Explaining Explanations

Do some thinking around explanations and, in your groups, start to brainstorm your ideas to answer these questions and show what our Prior Knowledge is.

What are explanations?

What is the root word - what does it mean?

Why do we use them?  What is their purpose?

Where do we find them?

Who writes them and why?  Why is there a need for them?

Are they fiction and non-fiction - how do you know?  What might they have in them that other text forms do not have?


Let's find out what we already know when writing an explanation.  Click on the link below and choose one SITUATION to write about.  Remember to EXPLAIN your thinking clearly.  The purpose of this is for us to find out how confident and skilled you already are at writing explanations to explain and share your thinking.

http://www.holmdel.k12.nj.us/schools/satz/eng_dept/Writing%20styles/Explanatory%20Writing/expl%20prompts.htm

                               

What About This For A Writing Prompt Team??!!

Facebook can be a great tool for learning and I use it a lot for this.

Have a look at these writing prompts.  How would YOU use them?  How will we use MyChatPak with these?  Add your ideas below as comments and then... GO FOR IT!!!!!

Choose two or three characters and write a narrative or dialogue.  What other text forms would suit this?  Poetry?  Letters?  Imagine the possibilities!

Source: https://www.facebook.com/WeAreTeachers

Today's Learning Tasks

Hi everyone!  Hope your week's off to an awesome start.  I can't wait to read your descriptive writing!

Your tasks for today are below - complete them thoroughly :-)

TASK 1
Complete your descriptive writing and share it with a buddy using the feedback starters I gave you earlier in the term.  Make sure you proof read and edit your writing.  Once this is completed, upload your writing to your individual blogs and go on at least 2 other people's blogs and give them feedback - use the feedback examples from the sheet again.

• Does your audience have all they need to be able to understand what you are writing about?
• Have you met the LIs and SCs?

TASK 2
Reflect on your individual learning blog using the Rubric on the ABOUT page of this blog.  Which stage are you learning at on YOUR blog - are you an EXPERT yet?  What is your next learning on your own blog?  Reflect on this and identify and comment on your next learning.