Alyssa McEwen

English 313
6/2/2015
Grade Level: 4th grade
Writing Standard 2
Objective:
Through the All About ME activity students will be able to write
informative and explanatory texts to convey ideas using related
information in paragraphs and sections. After explaining the definition
of informational texts to the students and comparing them to opinion
pieces, students will be able to brainstorm their own facts (not
opinions) about themselves on a piece of paper. We will start with the
prompt; describe your family (also seen on the prompt ideas sheet).
The students will list all the facts using truthful evidence to inform a
reader about their family.
After brainstorming and working with that prompt the students will
work to put individual sentences into a sequential paragraph that
describes and informs their family. By the end of this lesson students
will know how to take the facts they know about themselves and
implement them using guided prompts to create paragraphs of
information to help the reader comprehend the information clearly.
Background:
Sentence complexity- In previous lessons and in previous years of school they know
how to write sentences, use punctuation, and create paragraphs.
Headings- Students will have already been introduced to headings and
subheadings, where they belong and how they are used to
describe individual topics.
Facts vs. Opinions- Students should have prior experiences with informational texts
and opinion pieces of writing.
Describing events- With previous experiences students will understand verbs,
adjectives, and figurative language, to help enhance their writing
of descriptive information

Assignment, Materials and Assessments:

Assignment-

Invite the students to brainstorm what they know about

informational writing at their tables with their peers
Have each table speaker give 2 ideas that were stated while
brainstorming
Write their ideas up on the board under the heading
Informational Writing
Next, compare their thoughts and ideas with opinion writing
Have the students brainstorm what they know about opinion
writing at their tables with their peers
Have each table give 1 idea that as stated while brainstorming
Write their ideas up on the board under the heading opinion
Writing
Describe to the students they will be creating their own
informational writing
Again review the characteristics of informational pieces with
opinion pieces making sure to hit on giving the read FACTS and
not trying to get the reader to give an opinion
Have the students get out a piece of paper and a pencil
Next, give the prompt Describe your family and ask the
students to write as many facts down that they can think about
to describe their family
Guide the students into making the facts they wrote down into
sentences, then into paragraphs
Introduce the All About Me informational writing assignment
Give students a copy of the prompts they can use if they are
stuck on an idea of what to write about
Hand out the graphic organizer to students to organize their
thoughts into headings and paragraphs
Another copy of the graphic organizer will be handed to students
once they have edited and reviewed their first drafts looking for
punctuation, headings, and capitalizations.
Students will share their final copies of their All About Me to the
class
Hang up the posters around the room

Materials: Crayons, graphic organizer, pencil. Teacher microphone

Assessments:
Scoring:

4-3

2-1

- Colored photo

- Picture was
drawn in pencil
with no color

Illustration
Characteristics
mirror that of
yourself

Headings/Subheadi
ngs

Content Relevant?

- Headings are
descriptions of
individual
paragraphs

- A few
characteristics
that mirror
yourself
- A few
headings
missing

- The entire
poster is an
accurate
reflection of
yourself

- Headings
were not
related to
paragraphs
- Poster was
somewhat of
an accurate
reflection of
yourself

- Used prompts
provided (or
made up your
own) and used
description
words, setting,
name of
events, people

- Used one
prompt
provided and
some
description
words to
explain an
event

0
- No picture
- Drew
someone else

- No headings

- Poster was
about
someone else
- Used no
prompts
provided

Capitals/Punctuatio
n

involved,
and/or step by
step of an
event
- All headings
are capitalized
along with the
beginning of
every
sentence.

- Some
headings are
capitalized. Not
all sentences
begin with a
capital letter

- The end of
sentences all
include
punctuation

-Punctuation
was missing at
the end of
sentences

- No capitals in
headings or
beginning of
sentences
- No
punctuation to
show end of
sentences and
paragraphs

List of possible prompts:

1. Write about your first name- why you were given it, what associations or
stories are attached to it, what you think or know it means.

2. Create a how-to manual for something you can do well (clean a

fish, change a flat tire, play the piano, soccer). Describe the
process so that someone else could complete the task based on
your directions.
3. Describe your family
4. Describe your favorite place you went over the summer
5. Describe a time where you felt embarrassed
6. Tell your favorite candy and a story about your favorite memory
eating that candy
7. Write the map to where you life. Start as close or as far from your
home as you wish.