Alexa Iandolo

April 2016
SPC 3530 - Maniscalco
Unit Plan - Instructional Management
Unit: Language Arts - Descriptive Writing Time Frame: 5 days (Monday - Friday) Teacher: Ms.
Iandolo

Unit Summary and Rationale:

This unit plan is for language arts. I will be introducing descriptive writing to a 7th grade
class. Each day I will be teaching the students what they should be including in descriptive
writing. This includes strong & weak verbs, figurative language, sensory details, showing not
telling, and picture description. For each lesson there will be different activities to practice
each of the materials learned that day. As an assessment for a final product, I would have the
students describe, in writing, pictures using all the lessons learned. The students will be
obligated to present to the class, having us try to create a mental image in our minds then
having them reveal the image they used to describe. After the student presents, I will collect
their work and grade it based on a rubric.

Unit Standards:

The standards that will be used in each lesson are as follows:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the
action and convey experiences and events.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.4
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g.,
alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.7.5
Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word
meanings.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.2.D
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.7
Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually.
 Unit Connection College and Career Ready Descriptions:
Students will value evidence.
Students will build strong content knowledge.
Essential Questions:
Essential questions are a used as critical drivers
for teaching and learning. It can help students
as well as teachers discover knowledge and
solve problems. They are to motivate students
to learn. Each lesson in my unit will have
different essential questions.
Monday: How can we use strong verbs instead
of weak words?
Tuesday: How can you add personality to your
writing?
Wednesday: How can you create a vivid
description?
Thursday: What can be used to help create a
mental picture?
Friday: What makes clear and effective writing?
When new materials are taught, teachers
should try to motivate the students through
using these questions.
Learning Tasks:
Reading Tasks - Students will be reading
examples from the powerpoint slides everyday
(Monday-Thursday). On Wednesday, Thursday,
and Friday, students will be presenting to the
class reading sentences and paragraphs.
Writing Tasks - On Monday, the students will be
writing sentences based off of a matching
game. On Tuesday, the students are writing
sentence examples for each figurative language
On Thursday the students will be
learned.
writing a paragraph. On Friday, the students will
create a descriptive paragraph using all
materials learned.
Discussion Tasks - On Wednesday, the students
will be separated into groups based on the
different senses. The students will discuss their
ideas with each other, then share sentence
examples with the class. On Thursday, students
will be paired and will be writing paragraphs to
present to the class. On Friday, the students to
write different paragraphs independently and
will be presenting to the class.
Big Ideas:
The big idea of a lesson is the importance of the
lesson being taught. The students will
understand the materials after focusing on the
big idea. For my unit, there is a big idea each
day in a new lesson. The whole idea of this unit
is to teach the students how to write
descriptively. There are many attributes to
writing this way. The students need to use their
imaginations. They will learn how to use
figurative language, sensory details, and
showing not telling. How can different types of
figurative language make your writing better?
What are sensory details and how are they
helpful? Why is showing not telling important
for descriptive writing? Each question is
essential to the process of learning how to write
descriptively. These questions can be useful in
all areas of study when writing.
Skills:
During each lesson of new materials, the
students are learning new skills. They can
combine new skills and prior skills to create
more detailed work.
Monday: Students will classify the differences
between weak, vivid, and strong verbs. They
will also be able to make a list of these verbs to
implement into their sentences.
Tuesday: Students will differentiate figurative
language. They will identify each type by writing
examples in the around the room activity.
Wednesday: Students will formulate new
sentences using sensory details in groups.
Thursday: Students will construct paragraphs in
pairs to present to the class to demonstrate
understanding.
Friday: Students will execute all the skills
learned in the unit through a picture description
final assessment.
Language/Vocabulary Tasks - On Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the
students will be asked to take notes on
definitions and examples from the powerpoint
section of the lesson.
Key Terms/Vocabulary:
Description Hyperbole
Weak verbs Understatement
Vivid verbs Imagery
Strong verbs Suggestive Details
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Onomatopoeia
Alliteration

