Subject: Language Arts Grade : Fifth

Standard: #5 Writing: Process

Key Concept: Using note-taking skills helps increase understanding.

Generalization: Interviewing an interesting person and taking notes based on what the person says helps to gather facts systematically.

Background: This lesson occurs toward the beginning of the year in a unit focusing on organizing ideas for writing paragraphs. This particular skill entails learning to take notes when a person is answering questions posed to them. The essential skills the student is working on include organization of questions and accuracy of facts.

This lesson is tiered in content according to interest.

Tier I: Cooks

Students in this group will interview chefs who work at restaurants in town. They need to establish a set of interview questions as a group before they go out to interview. An alternative to going out to interview would be to invite a chef in to class to be interviewed by the group together. Since the goal is the development of note-taking skills, each student can listen to the interviewer and write down information. They will organize their notes and write a paragraph on some aspect of being a chef.

Tier II: Medical Personnel

This group is interested in some type of medical occupation. Again, as with Tier I, compile a set of questions to ask a variety of different medical workers. If the group agrees to one type of medical professional, then invite that person into class and interview the person as a group. Students should then take turns asking the questions as an interviewer. When finished with the interview, students organize their notes and write a paragraph about the medical profession from the aspect of the person interviewed.

Tier III: Teacher

This group is interested in teaching. As with the other two groups, compile a set of relevant questions that would be appropriate for a variety of different teachers. This group should be able to interview whatever teacher they want to; however, if parallel situations to the other two tiers is desired, then invite a teacher in for the group interview. Again, students will focus on taking notes, organizing notes, and then writing a paragraph that includes details concerning the teaching profession.

Assessment: Each interest group has worked with the content of note-taking and then writing a paragraph from the notes taken. Each student should turn in his/her interview notes, the revised notes, and the written paragraph. Assessment will be focused on these three aspects of the writing process.

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