LIVE Lesson from the East Coast

Virtual Tour - LIVE lesson
Chets Creek Elementary, Jacksonville, FL

WOW! Just minutes ago, Chets Creek Elementary presented a LIVE lesson, as part of the school's virtual tour, from their school on the East Coast. It's still hard to believe that we could actually "drop in" on a class 3,000 miles aways and actually ask the teachers questions about the lesson that was taught! The Lesson Plan presented by kindergarten teacher, Maria Mallon, is below.

Unit of Study – Narrative
1-31-08
Writing Standard #2 – Narrative Writing
Title of Mini Lesson: Utilizing a Rubric to Enhance Student Writing

Intention:

• For kindergarten students to be familiar with a rubric as a tool to enhance and revise narrative writing.


• For kindergarten students to be able to recognize a piece of writing that may be a one, two, or three on the class-made rubric.

Mini-lesson

• Connection: We have been creating our rubric for the past week and using it to make our writing better. We talked about the three sections of our rubric: “Ingredients Writing #1” – "Plain Cake Writing #2" - and the “Happy Birthday Cake Writing #3.” If we feel we are a #1 writer, we try to improve to a #2, and #2 writers try to improve to a #3. In this way, we can become the best writers we can be.


• Teaching: Today, I am going to show you some student writing. I’m going to use the rubric to help me decide if the piece is a 1, 2, or 3. In this way, we can help the writer with some suggestions on how to make it better, because, remember, we want to be the best writers we can be. (I’ll show one or two writing samples) and talk about where on the rubric I think the writing should be.)


• Active Engagement: I have another piece of writing to show you. (I will read the piece.) Now, I would like you to turn and talk to discuss what number/numbers on the rubric you think this piece of writing is and why. (Invite writers to share their discussion.)


• Link: Writers, remember that the rubric is a tool that will help to make your good writing even better.

Work session: Conference with individual students, allowing each one to practice using the rubric with their own writing.

Share: Some writers that have utilized the rubric to enhance their narrative pieces will share their writing and discuss where on the rubric they feel their writing is.

While Maria was involved in conferring with her students in the Work Session, Kindergarten teacher, Haley Alvarado did a tour of Maria's room to show the artifacts that support the Writers' Workshop. After the lesson, the participants in Hollywood were able to ask questions of Maria and Halley. We are so proud of these teachers who were willing to take this risk and open their practice to such a large audience! What pros!

These type of live "drop in" lessons are done weekly at Chets Creek in both Literacy and Math. The lessons are sent to the Schultz Center, which is our county's Professional Development sight, so that teachers from all over our county (who are at the Center for professional development)can watch quality lessons and then ask the teacher about some of the choices that were made. We thank the Schultz Center For Teaching and Leadership for this partnership that allowed us to bring a live lesson across the United States today!!