5th Grade Writing Unit: Strengthening Sentences

Updated: 7/1/12  Unit Goals: 1. Writers will understand and use varied sentence structure. Urgent Unit Notes: 1. The writing units will not be rewritten this year. This updated version

only includes the unit goals and notes added, everything else will remain the same.

2. The resource used to develop this unit was The Complete Year in Reading and Writing, Grade 5 by Pam Allyn.

3. This is one of Allyn’s Spotlight units. See pages 48-59 for more ideas and a deeper explanation of the teaching points.

4. Allyn recommends beginning this writing work in reading. Since we do not have a correlating reading unit for this, you will need to be sure to have examples of the different types of sentences lifted from mentor texts to use during your mini-lessons.

5th Grade Writing Unit: Strengthening Sentences

Updated: 7/1/12 Session 1: Writers recognize different sentence structures by exploring mentor texts. CY Day 1, p. 52 Immersion

Session 2: Writers identify the types of sentences they prefer writing by rereading their notebook and coding their sentences. CY Day 2, p. 53 Immersion

Session 3: Writers link ideas by exploring the structure of compound sentences. CY Day 3, p. 54 Revising

Session 4: Writers provide more details by exploring the structure of complex sentences. CY Day 4, p. 54-55 Revising

Session 5: Writers situate their readers by exploring prepositional phrases. CY Day 5, p. 55-56 Revising

Session 6: Writers identify and correct run on sentences by: • Creating a

compound sentence

• Creating two simpler sentences

• Creating a complex sentence using correct punctuation

CY Day 6, p. 56 Revising

Session 7: Writers use simple sentences for effect. CY Day 7, p. 56-57 Revising

Session 8: Writers craft lively and interesting pieces by varying their sentences. CY Day 8, p. 57-58 Revising

Session 9: Writers craft lively and interesting pieces by using what they learn from mentor texts in their own writing. CY Day 9, p. 58 Revising

Session 10: Writers recognize how they have grown as writers by revisiting a piece from early in the year to one from this unit. CY Day 10, p. 59 Celebrating

5th Grade Writing Unit: Strengthening Sentences

Updated: 7/1/12 Session 11: Writers revise their poem using precise words to enhance meaning. Revising

Session 12: Writers edit their poems paying close attention to unusual punctuation and capitalization and how it adds to the meaning of the poem and also to spelling. Editing

Session 13: Writers write/type a final copy of their poem and illustrate it. Publishing

Session 14: Writers write an About the Poet page including insight into the poem itself. Publishing

Session 15: Writers celebrate their poems: teacher’s choice. Celebrating