Writing Lesson – 3rd Grade

Suspense Narrative Writing – “Bit-by-Bit”

A. Standard
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.B
Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and
events or show the response of characters to situations.

B. Objectives/Targets and I CAN Statements
What am I going to teach?
What will the students be able to do at the end of the lesson?
What formative assessments are used to inform instruction?

The students will (TSW) describe actions, thoughts, and/or feelings to develop a narrative
suspense story.
-I can write bit-by-bit to create suspense.

Formative Assessment…

- The students will demonstrate their understanding by thinking of and describing
bit-by-bit details with a partner of a given prompt.
- The students will self-evaluate their learning by agreeing or disagreeing with
statements relating to their progress of the learning goal.
- The students will demonstrate their understanding of writing bit-by-bit details by
writing the middle of their narrative suspense stories.

C. Lesson Management: Focus and Organization
What positive strategies, techniques and tools will you use?
What ideas for on task, active and focused student behavior?

Lesson Management:

- Read “I Can” statement.
- Tell what bit-by-bit writing means.
- Discuss how Bud, Not Buddy shows bit-by-bit writing.
- Brainstorm ideas for bit-by-bit details about a given prompt with partners.
- Write a bit-by-bit story together as a whole class.
- Talk with partners about details to add to their stories.
- Add bit-by-bit details to their stories.
- Share or listen to a bit-by-bit story by a student.
 - Give or listen to stars and wishes from students.
- Agree or disagree with sentences about “I Can” statement.

Student Management:

Movement-

Students will move to different areas of the classroom during the lesson.
- Students will begin at the front of the room for the Writer’s Meeting
- Students will turn and talk to a partner during Check for Understanding.
- Students will move back to their seats for Collaborative and Independent
Practice.

Active Student Participation-

- Students will read teacher’s story and the whole class story aloud as the teacher
types.
- Students will think of details to create a bit-by-bit suspense story with a partner.
- Students will participate in creating a story as a whole class.
- Students will talk about ideas for adding detail to their stories with a partner.
- Students will continue writing their suspense stories with bit-by-bit details.

Classroom Management Focus-

Students will be reminded of Writer’s Meeting expectations before beginning the
lesson.
- Students will raise their hand to speak. Students will not blurt answers.
- Students will show good listening behaviors; they will look at the speaker, have
their mouths closed, have their bodies faced towards the speaker, and their
hands idle.
- Students will not make mouth noises or talk to others around them.
- Students will leave everything at their tables, including pens, Writer’s
Notebooks, and toys.
- Students sitting at Table 1 or Table 3 will be asked to move if they are not paying
attention or are distracted by something on their desk. They will clip down on
their way to the floor.
- Students will wait to go to the bathroom until after the writer’s meeting unless it
is an emergency.
Writing Lesson – 3rd Grade

- Students who do not meet Writer’s Meeting expectations may be asked to clip
down after the meeting. If a student refuses to clip down, the teacher will clip
that student down twice.
- Students who show expected or exceptional behaviors will be asked to clip up at
the end of the Writer’s Meeting.

Students will be reminded of partner work expectations before beginning
Collaborative.
- Students will speak in a level 1 voice, meaning only their partner can hear them.
- Students will show good listening behaviors; they will look at the speaker, have
their mouths closed, have their bodies faced towards the speaker, and their
hands idle.
- Students will not touch pens until instructed to do so for Independent Practice.
- Students will talk only about their stories.
- Students who do not meet partner work expectations may be asked to clip down.
If a student refuses to clip down, the teacher will clip that student down twice.
- Students who show expected or exceptional behaviors will be asked to clip up or
will be clipped up by the teacher.

Students will be reminded of independent writing time expectations before
beginning Independent Practice.
- Students will have a level zero voice, which means they may not talk at all.
- Students will raise their hand if they have a question. They will not say the
teacher’s name, or they will be ignored until they show the expected behavior.
- Students will be working on their story.
- Students will only use the pen given by the teacher to write.
- Students will not play with writing utensils or toys.
- Students will try their best to spell words correctly and will not ask the teacher
how to spell something. If they do, they will be reminded of this expectation.
- Students who get into arguments will be told to continue working and will be
reminded that they should not be talking to others. Tattling will not be tolerated.
Pouting and crying will not be tolerated.
- Students who do not meet independent writing time expectations may be asked
to fix their behavior or clip down. If a student refuses to clip down, the teacher
will clip that student down twice.
- Students who show expected or exceptional behaviors will be asked to clip up or
will be clipped up by the teacher.



D. Introduction: Creating Excitement and Focus for the Lesson Target
What will you do to generate interest?
How will you access prior knowledge?
What will you practice/review?

- The teacher will review expected Writer’s Meeting behaviors.
- Students and teacher will read the “I Can” statement posted on the whiteboard.
- One student will explain the term “bit-by-bit,” which the students used several
times in the last writing unit.
- The teacher will generate interest by reading a bit-by-bit suspense story
example from the book Bud, Not Buddy.
- One or two students will explain why this story is an example of bit-by-bit
suspense writing.

