1. Writing Workshop Common Core Narrative Primary Grades
By Emily Bonnemort & Melissa McGary 2012

2. Student Examples
First Grade

3. 1 2 3 4 5

4. Technology
Check out our first grade digital stories by clicking on one of the links below!
view/story_id/62290
view/story_id/61770

5. Common Core Standards

6. Production and Distribution Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Writing Standards
Text Type and Purposes
Production and Distribution
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
Language Conventions
Recount two or more sequenced events
Include some details about the event(s)
Use transition words to signal event order
Provide closure about the events
With Guidance and Support from Adults…
Focus on a topic
Respond to questions and suggestions from peers
Add details
Recall information from experiences
Use lowercase and capital letters correctly
Use end punctuation for sentences
Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for high frequency words
Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions
Students should also:
Stretch words to record beginning, middle, and ending sounds.
Record all dominant sounds
Use parts of known words to spell correctly
Space between all words

7. Definitions
Personal Narrative- a story told in first person, a true account or memory. This can be several connected smaller moments (e.g. a sleepover, a camping trip).
Small Moment Story- a story that zooms in on one tiny moment. For instance, a student would write about going on a ride at Disneyworld, rather than the whole trip to an amusement park.

8. Main Goals for Unit of Study
Students will
Generate ideas
Plan by thinking of and telling a story aloud
Sketch several pictures to tell a story
Write across several pages
Write a story with a beginning, middle, and end
Focus on one topic or small moment
Write a story that can be read by themselves AND by the teacher
Write independently for minutes
Attempt to use strategies taught during mini-lessons or conferences

9. Writer’s Craft Writers will learn how to add: a strong lead feelings
details to pictures and story
transition words
dialogue
a strong ending
Optional
sound words
an ellipse (…)

10. RUBRIC Craft Conventions 1 2 3 4 Sequenced Events Details1 2 3 4
Craft
Sequenced Events
Provides no events and no topic
Provides 1 event and stays on topics throughout some of the paper
Provides 2 events in sequential order and stays on topic throughout most of the paper
Provides more than 2 events in sequential order and stays on topic throughout the entire paper
Details
Includes no details
Includes 1 detail about the event
Includes 2 details about the event
Includes 3 details about the event
Transition Words
Uses no transition words or uses words incorrectly
Uses 1 transition word
Uses more than one transition word
Uses transition words to signal event order and to transition from one detail to the next
Closure
Provides no closure
Provides a closure that does not match the event(s)
Provides a closure about the event(s)
Provides a detailed closure about the event(s)
Conventions
Punctuation
No sentences begin with capital letters or end with punctuation
Few sentences begin with capital letters and end with punctuation
Some sentences begin with capital letters and end with punctuation
Most sentences begin with capital letters and end with punctuation
Spelling
Records few sounds to spell words
Spells few high frequency words correctly
Uses letter sound relationships to spell
Spells some high frequency words correctly
uses knowledge of words patterns to spell words correctly
Uses phonetic spelling to spell untaught words
Spells many high frequency words correctly
Uses knowledge of common spelling patterns to spell untaught words
Spacing and letter formation
Paper is not neat or legible
Some of the paper is neat and legible
Most of the paper is neat and legible
The entire paper is neat and legible

11. 6 steps Teacher reads aloud narrative mentor texts
Students participate in oral story telling
Students plan stories by using a graphic organizer
Students write
Students revise by adding writer’s craft
Students edit

12. 1. Mentor Text

13. Frontloading: Defining Personal Narratives
Have some empty wall space ready ahead of time.
With the class, define personal narratives and add the definition to the wall.

14. Read Aloud Mentor Texts
Throughout the unit read aloud and discuss mentor narrative texts. Choose texts that represent a small moment or focus on a small moment part of the story.
Continually help students understand what a “small moment” is by discussing texts and zooming in on the most important part.

15. Mentor Texts Read aloud a mentor text.
Discuss what kind of small moment it is (a time the character(s) were scared, injured, surprised, etc.).
Discuss the story elements (characters, setting, problem, events, ending). Use the story element poster to help guide the discussion.
Sketch the story on an enlarged story planning graphic organizer.

