HomeUnit 5 Lost City: The Discovery of Machu Picchu
pp. 559g-559h
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Genre Editorial Writer's Craft Choosing Exact Words Writing Trait Word Choice
Identify the characteristics of an editorial.
Write an editorial using exact words.
Focus on word choice.
Use a rubric.
Writing Support See the writing support activities in the ELL and Transition Handbook.
FOCUS/IDEAS The writers clearly
describe the issue and state their opinion. They support their opinion with reasons.
ORGANIZATION/PARAGRAPHS
There is a clear beginning, middle, and end.
VOICE The writers clearly care
about the issue.
WORD CHOICE Exact words
(long division, line dance, fill out more worksheets) strengthen the editorial.
SENTENCES Sentences are
varied in kind and length. Opinions are effectively expressed in short sentences.
CONVENTIONS There is
excellent control and accuracy.
Teach and Model
Prepare to Write
Prewrite and Draft
Draft and Revise
Connect to Unit Writing
READING-WRITING CONNECTION
The writer of Lost City
uses exact
words to
describe Hiram
Bingham's
amazing
discovery.
Writers of effective
editorials must
also use
exact words to get their
opinions across.
Students will write an editorial using exact
words.
The writer of an editorial will
often
compare and contrast
two things to
show how one
is better than the other.
Comprehension Skill
EXAMINE THE MODELDisplay
Writing
Transparency 22A.
Explain that it is
an editorial and read it aloud with the
class.
Discuss the model in terms
of
the writing traits listed to
its left.
Help students see how
words
such as went, top,
and nice are vague
and
uninteresting.
After using words from the
box to
complete Exercise 1,
encourage
students to offer
their own words.
For
Exercise 2, help students
choose a place that they all
know.
GUIDED WRITINGSome students
may need more help with
choosing
exact words. Work with
them to think
of as many exact
words as they can
to replace went
and road in this sentence:
She
went along the road. (She
dashed
through the alley, etc.)
Think of an issue in your
community
or school that
concerns you. It may
be
something that has already
happened,
something that is
being done
now, or something
that you think
should be done.
Write an editorial
expressing
your opinion. Use exact
words.
Drafting Tips
Clearly explain the issue.
Your readers
may not
know about it.
Explain why this issue is
important.
Include specific
suggestions for how
the
issue could be resolved.
GETTING STARTED Students
can do any of the following.
Make a chart with the
headings
Issue, My
Opinion, and Solution.
Students can fill in these
columns
with information
from more than
one issue,
if possible. They can
then
select the subject that they
feel will work best in an
editorial.
Get together with a partner
and discuss
the subject he
or she wants
to write about.
Discussion will allow
students
to see which ideas
or
arguments are most
effective.
Complete the following
prompt
as
many times as
possible:Our community/
school would
be better
if. . .
Use the best
completion
as a basis
for
an editorial.
EDITING/REVISING
CHECKLIST
Is my opinion strengthened
by the
use of exact words?
Is the writing persuasive?
Have I used comparative
and
superlative adjectives
correctly and
effectively?
Are words with the syllable
patterns
V/CV and VC/V
spelled correctly?
Revising Tips Word Choice
Use specific nouns, strong
verbs, and
vivid images.
Eliminate wordiness.
Replace vague words such
as nice,
great, thing, and stuff.
PUBLISHING Have students
submit
relevant editorials to
a local newspaper.
Publish other
editorials in a classroom
newspaper. Some students may
wish to revise their work later.
ASSESSMENT Use the scoring
rubric
to evaluate students' work.
Think of a place that you would
like to
visit with your class. Write
an essay
to persuade your
teachers to help
organize a field
trip to this place.
Use convincing
reasons, facts, and
examples.
APPLY
A persuasive essay tries to
convince
a reader to think or
act a
certain way. It uses
facts, reasons,
and
examples
to make a point.
