Rain Forest Writing Project II

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Rain Forest Writing Project

Throughout the year we are going to be doing a writers workshop over the rain forest.

The Disappearing Rainforests

• We are losing Earth's greatest biological treasures just as we are beginning to appreciate their true value. Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth's land surface; now they cover a mere 6% and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years.
• One and one-half acres of rainforest are lost every second with tragic consequences for both developing and industrial countries. 
• Rainforests are being destroyed because the value of rainforest land is perceived as only the value of its timber by short-sighted governments, multi-national logging companies, and land owners.
• Nearly half of the world's species of plants, animals and microorganisms will be destroyed or severely threatened over the next quarter century due to rainforest deforestation.

 

The writing process we will be using through the year is:

• prewriting: Students generate ideas for writing: brainstorming; reading literature; creating life maps, webs, and story charts; developing word banks; deciding on form, audience, voice, and purpose as well as through teacher motivation.

• drafting : Students get their ideas on paper. They write without concern for conventions. Written work does not have to be neat; it is a 'sloppy copy.'

• revising: Improve what the narrative says and how it says it: write additions, imagery, and details. Take out unnecessary work. Use peer suggestions to improve. Clarify.

• proofreading: Work together on editing for mechanics and spelling. Make sure the work is 'goof proof.'

• publishing: Students publish their written pieces: sending their work to publishers; reading their finished story aloud, making books. This is a time to celebrate!

Stages of Writing Process:

brainstorm :coming up with an idea

rough draft : write about your idea

revise : make your writing clearer

edit : check for mistakes in your work

publish : share your writing

 The Disappearing Rainforests

Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases. Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. While 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less that 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists. 

Most rainforests are cleared by chainsaws, bulldozers and fires for its timber value and then are followed by farming and ranching operations, even by world giants like Mitsubishi Corporation, Georgia Pacific, Texaco and Unocal.

There were an estimated ten million Indians living in the Amazonian Rainforest five centuries ago. Today there are less than 200,000.

Elements of the Writing Workshop and a general timeline for a writing project:

This "Writer's Workshop" project gives students the opportunity to become comfortable with the writing process as they work to complete a persuasive essay. The workshop is designed to take students through each step of the writing process and includes tutorials, worksheets, online planning tools and interactive mini-lessons. 

Mini-Lesson (1 day)
Begin your workshop with a quick mini-lesson designed to enhance students' use of transitional words and phrases and fine tune their use of supporting examples- each important skills required for writing a successful persuasive essay. We've provided both interactive online versions of our mini-lessons as well as printable versions you may copy for each student. 

Prewriting (3–4 days)
The prewriting stage of this project is probably one of the most important. It's during this stage that students will choose their issue person, research an issue, and finally, plan the structure of their essay. 

Drafting (2–3 days)
During this step, students will refer to their research notes and use their structural plans as they begin to create a rough draft of their report. A rough draft allows students to begin the process of organizing their work and get their thoughts down on paper. During this phase of the writing process, grammar, spelling, and punctuation aren't of utmost importance. 

Revising (2–3 days)
The revision process concentrates on the content of their persuasive writing. As students begin the process of revising their work you'll want to remind them that revising doesn't involve making changes for spelling, grammar, or punctuation. 

Editing (1–2 days)
While editing isn't always a student's favorite task, it's an important task nonetheless. During this stage, students will check spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and subject/ verb agreement. 

Reviewing (1–2 days)
The review cycle allows students one more look before taking their work public. During this phase we discuss number of different ways to students may conduct a review process including: peer review, expert review, and self-assessment. 

Publishing (1–2 days)
This is a time for students to celebrate their accomplishments and allow the rest of the world to view their work. In addition to posting work on Scholastic.com, there are a number of other great ideas for publishing students' research papers.

Publishing is a time for students to celebrate their accomplishments and actually test their persuasive skills. In addition to posting your students' work on our website, we offer a number of other great ideas for publishing their persuasive writing.
During the year we will be covering four distinct types of writing which are:
Poetry: For this type of writing we will have the students write poetry in different forms such as end rhyme and haiku

• Literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm;...

