Lesson 2 W.4.2: Writing to Inform: W.4.7: THEME Where ...jplutt.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/1/6/57166409/writing_to_inform-ready... · THEME Where Foods Come From 31 ... 1 Ask a room full

THEME Where Foods Come From

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W.4.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

W.4.7: Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

Sharing InformationJane has just returned from a family trip to China. Her friends have a thousand questions about the language, the customs, and the food. Jane proudly tells them she tried an unusual dish called bird’s nest soup. “Bird’s nest soup?” her friends ask. “What in the world is that?”

Jane realizes this is a topic very few of her classmates know about. She wants to share her experience and knowledge with everyone, so she does some research and writes an article about bird’s nest soup for the school’s weekly newsletter. The tablet below shows part of her article.

By writing an informational article, Jane is teaching her readers about something they never knew. She includes facts and details to bring her topic to life. After reading Jane’s article, are you tempted to try bird’s nest soup?

Writing to Inform: Article

Lesson 2

Bird’s nest soup is considered a delicacy in some Asian cultures. It is made from the nests of small, cave-dwelling birds called swiftlets. The nests are formed from the birds’ own saliva, which then dries and hardens. Chefs soak the nests overnight, and then stew them with chicken stock and a little corn starch until . . .

THEME Where Foods Come From

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What Is Informational Writing? Informational writing tells or teaches readers about a topic. This type of writing uses facts, definitions, and examples to answer Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? questions about the topic.

KEY FEATURES Informational Writing

• an introduction that clearly states a topic and prepares readers to learn about the topic

• facts and details that are logically organized in paragraphs

• linking words and phrases that connect one idea to the next

• precise language or domain-specific vocabulary that expresses ideas concisely and accurately

• a conclusion that restates the topic and the important ideas, and leaves readers with something to think about

Steps for Writing

On the following pages, you’ll learn the steps for writing your own article.

Step 1 Study a Mentor Text

Step 2 Unpack Your Assignment

Step 3 Find Text Evidence

Step 4 Organize Your Evidence

Step 5 Draft Your Article

Step 6 Revise: First Read

Step 7 Revise: Second Read

Step 8 Edit for Conventions

FOCUS Read as a Writer

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Before you write your article, you’ll study a model. First, read to understand what it’s about. Then reread to understand how it was written.

As you reread the Mentor Text, do the numbered activities. They’ll help you understand the key features of an article.

Pizza: Past to Presentby Kelley Kane

1 Ask a room full of people if they’d like pizza for lunch, and chances are that everyone will yell “YES!” Have you ever wondered how pizza got to be so popular? Or who made the first pizza and what toppings were on it? These questions can be answered with a quick look at the history of pizza.

The First Pizza2 No one knows for sure where the first pizza was made. Some

evidence suggests that the idea of topping bread with oils and spices began in ancient Greece. Most researchers agree, however, that flatbread pizza—a type of pizza made with ingredients on a thin, flat crust—became popular during the 1700s among poor people in Naples, Italy. Pizza was cheap to make and included ingredients that people had on hand: bread, oil, and seasoning.

Pizza Yesterday and Today3 The first pizzas did not have tomato sauce, though. The reason

is simple. Tomatoes were brought to Europe from America in the 1500s, but most people believed the red fruit was poisonous! It wasn’t until the late 1700s that tomato sauce made its way onto pizza dough, creating the base of the ooey-gooey cheesy pizza we know today. Even then, the only place to buy the sauced “pie” was from street vendors. In fact, it wasn’t until 1830 that the first pizza shop opened in Naples, Italy.

1 Introduction In paragraph 1, draw a dashed line under the sentence that tells the writer’s topic.

2 Develop the Topic Underline the definition in paragraph 2 that the writer gives to help readers understand her topic. Draw a box around the term being defined.

3 Headings Circle each heading. Then explain why you think the writer uses headings in her article.

Step 1 Study a Mentor Text

Lesson 2 Writing to Inform: Article

MENTOR TEXT: Article

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4 Many people today still enjoy the traditional “Neapolitan” pizza that began in Naples. However, as the popularity of pizza has increased around the world, so has its variety. Pizza shops today offer a long list of toppings, often reflecting the local culture. Toppings might include anything from ham and pineapple to smoked salmon!

The Path to Popularity5 How did pizza become so popular? These days, athletes, actors,

and rock stars are hired to promote it. But the spokesperson for the original pizza might surprise you: it was Queen Margherita of Italy! The details of the story vary. However, some sources say that during a tour of the kingdom in the late 1800s, the queen noticed people eating flat bread with toppings. She decided to taste the pizza herself, and she loved it.

6 Soon after, a chef created a special pizza for Queen Margherita. It was topped with tomatoes, cheese, and basil so that the colors of the ingredients matched the red, white, and green of the Italian flag. This style of pizza is called the Margherita, after the queen herself. Queen Margherita’s love of pizza added to its increased popularity.

