Writing Workshop Session 15 (Research-Based Information Writing)

Studying Digital Mentor Texts

Connection:
Writers, remember when I told you that over 571 websites are created every MINUTE, each one allowing writers to share information at lightening speed?!

You've spent weeks researching and writing -now you are all experts on a new topic - and you're ready to share that knowledge with a wider audience!

Over the next several days you will create a website or a digital slide show presentation, so you will become activists yourselves!

 Today I want to remind you that when writers begin a new writing project, they often study mentor texts to get a vision of the whole kind of writing.  They also look at the smaller things an author has done in that genre or format!  Then they use their insights to make a blueprint for their own writing.

Teaching:

Let's look at a website together

Free The Children

We want to look at different aspects of the writing so we can use our writing checklist to guide us.  Let's start with structure...

Here are some questions to guide discussion:

*How is the information laid out?

*What information is presented first?

*Is there a lot of text on the home page?

*How is information organized?

*When are things summarized? 

*When are are things elaborated?

*How do authors effectively connect all their information?

Active Engagement:

Look at a PowerPoint Presentation

Questions to guide discussion:

*How does the author lay out information on the page?

*What structural patterns do you notice?

*How does the author elaborate on subtopics?

Talk about what you notice - and WHY the authors might have made the choices they did.

Link:

Continue to study these two types of writing.

Examples of different websites and power points will be available around the room.  Make sure you look at a few of each before making a decision on what yours should be.

Share:

Take a look at your information book chapters.  Let your chapter titles guide the planning of your new format.  Then decide what written and visual information will best teach what you want to convey either through links or slides.

Homework:

Now that you've decided what to create, begin by making a prototype of your website or presentation.  Use ideas you've seen today.  Sketch out a plan for each page in your presentation or website.