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DURING READING
Write Now
Look at the Prompt Explain that each sentence in the prompt has a purpose.
  • Sentence 1 presents a topic.
  • Sentence 2 suggests students think about the topic.
  • Sentence 3 tells what to write—a memoir.
Strategies to Develop Sentences
Have students
  • write sentence of varied lengths.
  • break stringy sentences into shorter ones.
NO: I wanted a dog, but I had to show
I was responsible, so I did all my chores and got Rex.
YES: I wanted a dog, but I had to
show I was responsible. I did all my chores and got Rex.
For additional suggestions and rubric, see pp. 85g–85h.
Writer's Checklist
  • Focus Do all the sentences tell about one important experience?
  • Organization Are ideas in a logical order, such as chronological or time order?
  • Support Do details explain why this event was important?
  • Conventions Are possessive pronouns used correctly?
Write Now: Memoir
Prompt
Rocks in His Head describes an
important experience in someone's life.
Think about an experience that is
important to you.
Now write a memoir about the experience.
Writing Trait
Using different kinds
of sentences gives
writing a natural flow.
Hints for Writing Sentences
Use different words to start your sentences. Starting too
many sentences with I, he, she, the, or a can be boring.
Perk up your writing by adding questions, commands,
and exclamations.
Vary the lengths of sentences.
Avoid writing long, stringy sentences.
Short, choppy sentences sometimes can be combined
with connecting words.
Use the model to help you write your own
memoir.
Student Model
Student Model
Different
kinds
and lengths
of sentences
make writing sound
natural.
Interesting
beginning
grabs
readers' attention.
Asking and
answering
questions keeps
readers involved in writing.
 
   
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Scoring Rubric    Expository Retelling
Rubric 4 3 2 1
Connections
Makes connections
and generalizes
beyond the text
Makes connections
to other events, texts,
or experiences
Makes a limited
connection to
another event, text,
or experience
Makes no
connection to
another event, text,
or experience
Author's
Purpose
Elaborates on
author's purpose
Tells author's
purpose with some
clarity
Makes some
connection to
author's purpose
Makes no
connection to
author's purpose
Topic
Describes the main
topic
Identifies the main
topic with some
details early in
retelling
Identifies the main
topic
Retelling has no
sense of topic
Important Ideas
Gives accurate
information about
events, steps, and
ideas using details
and key vocabulary
Gives accurate
information about
events, steps, and
ideas with some
detail and key
vocabulary
Gives limited or
inaccurate
information about
events, steps, and
ideas
Gives no information
about events, steps,
and ideas
Conclusions
Draws conclusions
and makes
inferences to
generalize beyond
the text
Draws conclusions
about the text
Is able to draw few conclusions
about the text
Is unable to draw
conclusions or
make inferences
about the text
Selection Test To assess with Rocks in His Head, use Selection Tests, pp. 69–72.
Fresh Reads for Differentiated Test Practice For weekly leveled practice, use pp. 103–108.
Retelling Plan
  • Week 1 Assess Strategic Intervention students.
  • Week 2 Assess Advanced students.
  • This week assess Strategic Intervention
    students.
  • Week 4 Assess On-Level students.
  • Week 5 Assess any students you have not yet
    checked during this unit.
Use the Retelling Chart on
p. TR17 to record retelling.