Four Square Secondary Assessment. A Companion to the Four Square Writing Method PDF
Preview Four Square Secondary Assessment. A Companion to the Four Square Writing Method
ETLC10586 FFFooouuurrr SSSqqquuuaaarrreee Teaching & Learning Company rrr ooo fff y a r d WWWrrriiitttiiinnnggg AAAsssssseeessssssmmmeeennnttt S e c o n AA CCoommppaanniioonn ttoo tthhee FFoouurr SSqquuaarree WWrriittiinngg MMeetthhoodd Simple step-by-step Can be used with method different types of writing prompts • brainstorming • fi lling in details • informative • adding transitions • narrative Four Square is a great tool for students to use during a writing assessment. Teaches basic revision This easy techniques organizational tool is sure to • adding keep your students • subtracting on track during any • changing writing assignment! Written by Judith S. Gould and Mary F. Burke Designed by Kati Baker Four Square (4 ) (cid:31) Four Square (4 ) for Writing Assessment Writing Method Secondary Level for Grades 1-3 WrWitrtiettne nb byy J Juuddiitthh SS.. GGoouuldld a andn dEv Mana rJya yF .G oBuulrdke CoverIl launstdr abteodok b dy eMsiagrnye Gda blayn KRaotjia Bsaker Teaching & Learning Company 1204 Buac Lhoarennazn c Somt.p, aPn.Oy. Box 10 CarthaPg.Oe,. BILox6 8203221-0010 Dayton, OH 45401-0802 www.LorenzEducationalPress.com This book belongs to ________________________________ Copyright © 2010, Teaching & Learning Company ISBN 978-1-4291-1843-9 Teaching & Learning Company a Lorenz company P.O. Box 802 Dayton, OH 45401-0802 The purchase of this book entitles teachers to make copies for use in their individual classrooms, only. This book, or any part of it, may not be reproduced in any form for any other purposes without prior written permission from the Teaching & Learning Company. It is strictly prohibited to reproduce any part of this book for an entire school or school dis- trict, or for commercial resale. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. ii TLC10585 Table of Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .iv Learning the Four Square for Informational Writing Preparing Students for their First Four Square . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Brainstorming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Filling in the Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Adding Transitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Adding Vivid Vocabulary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Developing an Ending. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Learning the Four Square for Narrative Writing . . . . . . . 17 Four Square Narrative Brainstorming Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Four Square Narrative Brainstorming Template. . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Three-Step Revision Revising Writing: ADDING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Revising Writing: SUBTRACTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Revising Writing: CHANGING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Prompts for Practicing Expository Prompts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Narrative Prompts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Persuasive Prompts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 iii TLC10585 Preface T here are many different ways to start a piece of writing. Some dig right in and create a first draft without any formal pre-writing. Others web, outline, draw, or otherwise plan their writing before beginning a first draft. We’ve witnessed writers using sticky notes and random paper scraps and other writers sit in silent meditation before putting pencil to paper. The truth is that all of these methods are the right way to start a piece of writing. W hen it comes to the writing assessment, however, we often do not have time for the flex- ible approaches that work well in the collaborative environment of the writing classroom. On assessment day, we cannot confer with students, and students cannot assist one another. The writer must have a method to deliver their best writing on demand. That writing needs to be organized, focused, detailed, and engaging. The writer needs a plan on assessment day, and we believe that the Four Square plan is the best way to get the job done. T he Four Square was designed to be a starting place for writing. Using the Four Square tool will help writers organize and brainstorm in a hurry, allowing for the time and attention that well- crafted, detailed writing deserves. Once the initial draft is completed, writers need concrete strategies to do the work of reviewing and revising the writing. The three-step revision method is flexible yet concrete. Provide your writers with the tools they need, practice using them, and you are on your way to assessment success! iv TLC10585 Learning the Four Square for Informational Writing Reminders PPrreeppaarree Here are some reminders before you begin. Four Square... p • is a tool, a web on folded paper a piece of chart paper • strengthens structure, which helps with organization and memory p colored markers • is a map for ideas, words and phrases • can be used with all language levels, p a piece of loose-leaf from emerging to proficient paper (or grade- • is great for visual learners appropriate paper) for • begins with folding