Beth

A. Wassell

APLNG 806: Focus on Classrooms

Course Development Project

Course Title: English Language Arts/Literacy for ELLs in 2nd Grade

Unit Title: Let the Kids Pick! Writing, Revising and Editing Opinion Pieces

August 10, 2014

Table of Contents
1. Context, Course Description, and Rationale ............................................................................... 3
The Instructional Context and Rationale .................................................................................... 3
Course Framework and Vision .................................................................................................... 3
2. Needs Assessment ...................................................................................................................... 5
ACCESS Test Scores ..................................................................................................................... 5
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) ....................................................................................... 6
Developmentally Appropriate Student Questionnaires ............................................................. 7
Family and Community Questionnaire ....................................................................................... 7
3. Consideration of Resources and Constraints .............................................................................. 8
4. Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................................ 10
5. Conceptualizing Content .......................................................................................................... 11
6. Selecting/Adapting/Creating Materials and Activities ............................................................. 12
7. Organization of Content and Activities ..................................................................................... 13
8. Evaluation ................................................................................................................................. 14
9. Plans for Evaluation .................................................................................................................. 15
Feedback .................................................................................................................................. 16
9. Course Syllabus ......................................................................................................................... 17
10. Sample Lesson Plans for Day 1, 6, and 11 .............................................................................. 21
References .................................................................................................................................... 26
Appendix A: Performance Assessment and Rubric ...................................................................... 27
Appendix B: Graphic Organizer .................................................................................................... 28
Appendix C: Editing Checklist (for Partner and Self) .................................................................... 29

1. Context, Course Description, and Rationale

The Instructional Context and Rationale

The context for my curriculum development project is a hypothetical second-grade

classroom at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in a Pennsauken, NJ, a suburban district that
is immediately adjacent to Camden City. I have chosen this particular K-5 grade school because
of its unique student population and its significant number of English Language Learner
students. The racial/ethnic breakdown of students is 29% African American, 43% Latino/s, 21%
White, and 6% Asian/Pacific Islander (NCES, 2014). The community is home to a significant
number of Vietnamese, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Dominican first and second-generation
families. This course curriculum is designed for a sheltered instruction 2nd grade classroom that
has a mix of English Language Learners and native-speaking English students, since this is a
typical scenario in South Jersey elementary schools.

I have chosen this context and grade level for this project because it is the level with

which I am least comfortable. To date, I have taught high school, college, and adult contexts,
but not in an elementary school ESL context. As a result, I chose this developmental level to
expand my learning about planning and teaching younger ELL students.
Course Framework and Vision


The theoretical framework that guides language instruction for this context is a content-
based approach, particularly the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA)
(Chamot, 2009). I also draw on a philosophy of inclusion; rather than isolating ELL students, the
children are included in a typical second grade classroom with native-English speaking students.

Culturally responsive teaching (Gay, 2010) will serve as the foundation for my

curriculum. As a result, I will take the utmost care in selecting a textbook that is relatively free
of racial, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, religious, and other forms of bias. However, I also plan
to use images, either from the text or from other resources, to engage students in
developmentally appropriate textbook critique (Gay, 2010). I will also take great care to
incorporate a variety of additional forms of authentic texts, including picture books, chapter
books, commercial print texts, and Internet-based texts, just to name a few. I intend to assess
the extent to which these texts provide students access to multiple perspectives and depict
diverse individuals, lifestyles, geographical settings, etc. Ultimately, the students will be
expected to meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Language Arts/Literacy, but the
curriculum will be differentiated for the range of student proficiency levels represented in the
class.

Course is a term typically used in middle school, high school, college or adult contexts

and rarely used in US elementary school contexts. As a result, I am defining course as the
students English as a Second Language (ESL) instructional block, which would occur once a day
for 45-minutes to an hour. For this type of context, a New Jersey-licensed ESL teacher would
typically push-in to work with the ELL learners in the classroom and co-teach alongside the
2nd grade teacher.
The (Hypothetical) Learners
There are twenty-four 7 through 8-year-old learners in my context. Their racial and
ethnic backgrounds mirror that of the school, so there are 6 African American students, 11

