Beyond Beginnings,

Middles, and EndsAs presented by:

The Northwest Montana Educational Cooperative

Introductions . . . Your Presenter

Your Fellow Participants

Find Your Discussion Partners On the cover you have three rectangles:

beginning, middle, and end. Find one person for each rectangle. If they write your name down, you write

their name down. You have 5 minutes.

Response Log What two questions would you like

addressed during our time together?

SHARE!

Objectives for Our Training Assessment Narrative v. Expository Beginnings Middles Ends Templates Reflection

Assessment . . .

Pinocchio’s Dilemma

MT Content Standards and Benchmarks

Communication Arts

Writing Content Standard 5

Students apply a range of skills and strategies during the writing process to write effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.

5.1  Apply the steps of the writing process to develop, evaluate, and refine writing

5.2 Independently select topic and generate complex thesis statement indicating purpose and intent

5.3  Generate, develop and elaborate upon main ideas using relevant and specific supporting details

5.4 Organize writing using a logical progression of ideas and transitions to effectively convey  the relationships among them

5.5 Demonstrate knowledge of language choices and their impact on writing by showing purposeful control of personal voice, sentence fluency, and word choice

5.6 Apply conventions of standard written English (e.g. usage, punctuation, spelling) appropriate for purpose and audience

5.7  Articulate and evaluate the purpose and audience, and select and use appropriate format, and tone in one's own writing

5.8 Write using a variety of forms and genres and evaluate one's own and others' writing for effectiveness of form and genre

5.9 Compose a variety of written works utilizing complex ideas and detailed support that demonstrate the ability to maintain a sustained focus

5.10 Conduct research and effectively synthesize information from multiple sources in writing

5.11 Follow copyright laws and fair use guidelines when using the intellectual property of others, including that of Montana American Indians, and appropriately credit ideas and words of others

5.12  Set goals, seek feedback and evaluate writing progress

5.13  Select and use forms of writing to learn as a means of clarifying thought and reflecting on experiences

Benchmarks for Upon Graduations: CA Standard 5: Writing

Starting with the Goal in Mind 6 + 1 Traits Rubric

Step Up to Writing Rubric

What do you see? What don’t you see?

Turn to your neighbor and Think-Pair-Share

SUTW Rubric

6 Traits Rubric

Scaffolding through Mentor TextIn the Style of . . .

Brown Bear, Brown Bear The Very Hungry Caterpillar Ten Black Dots (example in packet) Give a Mouse a . . . The Diary of a Worm The Secret Knowledge of Grownups

(example in packet) Sweetgrass Basket (IEFA) Math Curse Other . . .

Vocabulary . . .

Investigating Narrative Vocabulary

What is the “language” of narrative writing?

What is your grade level’s Top 10?

SUTW Tools:

Vocabulary for Writing and Talking About Stories

Picture from www.writingfix.com

Beginnings . . .

Cartoon: Alphabet Soup

Ways to Start a Story Provide a WHERE Provide a WHEN Provide an ACTION Introduce a CHARACTER Make a simple but interesting COMMENT Start with DIALOGUE

--from SUTW

Let’s Investigate Using the available children’s literature, can you

find examples of the various ways to start a story?

If you do not have a lot of picture books available for inquiry, you can provide students with beginnings you think are great and ask them to categorize them by the characteristics they have in common.

Mini Lesson: Grabber Leads Using favorite books, children record the

“grabber lead” and then look for similarities and differences.

Mini Lesson: Try to Change 10 Take a story you’re very familiar with.

Write the beginning sentence or two.

Change the beginning ten different ways if you can by looking at the different ways to start a story.

“One, two, three, four mornings left until I go to school,” said Shi-Shi-etko as she watched sunlight dance butterfly steps across her mother’s sleeping face.

Time Out to Talk Meet with your BEGINNING partner and

talk about what you’ve heard. What might work for your students? What do you do now that works? Where are you struggling with teaching

beginnings? Etc., etc., etc.

Middles . . .

Chronological Time: Building Blocks of Story

Beginning = Foundation of the building

Middle = Different levels or floors

End = Top of the building

Building Block Chart

Middle Mentor Texts Shi-Shi-Etko (IEFA book) Good Luck Cat (IEFA book) Dogzilla Daisy Comes Home Little Red Cowboy Hat Others? ? ?

Pacing

Narrative Transitions Venn Diagram of those that are primarily

expository, can serve two purposes, and those that are primarily narrative.

Using mentor texts to find narrative transitions from within favorite books and by favorite authors.

Time Out to Talk Meet with your MIDDLE partner and talk about

what you’ve heard. What do your students know about transitions,

and narrative transitions in particular? What do you do now that works? Where are you struggling with teaching middles? Etc., etc., etc.

Endings . . .

Ending a Story Note a Feeling Remember a Character Get Your Point Thinking About the Story

--from SUTW

Let’s Investigate Using the available children’s literature, can you

find examples of the various ways to end a story? Do you see others?

If you do not have a lot of picture books available for inquiry, you can provide students with endings you think are great and ask them to categorize them by the characteristics they have in common.

Time Out to Talk Meet with your ENDING partner and talk

about what you’ve heard. What might work for your students? What do you do now that works? Where are you struggling with teaching

endings? Etc., etc., etc.

Putting it all Together The Quick Sketch Template

The Triangle Plan

The Large Story Plan

Response Log (Round 2) So what . . . (what does this mean for you

and your classroom?)

Now what . . . (what are the next steps you need to take to utilize this information?)

Objectives for Our Training: How’d We Do?

Assessment Narrative v. Expository Beginnings Middles Ends Templates Reflection

Share Time

Closure Make sure you’ve signed in Tidy up your table Please fill out an evaluation (stars = compliments, stairs = constructive criticism) Take your OPI certificate and keep it in a

safe location Call or email if you’d like support Travel safe!

Special Thanks To . . . Beth Lambert SUTW (3rd Edition) 6 + 1 Traits and NWREL www.writingfix.com Kurstedt & Koutras