Research writing for middle school moves from research of people to research in the field of science! Over the course of eight lessons, students will explore and research the diversity of the animal kingdom—journalling what they learn each step of the way.
Have you heard of Carolus Linnaeus?
His life’s work will inspire you.
All living things can be ordered according to their common biology. Classification allows scientists to explore levels of similarity, dissimilarity, and interconnectedness of cells, systems, and structures. The first level of classification is the Kingdoms. There are five: Protista, Monera, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
Here’s how this writing unit is organized:
Week 1.
SORTING IT ALL OUT
The unit begins with an introductory section for students to begin gathering information that will enable them to enter into more advanced non-fiction research writing. In this case the culminating research writing is conducted in the five kingdoms of life, from simple living things to more complex—Kingdom Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
Week 2.
TAXONOMY THROUGH THE AGES
In this section, students will continue to gather information that will enable them to understand the history of classification which will, in turn enable the student to, beginning in Week 4, conduct more advanced research and write an expanded, information packed paragraph tied to one of the Five Kingdoms of Life. This week culminating research writing is biographical. This assignment can, of course, be differentiated—from simple paragraph to expanded paragraph to essay.
Sample Prompt:
RESEARCH PROJECT
Read: Classifying Living Things » Page 27 – Linnaeus and His System
After reading the above assignment, use books or the internet to do your own additional research on Carolus Linnaeus.
Use what you learn to write a paragraph about him on the following page.
Week 3.
THE FIVE KINGDOMS
Week 3 provides the final informational notes that will set students, geared up, to write about living things through the Five Kingdoms of Life.
Weeks 4, 5, 6 7, and 8.
Weeks 4 through 8 provides the scaffolding to enable students to conduct research in each of the five kingdoms—Monera, Protista, Fungi, Animalia, Plantae. While this unit is topical, the goal is not necessarily teach biology but to help students acquire the vital skill of note-taking and the knowledge necessary to write a non-fictional idea. Simply think of the student workbook filled with the student’s new knowledge (“the notes”) as a springboard to the writing. Each week the writing can be differentiated—simple paragraph to expanded paragraph. Expand the research two more weeks, compiling one paragraph for each week (4 through 8), add an introductory paragraph, plus a concluding paragraph and, voilà, at the end of week 10 your student has completed an essay entitled: The Five Kingdoms of Life.
Storymaker teaches student writers to craft an amazing HOOK!
The HOOK is a topic sentence that inspires writers to write their ideas and encourages readers to read on. The subtle distinction we are making between the topic sentence and the HOOK is this: Think of a literal fishhook that catches the reader and makes them want to read on. A great HOOK might be charged with sensory details or concrete examples. It may be full of imagery and action!
Storymaker is designed to HOOK 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students into the art of narrative journal writing. With three terrific thematic options to choose from—Farm Tales, Fairy Tales, and Fun Tales—the possibilities are endless.
Each week the primary goal is to craft a HOOK by combining:
One HOOK starter: “Everyone agreed except…”
One Character in Situation card: “carrot writing a story”
One Setting card: “in a treehouse”
There are a myriad of possibility with these three parts! Encourage your students to play around with the phrases and to add, subtract or change connecting words. Here are a few possibilities:
1. Everyone agreed except the carrot writing a story in a treehouse.
OR
2. Everyone in the treehouse agreed except the carrot writing a story.
OR
3. Except for the carrot writing a story, everyone in the treehouse agreed.
OR
4. Except for the carrot writing a story aboutthe treehouse, everyone agreed.
OR
5. Once upon a time, except the carrot writing a story in a treehouse, everyone agreed.
Remember to help your students think about the last sentence being just as important as the first. Remind them that the goal is for readers to be surprised, for readers to want to keep thinking about the story they just read. We call this the TWIST at the end. Here are a few endings that might hold up to the above HOOK:
In the end, as the carrot finished reading the story written in the treehouse aloud to all the other vegetables, there was a moment of collective silence and then a roar of whistles and clapping!
OR
Everyone agreed that Carrot writing the treehouse story was not a good idea, but in the end they all agreed they were wrong.
Sometimes, once the HOOK is composed, offering a TWIST for students to write toward helps them bring shape to an idea with a beginning, middle, and end.
Following are some ideas to be creative with story-making.
