Design Topic Sentence Structure Subject(s) _English Grade(s) _2 Designer(s) Becca Roberts

Understanding by Design
Unit Cover Page

Unit Title: How to write what makes sense Grade Levels: 2

Topic/Subject Areas: _Grammar and sentence structure
Key Words: _revising, writing, clarity, order, point of view
Designed By: Becca Roberts______________ Time Frame: 3 weeks ____________
School District: Regent University

School: Teacher Ed & IDS Dept.

Brief Summary of Unit (including curricular context and unit goals):

This unit is designed to shoe students how to write and communicate with people in a way that
makes sense. Not only will we look at the way a sentence is supposed to be organized, but we will look
at how to make the grammar in the sentence comprehendible. The students will be introduced to
commas, punctuation, spelling, chronological order, brainstorming, and revising papers. The students
will understand by the end of this unit that in order to communicate in a written text, the reader must
understand exactly what is being said. At the end of the lesson the students will write a short story using
all of the skills they have learned.

Unit design status:

X Completed template pages stages 1, 2, 3

X

Completed blueprint for each performance task

Directions to students and teacher

Materials and resources listed

x Suggested accommodations
Status:

x Suggested extensions

Initial draft (date: ___________)

Peer Reviewed

Content Reviewed

Completed rubrics

Revised draft (date: ____________)

Field Tested

Validated

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Anchored

Design Topic Sentence Structure Subject(s) _English Grade(s) _2 Designer(s) Becca Roberts
STAGE 1 DESIRED RESULTS
Unit Title: _Writing what makes sense____________________________________________
Established Goals (cite specific VA SOL):
2.12

The student will write stories, letters, and simple explanations.

a) Generate ideas before writing.
b) Organize writing to include a beginning, middle, and end for narrative and
expository writing.
c) Expand writing to include descriptive detail.
d) Revise writing for clarity.
Understandings: Students will understand that
(Provide 3 to 5)

Understand that written communication should

be well planned and clear to the reader

Understand that these types of writing are

important other than just in the educational
setting, because the reader should be able to
understand what is being said no matter the
circumstance.

Understand that staying on topic is essential for

readers to be able to follow along with the piece
of writing.
Understand how using the wrong grammar in a
sentence (or not using grammar at all) can
change the meaning of a sentence.

Understand that if the reader cannot

understand what is being said, the writing is
pointless.
Students will know:
(Give at least 5)

Essential Questions:
(Provide 3 to 5)
1. How can students apply this in a non-academic
setting?
2. Why writing formally is so important if
everything is going to electronics?
3. Is this form of writing is mandatory all
occasions; such as writing a letter to a friend,
writing a letter to a boss, or writing a letter to a
company.
4. How do the students think that people will
judge them if their writing skills are not well
articulated.

Students will be able to:

(List at least 5 skills)

The difference in the beginning, middle, and end of

a narrative.

Produce and explain complete simple and

compound sentences.

Know the difference in fact and opinion.

Begin to compose a paragraph using time-order

words.

Write a complete sentence

How to stay on topic.

Simple revising techniques for their stories.

Performance Tasks:

Describe events using descriptive words

Be able to revise their work and their classmates
work.

STAGE 2 ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

Other Evidence:

(Briefly describe 1 to 3 authentic assessments)

1. Have the students use a GRASP model to

write a letter convincing their parents they
are responsible enough to get them a new

(List 3 including MC quiz)

1. The students will take a quiz that has 10

sentences.
2. The students will read a book and put the

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Design Topic Sentence Structure Subject(s) _English Grade(s) _2 Designer(s) Becca Roberts
puppy; regardless of their age.
2. Have the entire class write a story about
the same subject, in their own words and
how they remember the event. Group the
students up into groups of 4 and have
them pass their papers around the group
checking for the correct order of events.

events in the book in order of what they

really happened, as I observe their
responses.
3. The teacher will read a sentence out-loud
two times. The first time the sentence is
read the students just listen, the second
time the students clap when they think a
comma belongs there.

Student Self-Assessment and Reflection

(List at least 2)

The students will receive their own paper back from their performance task above. The student will first re-read
their paper and proofread it in another color ink. The students will then read the comments made by their
classmates and have the option to make those corrections or leave the paper the way that it is. (Not forcing the
students to use the comments made by their classroom makes the students feel as though they are
responsible for their own work. Having a classmate help with an assignment can work well unless the
classmate knows less about the subject than the other students.)

The students are to explain where they can use these new techniques outside of the class. Each student is to get
in the readers chair and explain how they can do so.

STAGE 3 LEARNING PLAN

Summary of Learning Activities:
(list by number here and then complete the week-by-week planning calendar below using the same information)

1. I would start the lesson by reading the students some sort of text. In this text the grammar will make the
meaning of the paragraph incorrect. An example could be:
Lets eat Grandma!
Lets eat, Grandma!
2. Students will do a Think, Puzzle, Explore on what grammar. This is having the students state what they
think they know about grammar punctuation, what puzzles the students about grammar punctuation,
and then we will explore going over grammar together.
3. Answer students questions after going over the TPE.
4. Do an interactive activity with the students. The teacher will read a sentence two times out loud for the
students. During the first reading, the students will listen and think about where they think a comma is
needed. During the second reading the students will clap where they think a comma is needed. If a
student claps where a comma does not belong the student has to explain why they thought a comma
went there. For the students who clap at the right times, the teacher will choose random students and
have them explain their answer.
5. Allow the students to come up with descriptive words in order for them to be more explanatory with
their writings. The students will receive a worksheet with a spider on it. Their job is to come up with as
many descriptive words as possible about the spider, color the spider in, and then write a sentence
using their new words. (Fall and Halloween Units Combo for First and Second Grade. (2013,
December 31). Retrieved October 3, 2014.) Go over the assignment with the students to make
sure they used descriptive words, and to make sure their spider goes along with their words.

