UNIT X 200 | UNIT 5 Instructional Routine: Writing p. Txxxvii Write an Informational Paragraph • Recognize characteristics of genre Read aloud the explanation of an informational paragraph. Say: You already know about informational paragraphs. We read informational texts in class. Ask children to look back through the unit and identify the informational texts they have read. Ask: What is the same about these texts? (They give facts and details about a topic.) • Topic Explain to children that the topic is the subject (i.e., a person, place, or thing) the author writes about. • Topic sentence Explain that a topic sentence is the first sentence in an informational paragraph. It tells the reader what the paragraph is about. • Facts and details Explain to children the difference between readings that provide facts and details and readings that provide opinions. Explain that the details are the facts the author gives about the topic. • Assess sources Discuss reliable sources of facts and details, such as some Internet sites, nonfiction books, encyclopedias, and other references. • Closing sentence Explain that a closing sentence “ends” the writing. It is the last sentence of the paragraph and it wraps up all of the information. It often restates the topic sentence. Prompt Activate prior knowledge Read aloud the prompt. Ask: What are places in nature? Show pictures of different places to help them brainstorm, for example, a jungle, mountains, the ocean, a pond, a forest, a meadow, the Arctic, etc. Give children the opportunity to describe and ask the names of other places in nature. Student Model • Listen actively Read aloud the student writing as children follow along. Then give children time to read silently for comprehension. • Sort content words and phrases into categories Ask children to identify the topic sentence, facts and details, and the closing sentence. EXPLORE AND LEARN DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION Scaffold Provide support in helping children understand the difference between facts and opinions. Provide several sentences and ask children to sort them into facts and opinions; for example: (opinions) I like the desert. The desert is interesting. (facts) The desert is dry. The desert has sand. Amplify Conduct a mini-lesson to show children how to use the checklist on page 201 to review the Student Model. Ask: Do I use is, are, has, or have? Have children find these words in the model. Ask: Do I use compound words? (There are none in the model.) Ask: What fact tells where? What fact tells what? What fact tells why? Ask: Do I have a closing sentence? The Desert by Maria Hernandez The desert is a difficult place to live. The desert is hot in the day. It is cold at night. The desert is dry. It has a lot of sunlight. The lizard is in the desert. It has a long tail. Animals and plants live in the hot, dry desert. topic sentence facts and details closing sentence Write an Informational Paragraph An informational paragraph gives information, or facts, about a topic. Remember to include: • a topic sentence that tells your main idea • facts and details • a closing sentence Floating_box Floating_ box Floating_box Student Model Write an informational paragraph about a place in nature. CONNECT TO Writing 200 UNIT 5 CON22_1_SE_U05_198-203_CWM.indd 200 30/10/2020 11:44 UNIT 5 / CONNECT TO WRITING
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