Create a Collaborative Story
Here the teacher begins collaborating on HOOK crafting as above on a whiteboard. This is the HOOK demonstration. Once the HOOK is settled upon, students copy it into the journal and the fun begins—What happens next? Continue gathering ideas up to 5 story details composed together into sentences. Create one sentence to end—the TWIST.
Student creates the HOOK + 3 Story Detail Sentences & the Teacher Writes the TWIST at the end
Sometimes knowing that a treat is waiting at the end of the journey is all the motivation our student writers need!
Round Robin
Students each create an original HOOK in their journal. Journals are passed around. Classmates reads what is written so far and adds a sentence in the friend’s journal. Keep passing until there are 6 sentences including the Hook. Journals are then returned to the student to read and create a closing TWIST.
Everyone has stories to tell. Help your students tell them well the fun way with Storymaker.
Great essays have the power to encourage, empower, and enlighten. For this reason, essay writing should not be treated as simply a mechanical endeavor, but rather, as a pathway for the writer to communicate the depths of the heart and mind.
Big ideas can be communicated through a range of writing genres in both prose and poetry. It is vital that students discover and explore the potential of all genres. Some writing describes, some narrates, some exposes, and some persuades. Some writing is simply meant to entertain. All writing has the power to inform.
Utilizing our CORE units—Earlybird through Level 3—students will encounter weekly prompts that challenge them to not only write, but also to care about their ideas. By the time they reach the end of elementary, they will be confidently composing expanded paragraphs utilizing many genres including the five big ones: Descriptive, Informative, Narrative, Observational, and Persuasive.
In middle school, as students press into CORE Level 3, they are ready to journey into an introduction to formal composition. We have created three introductory volumes that introduce students to essay form, then guide them into the art of composing the descriptive and the literary essay—both of which integrate an expository element, requiring the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, and develop the idea in a way that is authentic to the writer’s voice and engaging for the reader. After all, producing clear, coherent, and creative writing that captivates the reader is an ultimate goal.
Each of the following units contains five lessons designed to be completed over ten weeks. This said, we’ve built in opportunity for the important work to be slowed down to fifteen, even twenty weeks.
This exploration of essay form will introduce students to the strategies and stylistic techniques that will enable then to compose authentic essays. Students will not write essays in these five introductory lessons, but rather do a deep dive into essay form, gathering stylistic tools along the way. The word essay derives from the French infinitive essayer meaning “to try” or “to attempt” something. Ultimately the purpose of an essay is to wander through an idea, it is an opportunity to try to communicate that idea within a specific structure. Writers utilized essay form long before educators made the form mandatory, overshadowing the original intent that the form was to shelter an idea and not the other way around! Think of Michel de Montaigne, Francis Bacon, Thomas Paine, Louisa May Alcott, George Orwell, Virginia Woolf—I am certain these great writers were more concerned with the idea to be communicated than the form that would shelter the idea. All you have to do is read an exceptional essay to see this truth—try E.B. White.
When it comes to composing essays, Form Follows Function is paramount!
Writers must focus first on the function or purpose of writing—the idea. Once the idea is drafted in rough form, the writer digs back in and applies mechanics—corrects misspelling, capitalization, punctuation, embellishes word choice, improves syntax, and so on. Writing is a process.
The goal with this first volume is to offer students an understanding of the form, its purpose, and potential, while simultaneously offering exercises that will enable them to elevate their voice in preparation for Volume 2 and 3. Learn to meander through an idea in a constrained manner, explore the role of threes in writing, the HOOK, the THESIS, and much more.
During elementary, students have learned to craft expanded descriptions. Descriptive essays take describing to a new level. When writers explain the differences and similarities between two topics or ideas, this is descriptive writing with an expository punch! Here, the writer gives a complete explanation of the topic at hand, providing evidence, examples, and even background history. This because, the ultimate goal is to try out an idea that is set forth via a thesis statement. Expository writing, of course, has a clear purpose: to educate the reader. As example, students will embark during the first week on a journey that will enable them to Write an Orange. In order to develop a thesis they will explore the concept of orange, explore some science of the color and the fruit, they will even consider a famous quote by Vincent Van Gogh: “There is no blue without yellow and without orange.”
Over the course of five lessons, again designed to be completed in ten weeks but easily adapted to longer, students will journey with Volume 2 into the work of bringing shape to an original idea conveyed in the form of an expository description, a descriptive essay.
