Gather and evaluate information about a topic from a variety of sources, including digital sources, and utilize it to create a project, report, or presentation.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.3.39

Vocabulary

  • Gather
  • Evaluate
  • Information
  • Topic
  • Sources
  • Digital sources
  • Utilize
  • Project
  • Report
  • Presentation

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Information can be gathered from print or digital sources.
  • Strategies to gather and evaluate information.
  • Relevant information about a topic should be added to a project, report, or presentation.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Gather information about a topic from a variety of print and digital sources.
  • Evaluate the relevance of the information to the topic.
  • Use information to create a project, report, or presentation.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • The first step in creating a project, report, or presentation is gathering and evaluating information from a variety of sources.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.R4

Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.4.R4

Vocabulary

  • Writing process
  • Plan
  • Draft
  • Revise
  • Edit
  • Publish
  • Genres

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The writing process steps are to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish.
  • Various genres of writing.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Plan writings in various genres.
  • Draft writings in various genres.
  • Revise writings in various genres.
  • Edit writings in various genres.
  • Publish writings in various genres.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • The writing process is a set of steps that make writing easier.
  • There are different categories, or genres, of writing that can be used for different purposes.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.33

Use research to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.4.33

Vocabulary

  • Research
  • Clear
  • Coherent
  • Development
  • Organization
  • Task
  • Purpose
  • Audience

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Research happens when you look up information about a topic.
  • Clear and coherent writing is organized into a text structure and develops ideas with the addition of details.
  • Writing styles can vary depending on the task, the purpose, and the intended audience.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Gather research information about a topic.
  • Create writing that is clear, coherent, and appropriate to the task, the purpose, and the audience.
  • Organize writing into a particular structure and develop ideas using details.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Before writing an informative text, they should gather information through research.
  • There writing should always be clear and coherent, but the style may change depending on the task, purpose, and audience.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.36

Write informative or explanatory text about a topic using sources, incorporating academic vocabulary, and including an introduction, facts, details with elaboration, and a conclusion.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.4.36

Vocabulary

  • Informative text
  • Explanatory text
  • Topic
  • Sources
  • Academic vocabulary
  • Introduction
  • Facts
  • Details with elaboration
  • Conclusion

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Informative or explanatory text is a piece of writing that provides factual information that was gathered from research sources.
  • Informative or explanatory text begins by introducing the topic, provides facts and relevant details, and ends with a conclusion.
  • Elaboration means to supply additional information about a detail by using academic vocabulary or by including text features.
  • Academic vocabulary is more formal and specific than spoken language.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Gather information from sources.
  • Write an informative or explanatory text using information gathered from sources.
  • Write an informative or explanatory text that begins with introducing the topic, provides facts and details about the topic, and ends with a conclusion.
  • Elaborate on details included in the text using academic vocabulary.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Informative or explanatory writing follows a predictable text structure that includes introducing the topic, providing facts or additional details about the topic, and ends with a conclusion.
  • They must gather their facts about the topic from a research source.
  • Writers elaborate details included in the text by using formal academic vocabulary and text features.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.R4

Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.R4

Vocabulary

  • Writing process
  • Plan
  • Draft
  • Revise
  • Edit
  • Publish
  • Genres

Knowledge

Students know:
  • The writing process steps are to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish.
  • Various genres of writing.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Plan writings in various genres.
  • Draft writings in various genres.
  • Revise writings in various genres.
  • Edit writings in various genres.
  • Publish writings in various genres.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • The writing process is a set of steps that make writing easier.
  • There are different categories, or genres, of writing that can be used for different purposes.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.35

Write informative or explanatory texts using multiple sources to examine a topic, conveying ideas and information clearly and incorporating a strong organizational structure, relevant details, and elaboration.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.35

Vocabulary

  • Informative text
  • Explanatory text
  • Sources
  • Topic
  • Organizational structure
  • Details
  • Elaboration

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Informative or explanatory text is a piece of writing that provides factual information that was gathered from multiple research sources.
  • Informative or explanatory text begins by introducing the topic, provides facts and relevant details, and ends with a conclusion.
  • Elaboration means supplying additional information about details by using academic vocabulary or including text features.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Gather information from multiple sources.
  • Write an informative or explanatory text using information gathered from sources.
  • Write an informative or explanatory text with a clear, organized structure.
  • Elaborate on details included in the text using academic vocabulary or text features.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Informative or explanatory writing follows a predictable text structure that includes introducing the topic, providing facts or additional details about the topic, and ends with a conclusion.
  • They must gather their facts about the topic from multiple research sources.
  • Writers elaborate details included in the text by using formal academic vocabulary and text features.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.37

Write about research findings independently over short and/or extended periods of time.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.37

Vocabulary

  • Research findings
  • Independently
  • Short periods of time
  • Extended periods of time

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Researching a topic begins by finding information from multiple sources.
  • Independent writing skills.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Find information on a particular topic from a variety of research sources.
  • Independently write about research findings over short and extended periods of time.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They can share information they have learned about a topic through writing.
  • Some writing projects will last a short time, while others may take longer to complete.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.38

Gather information on a topic or question, and share the results through various modes of writing, including projects and presentations.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.38

Vocabulary

  • Topic
  • Question
  • Results
  • Modes of writing
  • Projects
  • Presentations

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Effective research skills.
  • Transferable writing skills applicable to many modes of writing.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Research information from a variety of sources to explain a topic or answer a question.
  • Share information learned through research in various modes of writing, including projects and presentations.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They can share their research findings through multiple modes of writing, including presentations and projects.
Link to Resource
http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/writers-workshop-bio…

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

ReadWriteThink
Accessibility
License

License Type

Custom

Custom License Type (URL)

http://www.readwritethink.org/util/legal.html

Approved Date

raulstoncg
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