Latino/a students, 5 white students, and 2 Asian students. Of the twenty-four, 10 are English
Language Learners. Their proficiency levels in English range from 2 (Beginning) to 4 (Expanding)
according to the WiDA Performance Definitions1, a proficiency scale used in US schools, which
uses a 6-point range.
The students personal goals are the same of many young children to have fun and to
enjoy their time in school. Although the children represent diverse preferences for learning,
they respond well to active, hands-on, and inquiry-based activities. All of the ELL students in the
class have had at least 2 years of prior schooling in the US, except for 2 students who came to
the US from the Dominican Republic in the last year. Many of the ELL students families speak
only their native language at home.
2. Needs Assessment
At the beginning of the school year, I will conduct a multifaceted needs assessment as a
means to incorporate perspectives of students, their families and the community into my
instruction. This assessment incorporates four different data-gathering tools, illustrated in
Figure 2.A on the following page.
ACCESS for ELLs Test Scores
Each spring, New Jersey students who are classified as ELL students are required to take
the ACCESS for ELLs (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for
English Language Learners). The test is a secure large-scale English language proficiency
assessment given to Kindergarten through 12th graders who have been identified as English
language learners (ELLs) . . . to monitor students' progress in acquiring academic English

1 http://www.wida.us/standards/RG_Performance%20Definitions.pdf

(WIDA, 2014). This assessment assesses the four language domains of Listening, Speaking,
Reading, and Writing, and will provide extensive information about each students current
proficiency level for each domain.

Common Core
State
Standards
(CCSS)

ACCESS Test
Scores

Needs
Assessment

Developmentally

Appropriate
Student
Questionnaires

Family and
Community
Questionnaires

Figure 2A: The 4 Elements of the Needs Assessment
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
The CCSS will be the second source of information that I use to gain a clear
understanding of the students needs, particularly for setting instructional goals and objectives.
The CCSS has developed a list of 2nd grade-specific goals for English Language Arts/Literacy in
the areas of Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language.

Developmentally Appropriate Student Questionnaires

Student voice will be the most important facet of the needs assessment. At the
beginning of the school year, I will administer a developmentally appropriate student
questionnaire in which students will be able to tell me about their passions, life histories,
hobbies, interests, families, neighborhoods, and other aspects of their lives. Given their current
experience with language, reading, and writing, some parts of the questionnaire will be visual
(e.g., asking students to draw a picture of where they live and who they live with). I will follow
up with interviews so that students can expand orally on their questionnaires. This may even
take the shape of an All About Me book that the students publish and present to
classmates.
Family and Community Questionnaire
In order to address the question, How will my course help meet larger community
needs? I will also create a family and community-based questionnaire. This would include a
short set of open-ended items and would be translated to the students home language(s).
Questions would include items to get to know more about their children, such as What is your
childs favorite toy? Other questions would explore the families goals and expectations for
their children with items such as What goal(s) do you have for your child this year? What goals
do you have for him/her in the future? This questionnaire could be adapted and sent to
community members, such as religious leaders, community center facilitators, or neighborhood
leaders, to gain another rich set of perspectives.

In addition, I will explore other ways to encourage and collect student feedback during
the course of the academic year to increase my understanding of the students and the context.
Additional sources might include the students previous years report cards or teachers,
community members, and other members of the school community. All of this information will
be analyzed and used as a starting point for planning and instruction.
3. Consideration of Resources and Constraints
FMy course materials selection will be driven by the needs of my students and the major
goals of the program. Some of the factors that will impact my selection include: the students
ages and grade level; the variety of levels of students English language proficiency; and the first
language of the students in the class. Moreover, I know that I must attend to the policies and
requirements of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) for ESL and Bilingual
programs and students.

One of the unique factors I will have to consider is related to my students needs and

supports needed to help them meet the CCSS. Materials that would be most effective for this
type of program must include content-based literature and activities for literacy and academic
vocabulary development. This means that a regular language arts text that is not geared
specifically toward English Language Learners would not be sufficient. The textbook package
will also include an assessment component to measure students learning and improvement
across the four skills in reading, listening, speaking and writing. This will enable me to collect
data about student learning and to analyze my impact on their proficiency growth in each area.
Textbook materials for this course will also include ancillary materials and multimedia resources
such as audio components, technology components and video components.

