Our classroom: Writing an owner's manual
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=862
A lesson plan for grades 3–5 English Language Arts
At the beginning of the year, students can create a classroom community by collaboratively developing an “owner’s manual” for classroom procedures and events. After bainstorming a list of people, places, and events associated with the classroom, students write and publish an expository piece about a specific component of the class. This lesson provides examples of instruction manuals from popular products and samples of classroom manuals that will assist in the creation of the final product. Resources for peer evaluation and self–assessment offer a variety of options for teacher monitoring and student reflection.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 3
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.05: Identify (with assistance) the purpose, the audience, and the appropriate form for the oral or written task.
- Objective 4.06: Compose a draft that conveys major ideas and maintains focus on the topic by using preliminary plans.
- Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., personal narrative, short report, friendly letter, directions and instructions).
Grade 4
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.05: Use planning strategies to generate topics and organize ideas (e.g., brainstorming, mapping, webbing, reading, discussion).
- Objective 4.06: Compose a draft that conveys major ideas and maintains focus on the topic with specific, relevant, supporting details by using preliminary plans.
- Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., personal and imaginative narrative, research reports, learning logs, letters of request, letters of complaint).
Grade 5
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.05: Use a variety of preliminary strategies to plan and organize the writing and speaking task considering purpose, audience, and timeline.
- Objective 4.06: Compose a draft that elaborates on major ideas and adheres to the topic by using an appropriate organizational pattern that accomplishes the purpose of the writing task and effectively communicates its content.
- Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., clarification, essay, feature story, business letter).
