ALEX Lesson Plan: Expository Writing and The Civil War

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This lesson provided by:
Author:	Ann Harrison
System:	Shelby County
School:	Thompson Intermediate School

Lesson Plan ID:

15879

Title:

Expository Writing and The Civil War

Overview/Annotation:

This lesson is designed to help students strengthen their research and writing skills, while learning more about the Civil War, as they produce an expository paragraph. Students will glean information from an article about the causes of the Civil War and then use the "Step Up To Writing" technique to write their paragraphs.

Content Standard(s):

SS(4) Alabama Studies	7. Identify reasons for Alabama's secession from the Union, including sectionalism, slavery, state rights, and economic disagreements.
ELA(4)	3. Use a wide range of strategies, including distinguishing fiction from nonfiction and making inferences, to comprehend fourth-grade recreational reading materials in a variety of genres.
ELA(4)	6. Compare the genre characteristics of tall tales, fantasy, myths, and legends, including multicultural literature.
ELA(4)	8. Compose descriptive texts using an introductory paragraph, sensory details, vivid language, and a conclusion.
ELA(4)	10. Apply mechanics in writing, including capitalization of business and friendly letter parts and envelope addresses and use of punctuation, including apostrophe with contractions; underlining or italicizing of book titles; and commas to separate items in a series and in a physical address.
TC2(3-5)	1. Use input and output devices of technology systems.
TC2(3-5)	2. Use various technology applications, including word processing and multimedia software.
ELA2010(4)	19. By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the Grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. [RI.4.10]
ELA2010(4)	23. Write informative or explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. [W.4.2]
ELA2010(4)	26. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of the first three Language standards in Grades K-4.) [W.4.5]
ELA2010(4)	39. Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.4.2]

Local/National Standards:

Primary Learning Objective(s):

Students will write an expository paragraph about the causes of the Civil War using information gleaned from an online article.

Additional Learning Objective(s):

Students will demonstrate keyboarding skills by typing their expository papers.

Approximate Duration of the Lesson:

61 to 90 Minutes

Materials and Equipment:

Strips of green, red, and yellow construction paper, printed copies of online article from Step 1

Technology Resources Needed:

Computer(s) with printer and word processing software

Background/Preparation:

The learner will need to be familiar with the Step Up to Writing procedures:
Green: Main Idea
Yellow: Details
Red: Explanations or Examples.

Procedures/Activities:

1.)Students will read the web article and, using the strips of construction paper, will identify the main idea, details, and supporting details of the causes of the Civil War. Teacher should discuss how to extract facts from the article without plagiarizing.
(American Civil War Causes Kids Zone.htm)
Article on causes of the Civil War

2.)Students will place the strips in the correct order and identify a closing sentence.

3.)Students may use the graphic organizer at this site to record their notes.
(QuiP - Questions into Paragraphs)
A graphic organizer for collecting information.

4.)Students will write their paragraphs and then work in pairs for peer editing. After paragraphs have been edited by peers, students should make necessary corrections.

5.)Students will type paragraphs using word processing software. Final copy should be printed and submitted to the teacher.

6.)Students may wish to expand their Civil War knowledge by exploring some of the following websites:
(Civil War for Kids)
Information and activities created by students

7.)and
(Gettysburg National Park's Civil War Page for Kids)
Learn about the Battle of Gettysburg, its leaders, Civil War food and slang, and read letters from soldiers.

Attachments:**Some files will display in a new window. Others will prompt you to download.

Causes of the Civil War Rubric.htm

Assessment Strategies:

The attached rubric will be used to assess the summarization.

Extension:

Remediation:

Review the parts of a paragraph and help students identify the different parts.

Each area below is a direct link to general teaching strategies/classroom accommodations for students with identified learning and/or behavior problems such as: reading or math performance below grade level; test or classroom assignments/quizzes at a failing level; failure to complete assignments independently; difficulty with short-term memory, abstract concepts, staying on task, or following directions; poor peer interaction or temper tantrums, and other learning or behavior problems.

Presentation of Material

Using Groups and Peers

Assisting the Reluctant Starter

Dealing with Inappropriate Behavior

Be sure to check the student's IEP for specific accommodations.

Variations Submitted by ALEX Users: