I wonder what an important observation is...

 Lesson Overview:

This lesson will help students realize the importance of descriptions and details in writing. Teachers can use this lesson to set a standard by which journal sheets/observation notebooks will be evaluated throughout the project.

Subject Area Focus:  science & language arts

 Objectives:

  1. understand why detail is important to writers
  2. realize that scientific writing has an equally strong need for detail
  3. write their own descriptive piece
  4. evaluate their own journal entries

Materials: journals/observation notebooks

Procedures:

  1. Teacher will have the students get out their notebooks
  2. Teachers will write example of directions someone might give to get their house on the board or and overhead:
    example 1: You turn at the store to get there.
    example 2: You turn left at the grocery store on Allen Street to get to my house.
  3. Discuss with the class which set of directions was more helpful and useful. Reasons could be: more detail, more specific, etc.
  4. Present directions of how to get to your classroom from the lunchroom that need more description on the board or on an overhead:
    Examples of simple directions:
    -It is next to the lockers.
    -Turn by the library down the hallway.
    -Walk to the bathrooms.
  5. Ask for students to modify these directions to make them more specific and detailed.
  6. Now that they have had time to practice their skills as a group, tell students to pick any object in your room and see if you can write a paragraph that describes it well enough for other students in class to identify it.
  7. When the activity is completed the teacher may choose to have students share their writing with each other or the class. * A game can be made by allowing students to read their descriptions while others try to guess what the item in question is.
  8. Teacher ask students to take out their Manduca insects and record a new journal entry that uses as much description about the subject as possible.
  9. Have students break into pairs or threes after they have completed their entry and exchange their entries for a peer evaluation session.
    (Each student is given time to read and constructively critique a peer's entry and that peer does the same for her/his reviewer.)
  10. Teacher can showcase examples of awesome scientific detail within the class or by using the sample journal provided on the Student Tab.