Learner Inquiry Project
Embedded Files
Informational Writing
Informational Writing
How might we use and share our interests
to strengthen our community?
Project Description
In 3rd grade, we have nonfiction units for writing and reading. The idea for this inquiry project is to include aspects from both units to strengthen student understanding of informational texts. Students have the opportunity to select a topic that they feel they know enough about to begin teaching someone. To help focus their continued research of the topic and what they want to teach about it, they will start with a guiding question on their topic. From here, learners will be able to branch off in their own research on the topic finding mentor texts and looking for examples of text features, transitions, and techniques for an introduction and conclusion that they can emulate.
I will be using this project with a group of twenty 8-10 year-olds over the course of our unit (usually 4-6 weeks) integrating the reading and writing units wherever possible. The reading levels of my students range from G to S (FPBA) so using this as an inquiry project and making it more learner-centered than the typical unit lessons will also leave more room for differentiation. We spend a significant amount of time learning to select books that fit our reading ability and interest but do not get to use that skill beyond the first unit unless it is reading for pleasure so this project will be a great way to include more practice with that skill in a different genre set.
The end product needs to include a written portion for the sake of it being a writing unit, but students will have some freedom in what that looks like. We will explore some formats such as Book Creator, Seesaw, pamphlets, posters, slide shows, etc. to help them generate ideas. Along the way, I will model and share examples of strong writing and reading techniques to help students stay on track with their learning goals. Students will also be using our classroom blog to share ideas, tools, resources, and interesting finds with each other. By the end of the unit, students should be able to have a classroom discussion about using interests to strengthen the community by sharing and exploring ideas with others and discovering new things about each other. They can also discuss some of the many ways in which ideas can be shared within a community.
Educator Resources
Educator Resources
Informational Writing LC Unit2 Grade3This is a interactive slide show to guide lessons and pacing. It is intended as a companion to the Lucy Calkins Units of Study in Writing but could be used as a stand alone. There are direct connections between this and the interactive notebook provided to students.
Education.com has a wide variety of graphic organizers that can be printed or shared digitally (I recommend using something like Showbie or Seesaw) for students who need more scaffolding.
LC Unit 2 Read to LearnThis is a companion slide deck for the Lucy Calkins Units of Study in Reading. There are specific books the unit uses but they may be replaced with similar texts for a stand-alone unit. This is intended to be run at the same time as the Informational Writing unit since there is significant cross-over and the two units strengthen each other.
Brainpop and Brainpop Jr. have some great videos and resources to help students understand nonfiction and informational texts. This is a video clip about text features to give students an introduction and some context. If you have a Brainpop account, you would be better served to go directly through their site for the full video as well as additional resources.
Ask a Tech Teacher has a great list of quick, safe spots to send students for research
Common Sense Media has a good list of trusted sites for student research. There is also more information about vetting sites for safety and reliability through Common Sense Media.
Free Nonfiction Reading Websites!
Free Nonfiction Reading Websites!
Reference Tools
Reference Tools
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets
Includes several graphic organizers and "signal words" for text structures
Dedicated to Teachers
Dedicated to Teachers
A Guide to Teaching Nonfiction Writing.pdfWhile a bit dated, this guide offers a comprehensive look at teaching nonfiction writing including the purposes of nonfiction writing, building a culture of inquiry and research, improving critical thinking, ideas for scaffolding, and a framework for instruction among many other useful tools and tips.
Student Treasures Publishing
Student Treasures Publishing
This blog offers some helpful insights and project ideas for teaching nonfiction writing that can easily apply to nonfiction reading as well. The company also offers classroom publishing if you are interested in making students some serious books to be proud of!
Learner Creation Tools
Learner Creation Tools
Interactive Notebook
Interactive Notebook
This is a tool to help students stay organized as they navigate the structures of nonfiction writing. It links directly to the slide show on Informational Writing. Here is an introductory video for students. There are also tutorials for teachers on creating and using interactive notebooks should you wish to make any changes or create your own.
I have found the informational writing unit particularly difficult for students with low executive functioning, so this tool can help them with organization as well as applying the structures and text features we learn about. They will also be able to share it with their writing partner and it is much easier for a partner to read in terms of neatness and legibility.
Book Creator helps students create professional grade books that they can share with the class as well as their families. They can be as supported as they need with premade layouts and images or they can create drawings and text boxes on their own.
Showbie offers a more open-ended way for students to showcase and share their work. They could use it to create custom text features for a chapter, make a book that is formatted like a graphic novel, use it to incorporate pictures of physical objects they create, work with a partner to create a video presentation, and so much more. Here is a tutorial for screen recording on Showbie. This is a quick-start guide to many features on Showbie.