7 Pizza didn’t become popular in the United States until after World War II. Soldiers returning from Italy brought with them a love for the spicy slices they had tasted overseas. Soon, pizza could be found everywhere. Because of the great demand, privately owned pizza shops and chain restaurants opened across the country.

8 Today, pizza can be found in almost any town across the United States and, to some, it feels as “American” as apple pie. History shows, however, that we have our Italian neighbors to thank for the delectable dish. So the next time you order a slice of pizza, say grazie, which means “thank you” in Italian.

5 Linking Words and Phrases In paragraph 6, the writer uses a linking phrase to continue the idea she began to develop in paragraph 5. Draw a box around this phrase.

6 Conclusion In paragraph 8, draw a dashed line under the sentence that leaves readers with something to think about.

4 Precise Language Locate the word culture in paragraph 4. Why does the writer use this word instead of a phrase such as “the customs and habits of a people”?


FOCUS Identify Task, Purpose, and Audience

Step 2 Unpack Your Assignment


A local magazine is planning an issue about restaurants in the city. Its editors have asked each restaurant to submit an article about the history of the food it serves. You will research and write the article for our restaurant, Pizza Parlor, about the history of pizza.

In your article:

• Tell where pizza was first made.

• Explain how pizza has changed over the years.

• Tell about how pizza became so popular.

Use headings to organize your information.

©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.Lesson 2 Writing to Inform: Article

Before you begin writing, you should read your assignment carefully to identify your task, audience, and purpose. When you write informational text, you know that your purpose is to inform. So as you read your assignment, look for details about your task and audience.

• Task. What type of writing will you be doing? What information will you need to include?

• Audience. Who will be reading your writing? What do they already know about your topic? What might they be interested in learning?

Modeled Instruction

Kelley Kane, who wrote “Pizza: Past to Present” on pages 32–33, was given the assignment below. She read it carefully and marked up some important details.

Read Kelley’s assignment. Then read the points in her Think Aloud, which tell how she identified her task, audience, and purpose.

W.4.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Think Aloud Audience The words local magazine tell me that my

readers are people who live in this city. People who buy a special issue about restaurants are probably very interested in food and learning more about it.

Purpose My purpose is to inform my readers about the history of pizza. I’ll research to find some interesting, little-known facts in order to keep my audience interested.

Task My task is to write an article. Each of these bullet points tells me what information I need to include in the article. This will help me plan my research and organize my writing. I also see that I need to use headings. I think I’ll write a heading for each of the three categories of information in the bullet points.

KELLEY’S Assignment

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Hi, I’m Beau, and I’m also going to be doing

this assignment.

©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted. Lesson 2 Writing to Inform: Article

Your Assignment

1 Audience Draw a box around the word in your assignment that tells who will be reading your writing.

2 Purpose Your purpose for writing is to educate. What does it mean to educate?

3 Task Circle the type of writing you will do. Then underline the information that you need to include in your writing.

Turn and Talk Discuss what your assignment tells you about your audience. How does understanding your audience help you to plan your writing?

A popular cooking magazine is planning a new series called “Bet You Didn’t Know . . . ” This series will educate cooks about the ingredients they use. For next month’s issue, the editors have asked you to write an article about spices, explaining how they have played an important role in history throughout the world.

To prepare to write your article, you will read the following:

• from “Why Salt? Valuable Little Cubes” page 40

• The Life of Spice pages 41– 45

In your article:

• Describe some ways spices were used at different times in history.

• Explain how spices affected trade and business.

• Explain how some nations used spices to gain power.

Use headings to organize your information.

Guided Practice

Now it’s your turn to write an informational article. Read Your Assignment carefully. Then complete the activities, using the Hints for help.

HINT Who wants to find out more about the ingredients they use?

HINT Reread the name of the series to find a clue.

HINT What do you need to describe and explain?

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36 ©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.Lesson 2 Writing to Inform: Article


The Research PathThe Research PathThe Research PathWriting from SourcesWriting from Sources

Sources

Join me on the path to gather evidence

from sources!

Your Sources

Return to pages 40–45Use your mark-up strategy to identify important details in the sources.

REREAD

Reread as a Writer

READ Your SourcesGo to pages 40–45

• from “Why Salt?”

• The Life of Spice

Find out what these sources are about and what you can learn from them.

Read as a Reader

37©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted. Lesson 2 Writing to Inform: Article

Text EvidenceREVIEW Your Assignment

Return to page 35Reread your task to identify the types of details you will need to include in your article.

Begin Writing! Go to pages 50–51

FIND Text EvidenceGo to pages 38–39Learn how to mark important details so you can find them quickly later on.

Your Assignment

THINK It Through

Go to pages 46–47Complete the activities to help you connect the ideas from the sources to your assignment.

ORGANIZE Your EvidenceGo to pages 48–49Use a chart to group your ideas and evidence so that you’re ready to write.

