Welcome to HIT—How I Teach….In this episode, we turn our attention to another mechanism to help students learn to write informational paragraphs. Writing informational paragraphs in which students get information from a source, outline from it, and write a paper in their own words based on that source’s content can be overwhelming. We teach students how to read, comprehend, and synthesize information by using various outlining approaches, mapping, brainstorming, etc.
The Question and Answer Outline is one way that we can teach middle school students how to glean information from an informative source and write about it.
When middle school students are faced with the challenge of reading, comprehending, and synthesizing information for writing, they often do not know exactly what to “grab” for their essay or report. While we may have given them tools for the main idea in reading class for many years, what else do they need from a source in order to be able to write about that topic?
This is where the various modes that I teach for all grades, but especially for elementary and middle school students come to play. Even less-than-savvy researchers can learn what information to get when they have “training wheels”—tools to help them learn what they need in order to write.
My elementary tools that are helpful for students to learn how to get info and what to get really get to the heart of this:
- Sentence-by-Sentence Outline https://languageartsladyblog.com/how-i-teach-how-to-turn-any-passage-into-a-writing-source-for-middle-schoolers-and-more-episode-20/
- Question and Answer Outline https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Decor-Q-and-A-Report-Level-Two-74 46310
- Paragraph House https://languageartsladyblog.com/6667-2/
- Writing Boxes https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Writing-Boxes-with-Frosty-the-Snowman-Story-Level-One-7446235
- 5 W’s Outline
- Directed Brainstorming https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Original-Holiday-Story-Christmas-Writing-Level-Two-7437245
- Attribute List https://languageartsladyblog.com/how-i-teach-episode-4/
- Split Paper Outline
- Much more!
I love making things easier for students! I love helping my students enjoy writing. I love seeing my students succeed!
Of course, just like every lesson in my one-month downloadable books and my one-semester Meaningful Composition books, this one also has the invaluable paragraphs that students will answer questions over!
And for your convenience, How I Teach…. is available as a podcast (follow along in your TN sheets for that week) and a YouTube video (with Power Point containing the same as the TN)!
Note: This lesson came from Christmas Décor Q and A, Level II, a two-week-project downloadable book!
Find everything you need here!
Weekly broadcast episodes with Teacher’s Notebook downloads (and links to listen or watch!) at the Language Arts Lady blog: https://languageartsladyblog.com/howiteach
Master (continually updated) Teacher’s Notebook downloadable booklet:https://languageartsladyblog.com/teachersnotebook
Free writing books and videos of me teaching your students for you for a couple of weeks! https://languageartsladyblog.com/5writingfreebies
All of my digital books: https://languageartsladystore.com
How I Teach YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC20OP_HNTUm8eBMNgMh06sQ
How I Teach Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-teach/id1552986393
