Writing Focus for Each Grade Level of the ELA Units

Ever wonder if the kind of writing (the mode) will be returning in another unit? Will you get another opportunity to teach this mode with students publishing in genres in the future... or is this the last real emphasis on this type of writing? 

Well, wonder no more- The information below will be the Holy Grail of Writing Focus information. It will offer you that overview you've been wishing for and can be used when planning a unit's lessons. 

K/1 Writing Focus by the Unit:

Unit 1: exposure to Opinion, Narrative, and Informative

Unit 2: Opinion

Unit 3: Narrative

Unit 4: Informative/explanatory

Unit 5: Shared Research (more independent in 1^st)

Unit 6: Using digital tools to publish writing

Unit 7: Revision

2^nd Grade Writing Focus by the Unit:

Unit 1: exposure to Opinion, Narrative, and Informative

Unit 2: Shared Research and writing projects  (report, science observations, etc.)

Unit 3: Informative/explanatory  (supportive: revising and editing + gather info. to answer a question)

Unit 4: Informative/explanatory

Unit 5: Narrative + Using digital tools to publish writing

Unit 6: Narratives

Unit 7: Opinion

3^rd Grade Writing Focus by the Unit:

Unit 1: exposure to Opinion, Narrative, and Informative

Unit 2: Narrative  (3^rd person) (organization, revision & editing)

Unit 3: Narrative  (1^st person)

Unit 4: Informative/explanatory

Unit 5: Conduct short research

Unit 6: Opinion (gather info from experience and digital sources- take notes)

Unit 7: Uses technology to produce and publish writing

4^th Grade Writing Focus by the Unit:

Unit 1: exposure to Opinion, Narrative, and Informative

Unit 2: Informative/explanatory (clear, coherent, organized; revision & editing)

Unit 3: Informative/explanatory (short research-different aspects) (writing in response to reading-literary)

Unit 4: Narrative (organization)

Unit 5: Opinion (short research- different aspects)

Unit 6: Narrative (recall/gather relevant info. and use technology to produce and publish writing, use digital sources, take notes & provide sources)

Unit 7: Short Research/Opinion (digital sources, take notes) (writing in response to reading-informative) (write for many purposes and for varying lengths of time)

5^th Grade Writing Focus by the Unit:

Unit 1: exposure to Opinion, Narrative, and Informative

Unit 2: Short research projects (clear, coherent, organized, writing process)

Unit 3: informative/explanatory (writing in response to on level reading-literary and informative=drawing inferences)

Unit 4: Opinion

Unit 5: Narrative

Unit 6:  Narrative + writing process

Unit 7: Recall relevant info from experiences or Gather relevant info from print and digital sources; Uses technology to produce and publish writing, take notes, cite sources) 

NOTE: Though this organizer offers the standard of focus for the unit, variety in writing is important and offering students opportunities to publish outside of the "mode/genre of focus" will continue to be important.  We can talk about how to do this inside planning meeting. :)

BOLD=emphasis of the standard and all its sub standards for this mode in this unit.

ALSO: It may be that in the CURRENT unit, you will often need to expose kids to one type of writing for a short time to prepare them for a future unit (ex. collect seeds for narrative writing for later development) and then spend the vast majority of the time focusing on and supporting kids with informative writing. The NEXT unit will then focus on  narrative writing and expose them to opinion.  We can plan for your specific units in your PLC's planning meetings.