eng.g3.s
Grade 3 Spring — Informational/Expository Writing, Research Process Introduction, and Dialogue Mechanics Maintenance
Overview
Grade 3 Spring is the term children become INFORMERS — writers who tell readers ABOUT a topic. Five intertwined threads run across 18 weeks. (1) INFORMATIONAL/EXPOSITORY WRITING (CCSS W.3.2) is the primary genre and the term's writing arc. Children plan, research, draft, revise, peer-edit, and publish a 4-6 paragraph INFORMATIONAL ESSAY on a self-chosen expert topic. Each essay has an introduction (hook + topic statement + roadmap), three structured body paragraphs (TOPIC SENTENCE + DETAIL + EXAMPLE + TRANSITION — the TDET routine), and a conclusion (restate big idea + so-what closing thought). Children produce three informational pieces across the term: an 'I-am-already-an-expert' essay (week 1-6, drawing on personal knowledge only), a 'two-source research' essay (week 7-12, using the new research routine), and a published 'Information Fair' essay (week 13-18, the final showcase). The Calkins Information Books arc, the Hochman SPO-and-MPO, and the Duke & Bennett-Armistead five-text-structures framework anchor the work. (2) RESEARCH PROCESS INTRODUCTION (CCSS W.3.7, W.3.8). Children learn the 4-step research routine: ASK a question, FIND information from at least 2 sources, RECORD on the 3-column note-taking template (SOURCE / FACT / MY PARAPHRASE), SORT facts into body-paragraph categories. The PARAPHRASE-VS-QUOTE distinction is taught explicitly — paraphrase = put it in YOUR words; quote = use the SOURCE's exact words and put them in quotation marks with attribution. Children gather from print (informational books, encyclopedia entries) and digital sources (teacher-curated kid-friendly sites). Source-card system: each child maintains 2 source cards across the research arc. (3) DIALOGUE MECHANICS continued and applied in the NEW context of EMBEDDED QUOTATIONS in informational writing (CCSS L.3.2.c). Children review the four dialogue rules from fall and apply them when QUOTING a source in an informational essay. The mentor-text Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom and Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down model embedded-quotation-with-attribution within informational/biographical text. (4) GRAMMAR DEEPENING across CCSS L.3.1 with two new emphases: SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT (L.3.1.f) — singular subjects take singular verbs, plural subjects take plural verbs, with special attention to tricky cases (collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, 'there is/are', subject-separated-from-verb-by-phrase); and VERB TENSE CONSISTENCY (L.3.1.e) — simple past, simple present, simple future, plus the rule that a paragraph should generally use ONE tense unless a deliberate shift signals time-change. Continued from fall: ABSTRACT NOUNS deepened (process and academic abstracts — research, evidence, conclusion, comparison, classification). (5) CONJUNCTIONS FOR INTER-PARAGRAPH TRANSITIONS, SENTENCE VARIETY, AND REVISION. The transition-words family (FIRST, ALSO, ADDITIONALLY, IN CONTRAST, FINALLY, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR INSTANCE, IN ADDITION, ON THE OTHER HAND, AS A RESULT, THEREFORE, FOR THESE REASONS) is introduced and used at PARAGRAPH-OPENINGS to signal discourse structure — a Y4 NC entry expectation. Subordinating conjunctions from fall continue. Sentence variety: simple, compound, and complex sentences used PURPOSEFULLY — short sentences for emphasis, complex sentences for nuance, compound sentences for parallel facts. HFW Set 8 (next 25 high-frequency words tilted toward academic vocabulary: actually, although, beneath, certain, common, country, develop, different, distance, examine, finally, further, however, important, interesting, language, learn, material, natural, ocean, paragraph, perhaps, public, science, several) and Tier-2 Set 8 (14 process and academic verbs: research, evidence, source, paraphrase, summarize, describe, define, compare, contrast, explain, organize, classify, analyze, conclude). REVISION moves are deepened: stronger word-choice with Tier-2 substitutions (replace generic 'thing' or 'good' with precise nouns and adjectives), EXPANDING DETAILS (adding a fact, an example, or a sensory observation), and COMBINING SENTENCES with subordinating or coordinating conjunctions for variety. The 7-CRITERION PEER-EDITING RUBRIC is formally introduced in lesson 19: (1) introduction has hook + topic, (2) three body paragraphs with TDET, (3) transitions at paragraph openings, (4) two sources cited (paraphrase or quote), (5) subject-verb agreement consistent, (6) verb tense consistent, (7) conclusion restates and closes. Children practice the rubric on their own draft and then on a partner's draft. The term closes with the INFORMATION FAIR — a classroom-wide walkabout where each child presents their published informational essay alongside a visual figure (a diagram, photograph, or hand-drawn illustration with caption) and answers two questions from visitors.
