Year 3 Literacy Lesson Plan: Understanding the Writing Process

Lesson Overview

Subject: Literacy
Year Level: Year 3
Duration: 32 minutes
Class Size: 50 students
Curriculum Area: English - Writing
Curriculum Level: Level 1-2 (The New Zealand Curriculum)
Lesson Objectives: By the end of the lesson, students will be able to explain and demonstrate the stages of the writing process: planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.

Materials Needed

- Whiteboard and markers
- Chart paper with the writing process stages
- Worksheets for each stage of the writing process
- Pencils and erasers
- Sample texts at various stages of the writing process
- Computers or tablets for publishing (if available)

Lesson Breakdown

Introduction (5 minutes)

1. Engage and Motivate: Start the lesson by asking students if they’ve ever told a story orally and how they might tell it if they had to write it down. Explain that writing a story down involves several steps to make it clear and interesting for others to read.
2. Introduce the Writing Process: Display the chart with the stages of the writing process. Briefly explain each stage:
- Planning: Thinking about what you want to write and organising your ideas.
- Drafting: Writing down your ideas in sentences and paragraphs.
- Revising: Making changes to improve your writing, like adding details or rearranging parts.
- Editing: Checking and correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
- Publishing: Sharing the final version of your writing with others.

Activity 1: Group Discussion and Planning (7 minutes)

1. Distribute Worksheets: Give out the planning worksheets. Have students think about a simple story or topic they would like to write about.
2. Group Brainstorming: In groups of five, students share their story ideas and receive feedback. Encourage them to think about the beginning, middle, and end of their stories.
3. Fill in the Plan: Guide students to write down their main idea and some details for each part of the story on their worksheets.

Activity 2: Drafting (7 minutes)

1. Explanation: Explain that drafting is about getting ideas on paper without worrying too much about mistakes.
2. Individual Writing: Students begin writing their stories on a new piece of paper, referring to their plans.
3. Teacher Circulation: Walk around to offer support and ensure students are using their plans to guide their drafting.

Activity 3: Revising and Editing (8 minutes)

1. Introduce Revising: Explain the importance of making their story clearer or more exciting. Demonstrate by revising a sample sentence on the whiteboard.
2. Peer Review: Students swap drafts with a partner, read each other’s work, and give suggestions for improvement.
3. Introduce Editing: Discuss common mistakes and give out editing checklists. Students edit their own work for spelling, grammar, and punctuation based on feedback and checklists.

Conclusion and Publishing (5 minutes)

1. Finalize: Allow students to make final revisions and edits to their stories.
2. Discuss Publishing: Explain that publishing can be as simple as reading the story aloud, creating a booklet, or typing and printing it. If time and resources allow, students can begin typing their stories on computers or tablets.
3. Wrap-Up: Recap the writing process and ask students to share one thing they learned about writing today. Invite them to display their finished stories on a class bulletin board or prepare for a class reading in the next session.

Additional Resources

- TKI Writing Hub for extra materials and support documents.
- Read Write Think for interactive writing resources.

Assessment

- Observe students during each activity to ensure understanding and application of the writing process.
- Review students’ final written stories to assess their ability to apply the stages of writing effectively.

This lesson plan is designed to fit within the literacy guidelines of the New Zealand Curriculum, ensuring that students not only learn about the writing process but also engage in it practically to enhance their writing skills.