Informational Writing Templates
Informational Writing Templates
This is a collection of chapter and text feature pages that students who prefer to make a nondigital final copy may use. Each slide is editable and can easily be altered to fit needs. Completed pages could also be scanned and uploaded so that a digital copy can be edited through Showbie, Seesaw or another tool.
With some altering, these could also be used as digital creation tools but text boxes would need to replace the lines created for writing.
Learning Goals
Learning Goals
Common Core State Standards for Literacy:
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.3
Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.5
Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.A Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.B Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.C Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.D Provide a concluding statement or section.
Learning Targets:
Students will be able to identify informational texts as nonfiction and identify the features of a nonfiction text.
Students will be able to apply their understanding of nonfiction texts to produce an informative piece.
Success Criteria:
I can conduct a short research project to build knowledge about a topic.
I can ask and answer questions, using the text for support, to show my understanding
(Variable) I can determine the main idea and supporting details of a text
I can explain the connections between sentences and paragraphs in a text using comparison, cause/effect, or sequencing
(Variable) I can tell the difference between my point of view and the author’s point of view
I can use language that pertains to sequence or cause/effect to describe the connection between historical events, scientific ideas, or steps in a procedure
Variable: Topics may be based on either informational or narrative nonfiction text
Variable: Texts may pertain to either sciences or historical events/periods, this is an area for interdisciplinary teaching
I can use various text features to locate information
I can explain how charts, diagrams, or illustrations are helpful in clarifying text
(Variable) I can compare and contrast important points, on a specific topic, from different texts
I can write an informative piece where I
Introduce a topic and group related information
use facts, definitions, and details to develop a point
use linking words to connect ideas
provide a concluding statement or section
I can use digital tools to produce and publish my work
Variable: Digital tools may be used in the production of a final piece or in the steps leading to publication if the student prefers a non-digital final product
Rubrics
Rubrics
Discussion
Discussion
This project centers around student interest and learning to research. The guiding question "How might we use and share our interests to strengthen our community" should be used to guide students toward information and ideas to share with others, building on their shared interests and finding new interests together.
This project is intended to be very open-ended for learners with a structured process. At the beginning of this project, the instructor should guide students toward their own questions about a topic. This can be done in small groups or during individual conferences. Students will then have a personalized question to guide their collection of information. From here, students will be learning about ways of researching both digitally and in physical text. The information they decide is important or interesting enough to collect and share will vary depending on their guiding questions as well as their interests. This is where they will be learning more about capturing a reader's attention and identifying relevant information. Aside from requiring a written portion, the final product can easily be altered by students to fit their needs and how they want to share their ideas and information. There are a variety of tools for students to choose from in the production of their final product and variability would be dependent on the instructor.
The areas that learners would need to show knowledge acquisition and growth are based on the Common Core State Standards for writing informational pieces. There is significant variability in terms of including reading standards as well as language, digital tools, and other areas of literacy. If the Lucy Calkins Units of Study are being followed, final scores are produced through an on-demand writing prompt which leaves room for the scores from an inquiry project to include many areas of the standards, including science and social studies if the instructor chooses to direct the path of research.
Throughout this process, learners will have many opportunities for self-assessment as well as peer evaluation. Throughout the unit slide deck, there are pieces of the final rubric to assist students in staying on task and reaching grade-level goals for nonfiction writing. There is also a checklist that would be distributed at the beginning of the unit as a reference for students as they work through their projects. Several opportunities would also be given for peer evaluation with the same checklist as well as teacher evaluation in weekly conferencing. Students will have a writing partner that they check in with weekly to help each other stay on track with research and product creation.
No matter how much planning goes into a teaching and learning experience, there are always bumps along the way. One potentially barrier I see students facing is their lack of computer skills. Many of them only have hand-held devices at home so learning to use a keyboard and mousepad has been an ongoing process. We often take twice as long as planned to complete digital assignments, partially due to the large class size I have, the lower attention span of this particular group, as well as their lower stamina for independent work. This unit would happen in the second half of the year, hopefully giving students enough time to become comfortable with using their laptops regularly and increase their familiarity with the digital tools we use in the classroom. I am planning on significant supports for my learners, including additional teacher assistance during specific parts as well as strategic partnerships to help lift the level of their work. I am hoping that amount of technology use and the open-ended nature of the project will capture their interest enough to keep them moving forward so that weekly conferences and regular check-ins will be mostly for guiding their research and improving their technical skills.
I am most excited to see what students will ultimately produce for final products. We do not have many opportunities for projects and even less for interest-based or passion projects so this unit is usually very engaging for the learners. I am hoping that they enjoy the flexibility that the final artifact offers. I want my students to leave this unit knowing that they can have some autonomy in their learning and that learning CAN be fun.
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