Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
STAGE 1 – (Desired Results)
Unit Summary:
In this unit, the student conducts a genre study of science fiction and researches characteristics of planets and the solar system in order to write a science fiction
story.
Transversal Themes:
Knowledge and Skills, Competencies
Integration Ideas:
Science, Math, Writing, Reading, Music, Physical Education
Essential Questions (EQ) and Enduring Understandings (EU)
EQ1. As a writer, how can I grab my reader’s attention?
EU1. Writers use a variety of techniques to draw in the reader to make them connect emotionally or become curious about what will happen next.
EQ2. How small or big are we?
EU2. The sun is one of a trillion of stars with countless other galaxies in the universe.
EQ3. Is there life outside of planet Earth? How do we know?
EU3. Scientists are searching for other planetary life and many writers are intrigued by the idea of extraterrestrial life.
EQ4. What are the defining elements of science fiction as a genre?
EU4. Science fiction tells about the imagined future or imagined inventions that would change our world today.
Transfer (T) and Acquisition (A) Goals
T1. The student leaves the class able to use his/her learning to conduct research and develop a greater awareness of our place in the universe, as well as demonstrate the ability to write a detailed and
organized fictional text.
The student acquires skills to...
A1. Listen and interact with peers appropriately and engage in questioning, response to text, and deliver oral presentations.
A2. Use in-depth critical reading to identify and use: point of view, information from illustrations/words in a text, images, and distinguishing features of a sentence to read fluently.
A3. Write grammatically correct literary and informational texts.
A4. Use enhanced communication skills to write, speak, and read increasingly complex sentences and paragraphs with appropriate use of English grammar and decoding skills.
Page 1 of 18
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
Puerto Rico Core Standards (PRCS)
Listening
3.L.1
Listen and interact with peers during social interactions, read-alouds, oral presentations, and class, group, and partner discussions.
3.L.1a
Ask and answer detailed questions that stimulate conversation and refer to details from the text as the basis for opinions and conclusions, and use appropriate language structure
according to purpose and setting (formal and informal).
Speaking
3.S.1
Interact in class, group, and partner discussions by following rules, asking and answering questions, and adding relevant information.
3.S.3
Retell fictional and informational texts; respond to stories, conversations, read-alouds, and presentations; and recount experiences using increasingly complex complete sentences and
key words in order to add detail while speaking using expanded vocabulary and descriptive words.
3.S.5
Describe personal experiences or ideas from a fictional or informational text, choosing appropriate language according to purpose, context, and audience and using grade appropriate
grammar. (With support in the first language as necessary.)
3.S.6
Plan and deliver brief oral presentations on a variety of topics and content areas.
Reading
3.R.1
Use in-depth critical reading of a variety of relevant texts to describe ideas, phenomena, cultural identity and literary elements in the texts, asking and answering such questions as who,
what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. Recognize fact vs. opinion and fiction vs. nonfiction as well as facts/supporting details from the
texts.
3.R.4L
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
3.R.6L
Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
3.R.7I
Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify an informational text.
3.R.7L
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital literary text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
Reading
Foundational
Skills
3.R.FS.13
Apply the distinguishing features of a sentence when reading (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).
Writing
3.W.2
Write informational texts (e.g., “how-to” book, simple report) with increasing independence, and organize key ideas and details in a clear sequence.
3.W.3
Write literary texts with increasing independence using appropriate text organization and using transitional words and other cohesive devices to better organize writing.
Page 2 of 18
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
3.W.4
Focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
3.W.6
Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).
3.W.8
Write routinely over short time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a variety of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Language
3.LA.1a
Use nouns and adjectives in increasingly complex grammatically correct sentences.
3.LA.1c
Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).
3.LA.1d
Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives.
3.LA.1e
Form and apply regular and irregular verbs.
3.LA.1i
Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the
little boy.).
3.LA.1j
Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward).
3.LA.1k
Form and use homophones.
3.LA.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
3.LA.2a
Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
3.LA.2d
Form and use possessives.
3.LA.2f
Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words.
3.LA.2g
Consult reference materials, including dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings, using the ability to alphabetize by the entire word.
3.LA.4a
Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck).
3.LA.5
Identify figurative language, word relationships and differences in word meanings.
3.LA.5a
Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).
3.LA.6
Accurately use basic conversational, general academic, and content area words and phrases.
Page 3 of 18
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
STAGE 1 – (Desired Results)
Alignment to
Learning
Objectives
PRCS:
3.L.1
3.R.6L
3.R.7L
3.R.FS.13
3.LA.1k
3.LA.4a
3.LA.5
3.LA.5a
Content Focus
(The student
understands…)

