1. Informational Writing 2nd grade
Crystal Patterson
READ 7140
Valdosta State University
May 2007

2. Introduction Grade Level: 2nd Genre of writing: Informational Writing
Content Area Connection: Science (Life Cycle of Animals)

3. Grade 3 Writing Assessment
Teacher evaluation of student writing
Covers four types of writing: narrative, informational, persuasive, and response to literature
Students are scored analytically in four domains: ideas, organization, style, and conventions.
Three performance levels: does not meet, meets, and exceeds

4. Pre-assessment Prompts
What is your favorite animal? Write about why this animal is your favorite animal.
Tell about your favorite game. Explain why this is your favorite game to play.
Think about one of your friends. Tell at least three things that make this person a good friend.

5. Pre-assessment Prompts
Explain why Valdosta is a great place to live. Think about things you like to do here.
Think about your favorite thing that you own. It can be something that was given to you or something you bought. Explain why this is your favorite thing.
Tell about your favorite place to go (can be a vacation spot or even somewhere in Valdosta). Why is this your favorite place to visit?

6. Grouping Options Based on Teacher’s Needs
Whole group – takes place during instruction, modeling, and practice activities for each stage
Partners – Students will work with a partner to revise the draft.
Individual – takes place during the assessment activity for each stage

7. Grouping Options Based on Development, Culture, and Linguistics
Development – work in pairs for revising, work in pairs for spelling help, teacher monitoring during assessment, copies of instructions and other materials made
Culture – extra instruction during some stages based on need because of background in writing

8. Grouping Options Based on Development, Culture, and Linguistics
Linguistics – informal conferences during assessment, reading checklists and graphic organizers to EIP student

9. Informational Writing
Informational writing provides information using facts from resources like books and the internet.
Sequence writing is to list items or events in order using transition words.
Contains: table of contents, topic pages or chapters, pictures with captions, index

10. The Prewriting Stage Choose a topic Consider the purpose for writing
Consider the audience
Organize ideas for writing using a graphic organizer

11. Prewriting Instruction
Modeling – show completed graphic organizer on elephants and explain each part
Practice – use interactive writing to complete a graphic organizer on butterflies
Assessment – students will complete a graphic organizer individually

12. Animal Life Cycle Graphic Organizer
Introduction: What is the name of your animal?
What do you already know about your animal?
What will you be providing information about?
1st stage: What is the name of this stage?
What happens during this stage?
Detail 1:
Detail 2:
Detail 3:
Detail 4:

13. 2nd stage: What is the name of this stage?
What happens during this stage?
Detail 1:
Detail 2:
Detail 3:
Detail 4:
3rd stage:
What is the name of this stage?

14. Conclusion: What are the names of all the stages?
Is there anything you found interesting about this animal?
If so, what was it?
If not, why not?

15. Checklist for Prewriting
Writing Checklist for Prewriting
_____________________ Life Cycle
Introduction
_______ I told the reader what my animal will be.
_______ I told the reader what I will be writing about.
Stages of the Life Cycle
_______ I named at least 3 stages of the animal’s life cycle.
_______ I provided at least two details for each stage.
Conclusion
______ I repeated/summarized what I wrote about.

16. Scoring Guide for Prewriting
Exceeds Standard
Meets Standard
Approaching Standard 2
Does not meet standard 1
Introduction
The topic is listed and described, and characteristics are given.
The topic is listed and described.
The topic is listed.
No topic clearly identified.
Stages of the Life Cycle
More than three stages of the life cycle are named.
Three stages of the life cycle are named.
Two stages of the life cycle are named.
One stage or no stages of the life cycle are named.
Stage 1
At least three details of the stage are described.
Two details are provided.
One detail is provided.
No details are given.
Stage 2
At least three details of the stage are provided.
Stage 3
Conclusion
The student renamed the stages and added extra information relevant to the topic.
The student renamed the stages.
The student provides no conclusion.

17. Accommodations for Development
Reference to class drafts
Copies of materials for EIP students
Teacher monitoring

18. Accommodations for Cultural and Linguistic Backgrounds
Cultural – extra background information, extra teaching time for certain stages
Linguistic – teacher will read certain materials to EIP students, student pairing for additional assistance, teacher monitoring

19. The Drafting Stage
Focus is getting ideas down on paper, not on spelling or grammar
Write a rough draft
Grab reader’s attention with an introduction

20. Drafting Instruction
Modeling – show model of elephant rough draft and explain
Practice – use shared writing to create a rough draft about butterflies
Assessment – students will complete rough draft using their own graphic organizer

21. Writing Checklist for Drafting
Animal Life Cycle
_____ I left a blank line in between each written line.
_____ I used complete sentences.
_____ I have a table of contents.
_____ I have an introduction that tells about my topic.
_____ All of my details are true facts that I found from books or the
internet.
_____ I wrote about at least three stages of the life cycle of my
animal.
_____ I used at least two details for each stage of the life cycle.
_____ I have a conclusion that summarizes my topic.

