Key Qualities Because covering everything about a mode or a trait is overwhelming, we’ve broken each one down into teachable characteristics—or “key qualities.” For example, the grades K–5 key qualities for the narrative mode are plot, character, and setting, and the grades 3–5 key qualities for the ideas trait are finding a topic, focusing the topic, developing the topic, and using details. Spiraling key qualities across the year, as we’ve done in the unit plans on pages 4–27, allows students to refine their writing skills over time. It reinforces the fact that writing modes and traits work together. A Weekly Plan Now consider how your rich collection of mode lessons and trait lessons might fit into a week of instruction. Here’s what we propose:
Days 1 and 2: Mode Lesson From a MIF Teaching Guide
Days 3 and 4: Trait Lesson From a TCP Teaching Guide
Day 5: Conventions
• Prepare
Assign Writing Inspired by the Mentor Text
Teach the Lesson
Go Further With the Key Quality
Teach a grade-level standard for conventions and have students apply
Students for the Lesson
it by editing a piece of their writing from this week.
• Teach the Lesson
Start by spending about 45 minutes a day on each lesson, if possible. You’ll likely slow down or speed up lessons, based on your assessment of how they’re going. (See page 28 for assessment guidelines.) It’s writing after all—so that’s expected! Also, if your students are working on long- term, curriculum-based writing projects, consider devoting Day 2 and/or Day 4 to those projects, rather than continuing the mode lesson and/or trait lesson. For Day 5, consult your grade-level standards by school, district, or state for a spelling, punctuation, capitalization, or grammar and usage skill to teach and have students apply to a piece of their writing. Final Thoughts
Companion Websites To access lesson pages for students, assessment tools, video interviews of mentor text authors, and other useful resources, go to each crate’s companion website: Modes in Focus scholastic.com/modesresources Trait Crate Plus scholastic.com/traitplusresources
Don’t expect mastery overnight. Remember, you are working with writers who are learning day by day, lesson by lesson, unit by unit, draft by draft. Over time, trust they will show expertise and understanding. Trust that at the end of the year they will know a lot more about modes and traits than they did at the beginning. By doing that you, too, will learn more about writing right along with your students, and grow professionally. You’ll begin to spot the modes and traits in books and other teaching materials, and create your own lessons and activities—this process is addictive. Teaching writing using mentor texts is a powerful way to invigorate writing instruction.
How to Combine Your Crates and Sequence the Lessons • 3
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