Think It Through

Need More Information?

FOCUS Gather Information


From “Why Salt?” page 40

One way Rome controlled salt was by building villages along the Mediterranean coast. This gave them access to the sea where they could harvest salt. One of the first great roads built by Romans . . . is called Via Salarium, or “Salt Road.” It is the oldest road in Italy today. As you might have guessed, it was built to transport salt.

P

You’ve unpacked your assignment and identified the information you need to include in your article. As you reread your sources on pages 40–45, mark the details you can use to inform your readers about spices. Each detail should support one of the following ideas that you will develop in your article:

• Spices have been used in many ways. Underline details that describe ways that spices have been used. Mark them with a U, for used.

• Spices have affected trade and business. Underline details that describe ways that spices have impacted trade and business. Mark them with a T/B, for trade/business.

• Spices have been used to gain power. Underline details that describe ways that spices have created power. Mark them with a P, for power.

Modeled Instruction

Beau underlined details and marked up the text as he read the first source, “Why Salt?”

Read the text and Beau’s Think Aloud to learn more about the reading and mark-up strategies he used.

Think Aloud I see that Rome “controlled salt.” Controlled is another

way of saying you have power, so this detail seems to support my third idea: spices have been used to gain power. I’ll underline this sentence and mark it with a P so I remember to include this evidence in my article.

A road built just for salt sounds important, but is this detail related to any of the ideas in my article? Well, having a new road would definitely affect how people could trade or do business. So yes, it is related. I will mark this detail with a T/B.

Step 3 Find Text Evidence

Lesson 2 Writing to Inform: ArticleW.4.8: . . . gather relevant information from print . . . sources. . . .

T/B

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©Curriculum Associates, LLC Copying is not permitted.

Guided Practice

Read the following excerpt from “The Life of Spice” and note the underlined details. Then complete the activities, using the Hints for help.

From “The Life of Spice” page 43

. . . By controlling the spice trade, Rome added to its own financial strength and its power over other civilizations.

By this time, spices had become so valuable that only wealthy people could afford them. When the Roman emperor Nero lost his wife, he wanted to show the depth of his grief. How? By burning a year’s supply of valuable cinnamon. Spices were even used as currency. For example, Roman soldiers often were paid in salt instead of money. That’s where the word salary comes from.

1 The first underlined detail contains the words trade and power. Should this detail be marked with a T/B or a P? Mark the text, and explain your answer.

2 Read the second underlined detail, and mark the text with a U, T/B, or P to tell which idea it supports. Explain your answer.

3 Underline and mark an additional detail related to your topic. Tell how the detail explains more about the idea you marked.

Turn and Talk Discuss your research strategy. Will you look for details about all three ideas, or will you look for details about one idea at a time?

HINT Does it show how spices affected trade, or does it show how spices were used to gain power?

HINT What is the second paragraph mostly about?

HINT The two spices mentioned in the paragraph are cinnamon and salt.

39Lesson 2 Writing to Inform: Article


1 Today, salt is given out freely in shakers and packets at our favorite restaurants. We can buy it cheaply at any grocery store. But it hasn’t always been so easy to get salt. This tiny crystal cube has

played a much more important role in history than just flavoring our fries. Around the world, cities were founded, roads were built, wars were fought, and trade routes were established, all for one reason: humans can’t live without salt. Literally. Because of this simple fact, salt became a valuable item a long time ago. People who controlled salt had power. Around 2,000 years ago, some of the people with salt—and power—were the Romans.

2 One way Rome controlled salt was by building villages along the Mediterranean coast. This gave them access to the sea where they could harvest salt. One of the first great roads built by Romans . . . is called Via Salarium, or “Salt Road.” It is the oldest road in Italy today. As you might have guessed, it was built to transport salt.

3 As Rome grew, it became a great trading center, and salt was one of the main items traded there. Salt was so important in the daily lives of the Romans that soldiers were paid in blocks of salt. This pay was called salarium argentums, or “salt money,” giving us our word salary. In fact, the word soldier comes from the Latin sol dare, meaning “to give salt.”

4 Throughout history and around the world, governments have regulated and taxed salt. . . . Salt played a role in the history of our country, too. In both the Revolutionary and Civil wars, keeping enough salt for the soldiers was important. In these and other wars, enemies have tried to keep salt away from each other. The history of the world is overflowing with stories of salt.

by Leigh Anderson and David Chandler, Appleseeds

from

Valuable Little CubesWhy Salt?Why Salt?

Source 1: Magazine Article Lesson 2

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1 Most of us don’t give much thought to the salt and pepper sitting on

our dinner table, or the spices in our kitchen cabinets. After all, what

could be more ordinary? If only they could speak, though, spices and herbs

would tell you the “spicy” tales of their glory days: the days when spice ruled

the world.