22. Scoring Guide for Drafting
Exceeds Standard 4
Meets Standard 3
Approaching Standard 2
Does not meet standard 1
Table of Contents
The student correctly labels a table of contents.
The student labels a table of contents with a few errors.
The student does not make a table of contents or it is completely wrong.
Introduction
The introduction introduces the subject and includes characteristics.
The topic sentence previews the content.
The student uses only the title to introduce the topic.
There is no introduction or topic stated.
Stage 1
The student lists and describes the stage with at least 3 details.
The student lists and describes the stage with at least 2 details.
The student lists and describes the stage with one detail.
The student does not describe the stage.
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4 (if needed)
Details
All details are accurate.
Most details are accurate.
No details are accurate.
Conclusion
The student provides elaborate detail.
The student provides a concluding sentence or section.
The student provides a simple concluding sentence.
No conclusion is provided.

23. The Revising Stage Reread the rough draft Share writing with others
Revise based on feedback of others
Four types of revisions: add, delete, change (substitute), and move information

24. Drafting Instruction
Modeling – show model of revised rough draft with proofreader’s marks and explain
Practice – use shared writing to revise the class rough draft
Assessment – students will revise independently, then with a partner, and individually again to make final changes

25. Writing Checklist for Revising
_____ I added details (words, phrases, or sentences) to my report.
_____ I deleted unimportant information from my report.
_____ I changed details (words, phrases, or sentences) in my report.
_____ I rearranged details (words, phrases, or sentences) in my report.
_____ I used proofreader’s marks in the correct way to make any changes.

26. Scoring Guide for Revising Stage
Exceeds Standard 4
Meets Standard3
Approaching Standard 2
Does Not Meet Standard1
Adds Details
The student adds details to the report.
The student adds a few details to the report.
The student adds no details to the report.
Deleted Details
The student deletes unimportant details.
The student deletes a few unimportant details.
The student deletes no unimportant details.
Substitutes Details
The student changes details or word choices in the report.
The student changes a few details or word choices in the report.
The student changes no details or word choices in the report.
Proofreader’s Marks
The student uses proofreader’s marks correctly all of the time.
The student use proofreader’s marks correctly with a few errors.
The student uses proofreader’s marks correctly some of the time.
The student does not use proofreader’s marks completely.

27. The Editing Stage Stay away from the paper for a few days
Proofread to find mechanical mistakes (capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, usage, and formatting)
Correct mistakes

28. Editing Instruction Modeling – show the edited rough draft and explain
Practice – use interactive writing to edit the class draft on butterflies
Assessment – students will edit individual reports

29. Checklist for Editing Stage
Capitalization
____ Beginning of sentences
____ Proper nouns
Punctuation
____ Period, question mark, or exclamation point at the end of every sentence
____ Commas in appropriate places (compound sentences,
commas in a series)
____ Apostrophes in correct places (contractions, possessives)
Spelling
____ Misspelled words have been corrected.

30. Scoring Guide for Editing
Exceeds Standard 4
Meets Standard 3
Approaching Standard 2
Does Not Meet Standard 1
Capitalization
The student uses capitalization correctly all of the time.
The student use capitalization correctly most of the time.
The student uses capitalization correctly some of the time.
The student does not use capitalization correctly.
Ending Punctuation
The student uses correct end punctuation all of the time.
The student uses correct end punctuation most of the time.
The student uses correct end punctuation some of the time.
The student does not use correct end punctuation.
Commas
The student uses commas correctly all of the time.
The student uses commas correctly most of the time.
The student uses commas correctly some of the time.
The student does not use commas correctly.
Apostrophes
The student uses apostrophes correctly in all places necessary.
The student uses apostrophes correctly in most places necessary.
The student uses apostrophes correctly in some places necessary.
The student does not use apostrophes where needed.
Spelling
The student spelled all words correctly.
The student spelled most words correctly.
The student has a lot of spelling errors.

31. The Publishing Stage Publishes the writing with no errors
Shares the writing with an audience

32. Publishing Instruction
Modeling- sow the final copy of elephant piece and explain
Practice – use interactive writing to publish the class piece on butterflies
Assessment – students will publish their individual drafts

33. Checklist for Publishing Stage
Checklist for Publishing Stage (2nd grade)
____ I used legible handwriting that other people can
read.
____ I did not skip lines.
____ I made all revisions on my final copy.
____ I used correct spelling on my final copy.
____ I used correct capitalization.
____ I used correct punctuation.
____ I drew pictures on the pages about the stages of
the life cycle.

34. Scoring Guide for Publishing
Exceeds Standard 4
Meets Standard 3
Approaching Standard 2
Does Not Meet Standard 1
Legible handwriting
The student writes using legible handwriting.
The student does not write using legible handwriting.
No skipped lines
The student did not skip lines.
The student skipped a few lines.
The student skipped many lines.
Revisions (based on student’s revised draft)
The student made all revisions on the final copy.
The student made most revisions on the final copy.
The student made very few revisions on the final copy.
Spelling
The student spelled all words correctly.
The student spelled most words correctly.
The student spelled very few words correctly.
Punctuation
The student used correct punctuation all of the time.
The student used correct punctuation most of the time.
The student used correct punctuation little of the time.
The student did not use correct punctuation.
Capitalization
The student used correct capitalization all of the time.
The student used correct capitalization most of the time.
The student used correct capitalization little of the time.
The student did not use correct capitalization.
Illustrations
The student drew pictures on all pages related to the topic.
The student drew pictures on the stage content pages related to each stage.
The student drew pictures on one or two of the stage content pages related to each stage.
The student did not draw illustrations.