1. Interdisciplinary Writing Unit
Narrative Writing
Social Studies
Fifth
Grade
Civil Rights Movement
Interdisciplinary Writing Unit
Jalisa Brown
READ 7140

2. Teacher Instructions
Pre-Assessment
Note: Before beginning the assessment, make sure each student has used the restroom.
Students will have thirty-five (35) minutes to write five paragraphs on an assigned prompt.
Prompt: If I gave you $ to spend whatever way you wanted, what would you do with the money?

3. Materials Teacher Students
36 sharpened pencils (2 per student, total of 18 students)
72 sheets of lined notebook paper
(4 sheets per student, total of 18
students)
additional lined notebook paper
for early finishers’ activity
timer
stapler
Teacher
2 sharpened pencils
4 sheets of lined notebook paper
additional lined notebook paper
for early finishers’ activity (if
needed)
Students

4. Directions Give each student a writing activity sheet.
Have students write their name and the date on the
paper.
Once you have passed out all of the student writing activity
sheets, as they follow along, read the handout to the class.
Tell the students to remain silent and in their seats until
the time limit is up. During the thirty-five (35) minutes, students are only allowed to get up to get more notebook paper to complete the early finishers’ activity.
Set the timer for thirty-five (35) minutes, and tell the
students they may begin.

5. Do not assist the students with spelling.
7. Do not prompt the students in any way. You are only
allowed to walk around and monitor the students’
progress. As you monitor, make sure the students are
skipping lines.
At the conclusion of the activity, have students staple
their writing to the back of their instruction sheet.
Before the students turn-in their assignment, have them
check to see if they have their name and the date on the writing activity sheet, as well as, page numbers in the bottom right hand corner of each page of their writing assignments.
10. Once this is done, pick up all of the students’ assignments
and place them in the inbox container.

6. Student Writing Activity Sheet
Pre-Assessment

7. Instructional Grouping
Assessment Portion
All Stages
Individually
Teaching and Practice
opportunity to conduct writing conferences
determine if fully understand and comprehend
collect accurate data
All Stages
Whole-group
opportunity to address student concerns and correct incorrect practices before assessment
Collect accurate data—important in determining if need to reteach information
Teacher’s Instructional Needs

8. Grouping Developmental Levels Teaching Practice and Assessment
All Stages
Practice and Assessment
Whole-group
All Stages
opportunity to address student concerns and correct incorrect practices before assessment
Paired with peer OR
Individually
dictate to a peer or record responses on an audio-tape
alternatives to handwriting
(Faculty Room, 2004, p. 1)
difficulty acquiring and using their writing abilities
Developmental Levels

9. Grouping Practice Teaching Cultural or Linguistic Backgrounds
Prewriting, Revising, and Editing
Teaching
Small Group
All Stages
opportunity to collaborate with more knowledgeable people
Small Group
Small group—two fluently speaking English and Spanish peers
working in zone of proximal development
range of tasks that cannot do alone but when assisted by a more knowledgeable person can be accomplish
(Eggen, P. & Kauchak, D., 2007, p. 49)

10. Grouping Practice Assessment Cultural or Linguistic Backgrounds
Drafting and Publishing
Individually
Practice
only developing information from previous stages (prewriting/revising and editing)
Grouping
Assessment
All Stages
Individually
Cultural or Linguistic Backgrounds
determine if fully understand and comprehend

11. Stages of the Writing Process
Prewriting
Stages of the Writing Process
Drafting
Revising
Editing
Publishing

12. Prewriting Genre: Narrative beginning middle end
“creative stories to capture readers’ imagination”
(Tompkins, 2008, p. 94)
Beginning: Introduce the characters, the setting, and the problem or conflict
Middle: Details about elements introduced in the beginning
End: Problem being solved and the conflict resolved; tie up loose ends
In our case, become a part of the event; pretend to play an active role in the event
Form of writing: Simulated Journal
Assume the role of a character and write from his or her viewpoint

13. Prewriting Put ideas down on paper using graphic organizer
Audience: classmates and teacher
Topic: March on Washington, the
Voting Rights Act, or the Civil Rights Act
Purpose: tell a story
“getting-ready-to-write-stage” (Tompkins, 2008, p. 8)

