Candidate Name:​ Ashley Roman Date: ​March 9th, 2020

Estimated Duration​: 30 minutes

Learning Experience 1 - Preliminary Information - “Writing a True Story”

Subject:​ Language Arts - Writing Workshop Unit: ​Narrative Writing
Topic:​ Writing a true story with a beginning, middle, and end Grade: ​Kindergarten
Number of Students: ​17

New Jersey Student Learning Standards:

W.K.3. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single
event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which
they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.

Objective:​ Students will write a narrative true story of at least three sentences that includes a
beginning, middle, and end.

Materials:
● Curriculum: ​Writing for Readers​ (Unit 2: Narrative) by Lucy Calkins and Natalie Louis
● Picture Cards: ​Color Explosion!
○ Color explosion hat
○ Color explosion
○ Color explosion how-to book
● Writing Workshop Cards
● Letter Charts
● Blank Picture Cards (differentiation)
● Tape
● Pencils
● Narrative Writing Booklets
● Turn and Talk Popsicle Sticks

Lesson Sequence - Connect and Engage

1. Connection
● The teacher will explain what the new genre (narrative) of writing is.
○ Teacher: “Writers, we are moving past our how-to books and moving into
a new genre called narrative writing. Have you ever heard of the term
narrative before?” (wait to see hands)
○ Teacher: “Narrative writing is when you write about something that
actually happened to you! It’s a true story like taking a trip to the zoo or
riding a bike!”
● The teacher will activate prior student knowledge from the color explosion activity
that took place on March 2nd, 2020. The teacher will ask the students which
story sounds better (story A) or (story B) to make the connection a participating
activity.
○ The teacher will share, “Writers, I need your help! Which story sounds
better?”
■ The teacher reads story A, “We made hats. We made colors. We
wrote a book.”
 ■ The teacher reads story B, “Here is story B. On Tuesday, we
colored in color explosion hats! We were going to become
scientists for the day! We got to pour vinegar into baking soda and
watched the color explode out of the cup! At the end of the day,
we wrote a how-to book and shared it with our parents!”
○ The teacher will now take a class tally regarding which story sounded
better.
■ Teacher: “Alright writers, I want you to take ten seconds to think to
yourself about which story was better.” (Pause for ten seconds)
■ Teacher: “Raise a hand if you thought story A was better. I see
___ hands raised. Touch your heads if you think story B was
better. I see ___ writers touching their heads!”
● “Writers, like the color explosion story I talked about, you too can talk about and
write your own true stories!”
2. Teaching Point
● “Today, writers, you will be turning into narrative writing authors! I want to share
with you that you too can write true stories that have happened to you. A true
story always has a beginning, middle, and an end.”
Lesson Sequence - Model
3. Teach
● The teacher will follow the gradual release of the student responsibility framework
for the teaching and active engagement portions of the lesson. The teacher will
lay the groundwork for a narrative story with a beginning, middle,and end. The
teacher will share her color explosion story as a connective science piece.
● I-Do
○ Teacher: “Writers, when we write narrative true stories, we want to make
sure we have the full pieces to the story, which includes a beginning,
middle, and end.”
○ Teacher: “Let’s take a look at the easel. I am going to share the color
explosion story with picture cards.
○ The teacher will lay the groundwork for a narrative story: “I am going to
use some picture cards to help me remember my story.
■ Beginning (teacher places color explosion hat on the easel): “On
Tuesday, we made color explosion hats. We became color
explosion scientists!”
■ Middle (teacher places color explosion card on the easel): “With
my partner, I poured the vinegar into a cup of baking soda. I
watched the color explosion pour out of the cup!”
○ The teacher will move into the “We-Do” phase of the lesson under active
engagement to have students complete the narrative story about the color
explosion.

4. Active Engagement
● We-Do
○ The teacher will place the picture card of the how-to book the class wrote
together on the color explosion. The teacher will have students complete
the narrative writing with her.
 ○ End (teacher places color explosion book card on the easel): “My story
needs an ending. Our day did not stop with just the color explosion! Who
can recall what we wrote on Tuesday after we did our color explosion?”
■ Student: “We made a how-to book about the color explosion!”
■ Teacher: “That’s right! And who did we share our how-to book
with?”
■ Student: “We shared the how-to book with our parents!”
■ Teacher: “Awesome job! When writing the ending to my narrative,
I can say, “We wrote a how-to book and even shared the book
with our parents!””
● You-Do it Together
○ The teacher will begin the “You-Do it Together” phase where students
begin to brainstorm and think about their own narrative writing process.
The students will have time to brainstorm, turn and talk to an elbow
partner, and then will be released to write their narrative story.
○ Teacher: “Okay writers! Beneath you is your very own narrative writing
booklet! I want to hold your booklet now. Touch your booklet and think to
yourself, ‘What can I write about? Is there a true story I love and want to
share like the color explosion story?’” (students will have one minute to
plan and think to themselves)
○ Teacher: “Okay writers! With your story in mind, I want one person to pick
up the popsicle stick and begin the turn and talk. Your turn!” (The
students will have one minute to share).
○ The teacher will comment on the stories that were heard during the turn
and talk to provide story examples for the class.
■ Teacher: “Writers, I love the stories I am hearing! I heard stories
about pajama day. I heard stories about playing with friends on the
playground. I also heard stories about going to the beach!”
● You-Do it Independently
○ The teacher will lay the framework for the independent writing time. The
teacher will pull a small-group during this time as well.
○ Teacher: “Wow writers! You have amazing stories to write about! I am so
excited to hear them and read them! Remember, a narrative true story is
a story that actually happened to you, and the story always has a
beginning, middle, and end. Now, I want you to take your story idea, draw
the pictures, and write your beginning, middle, and end to the story. Okay
writers, it’s your turn to write now!”
○ The teacher will monitor student progress for approximately five minutes.
The teacher will then call a small-group for the students that are striving in
ideas, planning, and writing their narrative story.
Lesson Sequence - Closure
5. Share
● After twenty minutes to plan, draw, and write out their stories, the students will be
called to the carpet in a circle.
● Teacher: “Okay writers! That’s a wrap on writing today. I want you to put your
materials away and join me on the carpet in a circle.”
● The teacher will wait for students to arrive at the carpet in a circle.
 ● Teacher: “When I walked around today, I saw some amazing writing skills. I saw
Janet planning her story. I saw Michael drawing the pictures of his lego story. I
also saw Beth writing her story and looking at her pictures to guide her writing!
Superb job writers!”
● Teacher: “I want you to share what you did with your story during writing
workshop to the person sitting next to you now.”
● The students will have a minute to share.
● Teacher: “When we think about writing true stories, we can think about anything
and everything including food, toys, and playground fun! Remember, when we
write a true story, we want the full story with a beginning, middle, and end!”

Differentiation/Extension:
● Differentiation: To support student needs within the classroom, the teacher will place
letter charts on each table for stretching out sounds in words. The teacher will further
provide blank picture cards in which the teacher and student work on a drawn out plan,
tapes the cards onto the student’s booklet, and the child will write the story.
● Extension: For the above-average students, the teacher will encourage them to write at
least two sentences about their feelings at the time the story took place. The teacher will
provide driving questions for this such as “how did this make you feel?” and “why did it
make you feel that way?”
 Reference:
Calkins, L., & Louis, N. (2013). ​Writing for Readers: Unit 2 Narrative.​ Firsthand Heinemann
Publishing: Portsmouth, NH.