EQ/EU:
EQ1/EU1
EQ4/EU4
T/A:
T1
A1
A2

Elements or
characteristics of
science fiction
(element of
fantasy,
(imaginary
planets, aliens,
imaginary
technology that
allows humans to
travel through
space etc.).
The purpose and
structure of a
dictionary and
alphabetical
order.
STAGE 2 – (Assessment Evidence)
Content Vocabulary

Science fiction
(fantasy,
imaginary
technology,
space ships,
inventions,
aliens)
Performance Tasks
Other Evidence
Space Dictionary

Integrated Assessment 3.4

STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)
Before completing this unit,
the teacher should
administer the first
integrated assessment to
students (see Attachment:
“Integrated Assessment
3.4”).
The student creates a
dictionary of vocabulary
words from the unit. Each
word includes a drawing,
definition, and is used in a
sentence.
Learning Activities
For sample lessons related to the following group of
learning activities, refer to the section ‘Sample Lessons’
at the end of this map.
Science Fiction Study



Page 4 of 18
The teacher begins the unit with a genre study
to compare and contrast science fiction with
other genres the student has already studied
since grade 1 (biography, realistic fiction,
folktales, myths, non-fiction and fairytales).
The teacher explains that the unit is about
science fiction and the student shares what
he/she thinks that means. The teacher explains
that science fiction is a type of fantasy that
imagines what would happen in the future
when we have inventions that can do amazing
things (like space travel). The student shares
any films he/she has seen that would be
considered science fiction (e.g. Avatar, The Last
Airbender, Star Wars, Independence Day, Men
in Black, the Matrix). The student compares
his/her understanding of science fiction again
after the genre study.
http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade3/g
enre
The teacher selects three science fiction books
to read aloud and compare. While reading
aloud, the teacher uses different voices to
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction


Page 5 of 18
acknowledge and model the different points of
view. When reading aloud, the student shares
what clues help him/her understand that it
takes place the future or what inventions are in
the books that would change how we live
today. The teacher creates a class chart of
features in a science fiction book. The teacher
uses a movie the student knows to model
characteristics of science fiction. The chart
should include the following columns: Book
Title, Setting & Description, Imaginary
Characters, Inventions, and Problem.
During the read alouds, the teacher picks out
any examples of figurative language,
homophones, new meanings for familiar
words, and any words or phrases that have
literal and metaphorical meanings. The teacher
puts each in a chart with a labeled section for
the student to reference later during the
writing of his/her story.
The teacher reads aloud, “If I Built a Car” by
Chris Van Dusen. The teacher models how to
use information gained from illustrations and
words to show understanding of the
characters, setting, and plot. The student
imagines types of inventions that would allow
humans to travel through space or create new
societies. In teams of three, the students
generate a goal they have for the future (say in
100 years) and what type of inventions would
help them achieve it. The student creates a
model (3D) or a drawing of an invention and
presents it to the class. The student makes a
poster with the name of the invention, its
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction


Page 6 of 18
purpose, how it helps us, and what year it will
be created.
The student rereads science fiction books or
other unfamiliar science fiction books aloud
with a partner to practice fluency. The teacher
notices whether the student is applying the
features of a sentence when reading.
The teacher does an informal assessment of
reading comprehension and point of view by
listening to the student read to see if he/she
uses different voices to show the different
points of view. The teacher asks questions to
see if the student is using information gained
from illustrations or words to understand the
characters, setting, or plot of the story he/she
is reading.
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
STAGE 1 – (Desired Results)
Alignment to
Learning
Objectives
PRCS:
3.L.1a
3.S.1
3.R.1
3.R.7I
EQ/EU:
T/A:
T1
A1
Content Focus
(The student
understands…)