Ancient Evidence

2 People have used spices since the beginning of history. Archaeologists have found spices in the tombs of Egyptians buried around 3000 bce. What were spices doing in burial chambers, you might ask? After all, it’s reasonable to assume that no one was cooking dinner in those tombs! But the ancient Egyptians had a different use for spices. They used various kinds—including cinnamon!—to embalm, or preserve, bodies after death. Of course, the spices also smelled good. The Egyptians believed this might please their gods, who would then give the dead a happy afterlife.

3 Spices also appear in hieroglyphics, an ancient form of writing, carved in Egyptian pyramids. The hieroglyphics show the workers who built the pyramids eating onions and garlic. The Egyptians believed these herbs gave the workers strength. They needed all the strength they could get, since they had to move giant pyramid stones through the blazing desert.

Source 2: Book Chapter Lesson 2


4 In the ancient Olympic Games, which took place from 776 bce to 394 ce, athletes were rewarded with crowns made of plants, including spices such as bay leaves or myrtle. Some ancient Greek and Roman scientists, including Hippocrates, Galen, and Pliny, believed that spices had healing properties. These ancient scientists may have been onto something. Today’s scientists have tested whether medicines made from spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, oregano, and sage might be able to treat conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and high cholesterol.

More Valuable Than Gold

5 In ancient times, almost all spices came from Asia. Demand for spices in other parts of the world led to a booming spice trade. At first, all trade involved making a grueling trip over land routes with a caravan of camels to carry the spices. The most famous of these routes was the Silk Road, which connected Asia with the Mediterranean world, including Europe and North Africa. By linking a number of ancient kingdoms and empires, the Silk Road helped to spread ideas, inventions, and cultures, as well as spices and silk, across much of the world. Many great civilizations developed along this route, including those of Egypt, China, and Rome.

Early Olympic athletes received

a crown of bay leaves or

myrtle.

Source 2 continued Lesson 2

KEYLand routesSea routes

AFRICA

EUROPE

I N D I A N O C E A N

Mediterranean Sea

ASIA

China

IndiaSaudi

Arabia

Iran

Egypt

Rome,Italy

Turkey


6 In the first century bce, Rome became the spice-trade king when it set up a powerful trade center in Alexandria, Egypt. All spices from Asia had to pass through this center to get to southern Europe and northern Africa. By controlling the spice trade, Rome added to its own financial strength and its power over other civilizations.

7 By this time, spices had become so valuable that only wealthy people could afford them. When the Roman emperor Nero lost his wife, he wanted to show the depth of his grief. How? By burning a year’s supply of valuable cinnamon. Spices were even used as currency. For example, Roman soldiers often were paid in salt instead of money. That’s where the word salary comes from. And when an enemy invaded Rome in the year 410, their leader demanded gold, silk, jewels—and 3,000 pounds of peppercorns.

The Silk Road was part of a network of trade routes linking Asia with the Mediterranean Sea. Spices were shipped over these land and sea routes from India and the Far East to Europe. The map shows the Silk Road in this part of the world as we know it today.

Silk RoadSilk RoadThe


Power Struggles

8 Soon, cities and nations all over Europe began to battle for the title of spice-trade powerhouse. In the 14th century, Venice, Italy, became the main trade port for spices going to western and northern Europe. Venice made traders pay huge taxes on the spices they carried in and out of its port. Traders had no choice but to pay up. Soon even the wealthiest people could barely afford salt and other spices. Something had to change. And it did.

9 By the 15th century, new navigation tools enabled explorers to map new trade routes across the ocean. Explorers aimed to get to Asia and back without passing anywhere near the pricey port of Venice. You may have heard of one such explorer. He went by the name Christopher Columbus. Columbus set out to find a new trade route to Asia, only to land in America instead. Still, he returned to Europe with a haul of allspice and chiles. (He called the chiles “peppers” to make them sound more like the peppercorns he’d set out to find in India.)

10 In 1497, Portugal sent the explorer Vasco da Gama on a spice-finding mission around the coast of Africa and across the Indian Ocean to India. No one had ever attempted this route before. It was a smashing success, and Portugal became the new spice boss. Not for long, though. English, Dutch, and Spanish explorers soon followed the same route. The competition heated up as countries vied for control of the spice route.

11 From the 15th to the 17th century, the middle class in Europe got bigger and bigger. That meant more people could afford to eat well, which in turn meant a higher demand for spices. Soon, the competition for control of the spice trade turned bloody. European nations went to war over a group of islands in Indonesia, known as the Spice Islands. Controlling trade with those islands meant big money—big, big money. There was so much at stake that Europe fought over the islands for about 200 years.

