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Randi Rhodes
TWS 2: Long Range Plans

Merrywood Elementary School

Kindergarten Writing: Curriculum Map 2014-2015 Unit 4
How-To Books: Writing to Teach Others
Mentor Texts &
Bend/Standards/Time/Esse
ntial Questions
Various examples of
How-To Texts (Choose
books of varying
students interests.)
Bend #1: Writing How-To
Books Step by Step
Standards: WK.2, WK.5,
WK.8, RIK.6, RIK.9, RIK.2,
RFSK.1, RFSK.2, SLK.1, SLK.2,
SLK.3, SLK.5, SLK.6, LK.1e-f,
LK.2
Essential Question: How can I
use writing to teach others?

Objectives

Mini-Lessons

Use writing to
teach others
how to
perform tasks.

Writers Study the Kind

of Writing They Plan to
Make: (Teach students
that before a writer
begins to write, he
thinks What kind of
thing am I making?
and then studies
examples of whatever it
is he wants to make.)

Use writing
peer partners
to test their
directions for
clarity and
detail.
Students will
reread their
writing and
make changes
as they write.
Increase
volume of
writing.

Writers Use What They

Already Know: Touching
and Telling the Steps
across the Pages:
(Teach students that
writers draw on what
they already know
about planning,
touching and telling the
steps of their How-To
Books across the
pages.)
Writers Become
Readers, Asking, Can I
follow this? (Teach
students that writers
reread their writing as
they go, making
changes along the way.)
Writers Answer a
Partners Questions:
(Teach students that
writers use partners to
help make writing
clearer and easier to

Charts/Check
list
How-To
Writing
1. Tell what
to do, in
steps.
2. Number
the steps.
3. Has a
picture for
each step.
4. Has
labels that
Information
Writing
Checklist
1. I told, drew
and wrote
about a topic.
2. I told what
my topic was.
3. I put
different
things I know
about my
topic on my
pages.
4. I have a
last part or
page.
5. I told,
drew, and

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follow.)

Writers Label Their

Diagrams to Teach Even
More Information:
(Teach students that
young writers add
detailed information to
their writing by labeling
diagrams.)
Writers Make as Many
Books as They Can:
(Teach students that
writers develop the
habit of writing faster,
longer, and stronger.)
Writers Reflect and Set
Goals to Create Their
Best Information
Writing: (Teach students
that writers draw on all
they have learned
about writing and they
use and information
writing checklist to set
goals.

Mentor Texts & Bend/

Standards/Time/Esse
ntial Questions
Various examples of
How-To Texts (Choose
books of varying
students interests.)
Bend #2: Using Mentor
Texts for Inspiration:
Revising Old How-To
Books and Writing New
Ones
Standards: WK.2, WK.5,
WK.8, WK.7, RIK.6,

Objectives

Mini-Lessons

Demonstrate
elaboration
techniques in
writing (EX. tips,
comparisons,
suggestions,
etc.)

Writers Emulate
Features of
Informational Writing
Using a Mentor Text:
(Teach students that
writers study mentor
texts while noticing,
naming and trying out
what they discover.)

Use mentor
texts as
exemplars for
student writing.

Writing for Readers:

Using the Word You
(Teach students that

Charts/Checklists

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Randi Rhodes
RIK.9, RIK.2, RFSK.1,
RFSK.2, SLK.1, SLK.2,
SLK.3, SLK.4, SLK.5,
SLK.6, LK.2, LK.5d, LK.6
Essential Question: How
can I use mentor texts
to improve my writing?

Students will
clarify their
directions by
imagining and
then writing
comparisons to
describe actions.

writers focus in on
their audience by
addressing readers
directly using you.)
How-To Book Writers
Picture Each Step and
Then Choose Exactly
Right Words: (Teach
students that writers
build vocabulary and
choose precise
language by
envisioning each step
in the process they
are describing.)
Elaboration in How-To
Books: Writers guide
Readers with
Warnings,
Suggestions and Tips:
(Teach students
writers focus on
readers needs by
anticipating issues
and then clarifying
them in their steps
with warnings,
suggestions or tips.)

Learning From a
Mentor (How-To
Text)
The TITLE tells
what the book is
about.
PICTURES that
teach.
LIST of things
you need.
Important parts
are bold or all
caps
Talks to readers
(you) Add item
#5 to chart in
session 9.

Balance on One Leg

Like a Flamingo:
Using Comparisons to
Give Readers Clear
Directions: (Teach
students writers
clarify their directions
by imagining and
then writing
comparisons to
describe actions.)

Bend/Standards/Ti
me/
Essential
Questions

Objectives

Mini-Lessons

Charts/Checklists

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Randi Rhodes
Various examples of
How-To Texts (Choose
books of varying
students interests.)
Bend #3: Keep
Readers in Mind
Standards: WK.2,
WK.5, WK.8, WK.7,
RIK.6, RIK.2, RFSK.1,
RFSK.2, SLK.1, SLK.2,
SLK.3, SLK.4, SLK.5,
SLK.6, LK.1e-f, LK.5D,
LK.6
Essential Question:
How do I create HowTo Books that are
helpful to others?

Make Writing Easy

to Read
Hear lots of
sounds in a word
Create How-To
Books which are
helpful to others.
Create a series or
collection of How-To
Books.
Students writing
will emphasize
easy-to-read
directions, which
convey precise
details/directions.
Students will make
their writing easy to
read, using all the
strategies they
know.