That the planets
orbit the sun and
the moon orbits
around the
planets.
That 24 hours is a
full rotation of the
earth on its axis
and this causes
day and night.
That gravity pulls
objects together
to maintain an
orbit.
STAGE 2 – (Assessment Evidence)
Content Vocabulary




Gravity
Orbit
Revolve,
revolution
Rotate, rotation
Performance Tasks
Other Evidence
Word Family Check

Page 7 of 18
STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)
Learning Activities
For sample lessons related to the following group of
learning activities, refer to the section ‘Sample
Lessons’ at the end of this map.
The teacher selects a word
family with two or three letter
clusters to focus on every
Earth, Rotation
week during the morning
meeting. The teacher has a
 The teacher asks if the student knows why
short lesson of how to
there is day and night. Use attachment, 3.7
pronounce the cluster and
Learning Activity – Space Vocabulary Cards.
gives examples of words. (See
For each word, the teacher gives a
website:
demonstration and uses the picture to
http://www.carlscorner
describe it. Then the teacher uses the second
.us.com/Sorts.htm for word
picture for the student to turn to a partner
family picture cards and
and describe the picture using the vocabulary
sorting ideas). The teacher
word. The teacher supplements vocabulary
uses attachment, 3.7 Other
with a demonstration using a basketball or
Evidence – Word Family
globe and a flashlight to show the Earth
Assessment to check the
rotating as the sun shines on one side of
student’s ability to identify
Earth at a time. The teacher explains how the
and read letter clusters. The
earth spins on its axis. The student physically
student creates a word family
demonstrates rotation (spinning like a top),
notebook to keep track of new
revolution (moving around a central object),
words throughout the year
and orbiting (going around in a circular path).
(see attachment: 3.7 Other
 The teacher reads aloud, “What Makes Day
Evidence – Word Family Book).
and Night” and refers to the following lesson:
http://eyeonthe132sky.org/
lessonplans/05sun_daynight.html. The
teacher explains how a specific image in the
book contributes to and clarifies how the
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction


Page 8 of 18
earth goes around the sun. The student tells
how another image in the book contributes
to his/her knowledge or understanding of
the text.
The teacher explains that gravity is a force
that pulls matter together. The object with
more mass, or more matter, has a stronger
pull. The students work together to develop
a demonstration with their bodies of how
this works (one kid gravitates towards a
group of two kids). The teacher then
demonstrates how gravity is what pulls the
earth to revolve around the sun in an orbit.
The students demonstrate orbits in groups of
three (have one person be the sun, one
person be the earth rotating and revolving
around the sun, and one person be the moon
rotating and revolving around the earth).
The teacher keeps a moon journal
throughout the unit to encourage the
student to look for the moon and draw the
different phases of the moon. This teaches
how the moon also revolves around the
earth.
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
STAGE 1 – (Desired Results)
Alignment to
Learning
Objectives
PRCS:
3.R.4L
3.W.2
3.W.6
3.W.8
3.LA.2a
3.LA.2f
EQ/EU:
EQ3/EU3
T/A:
T1
A1
A3
Content Focus
(The student
understands…)

Planets in the
solar system &
their
characteristics
(size, mass,
temperature,
color,
composition,
moons) (e.g. Pluto
is no longer a
planet because of
its size, the sun is
a star that
produces energy
for life to grow on
Earth).
STAGE 2 – (Assessment Evidence)
Content Vocabulary











Galaxy, Galaxies
Gravity
Orbit
Planets
(Mercury,
Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune)
Pluto
Revolve,
revolution
Rotate, rotation
Solar System
(Sun, moon,
planets,
asteroids)
Star
Universe
Words to
describe planets
(axis, mass,
composition,
temperature)
Performance Tasks
Other Evidence
For complete descriptions, refer to
the section ‘Performance Tasks’ at
the end of this map.
Space Alphabetizing
Planet Tab Book