12 In the mid-1600s, Holland gained control of Malacca, in Indonesia. The European nation soon became the newest spice ruler. It gained control of cinnamon trade in the nation of Ceylon, and then it took over

Source 2 continued Lesson 2


Sri Lankan farmer carries

freshly harvested sticks of

cinnamon.

peppercorn trade along the coast of India. Dutch traders would stop at nothing to protect Holland’s new wealth. When spice prices began to drop a bit, Dutch traders began to burn cinnamon trees. That made the spice rarer—and more expensive. Traders also soaked nutmeg in a special liquid called “milk of lime.” They believed this would keep the seeds from growing. If rivals stole and planted the seeds, they’d be out of luck.

America Enters the Spice Wars

13 The United States got spicy late in the game. In the 18th century, American business people started their own spice companies. They decided to trade directly with spice growers in Asia and avoid the European trade companies. That was a smart move. American spice companies soon became wealthy, and hundreds of U.S. ships traveled across the globe for spices. The U.S. even contributed its own spices to the pantry. Settlers in Texas invented chili powder to add a quick dose of heat to Mexican dishes. Americans also figured out how to dehydrate, or remove the liquid from, garlic and onions, and turn them into sprinkle-ready powder.

14 By now, spices were more popular than ever. But the days of paying people in salt were gone. Trade routes were efficient and open to all, so it was easy to transport spices around the world. That meant a huge drop in prices. People also transplanted spices from India in other parts of the world, so they were much more easily available to all.

15 Today, spices no longer enrich nations. The good news is, they still enrich our favorite foods, just as they did thousands of years ago.

Think It Through


W.4.9b: Apply grade 4 Reading standards to informational texts.

Complete the following activities to check your understanding of each source. Your answers will help you write your article.

1 Describe the role that cinnamon played in two different time periods. Use details from “The Life of Spice” to support your answer.

2 How did Rome use salt to become more powerful? Use one example from “Why Salt?” to support your answer.

HINT Read the headings for clues about how spices were used at different points in time.

HINT Look for clue words such as control and great to identify details in the article.

Think It Through

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3 How did the Silk Road help Rome to ultimately take control of the spice trade from Asia? Use details from “The Life of Spice” to support your answer.

4 Explain why spices played a more significant role prior to the eighteenth century than they do today.

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HINT Use the map on page 43 to help you understand the relationships between places as they are described in the text.

HINT How did changes in trade affect the cost and availability of most spices?



Now that you’ve gathered information on your topic, it’s time to organize it. Use the three ideas that guided your research to categorize your evidence. Group related details with the idea they support. When you plan your article, each group of details will become a paragraph.

It’s also a good idea to keep track of the source that each detail comes from. This will remind you of where to look if you need to double-check something you wrote in your chart.

Modeled Instruction

To organize his evidence, Beau created the chart below. Then he began adding details he had underlined in his sources.

Compare the first underlined sentence from “Why Salt?” with the detail in Beau’s chart. Then help Beau complete the next bullet by adding a detail from the second underlined sentence.

Step 4 Organize Your Evidence


From “Why Salt?” page 40

. . . Salt was so important in the daily lives of the Romans that soldiers were paid in blocks of salt. This pay was called salarium argentums, or “salt money,” giving us our word salary. In fact, the word soldier comes from the Latin sol dare, meaning “to give salt.” . . .

. . . In both the Revolutionary and Civil wars, keeping enough salt for the soldiers was important. In these and other wars, enemies have tried to keep salt away from each other.

Beau’s Chart

Idea: Ways That Spices Were Used

Source 1Why Salt?

• Salt was used to pay soldiers in Rome.

• During wars,

.

Source 2The Life of Spice

W.4.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning. . . .

W.4.8: . . . take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.

FOCUS Plan Your Article

U

U

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Guided Practice

Read the following excerpt from “The Life of Spice,” and continue helping Beau fill in his chart by completing the activities. Use the Hints for help.

From “The Life of Spice” pages 41–42

Spices also appear in hieroglyphics, an ancient form of writing, carved in Egyptian pyramids. The hieroglyphics show the workers who built the pyramids eating onions and garlic. The Egyptians believed these herbs gave the workers strength. . . .

In the ancient Olympic Games, which took place from 776 bce to 394 ce, athletes were rewarded with crowns made of plants, including spices such as bay leaves or myrtle. Some ancient Greek and Roman scientists, including Hippocrates, Galen, and Pliny, believed that spices had healing properties. These ancient scientists may have been on to something.

1 Read the underlined sentences. Draw an arrow to the matching note in the chart. Then explain why Beau put the note in that row.

2 Find one additional detail that tells how spices were used. Underline it and mark the text with a U. Then add it to the correct place in the chart.

Turn and Talk How does this chart help you get ready to write your article?

HINT Which source provides that piece of evidence?

HINT How were herbs and spices used in another place and time?

U

Beau’s Chart


Source 1Why Salt?

• Salt was used to pay soldiers in Rome.• During wars, enemies tried to keep salt

away from each other.


• The workers who built the pyramids ate onions and garlic for strength.

•

Write TimeIn your own chart, record the evidence you marked in each source. Organize the evidence according to the idea it supports.

