Informational Standard The student produces informational writing (e.g., report, procedures, correspondence) that: a. Engages the reader by establishing a context, creating a speaker’s voice, and otherwise developing reader interest.

b. Develops a controlling idea that conveys a perspective on a subject. c. Creates an organizing structure appropriate to a specific purpose, audience, and context. d. Includes appropriate facts and details e. Excludes extraneous details and inappropriate information.

f. Uses a range of appropriate strategies, such as providing facts and details, describing or analyzing the subject, and narrating a relevant anecdote. g. Draws from more than one source of information such as speakers, books, newspapers, and online materials. h. Provides a sense of closure to the writing.

i. Lifts the level of language using appropriate strategies including word choice. Essential Question: What type of information should be included in this genre? Task: Day 1: Graphic Organizer Day 2: Rough Draft Day 3: Final Draft

Circumstance Students will work individually to create a graphic organizer, rough draft, and final draft over the writing prompt given.

Procedure Day one – February 22 View the presentation and read the prompt and brainstorm about ideas. Construct a graphic organizer that has all of the information for the piece of writing. Check the organizer for errors.

Procedure Day two – February 23 Use the graphic organizer you created to write a rough draft. Once the rough draft is complete, check for errors and make any needed corrections. Check the writing rubrics to make sure you are following the guidelines for the state writing test.

Procedure Day three – February 24 Use the corrected rough draft to compose your final draft. It should be neatly written and easy to read. Once complete, check the final draft for any errors and correct as needed.

Informational Writing What is it?

Definition: Nonfiction text (real, not just “realistic”) Used to inform or explain something to the reading audience Many different types…

Examples of informational texts: Newspapers - a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements

Examples of informational texts: Biographies – accounts of the series of events of a person’s life (not Bibliographies) Autobiographies – biographies of yourself

Examples of informational texts: Almanacs - annual publications of weather forecasts and other information arranged according to the calendar of a given year

Examples of informational texts: NO! …at least not all sections QUESTION: Are ALL Magazines informational?? Magazines - periodic publications containing pictures, stories, and articles of interest to those who purchase or subscribe to it

Examples of informational texts: Is this an informational text?

Let’s see if it fits our requirements… Is it used to inform or explain something to the reading audience? Is it nonfiction? YES! No, BUT… it uses fiction to portray fact

Is it informational? YES!!

Examples of informational texts: Is this an informational text?

Let’s see if it fits our requirements… Is it used to inform or explain something to the reading audience? Is it nonfiction? Yes NO!!

Is it informational? NO!!

How is an informational text different from other writing? Informational writing is factual while fiction writing is not. Informational writing is written to inform or explain something while fictional writing often is a story conveying an authors point of view or is written simply to entertain.

How is informational text similar to other types of writing? Just as in fictional writing, it is important to consider your audience Just as in fictional writing, it is important to have a focused purpose to your writing

Informational Writing Topic 5210 Think about a game you enjoy. You have a friend who has never played the game but wants to learn. In a report to your friend, describe the game and explain how it is played. Be sure to explain the rules, the equipment, the number of players, and anything else your friend might need to know to play the game.