This Lesson's Title:

The Sibling
Report

organizing a bad-situation-that-gets-worse story

This lesson was created by NNWP Teacher Consultant Dena Harrison. Check out all of Dena's online writing lessons by clicking here.

The intended "mentor text" to be used when teaching this on-line lesson is the picture book Tub-Boo-Boo by Margie Palatini. Before writing, students should listen to and discuss the writing style of this book's author.

Check out Tub-boo-boo at Amazon.com.

Washoe County teachers, click here to search for this book at the county library.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

After sharing Margie Palatini's charming "bad-situation-that-only-gets-worse tale", Tub-boo-boo, writers will plan a story about a humorous household accident that gets worse before it gets better.  Borrowing Palatini's exciting idea from her book, students will narrate the story as if they are a sibling of the accident victim who is reporting on the situation from the front lawn.   The voice of the narrator, though not a real news reporter, must sound like one. Teachers: Click here to see the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait in this writing assignment is organization; the graphic organizer (see below) will assist students in creating a sequence of events as the story goes from bad to worse, and the use of the reporter-as-narrator will provide an introduction and conclusion . The support trait is voice; students will attempt to create a narrator's voice with the qualities of a real reporter.