• A quality of beauty and intensity of emotion regarded as characteristic of poems: "poetry and fire are nicely balanced in the music".

narrative:We will have the students write pieces that are in first person as if they were living in a rain forest

• Includes specific details to make the incident come alive for your reader
• Focuses on re-creating an incident that happened to you over a short period of time (usually an emotional experience)
• Conveys a particular mood (feeling) - do you want to surprise your readers, make them laugh, have them share in your sorrow or fear?

informational: The students will make a poster showing their dislike for deforestation
                           Exposition is a type of oral or written discourse that is used to explain, describe, give information or inform. The creator of an expository text can not assume that the reader or listener has prior knowledge or prior understanding of the topic that is being discussed. One important point to keep in mind for the author is to try to use words that clearly show what they are talking about rather then blatantly telling the reader what is being discussed. Since clarity requires strong organization, one of the most important mechanisms that can be used to improve our skills in exposition is to provide directions to improve the organization of the text.

argumentative : The students for this writing process will be writing a paper for and against "Big Business" and Environmentalist
                         In this kind of essay, we not only give information but also present an argument with the PROS (supporting ideas) and CONS (opposing ideas) of an argumentative issue. We should clearly take our stand and write as if we are trying to persuade an opposing audience to adopt new beliefs or behavior. The primary objective is to persuade people to change beliefs that many of them do not want to change.


 The Disappearing Rainforests

In Brazil alone, European colonists have destroyed more than 90 indigenous tribes since the 1900's. With them have gone centuries of accumulated knowledge of the medicinal value of rainforest species. As their homelands continue to be destroyed by deforestation, rainforest peoples are also disappearing.

Most medicine men and shamans remaining in the Rainforests today are 70 years old or more. Each time a rainforest medicine man dies, it is as if a library has burned down.

When a medicine man dies without passing his arts on to the next generation, the tribe and the world loses thousands of years of irreplaceable knowledge about medicinal plants.

 

  Six Trait Writing: 

  Ideas and Content:

As you begin your paper you generate ideas.  Your ideas and content are the reasons for writing a paper.  Every paper should convey a message and be easy to follow. Some thoughts to get you going:

 

What is my message and is it focused and clear?
Did I include important details relevant to my topic?
Did the reader learn something new?
Is my paper interesting and easy to understand?

Organization: 

Organizing your ideas helps a reader move through your paper in a meaningful way. Here are some things to keep in mind as you write your paper:

Does my beginning hook my reader?
Is my paper easy to follow? Did I choose the best way to organize my story?
Do my ideas link to a main message?
Do I have a strong conclusion that wraps up the story?

Voice: 

Your voice is what gives your writing personality, flavor and style.
Questions to think about as you write your paper:

Can you tell I am enthusiastic about my topic?
Does this writing sound like me?
How do I want my readers to feel?
Will my story hold readers' attention? Will they want to hear more?

Word Choice: 

The specific words that you choose create images, capture a reader's attention and make your story memorable.

Look at your paper and decide:
Have I used some strong verbs or colorful phrases that grab my reader?
Have I chosen the most precise word?
Have I used any unique words?
Did I repeat common words too many times?

Sentence Fluency:  

Fluent writing has rhythm.  Sentences vary in length and structure.  It is easy and pleasurable to read aloud.  

It is important to think about:
Is my story easy to read?
Do my sentences begin in different ways?
Did I use some long and some short sentences?
Does my paper sound smooth as I read it aloud?

Conventions:

You've finished your first draft.  Now it is time to start editing for conventions.  These include spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalization and paragraphing.  Proper use of conventions make your story easy for others to read. 

 

To begin editing ask yourself:
Did I leave spaces between words and sentences?
Did I use a title?
Did I use correct punctuation?
Did I use capital letters in the right places?
Have I proofread for correct spelling and grammar?
Have I indented any new paragraphs?