Unit 1 Culminating Task

1. Unit 1 Culminating Task Option 2 (W.6.2, W.6.4, W.6.9, L.6.6, RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.5, RI.6.9) You are a newspaper editor in charge of deciding which articles will appear in the local paper. To do this, you must analyze how different writers present information on the same topic. Choose informational texts written by two different writers on an appropriate topic of interest. Compare and contrast one writer’s presentation of the topic to that of the other. Pay close attention to each author’s use of language, elaboration techniques, and text structure. Identify the central idea of each text and the ways they were developed. Write a comparative essay explaining how each writer used language, elaboration techniques, and text structure to develop their central ideas.

2. How Handwriting Trains the Brain: Forming Letters is Key to Learning, Memory, IdeasGwendolyn Bounds Central Idea: Text Features Used: What are the patterns of organization used? Give examples. How do these patterns help communicate the central idea? What are some of the techniques the writer uses (think vocabulary, examples, etc.)?

3. How Handwriting Trains the Brain: Forming Letters is Key to Learning, Memory, IdeasGwendolyn Bounds Central Idea: Writing by hand “helps with learning letters and shapes, can improve idea composition and expression, and may aid fine motor-skill development.” In all ages, writing by hand helps to “engage the brain in learning”. Overall, writing by hand should continue to be taught and practiced. It should not be replaced by technology.

4. How Handwriting Trains the Brain: Forming Letters is Key to Learning, Memory, IdeasGwendolyn Bounds Text Features Used: Within the article, Gwendolyn Bounds includes five different visual or graphic aids, one of which also serves as a sidebar. Three of the graphic or visual aids include captions which support the central idea that writing by hand is beneficial.

5. How Handwriting Trains the Brain: Forming Letters is Key to Learning, Memory, IdeasGwendolyn Bounds What is the pattern of organization used? Give examples. How does the organization of the article help communicate the central idea? Although the article contains numerous cause and effect examples, overall the article discusses the central idea while supporting that idea with examples. Bounds explains how handwriting trains the brain. To support that central idea, she incorporates information from recent studies, research, along with dialogue from educators and those in the medical profession. For example, Bounds uses highlights from a research study that was conducted by Virginia Berninger, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington that discuss “the hand’s unique relationship with the brain when it comes to composing thoughts and ideas”. Images of the brain have shown that finger movements, like those used in writing “activate massive regions involved in thinking, language, and working memory”. Supporting the central idea with a plethora of examples helps to really “drive” the point that writing by hand really does train the brain.

6. How Handwriting Trains the Brain: Forming Letters is Key to Learning, Memory, IdeasGwendolyn Bounds What are some of the techniques the writer uses (think vocabulary, examples, etc.)? Throughout the article, Bounds uses dialogue, examples, and graphic/visual aids. The dialogue and examples support the central idea and make it more real-world to the readers.

7. A Compare/Contrast Essay Literature Book – p. 296 You will do a subject by subject essay. Introduction = Introduce both titles/authors and identify the purpose of the essay. Body Paragraph 1 = Discuss the components of How Handwriting Trains the Brainby Gwendolyn Bounds (that means all of the stuff I showed you). Body Paragraph 2 = Discuss the components of How Writing By Hand Makes Kids Smarter. Conclusion = Readdress the purpose of the essay, briefly recapping how both articles established the same central idea through different means.

8. Sample Introduction “How Writing By Hand Makes Kids Smarter” and “How Handwriting Trains the Brain” by Gwendolyn Bounds focus around the central idea that writing by hand has numerous benefits. Though the articles are centered on the same topic, the authors utilize different methods to present the topic.

9. Body paragraph 1 In the article “How Handwriting Trains the Brain” Bound discusses how writing by hand “helps with learning letters and shapes, can improve idea composition and expression, and may aid fine motor-skill development.” It also helps to “engage the brain in learning”. One way Bounds supports this central idea is through the use of text features such as visual or graphic aids. A caption beneath one of the pictures says that handwriting is a fading art, but that new research shows “it can benefit children’s motor skills and their ability to compose ideas and achieve goals throughout life.” This caption clearly supports the central idea that handwriting is an important skill. Although the article contains numerous cause and effect examples, overall the article discusses the central idea while supporting that idea with examples. Bounds explains how handwriting trains the brain. To support that central idea, she incorporates information from recent studies, research, along with dialogue from educators and those in the medical profession. For example, Bounds uses highlights from a research study that was conducted by Virginia Berninger, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington that discuss “the hand’s unique relationship with the brain when it comes to composing thoughts and ideas”. Images of the brain have shown that finger movements, like those used in writing “activate massive regions involved in thinking, language, and working memory”. Supporting the central idea with a plethora of examples helps to really “drive” the point that writing by hand really does train the brain. Finally, Bounds uses dialogue and actual examples within the article to make it more relevant to the reader. For example, she gives the scenario of four-year old Zane Pike, who mom encouraged writing by hand because she felt it was an important building block.