W4 is a work-in-progress writing project that will help beginning writers to organize their thoughts for non-fiction expository writing. W4 exploration fits well with content area topics. In this activity, students will gain experience finding and recording interesting, informative and important details for a project. Meaningful ‘W’ questions initially guide students’ exploration of a topic or an event.
Strategies/Skills Used
Writing Skill 2: I organize my ideas based on my purpose for writing.
(1) Provide each student with a pad of sticky notes and a pre-folded 12 x 18 piece of coloured construction paper, as per instructions below. Ensure that a collection of books and websites are available for students to peruse and that every student has sticky notes in hand to record answers to their questions.
(2) Carefully explain and build excitement for this type of research project; students will look independently at appropriately levelled resources to gather important facts and details.
(3) Establish working criteria; students will be answering four of these guiding questions to create their reports: What? Who? When? Where? Why? Choose correct ‘W’ words to facilitate specific project exploration.
(4) Choose and post questions specific to the class topics.
(5) Circulate to observe and consult about the process. Emphasize the importance of thinking about what they read and recording it in key words and images that make sense to them. Have students place their response sticky notes behind the correct ‘W’ doors.
(6) Distribute W4 Fact Frames, on which students develop sentences from facts found. Completed sentences can be glued inside the door with an accompanying illustration in a W4 Image Frame.This stage of W4 provides students with an opportunity to focus on presentation and the combination of words and image to make their ideas complete.
Primary
Intermediate
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Secondary
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