Essential questions
- How does an informer (informational writer) make a topic clear, organized, and interesting to a reader — and what makes one essay easier to follow than another?
- What is the difference between PARAPHRASING (putting it in your own words) and QUOTING (using the source's exact words in quotation marks) — and when does each fit?
- Why does subject-verb agreement matter — and how does a writer keep it consistent when the subject and verb are separated by a long phrase?
- How does a writer KEEP THE SAME TENSE across a paragraph, and when does a tense shift actually help the reader?
- What does a transition word at the START of a paragraph do that you can't do inside a single sentence?
- How does varying sentence length (short / medium / long) help an informational paragraph land — and what does a short sentence do that a long one cannot?
- What does a strong peer editor of informational writing notice that a peer editor of narrative writing might not — and which of the 7 rubric criteria is the hardest to get right?
- How do two sources together teach you something neither source alone could — and how do you cite both honestly?
Enduring understandings
- An informational essay tells readers ABOUT a topic and has an introduction (hook + topic + roadmap), three structured body paragraphs (TOPIC SENTENCE + DETAIL + EXAMPLE + TRANSITION), and a conclusion (restate + so-what).
- Each body paragraph follows the TDET routine: a TOPIC SENTENCE names the paragraph's focus; a DETAIL gives a fact or observation; an EXAMPLE makes it concrete; a TRANSITION points to the next paragraph.
- Research means asking a question, gathering information from at least two sources, recording facts and paraphrases on note-cards, and sorting the notes into body-paragraph categories before drafting.
- Paraphrasing puts the source's idea in your OWN words (no quotation marks needed but the source must still be named); quoting uses the source's EXACT words inside quotation marks with attribution.
- Subject-verb agreement: singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs; a phrase between subject and verb does not change the subject; 'there is / there are' agrees with the noun that follows.
- Verb tense consistency: a paragraph generally uses ONE tense (past, present, or future); a deliberate shift signals a time-change for the reader, not a writer's mistake.
- Transition words at the START of a paragraph (FIRST, ALSO, ADDITIONALLY, IN CONTRAST, FINALLY) tell the reader what kind of move is coming — a sequence, an addition, a contrast, or a closing.
- Sentence variety (simple / compound / complex) is purposeful, not decorative — short sentences emphasize, complex sentences add nuance, compound sentences pair parallel facts.
- Dialogue mechanics from fall still apply when QUOTING a source in informational writing — quotation marks hug the exact words, comma separates attribution from quote, end punctuation goes inside the closing mark.
- Revision is a named, multi-step practice: stronger word choice (Tier-2 substitution), expanding details, combining sentences for variety, and checking transitions at every paragraph opening.
- Peer editing of informational writing uses a 7-criterion rubric; the peer editor is a reader, not a re-writer — the writer always picks up the pencil last.
Visual reference library 17 assets
MG-1
Illustration
Unit-opener: a Grade-3 writer at a research table with two open informational books, a stack of color-coded note-cards (Source 1 in blue, Source 2 in green), a 4-paragraph informational-essay planner laid out, a small bar graph cut from a magazine pinned to the corner, and a 'Topic: Honeybees' label on a post-it. Behind the table, a wall display shows the INTRO + BODY-BODY-BODY + CONCLUSION structure as 5 color-coded boxes. Style: warm watercolor, multicultural classroom, eye-level shot, dyslexic-friendly classroom labels visible.
MG-2
Chart
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Informational-essay 5-box anchor poster: five labeled boxes in a horizontal row — INTRODUCTION (blue, with hook + topic + roadmap icon), BODY 1 (yellow, with topic-sentence icon), BODY 2 (orange, with topic-sentence icon), BODY 3 (red, with topic-sentence icon), CONCLUSION (green, with restate + so-what icon). Below each box: a sentence-frame ('Did you know ___? ___ is ___.' / 'One important fact about ___ is ___.' / 'Another thing to know is ___.' / 'A third detail is ___.' / 'In conclusion, ___. So next time you ___.'). Print-ready 11x17, dyslexic-friendly font.
MG-3
Chart
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TDET body-paragraph anchor chart: a 4-band stacked card — TOPIC SENTENCE (purple, with a flag icon — 'this paragraph is about ___'), DETAIL (blue, with a magnifying glass — 'one fact or observation'), EXAMPLE (orange, with a star — 'a specific case, name, or number'), TRANSITION (green, with an arrow — 'pointing to the next paragraph'). Worked example shown below: 'Honeybees live in colonies of thousands of bees. (TOPIC) Each colony has one queen, many workers, and a few drones. (DETAIL) For example, a single honeybee colony can have between 20,000 and 80,000 bees in summer. (EXAMPLE) Inside the hive, every bee has a job. (TRANSITION to body 2 — jobs)' Print-ready 11x17.
MG-4
Chart
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Transition-words anchor chart organized BY FUNCTION: four colored quadrants — SEQUENCE (blue): first, second, next, then, after that, finally; ADDITION (yellow): also, additionally, in addition, furthermore, moreover; CONTRAST (red): however, in contrast, on the other hand, but, yet, although; CAUSE/CONCLUSION (green): therefore, as a result, for these reasons, in conclusion, so. Each transition word has a tiny icon and a sample sentence. Bottom rule: 'Transition words at the START OF A PARAGRAPH tell the reader what move is coming. Front transition + comma + capital first word of the rest.' Print-ready 11x17.
MG-5
Chart
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Research-process 4-step anchor poster: four numbered circles in a flow — 1. ASK (purple, with a question-mark icon: 'What do I want to know about ___?'), 2. FIND (blue, with a book + screen icon: 'Get information from at least 2 sources — print or digital'), 3. RECORD (orange, with a note-card icon: '3-column template — SOURCE / FACT / MY PARAPHRASE'), 4. SORT (green, with a folder icon: 'Group facts into body-paragraph categories'). Below: 'Paraphrase = MY words. Quote = SOURCE's exact words in quotation marks. ALWAYS name the source.' Print-ready 11x17.
MG-6
Chart
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3-column note-taking template (printable, 1 per source, 5 rows): COLUMN 1 SOURCE (blue band — 'Title, author, year, page or URL'), COLUMN 2 FACT (orange band — 'What the source SAYS (can include exact words)'), COLUMN 3 MY PARAPHRASE (green band — 'Put it in MY OWN WORDS, no copying'). At the top of the page: a checkbox 'Is this a PARAPHRASE or a QUOTE? If quote, mark with quotation marks.' Print-ready 8.5x11.
MG-7
Chart
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Paraphrase-vs-quote anchor chart: two side-by-side columns. LEFT COLUMN (green border) PARAPHRASE: 'Put it in YOUR words. No quotation marks. Still name the source.' Example: 'According to Sandra Markle, honeybees use a special dance to tell other bees where flowers are.' RIGHT COLUMN (orange border) QUOTE: 'Use the SOURCE's exact words. Put them in quotation marks. Name the source.' Example: 'Sandra Markle writes, "Honeybees do a special dance called the waggle dance."' Bottom rule: 'TWO PARAPHRASES per essay is the goal; ONE quote per essay maximum at G3.' Print-ready 11x17.