Students are mentored through each step of the process as they compose five original literary essays in response to five exceptional small tales—beginning with a prompt, brainstorming, crafting a thesis and developing the idea through the self-edit and final draft. The literary essay is, of course, expository in nature because the writer will be exploring topics encountered in great stories to provide information gathered from a close reading. While the student essayist will decide which information—character development, themes, symbols and so on—is to be presented, the information is presented not as opinion, but as wonderful factual information gleaned from fiction that applies to the non-fictional realm. The student essayist will explore the literary work from various angle, providing information in an objectively creative manner.
Introductory essays will spring from the following stories:
The Tin Forest, by Helen Ward
Grandfather’s Journey, by Allen Say
The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf
Train to Somewhere, by Eve Bunting
Letting swift River Go, by Jane Yolen
Let me leave you with an important quote from E.B. White:
“If there were something that was less than nothing, then nothing would not be nothing, it would be something – even though it’s just a very little bit of something. But if nothing is nothing, then nothing has nothing that is less than it is. Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.”
I think what he is saying, more eloquently than I ever will is: Form Follows Function!
Your students will transcend benchmarks as you challenge them to write their ideas!
We’ve all seen scaffolding set up around a building during construction or renovation, right?
Scaffolding is simply a temporary support.
When it comes to learning to write, our students need scaffolding. And that scaffolding is a partnership: Blackbird & Company + YOU!
But I often cross paths with parent-teachers who feel ill-equipped to teach writing.
Each and every time I say, “YOU are equipped to mentor writing! Trust me. You are…”
I go on to share the reality that writing is NOT calculus. Writing is an art form. Then I ask, “Do you like to read (even a little bit)? If so, this equips you more than most to mentor student writers.” That’s right, more than most.
Let’s go back to “writing is an art form” and begin there. Everything you’ve ever read and everything you ever will read began as an idea in someone’s mind. So when you approach a student’s idea as a reader, you will be doing exactly what happens in a graduate school writing workshop!
When it comes time to read your student’s first draft, rough draft, sloppy copy, whatever you want to call it, the task at hand is to ask yourself, “What is my student’s BIG idea?” From there the task of helping your students communicate concisely and creatively. Your task, as writing mentor, is to mine for the idea that has been drafted, and to excavate as if you might score a diamond! The thing is, you likely will if this is your mindset.
During the mentor/student conference, have the student read the draft aloud. Use your red pen to correct spelling and punctuation errors along the way, as the idea is being read. Put a friendly little check mark atop sentence fragments, run-ons, or places that are missing something. Discuss these areas after the student has finished reading. Often during the read aloud the student will catch little errors. Keep the conference caring and consequential. Consequential, yes. Think of it like this: The consequence of not using the red pen is the shrinking of the student’s idea! Remind your student, the red pen is a friend!
You don’t need to hold an advanced degree in writing to be a writing mentor.
You DO need to keep in mind that ideas are the substance of art, and as such are subjective in nature. Writing is always meant to be read. Approach ideas, not as a grammar-and-mechanics-patrol-person, but as a reader who wants to be intrigued and inspired. Being intrigued and inspired will motivate you, the writing mentor, to simply protect and promote the idea at hand.
The scaffolding inside each of our Discovery Guides, supports your students in the important work of writing.
Whether your child is in the 1st grade learning to encode simple ideas while mastering advanced phonics and constructing the four types of sentences, in the 3rd grade learning to construct sentences using the eight parts of speech, in the 6th grade being introduced to essay form, or in the 11th grade exploring intermediate composition and constructing persuasive essays, we’ve got you!
Our scaffolding provides step-by-step guidance that inspires students in the writing process, while equipping you to support them each step of the way.
These are the questions that writers ask as they read for information. Research writing is a unique writing genre where students simultaneously gain knowledge and share ideas to inspire readers to do the same.
Research writing begins in 2nd grade with Taxonomy of living Things: Introduction to Animals. Over the course of 13 weeks, students will be guided into the work of learning about the animal kingdom, journaling their discoveries along the way. This opportunity to research will not only help them to gain knowledge, but also to springboard into the realm of early non-fiction note taking and the writing of complete factual sentences.
From there, students are ready to move into Research People in grades 3 through 6. A great place to begin research writing is by adding two Research People units to your 3rd grade back-to-school writing plan. The d’Aulaire books, published by our friends at Beautiful Feet Books, are just right for the 3rd grade entry to research writing. Take Lincoln for example, the quintessential embodiment of American possibility in his myth-like rise from rail-splitter to Chief Executive and Emancipator of the oppressed. What better way to start off learning to write a biographical essay—YES, a biographical essay!
