SECRET SITE
Unit Essentials
SESSION 1 | Grades K-2 / ELL Levels 1-2 | HANDOUT
Write in the primary grades
Teach developmentally appropriate writing all year
Recognize the developmental stages within the modes of writing.
Recognize the essential skills per mode.
Teach students how to “choose” a side.
Collect details for all perspectives.
Explain the what & why organization.
List-writing template | No lines | With lines
Generate whole-class lists of reasons to support different opinions.
Transition from interactive writing to independent writing.
Convey accurate information in pictures, labels, and lists.
Expect stories to have plots.
Brainstorm different types of problems based on the characters within each setting.
Writers plan the problem first and the solution second. | Draw & Label | List Writing | Sentence Writing
Introduce the character(s).
Anchor the problem in a setting.
WHEN includes time of day and time of year (seasons).
WHERE includes physical location and surrounding activity/senses.
Plan a new story—middle (problem), end (solution), beginning (character & setting).
Use the Story Element Strips for students to point to each story element as they compose an original narrative.
Introduce Setup, Mix-up, Fix-up and provide writing templates for primary students.
PDF | Landscape | Spanish
Google Slide | Jamboard
PDF | Landscape | Spanish
Google Slide | Jamboard