Title of

Unit
Writing for a Purpose Grade
Level
MID Self-contained
9
th
11
th
grade
Curriculum
Area
Language Arts
Time
Frame
3 weeks
Stage 1 Identify Desired Results
Content Standards:

ELACC11-12W4:
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style
are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
ELACC11-12W5:
Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific
purpose and audience.
ELACC11-12W6:
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or
shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or
information.

Understandings
Students will understand that:
Writing is an important communication tool and explain why it is so important
for their future
Their interpretation of a topic is what makes writing meaningful
Applying writing organizational strategies will develop effective writing in real
life situations
Individuals express perspective or points of view through writing and there can
be several different points of view about one topic
Writing often provides others with insight into your experiences and reading
written text gives you insight into others experiences (empathy)
Writing skills are vital for effective communication in the work setting and a lack
of writing skills can affect job performance (self-knowledge)

Related Misconceptions:
Writing is something that my teacher makes me do without a purpose
I need my teacher to interpret the topic and tell me what I should write
about
I will not use writing in the real world, but only at school
There is only one point of view, and that is my own
My writing and others is irrelevant
My lack of skill will not affect my future

Essential Questions

Overarching Questions:

What makes writing engaging?
In what different ways do we use
writing as a communication tool?
How can I communicate effectively
with writing?
How can I know my writing is
coherent?
How important is it for writing to be
organized?






Topical Questions:

Why are punctuation, capitalization,
and spelling necessary?
How does a graphic organizer help
me write a coherent paragraph?
Why does a paragraph need a topic
sentence and a concluding sentence?
How does a rubric help to self-
assess?
When reading my paragraph does it
make sense to me and does it make
sense to others?

Knowledge and Skills
Knowledge
Students will know:

How to communicate effectively
through writing







Skills
Students will be able to:
Pre-write-Use a graphic organizer
to develop thoughts around a topic
Write- Given a topic, write a
paragraph using a topic sentence,
details, and a conclusion
Edit-Use a rubric to self-assess their
writing
Publish-write a coherent paragraph
about a topic




Stage 2 - Evidence
Performance Task(s)
Be sure to indicate:

Goal: The goal is to introduce your self through using effective writing skills.

Role: You are an unemployed person who is searching for a job.

Audience: The target audience is your current Community Based Vocational
Instruction place of business. (Chilis or Walgreens)

Situation: You need to convince the employer that you would be a good candidate
for a job opening.

Product Performance and Purpose: You need to develop an electronic portfolio
that includes paragraphs using a digital essay map. The audience is a future
employer and the purpose it to introduce themselves to an employer. The student
will use some information from previous lessons, then add a paragraph about past
job training, one about current job training, and one about hopes for the future.
The portfolio will be presented to the supervisor at the place of business at a
simulated job interview.

Standards and Criteria for Success: Your portfolio needs to include:
Introduction Paragraph
Past job training experience
Hopes for the future


Explain: Write a paragraph to train/teach other students the steps of a jobsite task that
you currently do to include in the portfolio.

Interpret: Make a written list of strengths and weaknesses by interpreting data
(concerning job skills/performance) collected by teacher on the Community Based
Vocational jobsite. Use the list to write your Strengths and Weaknesses paragraph for
the portfolio.

Apply by: Complete the Transition Planning questionnaire and use it to write the
Introduction paragraph for the portfolio.

See from the Points of view of: Compare and contrast data (concerning job
skills/performance) collected from teacher on the jobsite with student self-assessment
of job skills/performance.


Empathize with: The students will use all the information from current lessons to
create a Prezi to introduce them. This gives the students a chance to be creative and
have some fun!

Reflect on: Self-assess your paragraphs for your portfolio using the Assessment for
Writing Rubric



Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences
Week 1

Begin with the question (In what different ways do we use writing as a
communication tool?) Make a list together. WHERETO- Hook / Rubric #1 and #2

Introduce the Essential Questions and discuss the unit performance tasks (Product
Performance and Purpose: You need to develop a portfolio that includes a paragraph
that introduces you to the employer, paragraph about past and current job training,
and one about hopes for the future. The portfolio will be presented to the supervisor
at the place of business at a simulated job interview). WHERETO- Where and What
/ Rubric #1 and #2

Essential Question (How does a graphic organizer help me write a coherent
paragraph?) Pre-test- Students take a writing test. The test gives them several
topics to choose from and provides a graphic organizer if needed. WHERETO-
Evaluate / Rubric #1, #2, and #3

