MINI LESSON: I Write About...

Overview: Students will reflect on and share what they write about and learn about what inspires others to write.

Objectives:

• I can share what I like to write about and my reasons for writing with others
• I identify myself as a writer

Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.4  
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.4  
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.4          
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.4  
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4

Materials:

• One to one devices
• Print out of the I Write About... poster for each student
• Writer’s Notebook or other examples of what students choose to write about

Lesson Outline:

Part One: Explain the Activity, Brainstorm, and Give Examples

• Remind students that writing gives voice to who you are and enables you to give voice to the things that matter to you.
• Have students take a few minutes to think and share about the types of writing they have done over the last few days (or weeks, or months). Do they keep a journal? What's it about? Have they written a letter? Have they been posting on social media? Do they write creative stories or poems? Song lyrics and raps? Recipes? Keep a running list and make sure to add the things you write about to it, too!
• Once you and the students have come up with a few things they write regularly, discuss the purpose. Why do they write those things? To educate or inform? To communicate (literally or creatively)? As a social justice tool? As a way to share interests with others? What topics are they writing about?
• Use this Mentor Post (or create your own!) to help direct student writing.

• Part Two: Write!
• Have students share what they write about by creating a Post from scratch or having them respond to this existing Idea.
• On the print out of the "I write about..." poster, have students write a word (or two, or three) about what they write about.

• Part Three: Share and Respond
• When students are done writing (or the allotted writing time is up) have them share their writing and take the time to read what their classmates wrote. Students can leave comments and feedback on the Posts of their peers.
• Hang the posters on student lockers, around the classroom, or around the school!
• Invite other classrooms to do a “Gallery Walk” of your students’ I WRITE ABOUT posters and make connections with peers who like to write about similar (or different!) topics and for similar (or different) purposes. 

• Enrichment/Extensions:
  
  • Prior to the activity, students can keep a list for 24 hours of all the things they write about which they can then share with the class in Part One of the mini-lesson.
  • Students can use the audio feature to record their dialogue.
  • Students can work together to make a video with screenshots of what they and their classmates write about.
    
• Accommodations:
  
  • Create and maintain a class chart that documents all the things students write about. Allow students to offer suggestions or add different topics to the chart as necessary.
  • Create a custom Idea which uses the Description area to provide step-by-step instructions or links to instructional references (ie skill videos, visual aids, etc) specific to your class needs.
  • Use the audio tool to record instructions when creating the Idea. You can read the Idea and Idea Description text out loud so students can listen and replay them as needed.
  • Modify the lesson to include small groups and be sure to follow provided personalized accommodations based upon any student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP).