HS ELA Guide

●​ What is my purpose for writing informational/explanatory texts? ●​ What is the value of learning new information and sharing it? ●​ How do I organize and structure my informational/explanatory writing? End of Unit Writing Competency Example Sample Informational Prompt:

Review the following text/s on the Great Depression and write a multi-paragraph response that explains the effects the Great Depression had on the people who lived through it. Be sure to use evidence from the text/s to support and develop your response.

●​ Full Prompt and Text Sets ●​ Annotated Student Samples ●​ Informative Rubric

*for additional prompts, student samples, and rubrics - go to the Unpacked 11-12 Writing 2 standard. Scaffolding in Action Skill Building ●​ Prewriting Strategies ( video ) ( slides ) ●​ Chunking an Extended Essay ( video ) ( slides ) ●​ 5 Paragraph Outline ●​ MLA Format (Nearpod) ●​ Evaluate Student Samples Extension (Make it Real) ●​ Write the World (competitions and writing groups for teens) ●​ Publish in different format: video, podcast, website, infographic

●​ Submit to school’s newspaper or literary journal ●​ Turn it into an OpEd and submit to the newspaper ●​ Submit for publication: learn how to write a query letter , research publications for submissions, submit essay or narrative for publication Multilingual Learners will construct informational texts in language arts that: ●​ Establish an objective or neutral stance through… ○​ Reporting devices to acknowledge outside sources and integrate information into report as in saying verbs and direct quotes (said, reported, claimed, predicted; according to, as mentioned by) ●​ Develop coherence and cohesion throughout text through… ○​ Expanded noun groups to define key concepts, add details or classify information (economic development that changed a nation, 200 years of occupation, extinct species) Source: WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition

Language Expectations for Multilingual Learners

Essential Vocabulary ●​ Synthesis ●​ Cultural significance

●​ Integrate ●​ Data discrepancy

●​ Sufficient facts ●​ Unifying elements in writing

Additional Resources Gallagher, Kelly and Penny Kittle. “Chapter 7: Informational.” 180 Days . Heinemann, 2018, p. 170-188.

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Last Updated

High School ELA, Page 83

Jun 2, 2025