paper into four each of the students squares Getting Started O Illustrations & D SA Y G et out the chart paper and fold it in front of the kids. To make a Four Square, S you need to make two hamburger folds ay to the students, “Sometimes get- (or you could do a hot dog and a ham- ting started is the hardest part of writ- burger) on the paper. Open it up—what ing. Today we are going to learn some- do you see? Now you know where the thing that will help us get started in our name Four Square came from! writing.” Tell the students you are going to learn how to use a Four Square. “When you go on a trip, you need a map because it shows you the way to + = go. A Four Square is like a map or set of directions for the ideas and thoughts hamburger fold you have for writing.” hot dog fold Four Square! Student Have the students fold their own papers. Assist where needed. Instruct the Task students to unfold their papers and draw a box in the middle of their Four Squares, as shown. Check students’ work before moving on. 55 TLC10586 Brainstorming Using a Four Square Prepare... p a topic all students Here are a few ideas for know about student topics: p folded Four Square on chart paper • Technology has changed my life... p • My cell phone is important because... each student's own folded Four Square • Wande ssohcoiaull de vheanvtes mato srceh odoaln.ces C hoose a topic to demonstrate in front of the class. O With a colored marker, model writing the topic in the & D SA Y middle box. The topic used throughout the example given is My cell phone is important to me. Remind stu- dents that the topic is what they will be writing about. Student Task Have the students fill in the middle squares of their Four Squares. imMpyo rctealln tp htoon me eis. Check before moving on. 6 TLC10586 S how the students that there are four squares in which to put ideas. O You want to put different ideas in three of the squares that relate & D SA Y to the topic. Some ideas may include emergency phone calls, stay- ing in touch with friends, and communicating with parents. Volunteer some non-examples, like eating pizza or taking care of my baby brother, to illustrate the importance of staying on topic. O n your chart, choose one idea to write in the upper-left square of the Four Square. Write the idea at the top of the square. Show the students how to write the first idea as a short phrase and not as a complete sentence. For example, you would write emergency phone calls instead of I use my cell phone to make emergency phone calls. Explain that since the Four Square is a map or plan, they can write in phrases to help them remember what the complete sentence will be. emergency phone calls Student Task Have the students add the first idea to their Four Square. Check imMpyo rctealln tp htoon me eis. before moving on. R epeat this step in the upper-right and lower-left squares of the Four Square. You should have three main ideas (emergency phone calls, staying in touch with friends, and communi- cating with parents) in these three squares. emergency staying in phone calls touch with friends My cell phone is important to me. communicating with parents pehmoenreg ecnacllsy tsotuacyhin gw itinh friends Student Task HCahveec kt hbee sfotured emnotsv infilgl ino nth.ese squares on their own Four Squares. wciothm mpaiumMrneipcnyaot strcintegal ln tp htoon me eis. 7 TLC10586 Filling in the Details — First Square P oint to the first square that says emergency phone calls, and tell the stu- O dents that the square needs more ideas if it’s going to be a strong paragraph. & D SA Y Ask the students what more they can tell you about making emergency phone calls. Prompt the students with stsTequellu pllma ptrhoeoer.re tAs iatcnubcgdoe eupdntte t sttthh ateehi lamdste. a ttSihanuei lsipsd epet hoaaar rtotei nf a cgtrhae dle lieen dttae irls- qHWpWuahhehsoe sontn them i oimsinni gie sghvah tenst r uy eyhocmouahu pe n rpanegeseeen:edned cdt yyo ?to ocua ryl loc?uel?l sYuocuh masa:y get responses esting, and praise the use of strong verbs Wbehtyte wr othualdn tah ela cnedll lpinheo?ne be and adjectives to support the main idea. (Again, you may want to volunteer some non-examples to reinforce the idea of staying focused. Ordering pizza mmmmaaaayyyy bbbbeeee oooonnnn tttthhhheeee ttttooooppppiiiicccc ooooffff ccceeellllll phones, but not in the emergency phone calls main idea square.) W rite the supporting details in bulleted form in the main idea square marked emergency phone calls. emergency phone calls • car broke down • flat tires • call a tow truck to help R emind the students that these short phrases are not sentences, but only sentence holders. These sentence holders are there to remind the students what to include so they don’t have to worry about forgetting their good ideas! P oint to each supporting detail that is now written in the first main idea square. Ask students to give you nice, juicy sentences based on these details. Remind them that these sentences will be part of the paragraph. Once again, show them how writing the short phrases will easily allow them to go back to complete sentences. mmppoollaannyykkiinneeggyy bbooaann rrttsshhee Student Task Have the students add details to their first squares. Check before moving on. 8 TLC10586
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