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AFTER READING
OBJECTIVES
Genre Plot Summary
Writer's Craft Transitions to
Show Order
Writing Trait Word Choice
  • Write about plot for a test.
  • Identify key words in a prompt.
  • Focus on word choice.
  • Use a rubric.
ELL
Word Choice Pair an English learner with a proficient English speaker to discuss pictures in books or magazines. Have them list colorful words from the discussion to use in writing, such as friendly, picnic, caterpillar, broken, snowstorm, and furry.
Writing Trait
FOCUS/IDEAS The main events
of the plot are summarized.
ORGANIZATION/PARAGRAPHS
The events are described in time order.
VOICE The writing is clear.
The writer is knowledgeable about the story's events.
WORD CHOICE The writer uses
words and phrases such as The next day and Before dawn on the third day to make the order of events clear.
SENTENCES Compound and
complex sentences add variety to the paragraph.
CONVENTIONS There is excellent
control and accuracy, including use of prepositions.
DAY 1
Model the Trait
DAY 2
Improve Writing
DAY 3
Prewrite and Draft
DAY 4
Draft and Revise
DAY 5
Connect to Unit Writing
READING-WRITING CONNECTION
  • Fly, Eagle, Fly! is a folk tale from Africa about a farmer who tries to raise an eagle chick to be a chicken.
  • The plot in this tale unfolds through the writer's use of words that show order, such as the next day and before dawn…
  • Students will write a description of the plot of a story using phrases that make the order of events clear.
MODEL WORD CHOICE Discuss Writing Transparency 20A. Then discuss the model writing trait of word choice.
Think Aloud The author has written a plot summary of Fly, Eagle, Fly! In this summary, the writer tells the events in time order and chooses words that show when each event takes place.
Writing Transparency
Writing Transparency 20A
with | without Answers
WRITER'S CRAFT
Transitions to Show Order
Display Writing Transparency 20B. Read the directions and guide students in following the order of events in a story.
Think Aloud USE TRANSITIONS TO SHOW ORDER Tomorrow we will write a plot summary of a story. What words can I use to make the order of events clear? I can use time words, such as the next day to express when something happened. I can use sequence words such as first and after that to tell the order of events.
GUIDED WRITING Some students may need more help using transitions to show order. Help them find sentences in a selection in their book that have transitions and discuss how the words show order.
Writing Transparency
Writing Transparency 20B
with | without Answers
READ THE WRITING PROMPT
p. 131 in the Student Edition. The plot of the African tale Fly, Eagle, Fly! is the order in which the events happen.
Think about a tale you know well.
Now write a summary of the plot, telling the events in time order.
Writing Test Tips
  1. Read the prompt carefully.
    • Find key words.
    • Consider the purpose and audience. How will they affect your writing?
  2. Develop a plan. Think of what you want to say before writing. Fill out a simple graphic organizer. For example, for a story, think of a beginning, middle, and end. For a comparison/contrast essay, fill out a T-chart or a Venn diagram.
  3. Support your ideas. Use facts, examples, and details to strengthen your response. Avoid making general statements that are unsupported.
  4. Make order of events clear. Choose words and phrases that clearly signal the time order of events in the story.
  5. Check your writing. If this is a timed test, you may not have time to recopy your work. However, you can neatly add, delete, or change words and make corrections in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. It pays to reread your work before handing it in.
EDITING/REVISING
CHECKLIST
  • Does the paragraph describe the main events of the plot and omit unimportant details?
  • Do words such as later and next day signal the order of events?
  • Are prepositions used correctly?
  • Are words with the VCCCV
    syllable pattern spelled
    correctly?
See The Grammar and Writing Book, pp. 168–173.
Revising Tips
Word Choice
  • Support word choice with words and phrases that make the order of events clear.
  • Use strong action verbs such as carries and commands to describe the action of the story.
ASSESSMENT Use the scoring rubric to evaluate students' work.
Week 1
Poem 35g–35h
Week 2
Describe a Setting
59g–59h
Week 3
Memoir 85g–85h
Week 4
Describe a Goal
111g–111h
Week 5
Write About Plot
137g–137h
Story
PREVIEW THE UNIT PROMPT
Tell a story about a character who
is one of a kind. Focus on
an event that shows how this
person is unique. Your story may
be real or imagined, humorous
or serious.
APPLY
  • A story has a beginning,
    middle, and end and focuses
    on one incident or event.
  • A story has a plot, or a
    series of events, arranged
    in a certain order.
Writing Workshop   Writing for Tests
Trait of the Week
Word Choice
 
   
Close  
Writing Trait Rubric  
4 3 2 1
Word Choice
Clear order of events established by use of precise words and phrases that show sequence
Order of events established by use of words and phrases that show sequence
Order of events not clearly established; limited use of words and phrases to show sequence
No clarity in order of events; story lacks words and phrases to show sequence
Uses strong, specific words that make sequence of story events clear and lively
Uses some specific words that make sequence of story events clear and lively
Needs more precise words to make sequence of story events clear
Story made dull or unclear by poor use of words to signal time order