MG-8
Chart
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Subject-verb agreement anchor chart: two columns labeled SINGULAR (one of something) and PLURAL (more than one). Row 1: 'The bee BUZZES.' / 'The bees BUZZ.' Row 2: 'A worker IS busy.' / 'The workers ARE busy.' Row 3: 'There IS a queen in the hive.' / 'There ARE thousands of workers.' Row 4 (tricky — subject separated from verb): 'The queen, surrounded by workers, LAYS eggs.' (queen = singular, LAYS) Row 5 (collective noun): 'The colony WORKS together.' (treat colony as one unit, singular) / 'The bees of the colony WORK together.' (bees = plural, WORK) Bottom rule: 'Find the SUBJECT (who or what is doing). Match the verb to it. A phrase between subject and verb does NOT change the subject.' Print-ready 11x17.
MG-9
Chart
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Verb tense consistency anchor chart: three rows (PAST / PRESENT / FUTURE) and three columns (singular subject / plural subject / sample sentence). Row 1 PAST: 'The bee BUZZED.' / 'The bees BUZZED.' / 'Yesterday I observed honeybees in my grandmother's garden.' Row 2 PRESENT: 'The bee BUZZES.' / 'The bees BUZZ.' / 'Honeybees live in colonies of thousands.' Row 3 FUTURE: 'The bee WILL BUZZ.' / 'The bees WILL BUZZ.' / 'Tomorrow we will read more about hive structure.' Bottom rule: 'A paragraph should generally use ONE tense. If you must shift, the shift must mark a real time-change (yesterday → today → tomorrow).' Print-ready 11x17.
MG-10
Chart
Researcher's-workshop status-of-the-class wall chart (spring): a 6-column grid RESEARCH | ORGANIZE | DRAFT | REVISE | PEER-EDIT | PUBLISH. Each child has a magnetic name-tile that they move into the column matching their current stage at the start of each workshop block. RESEARCH replaces fall's PLAN; ORGANIZE replaces fall's REHEARSE — reflecting the shift to informational. Each column has a 1-sentence definition and a tiny icon. Print-ready 18x24.
MG-11
Video
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3:20-minute model of a Grade-3 writer working through one researcher's-workshop block: child holds a question card ('How do honeybees communicate?'), opens two sources (one Sandra Markle book + one teacher-curated kid-friendly website printout), fills the 3-column template, color-codes which facts go into which body paragraph, then drafts a topic sentence using the TDET frame. Voiceover narration explains the metacognitive moves. Multicultural child voice. Caption track on.
MG-12
Video
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2:50-minute peer-edit model using the 7-criterion rubric on a Grade-3 informational draft: timestamped overlays at each criterion (0:00 INTRO HAS HOOK + TOPIC, 0:25 THREE BODY PARAGRAPHS WITH TDET, 0:50 TRANSITIONS AT PARAGRAPH OPENINGS, 1:15 TWO SOURCES CITED, 1:40 SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT, 2:05 VERB TENSE CONSISTENCY, 2:30 CONCLUSION RESTATES + CLOSES). Real-feel classroom; both children visibly use the MG-13 rubric check-off sheet.
MG-13
Chart
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7-criterion peer-editing rubric check-off sheet (print-ready 8.5x11, one per peer-edit cycle): 1. INTRODUCTION HAS HOOK + TOPIC. 2. THREE BODY PARAGRAPHS WITH TDET (topic-sentence + detail + example + transition). 3. TRANSITION WORDS AT PARAGRAPH OPENINGS. 4. TWO SOURCES CITED (paraphrase or quote, each with source name). 5. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT CONSISTENT. 6. VERB TENSE CONSISTENT (one tense per paragraph). 7. CONCLUSION RESTATES BIG IDEA + CLOSES WITH A SO-WHAT. Each criterion has a checkbox (yes / partly / no), a notes line, and a one-sentence quote/example space.