14. Time Travelers pretend you are a time traveler
Directions:
Time Travelers
pretend you are a time traveler
travel back to Civil Rights Movement
think about the events during that
time
complete graphic organizer on event
that interests you
March on Washington, the
Voting Rights Act, or the Civil Rights Act

15. Graphic Organizer do not use complete sentences
do not worry about spelling and grammar

16. Prewriting
Scoring Guide

17. Prewriting Students with Differing Developmental Levels
Accommodations/Modifications
allowed to dictate to a peer
record responses on audio-tape
(alternative to handwriting)
Will be given:
-an audio-tape
-a blank cassette tape

18. English Language Learners
Students with Cultural or Linguistic Backgrounds
Prewriting
Accommodations/Modifications
English Language Learners
Paired with two other students who speak English and Spanish fluently
Students:
assist by translating
words
provide definitions

19. Drafting expansion of prewriting stage
putting your “ideas down on paper”
(Tompkins, 2008, p. 11)
information from graphic organizer used to develop a draft
take your ideas and develop them into sentences
spelling and grammar unimportant

20. Drafting
Scoring Guide

21. Revising rereading and developing ideas of draft
“adding, substituting, deleting, and rearranging material” (Tompkins, 2008, p. 13)
revising proofreader’s marks
You all may “add words, substitute sentences, delete paragraphs, and move phrases” (Tompkins, 2008, p. 13), during this stage.
Mini-lesson on rearranging words so the sentence reads better (ex. We agreed gladly!—We gladly agreed!)
focus: content

22. Proofreader’s Marks
Revising

23. Revising
Scoring Guide

24. Editing Mechanics focus: mechanics editing proofreader’s marks
capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, usage, and formatting
(Tompkins, 2008, p. 16)
Mechanics
word by word reading
(Root, 2008, p. 39)
focus: mechanics
editing proofreader’s marks
Mini-lesson on periods (at the end of sentences and in abbreviations).
correct mechanical errors
proofreading
(Root, 2008, p. 39)

25. Proofreader’s Marks
Editing

26. Editing
Scoring Guide

27. Publishing rewriting piece from revising and editing stage
Writers’ Showcase
involves putting writing “in final written form” (Root, 2008, p. 45)
Writers’ Showcase—students will have the opportunity to share their pieces with the class (optional)
Publishing

28. Publishing
Scoring Guide

29. Editing Practice Activity
Examine the simulated journal entry, on the Montgomery Bus Boycott, for errors in mechanics.
As you find the errors, correct them using the six editing proofreader’s marks (transpose, correct misspelling, insert period, capitalize, make lowercase, and insert space).

30. Proofreader’s Marks
Editing

31. We will edit three pages of my draft.1 2

32. 3 4

33. 5 6

34. 7 8

35. References
Eggen, P. & Kauchak, D. (2007). Educational psychology: Windows on classrooms.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Georgia Project for Assistive Technology. (n.d.). Supporting participation in typical
classroom activities for students with disabilities through the use of
accommodations, modification, and assistive technology solutions. Retrieved
from
Goldman, P. L. (1965). Civil rights: The challenge of the fourteenth amendment.
New York: Coward-McCann, Inc..
Houston, G. (2004). The Learner/Writer: The Person How Writes. In How
writing works: Imposing organizational structure within the writing process
(pp ). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Root, T. (2011). Revising and editing: Proofreader’s marks. Retrieved from
Root, T. (2006, August). Structure of narratives: Fifth grade. Valdosta, GA:
Valdosta State University.

36. Root, T. (2008). The writing process: Instruction & assessment
Root, T. (2008). The writing process: Instruction & assessment. Retrieved from
Dr. Tonja Root’s Website: ECED 4300 on January 29, 2008,
Shores, E.L. (2005). Rosa Parks: Civil rights pioneer. Mankato, MN: Capstone
Press.
Siegel, B. (1992). The year they walked: Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus
Boycott. New York: Four Winds Press.
The Faculty Room. (2004). Learning disabilities. Retrieved from
Tompkins, G. E. (2008). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (5th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.