Lesson Plan: Write about Going to School

“The 5 W’s of Back-to-School Stories”

Get students writing narratives about the experience of returning to school with this lesson plan that uses both our vocabulary and 5 W’s of a story videos. Students will identify the “Who,” “What,” “Where,” “When,” and “Why” of a vocabulary video that tells the story of a new kid at school. They will then create the 5 W’s for original narratives about going back to school and use them to write stories.

Objectives
Students will:
  • Learn or review 10 Tier 2 vocabulary words;
  • Identify the 5 W’s of a story about starting a new school;
  • Create the 5 W’s for an original narrative;
  • Write an original narrative incorporating key vocabulary words.

Standards
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1
    Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.3
    Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.3
    Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3
    Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Materials
Products Created
  • Completed 5 W’s worksheet
  • Original narrative incorporating Tier 2 vocabulary words

Time
  • 1-3 class periods

Sequence
    1. Watch the Flocabulary Word Up Turquoise video, “The New Kid at School.” This is part of the 2nd grade level of Word Up, but the words can be used for younger and older grades, as well. Review the vocabulary words covered as a class. If you have the time, complete the activity sequence for the unit.
    2. Tell students that they’re going to break down the elements of the new kid’s story from the video. Watch the Flocabulary 5 W’s of a Story video. As a class, review the information that the 5 W’s help us learn: Who are the characters of the story? What are the events that happen, or the plot? When and where does the story take place, or what is the setting? Why does the action happen?
    3. As a class or individually, have students use the 5 W’s worksheet to identify and write down the “Who,” “What,” “When,” “Where” and “Why” of the new kid’s story.
    4. Explain to students that many authors use one or more of the 5 W’s as the jumping-off point for stories. They may start with a character, setting and/or event of the plot in mind and then build out the story from there. Tell students that they are now going to use the 5 W’s as the building blocks to write their own stories about the experience of going back to school.
    5. Have students come up with and write the 5 W’s of stories about going back to school on page 2 of the worksheet. These stories can be about meeting new friends, learning something new or anything else related to going to school. They can be fictional or autobiographical.
    6. Have students use their 5 W’s to begin writing their stories on page 3 of the worksheet. Tell them to incorporate 3-5 vocabulary words from “The New Kid at School.”

Wrap Up/Extensions
    1. Have students share their stories with the class, and ask their classmates to identify the 5 W’s of each others’ stories.
    2. Challenge students to identify the 5 W’s of the stories in other Flocabulary vocabulary videos, like Stranded!, The Space Rock, The Heroes of Nome and We're the Piglets.

Guided Reflection
  • “I used to think _______, and now I think _______.”
  • “One thing I learned is __________, and one question I still have is _________.”