Student Notebook
Throughout the unit, students will expand their writing capabilities in all sorts of ways as they acquire new skills, processes, strategies, vocabulary, content knowledge, and so forth. To capitalize on their ongoing learning, ask them to create an individual writing resource notebook either in a hard-copy format or electronically, or a combination of both. In it, they can store and continually build on their continuing knowledge base around writing. They can refer to their notebooks—and share them with others—as they write all year long. Students can divide this resource in sections such as these.
• Vocabulary lists: As they read salient passages from complex text, students record words and add to their lists consistently. They don’t just study words for a particular unit and then leave them behind. Rather, they repeatedly reinforce and use vocabulary to increase their inventory. For each word, they provide examples, explanations, definitions, parts of speech, and nonlinguistic representations (such as illustrations or symbols). To help make these words part of their lexicon, students should continually use them; therefore, teachers encourage them to access this section and use selected vocabulary in their writing. They can organize the vocabulary section into subsections by parts of speech or by types of words (for example, alternatives to the word said; words for personality traits [like courageous, innovative, resourceful, and selfless]; and sensory words). If students create an electronic notebook, they can categorize words easily and also keep them in alphabetical order.
• Genres: Students can dedicate a section of their notebooks to what they learn about the different writing genres and the unique characteristics of each. They can insert checklists and rubrics that align to specific genres and include exemplary writing samples. These can be their own examples as well as other students’ or published ones.
• Elements of literature: When you orient students to the five elements of literature—(1) character, (2) setting, (3) plot, (4) point of view, and (5) theme—they will accumulate various handouts and sample excerpts from complex texts that exemplify each element or a combination of them. Instruct students to store anything related to this topic in this section. They can indicate in their binders any overlap with the figurative language section.
• Figurative language: Students include definitions and passages of simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and imagery from various authors’ works they believe employ figurative language well. Additionally, they brainstorm their own examples to use at some point in their writing.
• Grammar, conventions, and formatting: This section consists of any grammar and conventions resources to assist students in creating pieces free of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization errors. It also includes style guidelines for formatting in-text citations and works cited documents from the Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA). Classroom or school directives for headings and other routine formatting expectations can be included, as well.
• Bookmarks: Students should keep electronic bookmarks on their devices for sites that support their writing, such as websites for vocabulary, resources for grammar or proper formatting like MLA or APA, glossaries of literary devices, sites that feature writing samples, and so forth.
When introducing the writing resource notebook, you might say something like this: “Throughout the year, I will expect you to keep a three-ring binder to use as a writing resource. I will check it periodically for organization, completeness, and accuracy. Put tabs in your notebook and divide it into these sections: [insert the sections you wish them to include]. All year long, refer to it and add to it to help you become a more proficient writer.”
When teaching pertinent lessons, encourage students to make and insert entries into this resource. For example, when you discuss allusion and the class generates a definition and finds examples in text, instruct students to record this information in their notebooks.
Figure 1.2: Unit map blank template (option 1).
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/literacy for a free reproducible version of this figure.
Figure 1.3: Unit map blank template (option 2).
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/literacy for a free reproducible version of this figure.
Exercise: Unit Map—KUDs and Guiding Questions
At this point, if you haven’t already, target a unit of study around narrative. Start by creating or redesigning a standards-based unit map with any of the following approaches.
• Option 1: Access go.SolutionTree.com/literacy and download table 1.2 (pages 11–17) for ELA. This option is for readers who want to select and adapt existing KUDs and guiding questions, plus augment others as they see fit, to accommodate their teaching situation. (Review the points pertaining to this map under the section Narrative Unit Map Examples.)
• Option 2: Access go.SolutionTree.com/literacy and download figure 1.2, unit map template 1. This option is for readers who want to create a map from scratch that includes learning outcomes and is a blank version of table 1.2.
• Option 3: Access go.SolutionTree.com/literacy and download figure 1.3 (page 24). Those who want to build a more comprehensive map should use this template, which is based on tables 1.3 and 1.4 (pages 18–19). Revise this template appropriately as you work with it to accommodate the number of lessons your unit requires to align to each unit-guiding question.
Once you determine your template, read the Exercise Tips that follow. This will position you for starting your own customized unit map.
Exercise Tips
When working on the Unit Map—KUDs and Guiding Questions exercise, heed the following suggestions regarding standards, complex text, sequence, and language.
Standards
Content-area standards—whether national, state, provincial, or district—define goals and expectations that students should achieve by the end of the school year. They are not intended to serve as a curriculum, but rather guide unit and lesson design, which is precisely why you use them to develop your unit maps.
• Each line item on the map links to one standard or a combination of standards. You might combine those that make sense for what you are teaching; for example, connect setting with plot and characters, or setting with figurative language, and so forth.
• Weave content-area standards in with English language arts standards if you are teaching narrative writing in conjunction with another discipline. Tables 1.5 and 1.6 (pages 25–26) are excerpts from interdisciplinary unit maps. The former is a sample English language arts and history map and the latter combines English language arts and science.
Complex Text
Although students produce a culminating written narrative, they will read plenty to examine complex text throughout the unit for a variety