Word Study: Rubric Detectives

Title: Word Study 1: Rubric Detectives

Author: M. Hill

Week: 6

Unit/Lesson Plan #: Identity

Unit theme: Identity

Textbook references: N/A

Learning objectives:

- Understand the concept of Word Study through an investigation of the vocabulary utilized in the CSS Writing Rubric

-

Key Questions, Concepts, or Themes:

Stage 1:

Warm-up: 1.

Add commas to the following:

The cars taxis and pedestrians move through the streets like blood flowing through veins.

My sister is kind helpful and caring.

I always wish I could met him but I know that's impossible.

2. Get Skillsbook, open to p. 9-10.

Correct "Commas in a Series:" Put copy of Skillsbook on board, go through p. 9-10 #1-10 as a class - student suggestions for where to place commas!

MUG Shot: Commas between Independent Clauses

Stage 2:

Word Study: Rubric Detectives. In this activity, students will each be given a copy of the CSS Writing Rubric. The object of this lesson is to look more closely at what the specific words and terms on the rubric mean (throughout the writing process, students used the Write Source 2000 book's checklist - which contains the same Criterion and ways to achieve each criterion successfully). While students have seen these criterion and the rubric, the aim here is to investigate the specific language, in order to clarify students' understanding when the rubric is presented with their grades later on in the next week.

The activity will work as follows:

1. Working as a table group, students will be asked to read the terms on the rubric and underline any terms that they are not so sure they could define.

2. Then, each table group will narrow down their list to 5-10 words that they are unsure of (depending on time?)

3. As a table group, students will be asked to try to guess (based on context clues) what the definition of each word is, which they will document on a sentence strip.

Stage 3:

Students' definitions of words will be put up on the board (assuming some overlap of definitions). The class discussion will be focused on looking at the definitions and figuring out what we can discover from context clues. Students will then be given a list of difficult words on the rubric and an actual list of their definitions. We will compare class definitions to real definitions. These words will be part of a first Word Study Quiz/Unit Assessment on Wednesday, 10/17/07.

Homework: (attach/link digital resources): N/A

Assessments: (attach/link copies)

__ Group assessment

_X_ Observation of process/student work

_X_ Self-assessment by student

__ Teacher generated assignment

__ Written project

_X_ Test/Quiz: In future...

__ Other: ____________________________________