Digging For Diamonds… LT: I can identify important words in a prompt and use them to plan my writing. BLING! Diamonds words are… Words that tell the purpose Important words that are repeated Words that give clues about the main ideas

Writing Situation: All students have responsibilities in the classroom. In the school handbook, there is a list of responsibilities. Student Responsibilities * Following rules * Using time wisely *Listening carefully *Attending school regularly *Completing homework Writing Directions: After looking at the list, write an article for the school newspaper about responsibilities that all students should know. Tell about the responsibilities you think are the most important. Think-aloud with a partner to identify the hidden diamonds, they are repeated, and/or they give clues about the main ideas.

Example of a think-aloud : The first word I notice is “responsibilities.” The purpose of this prompt is to write about responsibilities, so I think that’s a diamond word because it is part of the purpose. I also notice that the word is repeated several times in the prompt. That shows it has even more value. The prompt says to tell about the responsibilities students should know. The word “students” is important because that’s who would be reading my article. It’s in the prompt a couple of times, too. The third word I think is a diamond word is “important.” This prompt doesn’t tell me to write about every one of the responsibilities on the list. It says to tell about the ones I think are most important. I think that’s a diamond word I should use when I plan and write the on-demand piece. I know that I want at least three main ideas, so I’ll choose the three responsibilities I think are most important: following rules, homework, and listening. Those are diamond phrases too. BLING, BLING! I have diamond words!

Write to the Point planner – Use diamond words in the planner Top triangle – most important responsibilities First rectangle – first is listening Second rectangle – second is completing homework Third rectangle – third is following rules Bottom triangle – most important responsibilities With a partner- Use Responsibilities piece to locate all the places where diamond words appear in the piece.