6. Read a book to the students. Have the students put the major events of the story in order by
drawing and writing about the events. Also have the students use the descriptive words form the
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Design Topic Sentence Structure Subject(s) _English Grade(s) _2 Designer(s) Becca Roberts
book. Make sure that each activity is on order like it is in the book, this is to encourage making
sure the students understand having a beginning, middle, and an end in a story.

7. Watch the punctuation BrainPop and have the students take the quiz at the end of the video.
(http://www.brainpop.com/english/grammar/punctuation/preview.weml) (Punctuation. (n.d.).
Retrieved October 3, 2014.)

8. Give each student a long strip of paper with a sentence already written on it. Give each student 5
pieces of elbow macaroni and have them place the noodles where they think commas belong. Tell the
students to work individually for 10 minutes deciding where the commas go. After the 10 minutes is
over have the students discuss their sentences with the students in their group. After the groups have
gone over the sentence the teacher will go over the sentence with the students and tell them where the
commas go.
9. Show students comma video on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=HPHyfCq8Lyc&index=1&list=PL550E991D4CE38A40
10. Have students do GRASP model using their new writing skills to convince parents they are responsible
to have a dog.
11. Post-it notes separating important details and things that arent relevant.
12. Students will all have the chance to draw their own picture and write a creative sentence about the
picture. The class will vote on what sentence is more creative and choose the top 5.
13. Reasons why activity. Create a topic or the students to write small sentences about. They will write
three reasons why they like this particular topic.
14. Explain that these reasons are the body of an essay and have the students create an introduction and
conclusion.
15. Give the students a specific topic and have them write in a journal. Require their paragraph have
specific details and 5 sentences.
16. Watch YouTube video with kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69PMSLRBBQ0
17. Class journal
18. Read book and pull examples of characters, order of events, problems, and solutions.
19. Class journal
20. Fact and fiction activity
21. For practice have the students write a silly essay as a class. Have the students choose a topic, the
details, and the order of them. The first section will be having the students decide the topic by having a
class vote. Give the student three options to vote on:
Invent and describe the best toy ever.

If there were no TVs, radios, and computers, what would you do instead?

22.
23.
24.
25.
26.

Picture you and your best friend in a gloomy castle. You find a door that isnt locked so you
enter, describe what happened next.
Choose main bullets about the details and characters.
Have the students put events in order that make sense.
Have students decide the outcome of their story.
Help the students write out all of the details in paragraph form.
The silly papers will be finished by the end of the day. I have given the students the entire day to finish

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Design Topic Sentence Structure Subject(s) _English Grade(s) _2 Designer(s) Becca Roberts
and not feel the need to rush.
27. Each student will revise the writings of their classmates and explain how they liked the essay. Each
student will read two essays.

Stage 3 Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

27. Revise papers of

classmates.
26. Finish writing paper.
Have paper finished
today.

19. class journal

17. Class
20. fact
journal
and fiction
18. read book for
examples

10. GRASP
8, Elbow Macaroni activity

Thursday

Friday

Consider the WHERETO elements. You must include enough instruction for 15 lessons. If you require more
instructional days, copy and paste the calendar template onto an additional page below. Do not exceed 6 weeks.

25. Write details in

paragraph form

15. Write in a writing

journal.

2124.
Vote
Decide
on topic
outcome
for sillyof
essay written
story.
by entire
class.

23. Put events in order.

11. Post-it activity 13. Reasons

16. YouTube
why activity
video
12. Detail competition

4. Interactive clapping 6. Read a book to the

activity with clapping. students and have them
do activities that go along.
1.5.Read
Descriptive
sentences
activity
that have
with
incorrect
grammar
the students
andand
go the
over
meanings
are with
changed.
the activity
them.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Design Topic Sentence Structure Subject(s) _English Grade(s) _2 Designer(s) Becca Roberts

(Copy and Paste Your Rubric an the last page)

Do you have
proper grammar
and spelling?

5 points

3 points

1 point

The
grammar/spelling
in your paper is
very good. You
have minimal
mistakes;
between 3-5
mistakes.

The
grammar/spelling
in your paper is
decent. You have
a few more
mistakes than I
would like to see;
between 5-10
mistakes.

The
grammar/spelling
in your paper is
not good at all.
You have more
than 10 mistakes
in your paper.
Meet with me for
help.

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Design Topic Sentence Structure Subject(s) _English Grade(s) _2 Designer(s) Becca Roberts
Is your contest
accurate?

Does your paper

make sense?

The story in your

paper makes
sense. The
actions all add up
and it is easy for
the reader to
understand.

The story makes

sense in certain
parts but in
others it is hard
for the reader to
follow.

The story does

not make any
sense. The plot
jumps all over the
place. Meet with
me for help.

Your paper flows

well and it is very
convincing.

Your paper does

not convince all
the way through.

Your paper is not

convincing whatso-ever.

*There is space to make up your work and correct your paper is you scored in the 1 point section for
anything.
*There is also a chance for the student to get 4 or 2 points if their work does not fit into the caregoties
above.

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)