Learning Design & Technology

Learning
Objectives
EDCI 569

Quinlisk, Melanie J.
Upon

entering

my 6th

grade

EDCI 569 Learning Objectives | Quinlisk, Melanie J.

English classroom, many students do not know how to write a standard five-paragraph essay.
My goal is to build an interactive writers workshop that will help students learn writing skills,
and then build upon those skills. The targeted audience are sixth grade students.
Many students enter into sixth grade with a basic idea of what a sentence is and how to write a
paragraph, as well as what a graphic organizer is and how to use one. The majority have never
written a five-paragraph essay before; this workshop will help the students become better writers
and offer them a better chance of academic success during their school years and beyond.
The prerequisites for entering this writers workshop include:

Students must show mastery of fifth-grade writing skills, and

Students must have basic knowledge of how to use a computer
o Be able to open a Word document, be able to save a Word document, and be able
to print a Word document.

The analysis that I have conducted consists of interviewing the students on their previous writing
experiences and obtaining writing samples from the students. I have determined that there is a
significant need for a writers workshop within the sixth grade classroom. The restriction being
applied is that the writing assignment must be within the scope of the sixth grade
English/Language Arts curriculum.
The writers workshop will be instructor guided. Because the students are still learning the
writing process, each step will be evaluated by the instructor before the student can move on to
the next step. Students will start the course with reading over the goal and the objectives, and
then having a quick review over authors purpose. Then students will watch an interactive video
about writing an informative essay which introduces them to the prewriting activity. The next
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EDCI 569 Learning Objectives | Quinlisk, Melanie J.

step students will participate in is the completion of the graphic organizer. Once the graphic
organizer has been approved by the teacher, the student will watch a video about creating rough
drafts and then engage in an interactive essay map activity. The graphic organizer and essay map
will serve as the basis for writing the rough draft. Students may write their rough draft either by
hand or on a word processing program. If written on a word processing program, the rough draft
must be printed out so that it can be annotated. Upon completion of the rough draft, students will
be given two editing checklists (one for the individual review and one for the peer review).
Students will first review their own essay, and then trade and peer edit another students essay.
Students must show their annotated rough draft to the teacher before moving on to the final
writing step. Students will watch the final portion of the essay video which introduces them to
writing their final copy. Students will open a Microsoft Word document and begin the final copy.
Once completed, that will be printed and handed in to the teacher for assessment.
The material to be included in the workshop consists of:

Graphic organizers
Interactive prewriting activities
Interactive essay map
Microsoft Word and/or Google Docs
Editing checklists
Pens, pencils, lined paper

The writers workshop will be held in the sixth grade English classroom or in a middle school
computer lab. Each student must have a functioning computer, and each student must have
access to a folder with the workshop material (such as a student share drive, or have it pre-loaded
on the computers). The teacher would administer a large group review determining authors
purpose. Following the review students would be instructed to log on to the computers and
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EDCI 569 Learning Objectives | Quinlisk, Melanie J.

begin the program. The first activity is an interactive review of authors purpose to help solidify
the reason for writing an informative essay.
Technologies that could potentially be used for this workshop include goanimate.com, Captivate,
Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs, and Moodle. Forms of assessment will include the
completed graphic organizer, the annotated rough draft (showing where revisions need to be
made) and the completed essay.

Goal: To write a five paragraph informative essay

Objectives:
By the end of this module, students will be able to
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Identify and create a thesis statement

Write clear, concise sentences
Correctly and consistently use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
Organize their thoughts into a clear essay (Intro, Body, Conclusion)
Use transition words when changing topics

Indiana State Standards Met:

6.W.3.2: Write informative compositions on a variety of topics that

Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information.

Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.
Express ideas precisely and concisely
Provide a concluding statement that follows the information or explanation
presented

6.W.4: Apply the writing process to

Plan and develop; draft; revise; rewrite; and edit to produce and strengthen
writing that is clear and coherent
Use technology to generate, produce, and publish writing

6.W.5: Gather relevant information from multiple sources, and annotate sources

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EDCI 569 Learning Objectives | Quinlisk, Melanie J.

6.W.6.1e: Writing simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences;

recognizing sentence fragments and run-ons
6.W.6.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling

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