(Dever’s) Writing Units of Study–Grade 2

Length of Study

Units of Study

Genre, Process or Craft

Type of Publication

Number of Publications

Six Trait Writing Focus

Habits of Mind & Key Ideas

Resources

1-2 weeks

 A study of how writer’s workshop will go.

Process

None

None

None

Routines and expectations in a writer’s workshop.

*Lucy Calkins

(launching)

Brainpop at www.brainpop.com

phonics

2-3 weeks

How to become independent writers.

Process

Collecting, taping and gathering ideas and artifacts in notebooks. (Maps of  Heart)

3-5

Ideas

Conventions

 Spelling strategies

A writers’ notebook is a place to put your thinking, ideas, thoughts, memories and sketches. Not your whole story.

*My Map Book    *Welcome to the Ice House  
*I’m in Charge of the Celebrations         *Where do Balloons Go?                    
   *Aunt Flossie’s Hats  
*Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge *Roxaboxen

2-3 weeks

Personal Narrative

Genre

Personal Narrative

(October Writing Sample)

1

• Organization
• Conventions
• (Drafting and Editing)

Narrowing a topic and have a clear beginning, middle, and end

What’s the big idea? What do I want the reader to know?

*Lucy Calkins (Small Moments)           *Home Run         *Hairs               *Paperboy           *Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs               *A Chair for my Mother *When the Relatives Came                      *Bark George         *Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus         *Dirty Bertie

1-2 weeks

Ways to begin (leads)

Craft

Choose one entry from booklet:

Try different lead with same topic.  Student chooses favorite lead to use each time or use personal narrative from prior study.

1

• Word Choice
• Sentence Fluency
• Voice

Leads that use setting, description of character, and a question.

*Oliver Button is a Sissy (Character Description)      *Grandpa (Burmingham-question)  *I Stink (question)  *Will We Miss Them? (question)          *Fireflies (setting)  *When the Relatives Came (setting)          *An Angel for Solomon Singer                    *Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon

4 Weeks

Poetry

Genre

Poem

2-3

*Word Choice    *Voice      *Presentation

Learn how to choose words to create images.

Learn how to express ideas in a different form writing.

*Awakening the Heart             *Eloise Greenfield *Gwendolyn Brooks *The Great Frog Race                  *Eve Merriam *Kalli Dakos

ReadingA-Z.com at
http://www.readinga-z.com/

Length of Study

Units of Study

Genre, Process or Craft

Type of Publication

Number of Publications

Six Trait Writing Focus

Habits of Mind & Key Ideas

Resources

2-3 weeks

Author Study (C. Rylant)

Craft

Writing using a craft/style of author

1

• Voice
• Word Choice
• Ideas

Using an author as a mentor for our writing

*Scarecrow                     *When I Was Young in the Mountains            *In  November         *An Angel for Solomon Singer

Cythia Rylant website at
http://www.cynthiarylant.com/

2 weeks

Conventions (spelling and punctuation)

Process

Any genre

1

• Conventions

Editing a piece of their writing punctuation and spelling.

*Yo! Yes?                         *Punctuation Takes a Vacation                 *No, David!         *Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus        *Bark George      *Word Wall, Quickword, Dictionaries                *6 Traits Book

3-4 weeks

Non-Fiction (How To Book)

Genre

How To Book

1

• Ideas
• Organization
• Presentation (placement of words)

To write steps in a sequential order.

*My Baseball Book  *The Pumpkin Book       *The Daddy Mountain
Mr. Rogers at
http://pbskids.org/rogers/

1-2 weeks

Ways to End

Craft

Any genre

1

• Word Choice
• Sentence Fluency
• Voice

Endings that use a reflection, surprise, or lesson learned

*The Pain and the Great One                   *Dirty Bertie(surprise)    *Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon (lesson)      *Bark George(surprise) *Koala Lou (reflective) 

4 weeks

Author Study (Eve Bunting or Jane Yolen)

Craft

Writing using a craft/style of author

1

·         Voice

·         Word choice

·         Ideas

Using an author as a mentor for our writing.

*Books by both authors

3-4 weeks

Non-Fiction (All About Books)

Genre

All About Books

1

·         Ideas

·         Organization

·         Presentation

Synthesize non-fiction information

Focus on clarity and organization of information

*Four-Square

*6 Traits

*Gail Gibbons

Enchanted Learning

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/ username vs13 password vs13

2-3 weeks

Revision

Craft

Any genre

1

·         Sentence fluency

·         Voice

To teach students to bring out their unique voice through their words.

To learn that writing has a sound and the flow of words and phrases

* 6 Traits               *Lucy Calkins (craft of revision)                *Four Square           *My Mamma Had a Dancing Heart      *When Sophie Gets Angry                *Alexander & theTerrible…          *Owl Moon