Informative Writing
for
ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
Embedded Files
You can toally tell that I made this page during that fun time we called "COVID 19." That is why some of the vidoes are SO detailed, yet short quick overviews. I was just learning how to teach virtually... so, bear with it!
Overview: There are three basic parts, which takes my class an entire trimester. Part one is to write in sequence. Part two is to write in a compare and contrast. The third and last part is researching about the Battle of Marathon, using many different structures. I love the topic of the Battle of Marathon because there aren't lot online for students to plagiarize! HA! Each video breaks it down paragraph by paragraph.
Sequential Writing:
Sequential Writing:
How to Make A Mummy
How to Make A Mummy
The purpose of this writing assignment is to get students to start research-based writing assignments and to use sequential writing. It is an easy way to start informative writing: Students do not need to come up with their own topic nor find their own research, they can just concentrate on the writing portion.
DAY ONE: So, I start off by playing "Part One" and giving them the supplementary materials. We spend about a day or two gathering researching and completing the "Taking Notes" page. The links to the videos they need to watch are linked on the document itself. Literally, print the worksheet, turn on the video and your lesson plan is done!
DAY TWO: Watch the second video. In the second video, you got to pause often to stop and write. This is all based on the notes they took in "day one." The video will literally tell you sentence-by-sentence what to write. Then, I take a break for about a day. You can have students edit each others, check the rubric, learn how to cite evidence properly... lots of options once they wrote that first draft.
DAY THREE: The last step is the third video: students add their introduction and conclusion. Check the rubric again and students are ready to turn it in! However, this is just the first assignment in a mini-series of writing informative. In the next lesson, students learn a new structure: Compare and Contrast.
Day Four: For some extra fun, mummify an orange! Use this website for step-by-step directions. All you need is a fresh orange, and some minimal materials. Totally worth it!
The Instructional Videos
The Supplementary Materials
Compare and Contrast Writing: Sports
Compare and Contrast Writing: Sports
Now, that students have experimented with sequential writing, it is time to learn a new structure: Compare and Contrast.
The main point of this assignment is to show various structures: One paragraph should be how the sports are similar and the other should be on how they differ. If you have an advanced class, you can require students to have multiple structures in this one: One section that is sequential and tells HOW to play; Another section that is compare and contrast; Another section that is cause and effect, telling why the sport has changed.
The next part of this writing series is about to get really hard: Students will be doing even more research from multiple sources and choosing their own structure.
The Instructional Videos
DAY ONE: Start off with watching the first video so students know what to expect.
DAY TWO: Hand out "Taking Notes." The "Research Articles" can be online or printed. Watch the "Research Video." The narrator is pretty monotone but the guy has great information! Give students a day or two or gather their research from these sources. It is a good idea to take a day or two to talk about citing sources: How and when to use quotation marks, how to cite the information.
DAY THREE: Take a day in your class and play the sport, too! HOW FUN!
DAY FOUR: When students have enough information gathered, play the second video, and get ready to pause often. The second video is a tutorial, showing students how to write it sentence-by-sentence. Always refer students back to the rubric so they know what is required as they write along. All together, this sports writing should take at least four days, but can be pushed to two or three weeks, depending on student need.
The Supplementary Materials
Editing
Editing
The Supplementary Materials
Practice Worksheet from the Video Identify Different Structures
The BIG PROJECT:
The BIG PROJECT:
THE BATTLE OF MARATHON
THE BATTLE OF MARATHON
Instructional Videos
This here is the big project! It took my class about three weeks. I picked this topic for a few reasons: First, they can not easily ask their parents for help. "Hey, Dad, how did the Grecian and Persian wars lead to the fall of the Roman Empire?" Yeah, right. "Hey Mom, what's the Battle of Marathon?" Dude, the kids can't even google this one because they get some college level stuff. So, in today's technology world, this is a great topic to ensure kids are actually researching and writing. So, let's get started!
DAY ONE: Watch the first Video
DAY TWO: Hand out the "Taking Notes" and have students research with the questions already listed
DAY THREE: Brainstorm more questions to drive their research
DAY FOUR: Find the answers to those new questions, using the research sites listed below.
DAY FIVE: Brainstorm more questions, Share research around the class. This is a good day to have bins full of library books for students to learn to use the index, the table of contents, the heading, the captions. Let students just explore print books to gather facts. You can even provide a little worksheet where students record the facts, the title of the book, the author and other information from the verso page.
DAY SIX: Print "Research Articles with Read.org" and teach how to highlight info
(By the way, Read.org is a great resource for teachers!)
DAY SEVEN: Watch the second video and get to writing!
This format, of course, is just a suggestion. Sometimes, that "Day Five" and "Day Six" is more like a whole week! But, now you have an idea and can start to add your own sparkle and get them kids researching!
Writer’s Checklist for Inform.pdfIf you are studying ancient civilization, this is a great resource to use anytime in the unit. Print in color for extra scaffolding. There are also attached maps for students to learn where in the world these things are located.
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