2.1 Organizing for the Journey Ahead

Connection If there was a fire in your house and you could only carry out a few things, what would you grab? If you were a settler going out west, what would you bring? If you were starting a new writing project (on Westward Expansion!) what would you bring to help you with the project?

Connection If there was a fire in your house and you could only carry out a few things, what would you grab? If you were a settler going out west, what would you bring? If you were starting a new writing project (on Westward Expansion!) what would you bring to help you with the project? Knowledge of informational texts Knowledge of the writing process Knowledge about the topic!

Teaching Point Today I want to teach you that researchers organize what they are bringing with them to their writing so it is easier to find and use those things.

Teaching Lots of post-it notes that you will need to organize into categories. You did this in previous grades.  We will start by organizing my post-it notes. Start with loose-leaf paper made into a booklet. I put the post-its on chart paper so I can see them all.

Active Engagement Now you try organizing your notes! Your post-it will either go at the top of the page as a section heading or further down the page if it is not a heading but a subtopic. Tomorrow we will flash-draft research reports to help you know what you still need to know.

Mid-Workshop Teaching Two ways to get ready to draft 1. teach someone what you know (then revise your organization based on how it went) 2. study published authors to see how they have done the same work (and then try that same work) New Way 3. Get feedback on your plan for writing from a partner! Say something like “Here’s my plan for writing so far. What do you think?”

Homework Make sure you have your notes ready for writing tomorrow!