Currently, the school has access to a range of curriculum materials, including a language
arts textbook series entitled Journeys, a literacy program by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt that
emphasizes reading, but also integrates writing, speaking, and listening. Any textbook
considered would be vetted through the Protocol for Review of Instructional Materials for ELLs
(PRIME). This is a resource created by WIDA that correlates the contents of many currently
published K-12 ESL textbook series and materials with the WIDA standards. The textbook that
would be most appropriate is Santillanas Spotlight on English: K 3. The Spotlight on English
text will be used as an accompaniment to the Journeys text, which will be used with the whole
class. The school also has technology such as iPads, Internet-based resources, and a Smartboard
that can be utilized for teaching and learning.
Wendys case (from Lesson 8 in the course) also encouraged my thinking about another
element that I will need to consider, given my programs context. According to Lesson 8: the
focus of Wendys instruction was to enable her campers to gain access to certain linguistic and
symbolic resources with which they learned to exercise their communicative agency in this
unique community. Just as Wendy helped to support her campers communicative agency at
the camp, I must also help my second graders be successful in a mainstream, second-grade
classroom and in an English-dominant elementary school in the US. I like thinking about the
additional linguistic and symbolic resources that I will need to make explicit for my students
by incorporating them into the curriculum. As a result, I may need to expand my curriculum to
incorporate some social language learning objectives and some learning objectives related to
school culture in the US.

4. Goals and Objectives

My course development project includes appropriate goals and objectives that address

the purposes and intended outcomes (Graves, 1996) for my unit, entitled, Let the Kids Pick:
Writing, Revising and Editing Opinion Pieces. I have listed the course goals and objective
planned for this unit of the course below.
Course goal
The students will be expected to meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Language
Arts/Literacy for second grade. They will be able to perform writing tasks at grade level with
some differentiation in product (Tomlinson, 1999) for students at beginning or intermediate
English proficiency levels.
Objective 1
Write an opinion piece in which they introduce the topic they are writing about, state an
opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to
connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section. (CCSS.ELA-
LITERACY.W.2.1)
Objective 2
With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as
needed by revising and editing. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.5)

10

5. Conceptualizing Content
Gravess (1996) poses the important question: What will be the backbone of what I
teach? (p. 19). Narrowing course goals and objectives to specific content concepts and points
helps to shape the materials and activities that will be featured in the unit lesson plans. I used
the mind map to conceptualize the content of focus for this course unit. See Figure 5.A below
for the results of this process.

The three-week unit addressed in this unit of the course incorporates two major
objectives: writing an opinion and revising writing. However, for both of these objectives,
there is a body of academic vocabulary that the students will need to use to be successful.
They will also learn the steps to writing an opinion piece using a process writing approach
and the steps to revision. See Section 7 for additional details about the organization of the
course content.

11


Figure 5.A. Specific Content for the Writing Opinion Pieces Unit

6. Selecting/Adapting/Creating Materials and Activities
As noted in the Graves framework overview, the main purpose of the materials we use
in classrooms is to support student learning and to get students closer to reaching the learning
objectives we have set out for them. However, I strongly agree with the following quote, as
cited in Ansary and Babaii (2002): the emphasis should be moved from attempting to provide
intrinsically interesting materials, which we have just claimed is generally impossible, to doing
interesting things with materials (Brown & Yule, 1983, p. 83). Because of the nature of this

12

unit, most of the activities will be student-centered and will use teacher-made or teacher-
adapted materials. I found a plethora of materials available to teach this unit on the Internet.
One of the challenges was determining what the most appropriate materials for teaching
writing to English Language Learners. As described in section 4, the textbook and its ancillary
materials would only be used as a supplement to the teacher-created curriculum materials if
they were found to enhance student learning.

One of the key considerations for me in this process of selecting curricular materials is

emphasizing the roles of the teacher and students. For this context and grade level, a student-
centered, individualized approach framed by a sociocultural perspective on language learning is
most appropriate. As a result, there will be only a small amount of whole-group, direct
instruction from the teacher. Instead, students will work in cooperative groups for many
activities or independently on teacher-directed tasks with extensive scaffolding from the
teachers in the room. Curricular materials that will support such scaffolding will be used
throughout the unit, including manipulatives, realia, and graphic organizers.
7. Organization of Content and Activities
The English/Language Arts for ELLs course would be organized into units based on the
curriculums articulated student learning objectives. Each unit will last approximately one
month. A graphically organized schedule is included below in Table 7.A with very general topics,
activities, materials, and assessments for the 3-week unit. I have chosen to represent the
course in this way because it most clearly explains the scope and progression of the learning
objectives A more detailed overview of the lessons in this unit are in Section 10. In a full year
course curriculum map, I would include 10 such tables--one for each unit.