16. 2. Oral Storytelling

17. Oral Storytelling
Teacher tells a “small moment” story from his/her own life while pointing to the poster as he/she moves through the story elements.
Teacher sketches the story in the story planning graphic organizer.
**Refer to First Grade Writers by Stephanie Parsons pgs

18. Oral Storytelling Read a small moment mentor text.
Teacher tells the students another story similar to the mentor text. First tell a stretched out, bed to bed to story (not a small moment). Ask students which part of story they want to hear more about. Tell the story again, zooming in on the most important part.
Have 1-3 students orally share stories from their own lives that are similar to the day’s mentor text (time they were scared, injured, surprised, etc.). Guide students to use the poster to help them tell organized stories.
Guide students to focus on the most important part to ensure it is a small moment.
Record their story ideas on the chart.

19. Oral Storytelling
Continue to read new mentor texts and add to the chart.
Continue having 2-3 students share stories similar to the mentor text.
Classmates ask questions to clarify while the story teller retells the story several times, taking in suggestions.
Model story planning by taking a few student’s stories and illustrating them on the enlarged story planning graphic organizer.
***As students story tell, keep a record of their stories to spark ideas when the writing begins.

21. 3. Story Planning

22. Story Planning Students remember the story they shared.
Students review their story by telling it to a partner.
Give students story planning graphic organizer.
Students point to each box as they tell each part of their story.
Students sketch their stories in the boxes.
**Refer to Writing In a Title I School pgs 66-67

23. Begin Sketching
Teacher models using his/her story planning graphic organizer to sketch illustrations in an enlarged color-coded writing booklet.
Students use their story planning graphic organizer to sketch illustrations in color- coded writing booklets.
Color code your enlarged graphic organizer to match the booklets.

24. 4. Begin Writing

25. Teacher Models Writing
Teacher models writing by adding the words to his/her illustrated booklet. Emphasize that writers make sure the words they write match the plan they have made previously.
** Write a simple/poor version of the story with minimal details. You will be editing it during upcoming writer’s craft mini lessons.

26. Students Begin Writing
Students begin writing their stories

27. 5. Revising: Craft Mini Lessons

28. Expectations
As mini-lessons are taught, keep track of expectations on a color coded poster.
Students have a matching checklist to keep in their writing folders.

29. Writing a Strong Lead Look at examples of leads from mentor texts.
Discuss that strong leads set the scene.
Teach that strong leads may include:
Weather
Time of Day
Setting
Character
Strong Opinion
Sound Words
** Refer to The Craft of Revision pg 43 by Lucy Calkins

30. Strong Lead
Teacher revises his/her original story by writing a strong lead.
Students revise their stories by adding a strong lead.

31. Adding Details Teacher reads his/her story aloud.
Every page, stop and ask the students, “Is there anything you want to know more about?”
Think-aloud to elaborate the story.
Add details with red pen.

32. Adding Details
Make a copy of student(s) work. Use the document camera to project the story while the student reads aloud. Stop each page and let the class ask questions. Demonstrate how to incorporate suggestions to add details. Write details in the booklet with red pen.
Students “turn and talk” to discuss where they can add details to their stories. Partners each read a page of his or her own story, stop and ask each other questions.
Students add details to their stories.

33. Adding Feelings Read mentor texts.
Discuss parts where characters stated how they felt.
Discuss why feeling made the story more interesting.
Brainstorm a list of feelings.
Teacher models how to add feelings to his/her story using a blue pen.
** Refer to Small Moments: Personal Narratives pg 93

34. Adding Feelings
Make a copy of student(s) work. Use the document camera to project the story while the student reads aloud. Stop each page and let the class infer how the student felt. Demonstrate how to incorporate suggestions to add feelings. Write on the booklet with blue pen.
Students “turn and talk” to discuss where they can add feelings to their stories. Partners each read a page, stop and ask each other questions.
Students add feelings to their stories.

35. Showing Feelings Read mentor texts.
Discuss parts where characters showed their feelings or emotions.
Discuss why it made the story more interesting.
Model showing feelings by acting some out. For example, for angry, stomp your feet. For sad, frown and shrug you shoulders.
Ask students to act out some feelings (sad, excited, surprised, angry, grumpy, etc.).
**Refer to Craft of Revision by Lucy Calkins pgs 59 & 67

36. Showing Feeling Brainstorm ways to show feelings.
Teacher models how to show feeling in his/her story using a brown pen.

37. Showing Feelings
Make a copy of student(s) work. Use the document camera to project the story while the student reads aloud. Stop each page and let the class discuss how to show feelings. Demonstrate how to incorporate suggestions. Write on the booklet with blue pen.
Students “turn and talk” to discuss where they can add show feelings in their stories. Partners each read a page, stop and make suggestions.
Students find places in their stories to show their feelings.