E. Input: Setting up the Lesson for Student Success

Task analysis:
What information does the learner need? If needed how will it be provided?
How is the lesson scaffolded? (step by step lesson progression)

- Review expected Writer’s Meeting behaviors.
- Read the “I Can” statement together from the whiteboard.
- Remind what “bit-by-bit” means.
- Read Bud, Not Buddy pages 21-22.
- Discuss how the author used bit-by-bit writing to make the scene suspenseful.
- Share story mountain and beginning of story.
- Model writing the middle of the suspense story as the students read it aloud.
- Type on Smart Notebook.
-Add details to story bit-by-bit.
-Describe actions and thoughts.
-Include dialogue and onomatopoeia.
-Think aloud.
-Refer back to the story mountain.
-Model decisions about how to add suspense.
- Give students the recess prompt and check for understanding.
- Have several students share bit-by-bit details. Type their ideas to make a
suspense story.
- Explain Collaborative and remind of partner work expectations.
Writing Lesson – 3rd Grade

- Students go back to their seats and share ideas for bit-by-bit details for the
middle of their stories with their shoulder partners. Partners give one
suggestion.
- Pass out writing pens.
- Explain Independent Practice and remind of expectations.
- Help students with adding bit-by-bit details to their suspense writing.
- Choose one student to share.
- Choose one person to give a star and one person to give a wish to the student.
- Read the “I can” statement together.
- Have students agree or disagree with statements:
-I got better at writing bit-by-bit details today.
-The bit-by-bit details I added made my story more suspenseful.


Thinking Levels: questions to engage students’ thinking

1. Remembering-
What is bit-by-bit writing?

2. Understanding-

3. Applying-
Come up with examples of bit-by-bit details for the recess story.
Come up with bit-by-bit details for your story.

4. Analyzing-
How does the story from Bud, Not Buddy show bit-by-bit suspense writing?

5. Evaluating-

6. Creating-
Write the middle of your story using bit-by-bit details.








Accommodations: Differentiating to meet student needs

Remediation/Intervention-

- Students who struggle will write fewer details.
- Students who struggle will be given extra help to brainstorm and add details
from the teacher.
- *ELL students are given special help during writing time by paraprofessionals.
Paraprofessionals help them spell words, think through their stories, and/or
have them tell their story verbally and write it out for them.

Extension/Enrichment-

- Students who finish writing the middle of their story using bit-by-bit details will
write the rest of their story using bit-by-bit details.
- Students who finish writing their first suspense story with bit-by-bit details will
plan and write another suspense story using bit-by-bit details.

Methods, Materials, and Integrated Technology:

Materials
- “I can” statements on paper
- Bud, Not Buddy book
- Teacher’s story mountain
- Beginning of teacher’s story in Smart Notebook format
- Writer’s notebooks
- Writing pens

Technology
- Document camera
- Computer
- Projector
- Smart Notebook computer program
- Smart Board with Smart Board pens






Writing Lesson – 3rd Grade

F. Modeling: I Do
SHOW/TELL (Visual/Verbal Input)
HOW/WHAT (Questioning and redirecting)

- Share story mountain.
- Share the beginning of the story.
- Add details bit-by-bit.
- Model thinking aloud, especially thinking about how to add suspense.
- Refer back to the story mountain.
- Students read the teacher’s writing aloud as she types.


G. Checking for Understanding
Samples of questions to be asked
Ways in which students will respond and be engaged
Formative assessment strategies to be implemented

- Present the prompt: you’re out at recess, and you lose track of time. All of the
other students have gone back inside. What do you do? What happens next?
- Students share with a partner some bit-by-bit details that would make this story
suspenseful.
- Teacher listens to see if the students understand adding details bit-by-bit to
create suspense.


H. Guided Practice: We Do
What do the teacher and student do together?
How will a gradual release of responsibility accomplished?

- Write the “recess” story together.
- Call on 3 people for bit-by-bit details.
- Type the ideas in order after 3 have been shared.
- Students may offer more details that the teacher will type if there is time.







I. Collaborative (You Do Together) and/or Independent Practice (You Do)
What practices will be demonstrated/modeled?

Collaborative
- Students will go back to their desks.
- Students will share with their should partners bit-by-bit details they could add
to their stories.
- Partners will offer one detail suggestion if there is time.
- Pass out writing pens to each table.

Independent Practice
- Students will write the middle of their story with bit-by-bit details to create
suspense.

J. Closure
How will the I can statement(s) be reviewed?
How will students be involved?
What connections to future learning will occur?

- One student will be chosen by the teacher to share their story.
- One student will give a star, and one student will give a wish to the student
writer who shared.
- The students and the teacher will read “I Can” statement together.
- Students will show the hand motion for agree or disagree for these statements:
-I got better at writing bit-by-bit details today.
-The bit-by-bit details I added made my story more suspenseful.

K. Assessment
What evidence supports that the objective(s) were met?
What do my students know, understand and are able to do?
What formative assessments will be used to inform
instruction?

- Students will leave their writing journals on their desks. The teacher will take
pictures of their writings or scan them on the copier.
- If students use bit-by-bit details in their writing to create suspense, they will
have met the learning goals.
- When journals are evaluated informally, the teaching team can pay specific
attention to bit-by-bit details or adding suspense during the revision process
after the first draft of the stories are finished.