MG-14
Chart
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Topic-sentence builder anchor chart: three lines on a stacked card — 'My topic is ___.' 'One important thing to know about ___ is ___.' 'In this paragraph I will tell you about ___.' Print-ready 8.5x11, with 5 worked examples in the lower half from sample G3 essays on honeybees, the moon landing, knitting, octopuses, and the Underground Railroad.
MG-15
Chart
Source-card system: visual reference of the recommended setup — a 4x6 index card per source, color-coded (Source 1 = blue index card; Source 2 = green index card). Top of each card: TITLE / AUTHOR / YEAR / SOURCE TYPE (book / website / encyclopedia). Lower half: 3-4 lines for paraphrased facts with checkbox 'paraphrase' or 'quote'. Each card sits in a 2-slot card holder on the child's desk during the research arc. Print-ready 4x6 catalog photo for materials reference.
MG-16
Chart
Information Fair planning poster: a 3-section card showing the LAYOUT each child uses for the Fair — TOP LEFT: published essay (4-6 paragraphs); TOP RIGHT: a hand-drawn or printed FIGURE (diagram, photo, or chart) with a caption written in the child's hand below it; BOTTOM: a 'two visitor questions' note-card with space for the child to record questions actually asked and their answers. Each child gets a small tri-fold display board. Print-ready 11x17 planning template.
MG-17
Chart
Revision-moves anchor (Grade-3 spring expansion from fall): 1. STRONGER WORD CHOICE (Tier-2 substitution — replace 'thing' with a precise noun, 'good' with a precise adjective). 2. EXPAND THE DETAIL (add a fact, a number, an example, or a sensory observation). 3. COMBINE WITH SUBORDINATING OR COORDINATING CONJUNCTION (variety). 4. CHECK SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT. 5. CHECK VERB TENSE CONSISTENCY. 6. ADD A TRANSITION AT THE PARAGRAPH OPENING. 7. NAME THE SOURCE for any fact you got from research. Each move has a 1-line definition, a worked example, and a green-pencil margin annotation phrase. Print-ready 11x17.
Lessons (22)
Skills (18)
- Use process and academic abstract nouns (L.3.1.c extended) G3
- Use simple, compound, and complex sentences purposefully for emphasis, contrast, and pacing (L.3.1.i) G3
- Apply subject-verb agreement (L.3.1.f) including tricky cases G3
- Use transition words at paragraph openings to signal discourse moves G3
- Maintain verb tense consistency across a paragraph (L.3.1.e) G3
- Maintain full dialogue mechanics (L.3.2.c) and apply them to embedded quotations in informational writing G3
- Read, write, and spell HFW Set 8 (next 25 high-frequency academic words) G3
- Recognize and use Latin/Greek roots scrib/script (write), dict (say/speak), vis (see), spect (look) G3
- Recognize and use prefixes inter- ('between, among'), pre- ('before'), dis- ('not, opposite of'), and mis- ('wrongly') G3
- Acquire and use Tier-2 Set 8: process and academic verbs (research, paraphrase, summarize, classify, etc.) G3
- Generate and maintain a personal-expertise inventory as a topic bank for informational writing G3
- Plan, research, draft, revise, peer-edit, and publish a 4-6 paragraph informational essay G3
- Compose an informational introduction (hook + topic + roadmap) and a strong conclusion (restate + so-what) G3
- Apply the 7-criterion peer-editing rubric for informational writing G3
- Apply the Grade-3 spring revision menu (7 named moves) G3
- Compose a body paragraph using the TOPIC SENTENCE + DETAIL + EXAMPLE + TRANSITION (TDET) routine G3
Assessments (5)
- Summative With Self Reflection week 18 90 min covers 18 skills
- Formative Summative Mix week 9 45 min covers 7 skills
- Formative weeks 10 12 14 17 10 min covers 2 skills
- Formative Observation week 10 and week 18 15 min covers 1 skill
- Assessment As Learning week 18 during publishing 20 min covers 1 skill
Standards alignment
Pedagogical anchors
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The Writing Revolution / Hochman Method — single-paragraph outline (SPO) for expository writing, topic-sentence + detail + example structure, conjunction-driven sentence stretching with 'because', 'but', 'so', and 'although'
