Feature Articles

In Writing Workshop, we continue to focus on feature articles. Each child chose a topic that they are intereseted in, and know a lot about. Within this topic, third grade writers chose two subtopics. Subtopics are smaller topics within the larger one that researchers want to focus on in their article.

They wrote paragraphs jam packed with information that will help us readers learn so much. They worked to include an interesting hook, specific, topic-related "technical" words, and a satisfying ending.

On Monday researchers chose the topic that they want to research to learn more about. It was exciting to see inquisitive brains at work as children developed questions they want to answer. Finally, they turned those questions into subtopics. As many researchers began taking notes yesterday, we learned about plagiarism. It's important that children learn not to copy exact sentences from their research. We practiced pulling out "fact fragments" - the most important words from a sentence that contain the chunk of meaning. This is a skill the children will be developing for years to come.

Ask your child to tell you the subtopic they decided to focus on and one fact fragment that they recorded about it yesterday.