49


Review the main parts of an article. Then refer back to this information as you write your draft to be sure you include each part.

Parts of an Article

INTRODUCTION

Tells what the article is about and grabs readers’ attention

Your introduction needs a hook, or a way to grab your readers’ attention. To hook your readers, you can provide:

• A description of a scene that helps readers instantly picture the topic or situation you’re writing about.

• A question that makes readers curious and gets them thinking about possible answers.

• A interesting fact that fascinates readers and makes them want to read more.

BODY

Supports the topic presented

in the introduction

The body of your article should include information to support and explain your topic. You should:

• Group related ideas into paragraphs that each develop one main idea.

• Include facts, definitions, details, and other information to support your ideas.

• Use linking words and phrases to connect your ideas and make them easier to follow.

CONCLUSION

Sums up what readers should

know

Your conclusion should leave readers with a strong impression. You should:

• Restate your most important ideas.

• Leave readers with an idea to think about.

W.4.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

W.4.2a: Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections. . . .

Step 5 Draft Your Article


FOCUS Write an Introduction

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Draft Your INTRODUCTION

Practice writing different kinds of hooks for your introduction. Study each sample text hook to decide how it grabs your attention. Then write a similar hook for your article.

Describe a Scene

Sample Text

Ask a room full of people if they’d like pizza for lunch, and chances are that everyone will yell “YES!”

Your Article

Ask a Question

Sample Text

Have you ever wondered how pizza got to be so popular? Or who made the first pizza and what toppings were on it?

Your Article

Give an Interesting Fact

Sample Text

There are more than 9,000 pizzerias in the state of New York alone!

Your Article

Turn and Talk Discuss why a strong hook is an important part of any piece of writing. Then listen to each other’s hooks and decide which ones best capture a reader’s attention. Explain why.

HINT What situation or set of events might help people begin thinking about spices?

HINT What important question will your article answer?

HINT What surprising facts did you read in your sources?

Write TimeChoose the hook you like best and begin drafting your introduction. Then begin drafting your body paragraphs.

Draft Your INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

BODY

CONCLUSION

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FOCUS Add Supporting Details

Lesson 2 Step 5 Draft Your Article continuedW.4.2b: Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

. . . Most researchers agree, however, that flatbread pizza—a type of pizza made with ingredients on a thin, flat crust—became popular during the 1700s among poor people in Naples, Italy. Pizza was cheap to make and included ingredients that people had on hand: bread, oil, and seasoning.

Pizza Yesterday and TodayThe first pizzas did not have tomato sauce,

though. The reason is simple. Tomatoes were brought to Europe from America in the 1500s, but most people believed the red fruit was poisonous! It wasn’t until the late 1700s that tomato sauce made its way onto pizza dough, creating the base of the ooey-gooey cheesy pizza we know today.

From MENTOR TEXT page 32

1 What type of detail is this? Why did the writer include it in her article?

2 Explain how this detail helps you understand what the writer means by “ingredients that people had on hand.”

3 How does this fact help you understand more about the history of pizza?

INTRODUCTION

BODY

CONCLUSION

Draft Your BODY

As you write your draft, develop your ideas by adding specific details. You can add:

• a definition that explains what a word or phrase means

• a specific fact, date, number, or quotation that gives more information to explain and support an important point

• an example that shows a specific piece of the larger idea

Modeled Instruction

Read the excerpt from “Pizza: Past to Present.” Note the underlined details, and complete the activities to learn how the details explain ideas about pizza.

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Beau’s Chart


Source 1Why Salt?

• Salt was used to pay soldiers in Rome.• “Salt money” = our word “salary”• Enemies kept salt away from each other in

the Revolutionary and Civil wars.


• Cinnamon was used to embalm bodies. (embalm means “preserve”)

• The Egyptian workers who built the pyramids ate onions and garlic for strength.

Guided Practice

Beau used his notes to write the draft below. Now he must find ways to develop his ideas in the underlined sentences.

Read Beau’s notes and draft. Complete the activities, using the Hints for help.

Beau’s DraftSpices were used in many ways in ancient

cultures. Ancient Egyptians used cinnamon to embalm bodies. The workers who built the pyramids ate onions and garlic to get lots of strength. Salt was used to pay soldiers in Rome. Salt was also used during wars. It was very important during this time.

4 What detail can Beau add to develop the first underlined sentence? Name the type of detail, and then rewrite the sentence.

5 Which detail can Beau use to develop the second underlined sentence? Copy it from Beau’s notes onto the line below.

6 How should Beau develop the idea in the last underlined sentence?

Turn and Talk With a partner, look through your notes. Together, identify a specific definition, detail, or example you can add to your draft.

HINT Which word is most likely to confuse readers?

HINT What might the reader be surprised to learn about this idea?

HINT Help Beau make a stronger connection to the previous sentence.