SPO-for-informational-body-paragraph routine taught explicitly in lessons 3, 6, 9, 12, 15; topic-sentence-builder drills in lessons 3 and 6; sentence-stretching with because/but/so/although applied to factual sentences in lessons 8 and 11; multiple-paragraph outline (MPO) introduced as scaffold for the 4-paragraph informational essay in lesson 9
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Lucy Calkins' Units of Study — Writing All-About Books and Information Books (Grade 3 Bend I-III: gathering, organizing into chapters/sections, revising for clarity)
Informational-essay arc across lessons 1-3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 22; expert-topic launch in lesson 1; table-of-contents/section planner in lesson 3; revision-for-clarity-and-precision in lessons 15 and 18; end-of-unit publication and Information Fair in lesson 22
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Handwriting Without Tears — Grade 3 cursive consolidation (full lowercase set + uppercase introduction) plus continued single-line print fluency
Cursive lowercase maintenance from fall in lessons 1 and 13; cursive uppercase introduction in lesson 16 (A, B, C, D forms — magic-c family extended); cursive in spiral_review_plan daily; final published informational essay may be in print or cursive at child's choice
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Beck & McKeown 'Bringing Words to Life' — three-encounter Tier-2 vocabulary with informational-flavored academic-precision words and content/process vocabulary
Tier-2 Set 8 launches in lessons 4, 10, 14, 17 with content/process academic words (research, evidence, source, paraphrase, summarize, describe, define, compare, contrast, explain, organize, classify, analyze, conclude)
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Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, Johnston 'Words Their Way' — syllables-and-affixes sort routines for prefixes (inter-, pre-, dis-, mis-) and Latin/Greek roots (scrib/script, dict, vis, spect)
Affix and root-word sorts in lessons 16, 17, 19; word-relationship maps in lessons 17 and 19; root-meaning detective routine extended from fall in lessons 16 and 19
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Graves & Graves 'Building a Rich Vocabulary' / Beck academic-language framework — explicit instruction in process verbs (research, paraphrase, summarize, classify) as both metacognitive labels AND content words
Process-verb routine in lessons 4, 10, 14 — children name what they are DOING (research, paraphrase, summarize) and use the verb in writing about their work
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Strickland & Stahl — distributed retrieval for HFW automaticity
HFW Set 8 spaced rotation across all 18 weeks per spiral_review_plan; daily 5-minute retrieval routine
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Routman 'Writing Essentials' and Atwell 'In the Middle' — workshop format extended with researcher's-workshop variant for source-gathering and note-taking sessions
Researcher's-workshop format launched lesson 6; status-of-the-class with INFORMATIONAL stages (RESEARCH, ORGANIZE, DRAFT, REVISE, PEER-EDIT, PUBLISH); 7-criterion peer-editing rubric introduced in lesson 19
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Duke & Bennett-Armistead 'Reading and Writing Informational Text in the Primary Grades' — text-structure-of-informational-writing framework (description, sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution)
Five text-structures taught explicitly in lessons 5, 8, 11; description and compare/contrast structures get full lesson treatment (lessons 5 and 8); transition-words anchor chart organized BY text-structure
Depth bar
CCSS by formally teaching the 4-6 paragraph INFORMATIONAL ESSAY with introduction, three structured body paragraphs (TOPIC SENTENCE + DETAIL + EXAMPLE + TRANSITION), and conclusion (W.4.2 entry expectation), by introducing the TWO-SOURCE RESEARCH PROCESS with paraphrasing-vs-quoting distinction and three-column note-taking (W.4.7/W.4.8 entry expectation), by introducing the PEER-EDITING RUBRIC with 7 explicit criteria (W.4.5 entry expectation), and by teaching INTER-PARAGRAPH TRANSITION WORDS (first, also, additionally, in contrast, finally) as a discourse-level move (Y4 NC stretch)