Details day 2! My students are having so much fun writing our 2021 Vision Board essays. Today, one of my students, who is new to our district, said, "Mrs. Reed, it really makes it so much easier for me to write when you write with us first." Of course it does! Can you imagine, even as adults, someone telling us to write something without giving any modeling or information as to what they are expecting? I responded to the class by telling them that I work hard so that they don't have to... If I share exactly what the expectation is in my modeling, and the process in which they can follow to create their own sentences, then writing shouldn't be hard. It should be fun and engaging, and students should want to talk about it together. That is always my goal.
Today's lesson comes from the detail section in your Grade Level Informational/Opinion Guides. It helps teachers who do not know what to ask their students in order to generate specific, relevant details. Before EW, I would find myself saying "Tell me more." or "Can you describe it better?" Usually, all these questions would generate were a list of adjectives, and if I was lucky, they were separated by commas! 😂 Now, I use the DGQs: Detail Generating Questions- "What Does It Look Like?" and "Why Is It Important?" Here is an example from my class today. One is a paper chart that I modeled in a class period and the other is modeling done on a google slide. Again, I include both samples for all students to use on my google notes for the lesson.
Today, in 4th Grade, students were working on the same lesson for the essay they are currently writing about their ideal snow day. Here is a great video from Mrs. Dixon on what this strategy looks like in an elementary classroom. Don't forget, this lesson is in your guide and available for you to teach with any topic your students might be writing about! Be sure to check out Lauren's charts on the FB group!