13

Week Objective Topics

Activities

Materials

1.

Objective
1

Opinion
Vocabulary
Preparing for
Writing

Objective
1

Objective
2

Process Writing

Steps of Revision
Adult Revision

3.

Building Background
activities
Vocabulary instruction and
practice activities
Pre-writing activities

1.
2.
3.
4.

Writing modeling
Large group writing
TPR of steps
Graphic Organizer

2.

1.
2.
3.

Revision modeling
Revisions conferences
Present final product

Peer Revision

Picture books
Whiteboards
Posters
Technology
Manipulatives
Realia
Picture books
Graphic
organizer
Two-pocket
folders
Chart
paper/marker
s
Paper
Pencils
Crayons

Assessments
1.

2.

1.

2.
3.
1.
2.
3.

Presenting the
product

Vocabulary
identificatio
n WS
Observation
Worksheet
for pre-
writing
TPR
Demonstrat
ion of Steps
Graphic
Organizer
Opinion
Piece draft
Self-
assessment
Opinion
Piece Draft
Opinion
Piece
Presentatio
n

Table 7.A. Unit Organization for the Let the Kids Pick unit in the 2nd grade ELA for ELLs course

8. Evaluation
Students language learning will be assessed in various ways. First, the students ACCESS
for ELLs assessment results, which are provided to teachers at the beginning of the school year,
will be used as a baseline pre-assessment of students performance in reading, speaking,
listening and writing. In each instructional unit, the students will be pre-assessed using an
assessment that targets the specific learning outcomes for that unit (e.g. vocabulary, sight
words, and specific understandings related to the content). During the course of the unit, the
teacher will use formative assessment, such as activities and homework to gauge student
learning of the daily, smaller learning objectives. Finally, students will also be assessed at the

14

end of the unit using a summative assessment. All forms of assessment will be considered
evidence and analyzed to gauge student learning. This will also enable me to provide additional
support for students who did not reach the learning outcomes that were planned for the unit.
The classroom teacher, the ESL teacher, students families, and the school administrators will
have access to all assessment materials and to the student performance data that will be
collected through an online grading portal.
Given the grade level of the students, there are some types of evaluation that are not
appropriate. For example, students will not receive traditional grades at this level. Instead, a
developmental report card is given at the end of the marking period. Many schools in the US
have moved toward the use of a Common Core aligned report card. This is intended to better
align the assessment of students with the Standards. It has the potential to also encourage a
washback effect in that teachers will teach to the report card so that students can show
growth and learning. An example of this type of report card, which would be used in my course,
can be found at this link:
http://www.fcusd.org/cms/lib03/CA01001934/Centricity/Domain/3002/2nd%20Grade%20DRAFT.pdf

9. Plans for Evaluation

Although I will use several forms of assessment throughout the unit those listed below
will be the most critical in helping me to evaluate student performance:
1. Vocabulary Identification Worksheets
2. Performance Assessment (includes all of the following pieces)
a. Graphic Organizer
b. Draft of Opinion Piece (feedback provided)

15

c. Writers Workshop Revision Conference Checklist

d. Final draft of opinion piece (evaluated with rubric)
e. Students self-assessment
3. Students Presentation of Writing (evaluated with rubric)
Feedback
Explicit lexical, grammatical, and pronunciation-based feedback will be used in
classroom interaction, lessons, and after student writing. Feedback related to communication
and meaning will also be provided to students in a warm, caring way. I understand that the it
will be difficult to balance competing demands, but at this stage, I will be responsive to
students needs, while being extremely careful to maintain a warm, comfortable classroom
environment and strong, positive relationships with my students.