Step 1: The student selects a
planet he/she is interested
in studying to create and
publish a book. The student
selects the style of book, or
uses attachment: 3.7
Learning Activity – Layered
book foldable).
Page 9 of 18

STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)
Learning Activities
For sample lessons related to the following group of
learning activities, refer to the section ‘Sample
Lessons’ at the end of this map.
On index cards, the student
writes down names of planets
(Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Planets
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune as well as the moon,
 The teacher asks the students, “What is a
sun, and stars), and places the
planet?” and records their answers in a class
words in alphabetical order by
word web. The students describe how they
first and second letter criteria.
know something is a planet. The teacher
creates a KWL class chart of what the
students know and want to know about
planets and uses their questions to guide the
unit.
 The teacher asks the students if all planets
are the same and writes down responses.
The students decide which planet they would
like to know more about and conduct a
research project on. Students use
attachment, 3.7 Learning Activity – Main Idea
and Details Organizer to take notes on the
planet.
 The teacher shows the type of information
they can find using Earth as a model.
Categories include, but are not limited to,
planet, size (mass), revolution around the
sun, temperature, and number of moons.
 The student sings songs about planets to
learn about their unique characteristics.
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction


Page 10 of 18
He/She pays attention to the rhythm and
beat of the music to hear how the words
supply the rhythm and meaning in the song.
http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/explo
ring-the- planets/online/ss/ss_fots.html
Based on the planet the student studied, the
teacher asks, “Is there life outside Earth?”
The teacher has a discussion on whether or
not he/she thinks there is life on other
planets. The student creates an alien that
could survive on that planet. How can it
adapt to the extreme cold or heat? What
would its house look like? What would it eat?
The student can create other aliens or planets
because it is science fiction!
The teacher revisits the question, “Are all
planets the same?” or “What makes a
planet?” to see how the student’s viewpoint
has changed from his/her previous
perceptions and complete the KWL chart.
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
STAGE 1 – (Desired Results)
Alignment to
Learning
Objectives
PRCS:
3.S.3
3.S.5
3.LA.6
Content Focus
(The student
understands…)

EQ/EU:
EQ2/EU2
T/A:
T1
A1
A2

Planets in the
solar system and
their
characteristics
(size, mass,
temperature,
color,
composition,
moons) (e.g. Pluto
is no longer a
planet because of
its size, the sun is
a star that
produces energy
for life to grow on
Earth).
That the solar
system is a part of
the Milky Way
Galaxy, which is
one of countless
galaxies in the
universe.
STAGE 2 – (Assessment Evidence)
Content Vocabulary






Galaxy, Galaxies
Planets
(Mercury,
Venus, Earth,
Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus,
Neptune)
Pluto
Solar System
(Sun, moon,
planets,
asteroids)
Star
Universe
Performance Tasks
Other Evidence
Vocabulary Assessment

Page 11 of 18
STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)
Learning Activities
For sample lessons related to the following group of
learning activities, refer to the section ‘Sample
Oral Assessment of Word Wall Lessons’ at the end of this map.
Vocabulary and Individual
Vocabulary (see attachment:
The Sun is Not the Only Star in the Sky
Resource 1 – Oral Assessment
for Vocabulary Acquisition).
 The teacher asks, “How small or big are we?”
The teacher determines if the student
understands the size of our solar system
relative to the universe. The teacher reads
aloud, “Galaxies” so the student can
understand that the solar system includes
just one star out of billions in the sky. The
teacher shares how gravity, the same force
that brings together the planets to orbit
around the sun, keeps the stars together.
 After reading “Galaxies”, the student realizes
that there are countless galaxies with billions
of stars in each galaxy. The teacher asks
again, “Is there life outside Earth?” and sees
if the student’s answer changes after
learning about the size of the universe. The
teacher asks if knowing the size of the
universe makes the student feel small or
special. The student talks with a partner and
writes a reflection on his/her thoughts about
the essential question.
 The teacher shares how constellations are
our neighbor stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction

Page 12 of 18
The teacher brings in a map of constellations
and has the student create a constellation
telescope (punch holes on aluminum foil in
the shape of the constellation and rubber
band or tape it to the end of a toilet paper
tube, so when he/she points it towards light,
he/she can see the constellation).
The student observes the constellations at
night and draws the constellations he/she
sees. The student creates his/her own
constellations or draws ones that have
already been named.
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
STAGE 1 – (Desired Results)
Alignment to
Learning
Objectives
PRCS:
3.S.6
3.W.3
3.W.4
3.LA.1a
3.LA.1c
3.LA.1d
3.LA.1e
3.LA.1i
3.LA.1j
3.LA.2
3.LA.2d
3.LA.2g
EQ/EU:
EQ1/EU1
EQ4/EU4
T/A:
T1
A3
A4
Content Focus
(The student
understands…)

The writing
process—
brainstorm, draft,
edit, revise and
publish.
STAGE 2 – (Assessment Evidence)
Content Vocabulary

Writing process
words
Performance Tasks
Other Evidence
For complete descriptions, refer to
the section ‘Performance Tasks’ at
the end of this map.
Fluency Check
Science Fiction Story


STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)
From the genre study and
study of the solar system,
the student writes his/her
own science fiction story
about space travel. To
differentiate, the student
chooses to write the story
by him/herself or with a
partner.
The teacher celebrates the
work of the student with a
publishing party and invites
younger students to come
listen to the student read
his/her story. The teacher
invites family and school
staff to witness and
celebrate the student’s
work.
Page 13 of 18

The student reads aloud to
check for: fluency, difficulty in
words, intonation, skipped
words, and missed endings
(see attachment: Resource 8 –
Paired Reading Fluency Check
as an evaluation).
Learning Activities
For sample lessons related to the following group of
learning activities, refer to the section ‘Sample
Lessons’ at the end of this map.
Writing a Science Fiction Story/ Grammar for a story


The best way to teach genre writing is by
having the books read to be the models for
the student to emulate. The teacher asks,
“As a writer, how can I grab my reader’s
attention?” The student searches books that
he/she has been read during the unit with
interesting beginnings. The teacher creates a
class T-chart of the book title and the
strategy the writer used to capture the
reader’s attention (dialogue, action,
question, description of place). The teacher
refers to examples (see attachment: 3.7
Learning Activity – Glossary of Good
Beginnings) and the lesson below on finding
good beginnings in stories:
http://www.readwritethink .org/classroom
-resources/lesson- plans/fishing-readers
-identifying-writing-969.html
Using the class chart of science fiction
features for the student to brainstorm, the
teacher asks about types of inventions
he/she would include or what sorts of
problems his/her characters would find on
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction



Page 14 of 18
different planets.
The teacher breaks down the writing process
for fiction and uses this as a resource when
the student is writing his/her science fiction
story:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro
/lessonplans/fictindex .htm
The teacher introduces reflexive pronouns
(myself, ourselves), contractions/possessives
with apostrophes and frequently occurring
prepositions for students to use during
writing from the first person perspective. The
teacher uses past read aloud books for the
student to find other pronouns,
contractions/possessives, and prepositions.
The teacher uses the same activity with
regular and irregular verbs, introducing them
and then using past read aloud books for the
student to find regular/irregular verbs.
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)
Suggested Literature Connections

Science Fiction Books:

Jane Yolen
o Commander Toad and the Intergalactic Spy

Chris Van Dusen
o If I Built a Car

Bob Staake
o Hello Robots!

Kevin O’Malley
o Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery

Jon Scieszka
o Baloney (Henry P.)

Chris Gall
o There’s Nothing to Do on Mars

Thacher Hurd
o Moo Cow Kaboom!

Colin McNaughton
o Here Come the Aliens!

