Writing with the Engineering and Design Process

Since the beginning of the year we have been looking at science through the lens of the Engineering and Design Process. We extended this thinking into our current learning intention - informational writing! After a couple of weeks studying how plants and animals adapt in different biomes around the world, we were ready to organize our research and try out our informational writing skills. Each student was assigned one or two paragraphs that were then put together to form a 5 paragraph essay.

After writing our initial rough draft using Google Docs, it was time to revise our work. This can be a difficult process for students as it involves persevering through a task and a willingness to accept mistakes. To help us through this process, we used the Engineering and Design Process - something we have talked a lot about already this year. The BEST step in this process, where we say "the magic (learning)" happens, is the Evaluate and Redesign step. Through this lens, we are able to accept our initial trial and make changes to move forward. In the example to right, we used this redesign step as a way to include domain specific vocabulary in our revisions!

Presenting Our Work

Ask us to describe the traits to you...can we give you examples of what each one means?

It was really fun to work so hard on our informational writing. But...how could we share our learning with others? With Group Presentations, of course! Each student was responsible for creating 1-2 slides that corresponded with the paragraph they had written for the essay. Students worked together to create a collaborative Google Presentation and then presented to the class.

Including these traits in presentations brings the work you are doing to life and helps to engage your audience! You can view our google Slide Presentations by using the links below:
Tosches Homeroom 
Bougas Homeroom 
Murphy Homeroom

*Graded writing will be coming home by Wednesday November 23

We have been very reflective over the past week about what we are grateful for. Most common answers - family and friends! Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the time with family and friends!