Write TimeFinish drafting the body of your article. Then draft a conclusion using the tips from the chart on page 50 for help.

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Step 6 Revise: First ReadLesson 2 Writing to Inform: Article

If you ask a room full of people if they want to eat pizza for lunch, they will probably say yes. A lot of people like to eat pizza. Have you ever wondered who made the first pizza and what toppings were on it?

Flatbread pizza dates all the way back to ancient Greece. This type of pizza just had oil and seasoning. It’s not like the cheesy pizza we eat now at restaurants like my favorite one, Pizza Palace on Fairfield Street. That kind of pizza became popular during the 1700s in Naples, Italy.

The first pizzas did not have tomato sauce, either. That’s because tomatoes weren’t brought to Europe until the 1500s, and people thought they were poisonous.


W.4.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.4.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by . . . revising. . . .

As you revise, use your Informational Writing Checklist to check your writing. Work through the checklist, one line at a time. Reread the related parts of your article to decide whether you did your best possible work for each trait described. In this step, you will practice checking your article for three of the traits in the categories of Ideas and Elaboration.

Modeled Instruction

The Mentor Text writer, Kelley Kane, used the same checklist to evaluate her draft.

Read her Think Aloud to see how she checks her article.

Think Aloud Ideas Did I state my topic clearly? In my first paragraph,

I ask a question about where pizza came from, but I don’t explain that my article will answer it. To be clearer, I’ll add a sentence that says, “This question can be answered with a quick look at the history of pizza.”

Ideas Did I state my ideas clearly? My second paragraph should answer the question about where pizza first came from, but there is no sentence that says that. I’ll add a sentence at the beginning that says, “No one knows where the first pizza was made.”

Elaboration Did I include any facts, details, or examples that aren’t about my topic? Well, my topic is the history of pizza. In the second paragraph, I compare pizza from long ago to pizza now, but I think I give too much unnecessary information about my favorite pizza place. I’ll end the sentence after “now” and delete the specific location.

MENTOR TEXT Draft

FOCUS Ideas and Elaboration

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Guided Practice

Read the excerpt below from Beau’s draft of the assignment. Then complete the activities. Use the Hints for help.


1 Ideas Does Beau state his topic clearly? Explain your answer.

2 Ideas How could Beau state the main idea of the second paragraph more clearly?

3 Elaboration Identify a fact, detail, or example in Beau’s draft that does not give information about the topic. Explain what Beau should do to correct this.

Turn and Talk Take turns reading aloud the introduction to your article. Decide whether you each stated your topic clearly.

Guided Practice

Read the excerpt below from Beau’s draft of the assignment. Then complete the activities. Use the Hints for help.

Beau’s DraftSpices are ingredients that are added to food for flavor. Some spices

are hot, but others are sweet or bitter. People have used spices for years.

Spices have been used in many ways. Egyptians used cinnamon to treat their dead. The workers who built the pyramids ate onions and garlic to get lots of strength. Rome paid its soldiers with salt. It was very important during this time.

HINT What is the article mostly about? Does the introduction state this?

HINT Does the paragraph help you understand when or where spices were used?

HINT Does every detail tell about the specific topic of the article?

Write TimeUse the Informational Writing Checklist passed out by your teacher to evaluate your draft for Ideas, Organization, and Elaboration.

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W.4.2c: Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because).

W.4.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by . . . revising. . . .

Once your ideas are organized and developed, it’s time to check your word choices to make sure your article is as clear as possible. In this step, you’ll look for ways to connect important ideas and make your text flow smoothly. An easy way to do this is by using linking words and phrases.

The chart below shows some examples of linking words and phrases you can use when writing informational text such as an article.

Linking Words and Phrases

Show Elaboration

Show Contrast

Show Time

Show Cause and Effect

• for instance• for example

• but• however

• soon• today

• because• as a result

Modeled Instruction

Read the following excerpt from “Pizza: Past to Present.” Note how Kelley Kane used linking words and phrases to connect her ideas. Then complete the activities.

Pizza didn’t become popular in the United States until after World War II. Soldiers returning from Italy brought with them a love for the spicy slices they had tasted overseas. Soon, pizza could be found everywhere. Because of the great demand, privately owned pizza shops and chain restaurants opened across the country.

From MENTOR TEXT page 33

1 Draw a box around the linking word that shows how time passes between one event and another.

2 The writer uses the word because to describe a relationship between an idea and an event. Name the idea and event, and explain why the writer used because to connect them.

Step 7 Revise: Second Read


FOCUS Linking Words and Phrases

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Guided Practice

Read the following paragraph from an early draft of the Mentor Text. Then use the Hints to complete the activities that follow.

Idea 1

Idea 2

3 The writer wants to show a contrast between Idea 1 and Idea 2. Which answer choice shows the best revision? Circle the correct answer.

A Pizza wasn’t sold in shops in Italy until the 1800s, and the pizza sellers had outdoor stands.

