Highlights of Week 9/10-14

Monday (9/10) - New PKT, Vocab Strategy
Tuesday (9/11) - Spelling assigned
Wednesday (9/12) - Start Grammar
Thursday (9/13) - Finish Grammar, Scoring Guide for Brochure handed out
Friday (9/14) - 1/2 day, Check Vocab. and Spelling, Centers

Students will be creating a brochure about trees.  We discussed this brochure on Monday and they were asked to think of a tree they would like to do research on and create a 3 fold brochure.  The brochure will be discussed in Computer class and we will work on the computers next week during CA. Please help your child find a tree they would like to study.  It can be any tree that grows anywhere, and of any size.  This will be fun, and I can't wait to learn new information about trees. Students teach me new facts each year.  Please look for their scoring guide on Thursday.  I will also post it on the blog in case they lose it.

The (soft) due date, at this point, is Sept. 24.  The reason for this date is because we have to make sure all plans go as planned.  Monday - Library researching, Wed. - Computer lab creating the brochure, and Thursday - finishing brochure in computer lab.  Students can research from home by searching in their search engine for their tree.  They have been told to not use Wikipedia or ask.com, but to use .org, .edu. or .gov sites only.  Scan the site for information, because it is nonfiction and should be easy to look through heading to find the information they need.   They should fill in the information on the back of the scoring guide.  Instruction has been given to them to use bullet points and to not write in complete sentences on the rough draft form. I will be looking for their rough draft information on Monday and Tuesday as they do their work.

Scoring Guide was given out on Thursday, September 13.

Name_____________________________________________________ HR_________________

Rough Draft Scoring Guide for Tree Brochure

Students will create a brochure about a tree that was chosen in class.  They are to research the internet and/or an encyclopedia. Brochure rough drafts will be scored on content.  Final score is based on the writing process, pictures, vocabulary and spelling words from this unit.  

Expectation	3 points Plenty of information	2 points Lacking information	1 point Needs a lot of work
How do you identify the tree?
What kind of leaf does it have? ___shape,__ size, __color, etc. __use descriptive words
Where does it grow? __part of the world?    __type of forest?
How tall does tree get? Compared to what (man, building, monument)?
What does the bark look like? color, texture, etc.
What is tree used for or purpose (furniture, building, etc)?
Used: __encyclopedia,  __internet, __books, __mag.
Total	/21

Final Brochure Scoring Guide

Category	4 points	3 points	2 points	1 point
6 Trait - Idea & Content Writing clearly states what student means to say.	Focused and to the point Clear Wording	Fairly well focused Few words don’t make sense	Topic is not clearly presented	Does not have a clear focus
6 Trait - Organization __Beginning(front): introduction to tree __Middle (inside): interesting & relevant info. __Conclusion (back flaps): wrap up of info. or overall importance of tree (like a summary)	Clear beginning, middle, and strong conclusion Organized with headings	Includes beginning, middle and conclusion Headings are not clear	Brochure wanders and does not have a clear sense of structure.	Does not have a structure
6 Trait - Voice – Encourage reader to respond to the topic and demonstrate energy in writing	Voice is natural with a good mix of facts & interesting words	Sounds more like research, or uses too many facts	Voice is unnatural, or mostly facts, no energy or enthusiasm for topic	Sounds like an encyclopedia entry - boring
Vocabulary __includes 2 vocab. words from this unit __vocab words are underlined with 1 line __synonyms, or context clues for vocab. are circled	All expectations met	3 expectations met	2 expectations met	__1 expectation met __0 did not include
Spelling Words __2 spelling words are included __words are underlined with 2 lines	All expectations met	2 words and not underlined	1 word included and underlined	__1 word not underlined __0 Did not include
3 Pictures __3 pictures __pictures should be appropriate for the tree you chose __pictures vary (not all pict. of full tree)	3 pictures nice effort & go with topic	__2 pictures, or __3 w/ little effort __2 pictures are not on topic  or __ 2 full tree pict.	__2 pictures with little effort, or __Pictures do not match topic __pict. all same	__1 picture __0 Did not include
Total	/24

Vocab. Words:      :1.____________________________                    Spelling Words:    1.___________________________

                                2. ____________________________                                                    2. ___________________________

Use this side when gathering information on the tree you chose to make a brochure.
The tree you chose is the ___________________________________________________
Decide which section of the brochure you would like to create a drawing for your final copy.

How do you identify the tree?




What kind of leaf does it have? (shape, size, color, lobed, serrated, etc.)





In what part of the world, or climate, does the tree grow?    

What type of forest? (Deciduous, Coniferous, Rain Forest) and why does it grow there?





How tall does it get? Compared to what? (make a comparison to an adult male, buildings, other trees, etc. This would be a great place for a picture)




What does the bark look like? (color, texture, thickness, etc.)





What is tree used for, or purpose? Example: building material, furniture, decorations, supplies fruit, etc.

Did you use:  ____ Internet, ____Encyclopedia, ____Magazine, ____ Books