Introduce the Organizational Writing Rubric and Essential Question (How does a
rubric help to self-assess?) Students see examples of each component of the rubric
via online videos and presentations. WHERETO- Equip and Experience / Rubric
#1, #2, #3, and #5

Discuss the Essential Question (How does a graphic organizer help me write a
coherent paragraph?) The students will use a digital tool to begin writing an
introduction about them. The audience will be their peers and the purpose will be to
inform. The students will complete a word map to organize their thoughts.
WHERETO- Organized / Rubric #1 and #2

To understand that writing often provides others with insight into your experiences
and reading written text gives you insight into others experiences Students who
need to can use a graphic organizer tool online to write the Introduction paragraph
for the portfolio. WHERETO- Tailored / Rubric #1, #2, #3

Essential Questions (How does a rubric help to self-assess? Why does a paragraph
need a topic sentence and a concluding sentence? How important is it for writing to
be organized?) The student self-assesses paragraph for the portfolio using the
Organization Rubric. WHERETO- Rethink and Revise / Rubric #1, #2, and #4

Essential Question (How does a rubric help to self-assess?) The teacher uses the
organizational rubric to assess introduction paragraph and the student revises
paragraph based on teacher and student assessments. Teacher uses extra prompts
for students who need more one on one instruction. WHERETO- Rethink and
Revise / Rubric #1, #2, #3, and #4
Week 2

To introduce the Understanding (Applying writing organizational strategies will
develop effective writing in real life situations) and the Essential Question (When
reading my paragraph does it make sense to me and does it make sense to others?)
Students will learn parts of a cover letter, mistakes to avoid, and then practice
writing a cover letter using a digital letter generator. The students will use previous
writing from the essay map to write a cover letter for a resume. . WHERETO- Hook
/ Rubric #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5

Introduce the Convections Writing Rubric and Essential Questions (How does a
rubric help to self-assess? Why are punctuation, capitalization, and spelling
necessary?) WHERETO- Equip and Experience / Rubric #1, #2, and #5

Introduce the Essential Question (Why are punctuation, capitalization, and spelling
necessary?). Students will practice these skills using activities online. WHERETO-
Equip / Rubric #1, #2, #3, and #5

Essential Question (How does a rubric help to self-assess?) The student will edit
introduction paragraph, Paragraph/Essay, and Cover Letter using Edit Checklist for
self-assessment and peer assessment and Self-assessment Checklist. The student
will use the checklist to edit their own writing and the writing of a peer. WHERETO-
Evaluate / Rubric #1, #2, and #3

To understand that their interpretation of a topic is what makes writing meaningful
the students will use the information from the word map created the day before
along with new information to create an auto-bio cube about them. WHERETO-
Tailored / Rubric #1 and #2

Essential Question (How does a rubric help to self-assess?) The teacher uses the
convections rubric to assess introduction paragraph and the student revises
paragraph based on teacher and student assessments. Teacher uses extra prompts
for students who need more one on one instruction. WHERETO- Rethink and
Revise / Rubric #1, #2, #3 and #4







Week 3


To introduce the Essential Questions (How can I communicate effectively with
writing? How can I know my writing is coherent? How important is it for writing to
be organized?), the students will use all the information from current lessons to
create a Prezi to introduce themselves. WHERETO- Tailored / Rubric #1, #2, and
#3

Essential Question (How does a rubric help to self-assess?) The student self-assesses
Prezi for the portfolio using the Organization and Convections Rubric and revises the
paragraphs in the presentation. Teacher uses extra prompts for students who need
more one on one instruction. WHERETO- Rethink and Revise / Rubric #1, #2, #3,
and #4

Essential Question (When reading my paragraph does it make sense to me and does
it make sense to others?) Each student will present Prezi presentation to class on
Promethean Board and peers will complete a peer assessment of presentation.
WHERETO- Evaluate / Rubric #1, #2, and #5

Essential Question (How does a graphic organizer help me write a coherent
paragraph?) Post test- Students take a writing test. The test gives them several
topics to choose from and provides a graphic organizer if needed. WHERETO-
Evaluate / Rubric #1, #2, and #3
Notes to the Instructor

The Essential Questions and Understandings are listed with the learning experiences.
The WHERETO is listed as well with the specific letter highlighted in red. The
activities that show differentiation are highlighted in yellow. To show how each
activity fits into the scoring rubric I listed the number that it corresponds with on the
rubric. 1-Label Whereto, 2-Match with E.Q and Understandings, 3-Differntiation, 4-
Rethink, Reflect, Revise, and 5- Technology. Hope this helps. Thanks!