16

9. Course Syllabus
Benjamin Franklin Elementary School
Grade 2
English Language Arts/Literacy for ELL Students
Teachers: Ms. Wassell (ESL); Ms. Rodriguez (2nd grade classroom teacher)
Contract Information: Wassell@bfes.org; rodriguez@bfes.org
ELAL Time Block: Daily from 8:45 9:45

Course Description:
This course uses an integrated, content-based instructional approach to teach the reading,
writing, listening and speaking. All course activities will help students to meet the Common Core
State Standards (CCSS) in Language Arts/Literacy, but the curriculum will be differentiated for
the range of student proficiency levels represented in the class. This course will also
incorporate the students English as a Second Language (ESL) block; however, children in the
ESL program will work in an inclusive setting with their second grade peers. The course is co-
taught by a qualified, New Jersey-licensed ESL teacher and a general 2nd grade teacher licensed
in elementary education (K-5).
Required Text & Materials:
All materials will be provided to students by the district and may be brought home or used in
class. These materials include:
1. Journeys Common Core for 2nd Grade. Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
2. Spotlight on English K-2. Publisher: Santillana.
3. The Oxford Picture Dictionary for Kids (Monolingual English Edition)

17

Course Objectives:
The students will be expected to meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Language
Arts/Literacy for second grade. Objectives for the course align with the Common Core State
Standards for English Language Arts/Literacy for second grade, which can be found at
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/2/. Two sample objectives are:
Sample Objective 1: Write an opinion piece in which they introduce the topic they are
writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking
words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a
concluding statement or section. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.1)
Sample Objective 2: With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic
and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.5)
Attendance:
As per New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) policy:
Student absenteeism can lead to low academic achievement, school dropout,
delinquency and gang involvement. School districts that have established multi-
systemic approaches and policies pertaining to student absenteeism typically
experience fewer numbers of dropouts and a greater number of graduates. The
compulsory education law (N.J.S.A. 18A:38-28 through 31) requires all children between
the ages of 6-16 to attend school.
Children are required to attend school every day. If your child is sick, please send a note stating
the reason for the absence and documentation for it to be considered an excused absence
(e.g., doctors note, funeral notice, etc.)

18

Assessment and Evaluation:

Students learning will be assessed in various ways over the course of the academic year,
including:
1. Language Proficiency Assessment: Students ACCESS for ELLs assessment results will be
used as a baseline pre-assessment of students performance in reading, speaking,
listening and writing. Students will be assessed with ACCESS for ELLs again at the end of
the year to measure growth over the course of the year.
2. Classroom Assessment: In each unit, students and families can expect the following
types of assessments:

In-class or homework worksheets or products

Teacher observation checklists

Performance tasks (writing or speaking, usually evaluated with a rubric)

Feedback on students progress will be available via report cards at the end of each marking
period. You may arrange a conference with the teachers at any point to get additional feedback
on your childs progress. Interpretation is available.

19

Tentative Course Overview for Marking Period 1

Week Objective Topics

Activities

Materials

o Building Background
activities
o Vocabulary instruction and
practice activities
o Pre-writing activities

Objective
1

Opinion
Vocabulary
Preparing for
Writing

Objective
1

Objective
2

Process Writing

Writing modeling
Large group writing
TPR of steps
Graphic Organizer

Steps of Revision o Revision modeling

o Revisions conferences
Adult Revision
o Present final product
Peer Revision
Presenting the
product

o
o
o
o

Picture books
Whiteboards
Posters
Technology
Manipulatives
Realia
Picture books
Graphic
organizer
Two-pocket
folders
Chart
paper/marker
s
Paper
Pencils
Crayons

Assessments
o Vocabulary
identificatio
n WS
o Observation
Worksheet
for pre-
writing
o TPR
Demonstrat
ion of Steps
o Graphic
Organizer
o Opinion
Piece draft
o Self-
assessment
o Opinion
Piece Draft
o Opinion
Piece
Presentatio
n

20

10. Sample Lesson Plans for Day 1, 6, and 11

LESSON INFO & PLANNING
Unit Theme: Let the Kids Pick! Writing, Revising and Editing Opinion Pieces

Day of Unit: 1
(Week 1)

Lesson Objective(s):
Distinguish between a fact and an opinion

Core Content State Standard Addressed/Unit Objective:
Write an opinion piece in which they introduce the topic they are writing about, state an opinion, supply
reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and
reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.1)
Assessment of Lesson Objectives:
Label statements as facts/opinions on worksheet
Writing 1 fact sentence and 1 opinion sentence with pictures.

