Writing Informational Science Reports on Water Systems Grade 6 by Heather Minchinton

END GOAL

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-19 05:20:25 UTC

Students will write a well-structured informational report about a water-related topic using scientific vocabulary, cause-effect transitions, and a labeled diagram.

Stage 1 – Desired Results (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005)

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-19 05:28:03 UTC

BC ELA & Science outcomes, language objectives (Sedita, Beacco)

Understanding Goals:

Students will learn how to communicate scientific knowledge using formal, academic writing.
Students will understand how language choices (e.g., transitions, vocabulary, structure) affect clarity in nonfiction.

Focus

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-19 05:34:12 UTC

Focus Text Type: Informational Science Report

Disciplinary Focus: Science (Water Systems)

BC Curriculum Links

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-19 05:37:27 UTC

Science 5 Big Ideas: Water moves through the environment and affects weather and climate.

Science Competencies: Observe, infer, communicate using visuals and scientific terms.
ELA Competencies: Create purposeful texts using features like headings, diagrams, and transitions; revise for clarity.

Language Objectives (Sedita, 2018; Beacco et al., 2016)

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-19 05:38:00 UTC

Use academic and scientific vocabulary
Build clear, coherent sentences
Structure writing using genre features
Communicate ideas through labeled diagrams
Integrate oral rehearsal, partner talk, and writing supports

Topic

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-19 05:47:46 UTC

Water cycle, precipitation, evaporation, and related systems

Approach: Backward Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005)

Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-19 05:52:41 UTC

Rubric Criteria

(linked to BC Curriculum + research):

Report structure and organization (Shanahan, 2019)
Use of science vocabulary (Sedita, 2018)
Cause-effect transitions (Zwiers, 2019)
Diagram with labels (BC Science 5; Sedita, 2018)
Clarity and grammar (Zwiers, 2019).
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Assessment will be based on these clearly defined criteria, supported by scaffolded instruction and peer/teacher feedback.

Backward Planning

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-19 05:57:51 UTC

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-19 06:04:07 UTC

CLICK HERE

Works Cited

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-19 07:01:00 UTC

FEEBACK

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-21 19:55:47 UTC

Please CLICK to provide feedback. Thank you!

Heather

My Rationale

heatherminchinton8 — 2025-06-21 23:51:11 UTC

My Rationale for Choosing Informational Texts, (Based on Hebert et al., 2018)
- “Informational texts support students in making sense of the world by providing accurate, verifiable, and relevant knowledge about real-life topics.”
- “Explicit instruction in informational text structures helps students comprehend, organize, and communicate complex ideas more effectively.”
- “Students are expected to understand and create informational texts in science and social studies to build and demonstrate content knowledge.”
Works Cited (MLA 9)
Hebert, Michael, et al. “Writing Informational Text Using Provided Information and Text Structures: An Intervention for Upper Elementary Struggling Writers.” Reading and Writing, vol. 31, no. 9, 2018, pp. 2165–2190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-018-9841-x
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