Writers Write HowTo Books about

Things They Learn
throughout the Day
from Books: (Teach
students that
writers get ideas for
their writing from
things they could do
and learn
throughout the day
from books.)
Writing a Series or
Collection of How-To
Books Teach Others
Even More about a
Topic: (Teach
students that
writers sometimes
collect a series of
books focused on
one umbrella topic
in order to teach
other even more
about their topic.)
Writers Can Write
Instructions and
Conclusions to help
Their Readers:
(Teach students that
writers clarify a
topic new to
readers by writing
introductions and
conclusions.)
Writers Use
Everything They
Know to Make Their
How-To Books Easy
to Read: (Teach
students that
writers are always
working to make
their writing easy to
read, using all the
strategies they
know.)

Spaces between
words
Make pictures
that hold the
words to the story
Use capitals at
the start of each
sentence
Flip between
writing and
reading, reading
and writing

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Randi Rhodes

Mentor Texts &

Bend/Standards/Ti
me/
Essential
Questions
Various examples of
How-To Texts (Choose
books of varying
students interests.)

Objectives

Students will name

the appropriate
audience for their
writing.

Bend #4: Giving

Students will add
How-To Books as Gifts details to their
writing and edit
Standards: RIK.1,
their spelling.
WK.2, WK.5, WK.6,
(Adding more
RFSK.2, RFSK.3,
sounds to their
SLK.1, SLK.6, LK.1,
words)
LK.2, LK.6
Students will
Essential Question:
celebrate their
How can I make my
writing by reading
writing ready to
to their classmates.
publish?

Mini-Lessons

How-To Books Make

Wonderful Gifts:
Teach students that
to prepare for
publishing, writers
determine a specific
audience for a piece
of writing and
dedicate that piece
to that person.)
Preparing for the
Publishing Party:
Writers Do Their
Best Work Now to
Share It Later
(Teach students that
writers use an
editing checklist to
prepare their writing
for publication.)
Publishing
Celebration: Writers
Are Teachers! (Tech
students that
writers share their
how-to writings with
others by publishing
it and sometimes by
recording a video of
themselves reading
their writing so that
hey can teach
others.)

Charts/Checklist

Information Writing
Checklist (pg. 83,
Launching The
Writing Workshop,
Unit 1 Book: Lucy
Calkins)
Editing Checklist
I can read my writing
I wrote a letter for
each sound
I used the Word Wall
I put spaces between
words
I used lowercase
letters unless capitals
were needed
I wrote CAPITAL
letters to start every
sentence

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Randi Rhodes
Kindergarten Writing: Curriculum Map 2014-2015 Unit 5
All About Books
Mentor Texts &
Bend/Standards/Tim
e/
Essential Questions

Objectives

Nonfiction books
in the National
Geographic series
such as:
Trucks by Wil
Mara
Planes by Amy
Shields
Trains by Amy
Shields

Students will
generate a many
topics around their
personal expertise
topics about
which they will
have a lot
information to
share.

Choosing a Topic: (Teach

students that writers
choose a topic based on
area of personal expertise.
Teach them to brainstorm
places, people, things, and
topics that they know well
and can teach others
about.)

Students will
discuss their topic
ideas with
partners and the
whole class.

Collecting Writing Ideas:

(Teach students that writers
are always keeping an eye
out for good things to write
about. Then they quickly
write or draw a reminder in
their notepads to
remember it later.)

Bend #1: Writing

All-About Books
on Topics We Love
Standards: W.K.2,
W.K.5, W.K.8,
RF.K.1, RF.K.1C,
RF.K.3, RF.K.3a,
RF.K.3c, L.K.1,
L.K.1a, L.K.1f,
L.K.2, L.K.2a,
L.K.2b, L.K.2c,
SL.K.3
Essential
Question: How
can I make all my
information books
have lots of pages
and make sure all
the pages go with
the topic?

Students will
organize their
writing by sticking
to one piece of
information at a
time, rather than
ramble on, and to
make sure that all
the pages of the
all about book fit
together under
one main topic.
Students will write
with volume,
producing many
all-about books,
writing many
pages on each
topic, and revising
their books as
they go.

Mini-Lessons

Selecting an Audience:
(Teach students that
writers think of an
audience to go with each
topic and a reason why
they are writing to this
audience. For example,
writing a book about
basketball for the people in
the afterschool program so
they will know how to play
better.)
Rehearsing and Planning
Chapters: (Teach students
that writers plan out their
writing before they begin.
One way they do this is by
planning their book across
their fingers, saying all that
they know about their
topic.)

Charts/Checklists

How to Write AllAbout Books on

Topics We Love
I can write about
places, things,
people, and
topics I know
well.
I can carry my
Tiny Topics
notepad with me
and collect ideas
I can think abut
who will be my
audience and
what I can teach
them.
I can plan my
book across my
fingers
I can write about
one thing at a
time.
I can sketch
pictures on each
page and make
sure my writing
goes with the

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Randi Rhodes
Sketching Pictures to
Organize Thoughts: (Teach
students that writers plan
out their book by sketching
just one important thing
about the topic on each
page of a booklet. Then
they make sure that the
words go with the picture.)
The students are currently working on unit 4 of the kindergarten writing curriculum
map, and they will continue in this unit for the next two weeks. I provided it in the longrange plans because the students need to know the information from unit 4 in order to
successfully accomplish unit 5. In unit 4, the students will learn about teaching others
how to do something through their writing. They will learn the process of developing a
topic, talking with partners, and revising their writing. In unit 5, they will be writing in
similar format except that they will be teaching others about a topic they know very well.
I will focus just on unit 5 bend number 1 for my unit. I will be teaching the students how
to prepare to write an all-about story. I will have them brainstorm about a topic that they
are experts in, how to watch out for good topics throughout the day, how to select their
audience that they want to write to, how to plan out their writing, and how to sketch
pictures for planning. My unit will be the introduction week for all-about stories and the
students will develop their own all-about stories the week after my unit.