38. Adding Dialogue Read mentor texts
Discuss parts where characters talk to each other.
Discuss why it made the story more interesting.
Teacher reads his/her story aloud.
Every page, stop and ask the students, “Where could you add talking?”
Think-aloud to add dialogue to the story
Add dialogue with green pen
**Refer to The Craft of Revision by Lucy Calkins pg 19

39. Adding Dialogue
Make a copy of a student(s) work. Use the document camera to project the story while the student reads aloud. Stop each page and let the class discuss where to add dialogue. Demonstrate how to incorporate suggestions to add dialogue. Write on the booklet with green pen.
Students “turn and talk” to discuss where they can add dialogue to their stories. Partners each read a page, stop and make suggestions.
Students add dialogue to their stories

40. Interesting Ending Read mentor texts. Discuss interesting endings.
Discuss how the author “stays in the moment” and adds details to make the ending more interesting.
Emphasize that authors “stay in the moment” and don’t write I went to bed, or Then we went home. They also don’t move to the next day or activity
Teacher models how to write an interesting ending using an orange pen.
**Refer to Small Moments: Personal Narratives by Lucy Calkins pg 101

41. Writing an Interesting Ending
Make a copy of student(s) work. Use the document camera to project the story while the student reads his/her ending. Choose examples that have boring endings. Demonstrate how to incorporate suggestions to add an interesting ending. Write on the booklet with orange pen.
Students “turn and talk” to discuss how they can change their ending to make it more interesting.
Students write an interesting ending.

42. 6. Editing

43. Editing

44. Writers Reread Their Work
Before this lesson, tear out one of your previously written pages and replace it with a page that contains sentences that do not make sense.
Teacher models rereading his/her story.
Teacher thinks aloud, “that didn’t make sense.”
Teacher edits the writing to make it easier to understand.
Students read their stories aloud to a partner and make changes when it doesn’t make sense.
You may want to teach this lesson multiple times throughout the unit.

45. Capitals and Periods
Before the lesson rewrite a page of your teacher booklet with no punctuation.
Model how to add punctuation to tell readers to stop. Model how to begin sentences with capital letters.
Using the document camera, project a few pages of student work. Have the class help decide where to add periods and capital letters.
Students read through their writing to add punctuation.

46. High Frequency Words
Before the lesson rewrite a page of your teacher booklet with sight words that are spelled incorrectly.
Model how to use the word wall to spell words correctly.
Instruct students to cross out the incorrectly spelled word and write the correctly spelled word on the top.
Using the document camera, project a few pages of student work. Have the class help locate incorrect sight words.
Students read their writing to edit sight words.

47. Hearing and Recording More Sounds
Before the lesson rewrite a page of your teacher booklet with invented spelling words with 2-3 sounds recorded.
Model how to stretch the word and record more sounds.
Instruct students to cross out the word and write the “stretched out” word on the top. *the words do not need to be spelled correctly. Expect dominant sounds and known word parts
Using the document camera, project a few pages of student work. Have the class help locate words that can be “stretched out.”
Students read through their writing to stretch out words and record more sounds.

48. Sources
Little Bird Tales Website: A free kid-friendly website where students can type, illustrate, and record their stories digitally.
First Grade Writers: Units of Study to Help Children Plan, Organize, and Structure Their Ideas: A practical, concise laid out description of five units of study for writing workshop. Contains a variety of helpful tables, charts, assessments, teaching points for mini lessons and conferences, troubleshooting tips, and month-by-month planning assistance.
Parsons, S. (2005) First Grade Writers: Units of Study to Help Children Plan, Organize, and Structure Their Ideas. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

49. Sources
Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Teaching Writing K-2: A set of six books to guide a yearlong writing curriculum. Each unit of study contains detailed writing goals, assessment rubrics, and lesson plans for each day.
Calkins, L., & Oxenhorn, A. (2003). Small Moments: Personal Narrative Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Firsthand Heinemann
Calkins, L., & Oxenhorn, A. (2003). Writing for Readers: Teaching Skills and Strategies. Portsmouth, NH: Firsthand Heinemann
Calkins, L., & Oxenhorn, A. (2003). The Craft of Revision. Portsmouth, NH: Firsthand Heinemann
Writing In a Title I School: Contains carefully crafted planning tools, lessons, and graphic organizers to make writing workshop fit seamlessly into your day
Akhavan, N. (2009). Teaching Writing In a Title I School, Portsmouth, NH: Firsthand Heinemann