Key Vocabulary for Lesson:
Materials Needed for Lesson:

o Childrens Picture Books: The Perfect Pet and
Opinion, fact
Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

o Chart paper and marker
o Fact/Opinion Label Worksheet
o Personal dictionaries
o Picture/lined paper

LESSON SEQUENCE for Week 1, Day 1

1. (3 min) Motivation phase/preparation: Using a safety pin, clip a 5x8 card onto my shirt with
the word OPINION written in large, bold letters. Invite student to the carpet. On the carpet,
tell students that today we will discuss OPINIONS and facts, but that first we will read a book
that they may have heard of before.

2. (20 min) Presentation phase: Read Mo Willems Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus aloud.
After, ask students to share their OPINION about the book. Did they like it? Why or why not?
Using the chart paper with a t-chart, provide two sentences one that is factual and one
that is an opinion. Invite students to read each one. Ask students if they know the
difference. Field several responses. Using a second piece of chart paper, provide a list (with
same t-chart model) of several fact statements and several opinion statements. Have
student volunteers read each and ask them to try to figure out why each is a fact and why
each is an opinion.

Facts
Opinions
1. Pigeons are birds.
1. Pigeons are pretty
birds.
2. Our class has 20
2. Our class is fun!
kids.
3. Ms. W. has brown
3. Ms. W. is the silliest
hair.
teacher at BFES.

21


As a class, create a definition of FACT and OPINION. Add each word, and a symbol for each
(decided on by the class) to the Class Word Wall. Have students add the word and definition
to their personal dictionaries.

3. (10 min) Practice & application phase:
Provide students with a short list of facts and opinions appropriate for their reading level on
a worksheet. Have the students label each F and O. Students who finish early should
write 1 fact and 1 opinion about themselves. Review answers as a group.

4. (15 min) Review & assessment phase:
Using the picture/lined-paper, write at least 1 sentence about the text (read earlier) that
expresses an opinion and one fact. Draw pictures for each. Children will be encouraged to
use inventive spelling.

5. (10 min) Extension phase:
As a closing, the teacher will preview The Perfect Pet by conducting a picture-walk and by
showing the students the cover, title, and back of the book. Students will predict what the
book is about, and what the main character might have an opinion about. Homework will
consist of a few fact and opinion sentence starters on a worksheet.

22

LESSON INFO & PLANNING

Unit Theme: Let the Kids Pick!
Day of Unit: 6 (Week 2)

Objective(s):
1. Form an opinion about a class/home pet that should be adopted
2. Engage in the first step of planning for writing
Core Content State Standard Addressed:
Write an opinion piece in which they introduce the topic they are writing about, state an opinion,
supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect
opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.1)
Assessment of Lesson Objectives:
1. Graphic organizer based on I Wanna Iguana
2. Homework pet and fact
Key Vocabulary for Lesson:
Materials Needed for Lesson:
Pets
I Wanna Iguana picture book and video
Wanna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ethKslAQv
topic
o4
fact
Graphic Organizer (See Appendix B)
opinion
Stuffed animal pets
Personal dictionaries
LESSON 6 (Week 2) SEQUENCE

1. (5 min) Motivation phase/preparation: Invite students to the rug and invite students to
preview the book I Wanna Iguana. Ask them what they think the main characters opinion
will be. Ask if students have ever wanted a pet that they did not have. Ask if they understand
the word wanna.
2. (30 min) Presentation phase:
a. Read the book. As comprehension questions throughout and after the reading of the
text. Have the students listen to the book again via the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ethKslAQvo4
b. Using the Smartboard, project a large version of the graphic organizer (see Appendix
A: Graphic Organizer). As a group, fill in the graphic organizer with the details from the
I Wanna Iguana text.
c. Put a variety (5-7) stuffed animals around the room of different potential classroom
pets. Some should be typical US pets, some should not. Give students 3 minutes walk
around the room to explore (Put on a 3-minute song for timing). Tell them that at the
end of the song, they will have to form an opinion about which they would like as
their pet.
d. Have students vote on the pet they liked. Using a bar graph on the board, record the
students who wanted each pet.
3. (20 min) Practice & application phase:
a. Now explain the opinion piece performance assessment. They have to write a letter to
Principal Duarte with their opinion about the perfect school pet. They should begin by
writing down a topic sentence. Model this with a sentence starter and have the
students fill in that part of the blank graphic organizer they have been given.
b. In groups, have students brainstorm facts about the pet they chose. Group students
by pet commonality.