Assessments:
Assessments are important because they show what the student has learned. It is also important to
see where the student stands based on their strengths and weaknesses. Each assessment is
important no matter how big or small.
Monday: The students will be handing in a sheet of paper with sentences regarding the matching
game they are playing that day. The sentences have a weak verb and the other sentences have a
strong verb that replaces the weak verb. There should be six sentences total. Each student will be
graded based on a rubric. (Formative)
Tuesday: The students will be doing an activity based on figurative language. The students will be
walking around the room and writing an example of each type of figurative language in the lesson.
The student is to write and example and write their initials next to the examples they wrote. When
the activity is over, I will be able to collect all the sheets hanging around the room. I can look at
each sheet and see which students understand which type or not. I will be able to tell by the initials
next to the example written. (Formative)
Wednesday: The students will be split into groups based on the five senses. Each group will be
given boring sentences and they must remake them using the sense they are assigned too. The
students will then present to the class. I will be able to understand through the written sentences
and the oral presentation whether or not the students understand the material on sensory details.
(Formative)
Thursday: The students will be split into pairs. The objective is for the students to create a
paragraph based on showing not telling. The students will be given scientific pictures or scenery
that they must write about (such as a rainforest, outer space, or microscope, etc.). Each pair will
present their showing not telling paragraph to the class. I will collect the paragraphs. (Formative)
Friday: The students will be doing a final assessment. The idea is for the students to use all the
materials that has been taught throughout the week for this assignment. The students are to have
a picture of their choice that they are going to describe in writing to create a mental picture in our
minds. The students will then read the description to the class. We will then show the picture the
student wrote about. We will decided if it created a nice mental picture. I will be collecting the
writing and the picture to grade based on a rubric. (Summative)
Learning Activities: Resources/ Text Selection:
Each day the students will be learning a new
component in descriptive writing. Each section Powerpoint Slides (Attached)
of materials is taught in the same way but the
activities and assessments are different. This Verbs: (Monday)
allows the students to experience different https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD4KcZMw9rE
opportunities of expressing their learning.
Monday: I will start by introducing descriptive Figurative Language Rap: (Tuesday)
writing. We will talk about the differences https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K9pd6h9JT0
between weak and strong verbs used in a
sentence. I will be using a powerpoint while the
students take notes and interact. I will show the
students a short video. After notes, we will
together create a list of strong verbs and use
some of them in example sentences. The
students will then get split into groups to play a
matching game. Each student must write all the
sentences that they match, down on a sheet of
paper that I will be collecting (6 sentences). We
will then come back together to review and
share examples.
Tuesday: I will be teaching figurative language. I
will go through a powerpoint while the students
take notes and interact in the lesson. I will then
play a video for the students. After, we will
create examples together. The students will
then walk around the room to each taped up
paper with a type of figurative language on it.
They will need to write an example on the sheet
of that type and write their initials next to their
examples. I will be taking the papers down to
keep. At the end of class, we will go over some
examples that were written on the papers.
Wednesday: I will be teaching sensory details. I
will be using a powerpoint with the students
interacting and taking notes. We will together
create an example for each sense. I will write it
on the board. The students will then be split
into five groups. Each will go to a center with an
assigned sense and some boring sentences. The
students at each center are to create new
sentences using the sense that they were
assigned to. At the end of class, each group will
share their sentences with the class so that each
group presents different materials. I will then
collect the sentences created by each group.
Thursday: I will be teaching showing, not telling.
I will be using the powerpoint while the
students interact and take notes. I will go over
many examples with the students. After, the
students and I will create a paragraph together
on showing not telling. The students will then
work in pairs to create a showing not telling
paragraph. The pairs of students will be sharing
their writing with the class. This allows the
students to hear all different types of examples
from their peers. I will collect the paragraphs at
the end of the presentations.
Friday: I will be doing a picture description
overall assessment. This assessment is for
students to use the materials from the whole
unit into one writing assignment. The objective
is for the student to create a mental image in
our minds. I will start with my own example of
describing a picture of a dog. I will read the
students my paragraph and see if I created a
mental image. After, I will show the students
the original picture to see whether it matched
their mental image or not. We will then do an
example together (describing a picture, creating
a mental image, and showing the original).
Finally, the students take out their own pictures
and work individually to do the same concept.
At the end, the students are to independently
come up and present. They must read their
writing, ask us if we have a mental image, and
then project the original for us to compare. I
will be collecting the writing and the picture to
grade based on a rubric as a unit grade.
Additional Notes:
ADAPTATIONS:

1. Size - On Tuesday, one student may choose to do only 4 of the types of figurative language
to write examples for around the room.
2. Time - On the Friday before, I will give the student a list of possible strong verbs of the list
that we will be creating in class on Monday so that the student has time to go over it
before class starts.
3. Level of Support - Two of my lessons for the week (Wednesday and Thursday). The student
with special needs will be paired or grouped with students who will be a great role model
for them and help them along the way.
4. Input - The student has trouble with matching during the matching game. While the other
students must match 6 pairs, I will give the student 3 pairs to match.
5. Output - The student also has trouble walking around the classroom. On Tuesday, I will
give the student a packet with the same pages that are hanging up, allowing the student to
complete the activity without moving around the room.
6. Participation - I understand that one student likes to talk about science and another about
animals, so within my materials, I will ask the students questions relating to their interests
(Ex: Describe your favorite animal).
7. Alternate Goals - The student has difficulties with fine motor skills. As a result, holding a
pencil and writing an entire paragraph in a set period of time is troublesome. Therefore, I
will ask him to to only write 2 or 3 sentences.
8. Substitute Curriculum - For this lesson, it is not necessary to substitute the curriculum.