B Pizza wasn’t sold in shops in Italy until the 1800s. However, pizza sellers had outdoor stands.

C Pizza wasn’t sold in shops in Italy until the 1800s. For example, the pizza sellers had outdoor stands.

D Pizza wasn’t sold in shops in Italy until the 1800s, when the pizza sellers had outdoor stands.

4 The writer wants to connect Idea 3 and Idea 4 by showing a change in time. Which answer choice shows the best revision? Circle the correct answer.

A The first pizza shop opened in Naples, Italy, in 1830. Soon after, you can find over 9,000 pizza shops in New York alone.

B The first pizza shop opened in Naples, Italy, in 1830. For instance, you can find over 9,000 pizza shops in New York alone.

C The first pizza shop opened in Naples, Italy, in 1830, but you can find over 9,000 pizza shops in New York alone.

D The first pizza shop opened in Naples, Italy, in 1830. Today, you can find over 9,000 pizza shops in New York alone. dTalk

Turn and Talk Read aloud paragraphs from your articles. Suggest places where linking words and phrases would improve the flow of ideas.

Pizza wasn’t sold in shops in Italy until the 1800s. The pizza sellers had outdoor stands. People could walk by and buy a slice of pizza. The first pizza shop opened in Naples, Italy, in 1830. You can find over 9,000 pizza shops in New York alone!

MENTOR TEXT Draft

HINT The phrase “you can” gives a clue about time in the second idea.

HINT Which answer choice signals an opposing idea?

Idea 4

Idea 3

Idea 4

Write TimeUse the Informational WritingChecklist passed out by yourteacher to evaluate your draft for Language.

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W.4.5: With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by . . . editing.

L.4.1f: Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.

1 Revise the run-on. Form two sentences by adding a

period and a capital letter.

2 Underline the sentence fragment. Revise it here to make a complete sentence.

No one used tomato sauce, though. The reason is simple. Tomatoes were brought to Europe from America in the 1500s most people believed the red fruit was poisonous! It wasn’t until the late 1700s that tomato sauce made its way onto the dough. Creating the base of the ooey-gooey cheesy pizza we know today.

MENTOR TEXT Draft

Step 8 Edit for Conventions


FOCUS Sentence Fragments and Run-ons

The last step is to make sure that your spelling, punctuation, and grammar are correct. In this step, you’ll focus on correcting sentence fragments and run-ons.

• A sentence fragment is a group of words that does not tell a complete thought.

Sentence Fragment Knows for sure where the first pizza was made.

Complete Sentence No one knows for sure where the first pizza was made.

• A run-on is two or more sentences that may be joined by a comma or have no punctuation at all. You can fix a run-on by splitting it into two or more sentences or using conjunctions such as and, but, so, because, or while.

Run-on SentenceNo one knows where the first pizza was made, some evidence suggests the idea began in ancient Greece.

Corrected Sentences

No one knows where the first pizza was made. Some evidence suggests the idea began in ancient Greece.

No one knows where the first pizza was made, but some evidence suggests the idea began in ancient Greece.

Modeled Instruction

Read the following excerpt from a draft of “Pizza: Past to Present.” Then complete the activities.

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Language Handbook To learn more about sentence fragments and run-ons, turn to pages 192 and 194.


Guided Practice

Read the following excerpt from an early draft of ”Pizza: Past to Present.” Then complete the activities. Use the Hints for help.

3 The writer needs to correct the sentence fragment in the draft. Which of the following best corrects the sentence fragment? Circle the correct answer.

A But did it become so popular?

B But how did it become so popular?

C But when is it popular?

D But will it become popular?

4 Read this sentence from the draft of the Mentor Text.

The details of the story vary, some say that during a tour of the kingdom in the late 1800s, the queen noticed people eating flat bread with toppings.

On the lines below, rewrite this sentence correctly.

Turn and Talk Discuss why it is important to use complete sentences in informational writing. For example, how could run-ons and fragments affect someone’s understanding of the ideas in an article?

Now you know where the first pizza was created. But how did it so popular? Today, athletes, actors, and rock stars are hired to promote, or encourage others to try a new product. But who was the spokesperson for the original pizza? Why, it was Queen Margherita of Italy, of course! The details of the story vary, some say that during a tour of the kingdom in the late 1800s, the queen noticed people eating flat bread with toppings.

MENTOR TEXT Draft

HINT One way to fix a run-on is to use a conjunction. Another way is to break it into two sentences.

HINT The sentence must make sense when read in the context of the paragraph.

Write TimeUse the Informational WritingChecklist passed out by yourteacher to evaluate your draft for Conventions.

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Documents

Lesson 2 W.4.2: Writing to Inform: W.4.7: THEME Where ...jplutt.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/1/6/57166409/writing_to_inform-ready... · THEME Where Foods Come From 31 ... 1 Ask a room full