23

4. (10 min) Review & assessment phase:

a. Have a student remind the class what an opinion is, and the purpose of their current
writing task. Have them write the words Pet and topic in their personal
dictionaries, and add to the Word Wall.
5. Extension phase
a. For homework, draw a picture of the pet you chose, and write down one fact you
found out about it.

24

LESSON INFO & PLANNING

Unit Theme: Let the Kids Pick!
Day of Unit: 11

(Week 3)
Objective(s):
Revise and Edit an opinion piece

Core Content State Standard Addressed:
With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as
needed by revising and editing. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.5)

Assessment of Lesson Objectives:
Completion and accuracy of editing checklist
Completion and accuracy of self-editing checklist

Key Vocabulary for Lesson:
Materials Needed for Lesson:
Revise
o Editing Checklists (2 for each student) (see
Edit
Appendix C)
Self
o Chart paper with letter with mistakes
Peer
o Personal dictionaries

o Worksheet with opinion writing sample
LESSON SEQUENCE

1. (10) Motivation phase/preparation: Invite students to the rug tell them that you will
share a special message with them. As them if they have ever fixed a piece of work that
had a problem. Explicitly teach the key vocabulary with Total Physical Reponses (TPR)
motions.

2. (20) Presentation phase: Dramatically unveil an opinion-piecea letter that has been
written previously. The writing sample should be engaging, culturally relevant, and
funny, but it should have several areas that need attention. Using the Editing Checklist
ask questions to point students attention to the areas that need revision. Model some
of the areas they miss using think-alouds. Review the steps you have taken for edits.
Have students add REVISE and EDIT to personal dictionaries.

3. (20) Practice & application phase: Have students work with a partner to edit a second
sample opinion piece. Provide additional teacher support for children at lower
proficiency levels. Have students return their editing checklists to their partners. Ask
students to read their feedback. In whole group, ask students to share the ways their
friends suggested they REVISE or EDIT.

4. Review & assessment phase: Review the TPR of the two new words we learned.

5. Extension phase: Have students self-edit their first draft of their PREFERRED PET using
the checklist for homework.

25

References

Ansary, H., & Babaii, B. (2002). Universal characteristics of EFL/ESL textbooks: A step towards

systematic textbook evaluation. The Internet TESL Journal, VIII (2). Retrieved from:

http://iteslj.org/Articles/Ansary-Textbooks/

Chamot, A. U. (2009). The CALLA Handbook: Implementing the Cognitive Academic Language

Learning Approach, Second Edition. White Plains, NY: Pearson.

Gay, G. (2010). Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Curriculum Content. Culturally responsive

teaching: Theory, research, and practice (2nd Ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2014). Search for Schools and Colleges: Pennsauken,

NJ Public Schools. Retrieved from: http://nces.ed.gov/

Opinion Writing Rubric. (2012). Retrieved From

http://snippetsbysarah.blogspot.com/2012/06/writing-rubrics.html
Text to Mind Map. (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://www.text2mindmap.com/

26

Appendix A: Performance Assessment and Rubric

A PERFECT PET!

What class pet would you like?

Write a letter to Principal Duran with your opinion on the best pet for our
classroom. Dont forget to include:
o
o
o
o

your opinion
2 reasons with 2 facts
linking words
a conclusion
Rubric for Evaluation2

2
Retrieved From http://snippetsbysarah.blogspot.com/2012/06/writing-rubrics.html

27

Appendix B: Graphic Organizer

Name:

Topic:

My

Opinion


Reason
1




Reason
2


Reason
3

28

Appendix C: Editing Checklist (for Partner and Self)

My name:

Authors Name:

My friends letter . . .
Has a topic.

J K L

It has an opinion.

J K L

It has 3 reasons.

J K L

It has 3 facts.

J K L

Uses linking words

J K L

6. I circled words with

spelling errors.
7. I circled the words
that need capitals.
9. This sentence was
strong:

J K L

J K L

_____________________

29