Adding Detail Through Questioning

This week we read about adding more detail to writing.  I chose to create a lesson plan draft around the “your turn” lesson in the Mentor Texts book that talked about adding detail through questioning.  Below you can read through my lesson plan draft.  It is very similar to the way it is laid out in the book, but I changed the wording a little bit so it would better reflect how I would teach.

Preparation:  A week or two before starting this lesson, read “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse” aloud to the class.  Make sure they are engaged and seem familiar with the book by the end.

Hook: Read “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse” aloud again, but this time leave out all of the details on the first page about why Lilly loves school.  The students should stop you, knowing that you are not reading it correctly.  Once they do, have them tell you what questions they have about the story, that you left out.  What does it leave them wanting to know?  The students should ask questions like “why does Lilly love school?”  Then, after they ask this, say something like, “OH! Right, they do need to tell us more about why she loves school, let’s see if they do!” Then, read through the page, including all the details that come after “Lilly loved school.”

Purpose: “As we just saw in “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse,” details are very important to a story so that the reader is not left confused or asking questions.  Today I will show you how to ask questions as you write, so that you can think of details to add to your stories.”

Brainstorm: Ask the students to think of things they have done recently, things they love doing and remember well, or places they have recently been.  I will have the students jot down ideas for about 7-8 minutes, and then have some students share so that I can list the examples on the board.

Model: I will then add my own idea to the board (the last moments of the football game), and model writing my first sentence.  I will then ask the students what questions they have, and add the details in as I answer them out loud.

First Sentence: The kicker stepped onto the field.

Questions I may receive: “what type of kicker?” “what sport?” “which field?” “what was he about to do?” “how did you feel?” “What happened after he kicked?”

The App State kicker stepped onto the football field.  The crowd fell silent in anticipation.  As I watched the ball soar through the air, my heart nearly stopped as I thought, will it be good? It looked like it went through the field goal uprights! Did we win? I thought. Then I saw it, there was a flag laying on the field.  There was a penalty, and it meant that the kick did not count. 

Guided Writing: Have a few students share their first sentence in the front of the room and model adding on to the writing as questions are posed.  After the full class demonstration, have the students turn and talk to their neighbor about their first sentence.  Ask the students to pose questions to each other.  Once they have asked questions, and have sparked new ideas for detail, have the students return to their seats and add the new details.

Independent Writing: Students will read through a draft, and they will mark places in their writing that they still have questions and could add more detail (allow them to use their favorite pens for this part).  They will then begin writing a second draft with the new details.  **For older grades (mature 3rd graders and up), have the students participate in a peer review also rather than them only reviewing their own.

Reflection: As always, I will have the students reflect on how the strategy worked for them.

• How did the writing help your stories become clearer?

• How could you use this strategy in a persuasive or opinion piece?

• What might you do next time to make this strategy even more helpful in your writing?