Writing+Instruction

=Common Question signs= I am using these signs to teach my students to always keep these questions in mind while reading. For example, when we read Weekly Reader, I have the appropriate sign visible. Before reading the article, we review the questions. After reading, I give students a fill in the blank worksheet (in paragraph form) that corresponds to the common questions, which they need to complete. My goal is that eventually, I can wean them off the fill in the blanks and they will be able to use the common questions to write their own paragraph about the article. Deb Genet [|nonliving things.docx] [|narrative.docx] [|animals and plants.docx] [|events.docx] [|people.docx] [|holidays.docx] [|groups organizations institutions.docx] [|places.docx] [|problem solving.docx]

Students used the Common Questions for events to write a paragraph in social studies, given the following directions: Early explorers who traveled from Europe to North America encountered many new sights that were both exciting and sometimes scary. Look at the 4 different landscape scenes. Imagine that you are an explorer seeing the new world for the first time. Write a journal entry about your trip.

Here is a 4th grade student's unedited reponse (with the Common Question sign in view).

//5/15/1500//

//We landed in South Ameria. We look for spises, silver and gold. We came from Portugal. We leave Portugal March 3. We landed on South America. We saw nice waterfall, pretty tree and bear. Waterfall important because we need drinck water or bath.// [|PAWritingRubric.pdf]