Arthur Yorinks
o Tomatoes from Mars

Theresa Heine
o Star Seeker: A Journey to Outer Space

Space:

Gail Gibbons
o On Planets

Franklyn Branle
o What Makes Day and Night

Howard K. Trammel
Page 15 of 18
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
o
Galaxies (True Books: Space Series)

Ken Than
o Stars (True Books: Space Series)

Elaine Landau
o Sun (True Books: Space Series)

Franklyn Branley
o The Planets in Our Solar System (Let’s Read and find out Science, Stage 2)

Lynn Wilson
o What’s Out There? A Book About Space

Roy Gallant (Has a cool section on what if aliens lived on planets, how would they survive)
o National Geographic Picture Atlas of Our Universe

David A. Aguilar
o 13 Planets: The Latest View of the Solar System (National Geographic Kids)

Carole Scott
o Eye Wonder: Space

Khephra Burns and William Miles
o Black Stars in Orbit: NASA’s African American Astronauts

Nancy Ploette
o Mae Jamison (Rookie Biographies)

Lissa Johnston
o Ellen Ochoa: Pioneering Astronaut(Fact Finders Biographies: Great Hispanics)
Additional Resources

Starting a Story: http://k6educators.about.com/cs/languageartswr/a/WritingStart.htm

Information about planet characteristics and their moons (for teachers): http://nineplanets.org/
o (for the student): http://kids.nineplanets.org/
Page 16 of 18
Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
Performance Tasks
Planet Tab Book


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Step 1: The student selects a planet he/she is interested in studying to create a book. The student selects the style of book or uses attachment: 3.7 Learning Activity – Layered book foldable).
Step 2: The student selects three or four characteristics he/she wants to know about the planet and creates a tab for each one. Each page has a sentence or two describing the planet’s facts on the
characteristic.
Step 3: The student creates a cover and shares his/her book with two other students.
Step 4: The student completes a reflection on what he/she learned from the other students by answering questions: “I learned that _____. I was surprised to know that _____. I want to know more
about ______”
Science Fiction Story
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Step 1: From the genre study and study of the solar system, the student writes his/her own science fiction story about space travel. To differentiate, the student chooses to write the story by
him/herself or with a partner.
Step 2: The student selects a planet (or moon) to be the setting of his/her story and creates aliens that can survive on the planet as well as inventions that will help humans arrive and be able to
survive on. The student uses attachment 3.7 Graphic Organizer – Story Map Organizer to plan the plot of the story.
Step 3: To support the creation of an interesting beginning that captures the reader’s attention, the teacher selects picture books that have an exciting beginning to model how to begin (with
dialogue, lots of action, interesting descriptions of the place etc.).
Step 4: During the drafting process, the teacher shares that the writer you has the entire story in his/her head, but the readers need him/her to give details so they can visualize what is happening.
To emphasize this point, the teacher selects stories that have good description as models to share with the student.
Step 5: After the first draft is completed, the student receives feedback from other students. The teacher uses these questions as a prompt to give feedback: “Was my beginning interesting? What
did you like? What did you not understand? What can I change?”
Step 6: The teacher reads over the draft to make sure the student is appropriately using apostrophes, prepositions, and pronouns, that he/she includes some figurative language and is using regular
and irregular verbs appropriately.
Step 7: The student uses picture dictionaries (the ones in class and the ones he/she made) to assist in including vocabulary in his/her story.
Step 8: The teacher selects some of the students’ beginnings that are strong and uses them as examples to share with the whole class. This inspires the other students to revise their work while
praising the work of the students.
Step 9: The student includes suggestions, makes changes in his/her final draft and writes out the book in a picture book style (with pictures on every page and a cover).
Step 10: The teacher celebrates the work of the student with a publishing party and invites younger students to come listen to the student read his/her story. The teacher invites family and school
staff to witness and celebrate the student’s work.
The teacher uses attachment 3.7 Performance Task – Narrative Writing Rubric to assess story.
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Unit 3.7: Outer Space
English as a Second Language
5 weeks of instruction
Suggested Sample Lessons
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Genre Study of Science Fiction: http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade3/genre
Cause and Effect reading The Planets by Gail Gibbons: http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade3/cause-and-effect/lesson-3
Create a Solar System Model: http://www.zoomwhales.com/crafts/astronomy/solarsystemmodel/
Writing a Fiction Story Lessons: http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/fictindex.htm
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