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TEACHING WRITING AT THE BEGINNING OF SECOND GRADE HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER! This resource takes you step-by-step through the process of teaching young writers all the basics so that they are on solid ground when learning about opinion, narrative, and informational writing.
We are talking NO PREP and no more than 5 minutes of planning a day!
This Common Core Standards Aligned writing unit is the perfect way to teach and review foundational skills second graders need to more successfully move into opinion, narrative, and informative writing.
All too often at the beginning of second grade, we rush students into more structured writing forms assuming they have mastered essential foundational skills. Unfortunately, this can lead to weak, undeveloped writing and frustration for students and teachers.
This 2nd-grade writing unit is all about developing a solid foundation. By the end of this unit, your students will be writing strong sentences with elaboration AND will be writing paragraphs with a clear topic sentence, meaningful and interesting details, and a closing sentence. They will also work on editing and revising independently and be introduced to peer editing and revising.
During this fun and engaging 8 WEEKS of explicit writing lessons, your second graders will:
WEEK 1 – write complete sentences with a subject and predicate
WEEK 2 – write statements, questions, and exclamatory sentences
WEEK 3 – recall information from experiences or gather information to write answers to questions
WEEK 4 – write expanded sentences by adding a when, where, why, and/or what
WEEK 5 – write expanded sentences by adding adjectives and adverbs
WEEK 6 – identify parts of a paragraph & complete unfinished paragraphs
WEEK 7 – write paragraphs with a topic sentence, interesting details, and a closing sentence
WEEK 8 – edit and revise their own writing & be introduced to peer editing
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THIS RESOURCE?
40 DIGITAL LESSON PLANS – No need to search for your lesson plans or spend an enormous amount of time reading them each day. We have them right on the slides – making your teaching life stress-free.
Digital Lessons Include:
- 40 “I WILL” STATEMENTS – To keep students laser-focused on the objective of the day. We use “I will” statements instead of “I can” statements as they hold the students more accountable
- Writing Chats – To introduce topics, build background information as well as vocabulary
- Watch Me Slides – For the teacher to show the day’s objective through think aloud and modeling. This is oftentimes interactive to keep student engagement high.
- Our Turn Slides – For students to practice the new skill learned with you.
- Your Turn Slides – For students to independently practice the skill learned each day.
70 STUDENT WRITING PAGES – There are 34 “Our Turn” pages that students use during the guided writing portion of the lessons and 36 “Your Turn” pages that students complete on their own after each writing skill has been explicitly taught and practiced.
OBSERVATION CHECKLISTS – Great for formative assessment! As you walk around and observe students, record your findings. This easy-to-use checklist helps you remember who has learned the skill taught, and who needs extra help. This is great to refer to when planning for parent-teacher conferences.
PRE/POST WRITING PROMPT – Use at the beginning of the unit to gain baseline data and use again at the end of the unit to show growth.
35 BONUS POSTERS – To display in your classroom for students to refer to.
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WHY EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION FOR WRITING?
It’s simple… IT WORKS!
Explicit instruction (also called direct instruction) works for all writers…not just the stronger ones. It’s a strategy that allows teachers to scaffold learning by giving structured, sequenced lessons targeting specific skills or standards. It’s teacher-led with a gradual release of responsibility to students. This method truly allows all students to succeed.
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HERE’S WHAT OTHER TEACHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS RESOURCE:
LOVE THIS RESOURCE! I feel like I am actually being productive while teaching writing this year and I can see a HUGE difference in my students’ skills! Writing has been one of my struggles and this has been a game-changer! I love it so much that I convinced my team to give it a try as well as the 1st-grade team to grab a copy of the 1st grade writing unit! CAN’T WAIT for the rest of 2nd grade to be ready! I am also excited to see how next year goes after having first grade go through their version of the writing program this year (yay vertical teaming)!!! -Erin
This is an absolutely fantastic writing curriculum! It really steps it up a notch and helps my second graders understand higher expectations of writing. I’m looking forward to your other units! -Sarah
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WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING THIS WRITING RESOURCE?
- The entry point for this unit is assessable to all learners.
- Lessons are carefully and thoughtfully scaffolded, ensuring success for all learners.
- I Do, We Do, You Do format sets your second-grade writers up for success.
- At the completion of this unit, your students will be able to confidently tackle opinion, narrative, and informative writing with ease.
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WHO IS THE RESOURCE FOR?
- Second-grade teachers looking for a strong, yet easy-to-implement writing curriculum that is aligned to the Common Core State Standards and is fun for kids.
- Homeschool Parents/Teachers who need a comprehensive, easy-to-implement writing curriculum with virtually no planning needed.
- Special Education Teachers who need to take students at other grade levels back to the basics and build a strong writing foundation.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is this resource aligned to Common Core?
Yes! We built the resource around the Common Core State Standards.
Are the students required to write each day?
Yes! After we discuss, model, and practice skills, students show understanding by engaging in a writing task independently.
Does this follow a Writers’ Workshop model?
No. Students are explicitly taught a writing skill each day, then they practice the skill taught.
Can this be used with Google Slides?
Yes. We’ve even included a Google Slides link to the teaching slides. However, the individual student pages are not compatible with Google.
How can I use this resource for Distance Learning?
If you are engaging in Distance Learning, we highly recommend creating videos for your students using something like ScreenCastify or using an online meeting format such as Zoom. The lessons need to be taught prior to students engaging in the writing activities. In regard to the student writing pages, just print out the unit and give it to parents. If you are unable to do so, almost all activities can be done in a notebook or on plain paper.
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You may also be interested in these 2nd grade writing resources.
2nd Grade Writing Curriculum Bundle (Beginning of Year, Opinion, Personal Narrative, Informative)
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