Each of the Research People units takes the prep and guess work out of the process of writing the biographical essay, so you can enter the process as a mentor, inspiring your student to glean and gather ideas as they read for information.
Students will grow a vocabulary specific to each famous person, will review the plot of the weekly reading in a handful of complete sentences, and most importantly, learn to brainstorm and narrow down ideas in a topic wheal as they tackle constructing each of 3 body paragraphs over three weeks. On the fourth week, students will be lead into the construction of an opening and closing paragraph (three sentences each) which will bookend the body paragraphs.
Utilizing the Research People units year after year, you will mentor and inspire as your students become increasingly independent. If you are familiar with the rich history and beauty of the d’Aulaire books, you might consider purchasing the Superset here. Moving into 4th through 6th grade, we have a wide selection of exceptional people for your student to write about—John Muir, Rosa Parks, and Mr. Rogers and more. Scroll through to discover.
When students arrive in the 7th and 8th grade, informational reading moves from biographical, historical research to science reading and research. When students engage in non-fiction reading and research writing, they are not only tackling benchmark reading + writing skills, but also gaining cross-curricular knowledge. At this level, students have become very independent, and, because each self-contained unit is organized with a familiar supportive scaffolding, you will, once again, be supported in the role of writing mentor!
As with all research writing, students will begin with a great question: Have you met Carolus Linnaeus?
His life’s work will inspire you. All living things can be ordered according to their common biology. Classification allows scientists to explore levels of similarity, dissimilarity, and interconnectedness of cells, systems, and structures. The first level of classification is the Kingdoms. There are five: Protista, Monera, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
This unit can be easily incorporated into your spring semester. Over the course of five lessons, students will explore and research the diversity of the animal kingdom. They will gather knowledge that will connect to many corners of the field of biology, and they will posess a journal chalk full if information to apply to a great many writing projects: a persuasive or compare/contrast essay, a lyrical poem, even a non-fiction inspired narration. Pick up a copy of our Taxonomy of Living Things unit today!
And last, but not least, Elemental Journal, will guide students on a wonderful voyage through the mysteries of the periodic table. What at first looks like an unapproachable block of numbers and letters begging to be decoded, will be opened up to discovery in an easy and interesting way. Each element has its own quirks and purpose. As students engage in the ongoing work of decoding the table, they will marvel at the diversity of these building blocks of the universe. Students will not only summarize and organize information, evaluate, interpret, and draw conclusions, but more importantly, learn to strike a balance between original information and original ideas. Embarking on an exploration of the periodic table is like traveling across an amazing landscape full of surprises.
And it all begins with a simple question: What do stars and human beings have in common?
Elements, of course!
Everything you can imagine is made of elements — an octopus, a basketball, and each of us humans!
Blackbird & Co. research writing units are designed to foster inquiry, spark imagination and get students writing in the non-fiction realm.
Take the heavy-handed prep-work out of teaching students to write an essay!
Our unique scaffolding, designed to mentor the art of essay writing, will guide your students each step of the way—from brainstorming through revision to the polished final work—allowing you to offer support as a mentor and guide.
I will never forget running alongside each of my four children when they were learning to ride a bike once the training wheels were removed, “Keep pedaling! You can do this…!” The messaging is almost the same when it comes to coaching a student to write.
Our introductory composition is designed to introduce students in grades 6 through 8 to the overarching purpose of the essay, simple rhetorical style, and both the descriptive and literary essay form. Middle school students will be equipped to write their essays articulately. Each of the three volumes is designed to be completed in 10 to 15 weeks and contains all of the information you will need to mentor and inspire.
Great essays have the power to encourage, empower, and enlighten. For this reason essay writing should not be treated as just a mechanical endeavor, but rather, as a pathway for the writer to communicate the depths of the heart and mind.
Big ideas can be communicated through a range of writing domains including creative writing. It is vital that students discover and explore the potential of all types. Some writing describes, some narrates, some exposes, and some persuades. Some writing is simply meant to entertain. All writing has the power to inform. This three volume set will guide students systematically into the art of essay writing!
Our Volume 1-3 Bundle include:
Student Guide – Vol. 1: Essay as Structure: Become an Architect!
Student Guide – Vol. 2: The Descriptive Essay
Student Guide – Vol. 3: The Literary Essay
Thinking in Threes, by Brian Backman
The Tin Forest, by Helen Ward
Grandfather’s Journey, by Allen Say
The Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf
Train to Somewhere, by Eve Bunting
Letting swift River Go, by Jane Yolen
Volume 1 – Essay as Structure: Become an Architect!
An exploration of essay form and writing technique.
Teacher support material is included in the volume.
Volume 2 – The Descriptive Essay
An exploration of the Descriptive Essay.
Writers will be mentored through each step of the process as they compose five original descriptive essays—beginning with a prompt, brainstorming, crafting a thesis, and developing the idea through the self-edit and final draft. Teacher support material is included in the volume.
Volume 3 – The Literary Essay
An exploration of the Literary Essay.
Writers will be mentored through each step of the process as they compose five original literary essays in response to five exceptional small tales—beginning with a prompt, brainstorming, crafting a thesis and developing the idea through the self-edit and final draft. Teacher support material is included in the volume.
You might consider purchasing our complete middle school Writing Year Pack to start back-to-school writing on the right foot!
“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” ~Ernest Hemingway
Writing meaningful, true sentences should always be the place to start, take it from Hemingway.
Beginning in the 5th grade, students will embark on an exploration of rhetorical style. A rhetorical device is a tool of style—sound, imagery, rhythm, repetition—that evokes a reaction from the reader. The purpose of this journey is to provide students in grades 5 though 8 opportunities to learn from great writers, tricks of the trade—rhetoric that make sentences soar.
A sentence is simply a collection of words that conveys an idea. When well-crafted sentences are connected wisely, one after another, meaning flows, carrying that idea forward in a clear and concise manner. When students understand the tools that will enable them to construct well-formed sentences, they will be equipped to confidently write their ideas.
One True Sentence: Tools of Style is an ongoing opportunity for students to write concisely. Students who know how to combine, elaborate, and vary sentences, will fearlessly arrange words and phrases to craft well-formed syntax. Over the course of 20 weeks, as they practice the art of constructing sentences, students will acquire tools within the context of actively writing.
When you learn to write “one true sentence” (in the words of Hemingway) the rest will follow.
A sentence is simply a collection of words that convey an idea. When well-crafted sentences are connected wisely, one after another, ideas grow wider and deeper. But without the basic tools of construction, the parts of speech + punctuation, meaning and communication are lost.
Students in 3rd and 4th grade will begin by reviewing the four types of sentences—Statement, Command, Exclamation, & Question—before moving into the construction zone!
The purpose of learning the parts of speech and the marks of punctuation is to produce well-formed sentences that communicate clearly. And the best way to learn these is to provide opportunities for students to construct their own sentences within a framework.
Putting that idea to paper with pencil is not always a simple process.
Great writing begins with an IDEA!. And ideas on paper are always introduced by a first sentence. But sometimes the stress of crafting that first sentence stalls the writer, especially younger student writers.
We’ve all been drilled on the concept of “topic sentence”— that first sentence that sets the stage for the idea at hand. But when the crafting of the topic sentence becomes formalized, it can crush creativity that leads to fluid writing and the development of voice.
We, instead teach our students to craft the HOOK!
The HOOK is simply a topic sentence that inspires writers to write their ideas and encourages readers to read on. The subtle distinction we are making between the topic sentence and the HOOK is this: Think of a literal fishhook that catches the reader and makes them want to read on. A great HOOK might be charged with sensory details or concrete examples. It may be full of imagery and action!
Storymaker is designed to help students in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade craft a HOOK with three thematic options: Farm Tales, Fairy Tales, and Fun Tales.
Journal writing is an indispensable part of Language Arts. Beyond its academic significance, this activity provides the opportunity to develop important skills. Storymaker is an ongoing opportunity for students to write for real and for creativity to flourish. Each week, students use Story Starters, Setting & Character cards, plus fun objects to create an exciting story HOOK. From there it’s fun and easy to develop that HOOK into an engaging story. Students using Storymaker, during the edit week, learn that having a clear purpose and maintaining focus is achieved by deleting extraneous information and having the courage to rearrange words and sentences to improve meaning, focus, and clarity.
As students practice the art of constructing the HOOK and building a story upon it, they will develop writing skills, confidence, and creativity which will carryover into all other school work.
With Storymaker, students will learn to write in the words of Hemingway, “One true sentence…,” and the rest will follow. Click through to learn more about the crafting of the HOOK.
