Lesson plan Grade 6 English Language Arts
Word Choice in Tarnside's Drought Notice: A Grade 6 Lesson
A grade 6 ELA lesson comparing two drafts of a fictional town's drought notice, so students see how vague and precise word choices change what readers actually do.
Objectives
- Students will identify vague words in an informational notice and name what a reader cannot tell from them.
- Students will explain how a change in word choice changes the action a reader is likely to take.
- Students will revise a vague paragraph into a precise notice using specific days, amounts, and actions.
Vocabulary
- Reservoir
- A human-made lake, usually created by a dam, that stores water for later. Reservoirs supply cities and farms and help control floods.
Also: vague, precise, notice, restriction
Teacher overview
A town in a dry summer has to write a notice that people will act on, and small differences in wording decide whether anyone changes what they do. This lesson sets two drafts of the same drought notice from the fictional Tarnside Water District side by side, one written with soft, general wording and one written with specific days, amounts, and consequences. The misconception worth naming for students is the belief that longer or more formal words make writing more precise. In this scenario the plainer draft is the precise one, because precision comes from naming the day, the amount, and the action rather than from vocabulary that sounds official.
Procedure
Hook (5 min): Post two directions for the same task: "Clean up your area soon" and "Put every chair on a desk before the bell." Ask students which one they could follow without asking a question, and record their reason in one phrase on the board.
Comparing the drafts (10 min): Distribute the handout. Students read Draft 1 and Draft 2 of the Tarnside notice. In the margin of Draft 1, they mark every word or phrase that leaves them unsure what to do. In the margin of Draft 2, they mark the words that answer those same questions.
Modeling word choice (10 min): Build a three-column chart on the board with the headings Vague word, Precise replacement, and What the reader can now do. Model the first row with the class using "cut back some" and "water only on Tuesday and Saturday before nine in the morning." Think aloud about why the second version tells a reader exactly when to turn on a sprinkler, and add a second row for "the reservoir is low" and its replacement.
Guided practice (10 min): In pairs, students copy the chart onto the back of their handout, add three more rows, and answer items 1 through 4. Circulate and ask pairs to read the two versions aloud and say what a neighbor would do differently after each.
Formative check (3 min): Read four short phrases aloud, two vague and two precise: "as soon as possible," "from time to time," "every Friday," and "before nine in the morning." Have students signal thumbs up for precise and thumbs down for vague. If more than five students miss the phrase "as soon as possible," stop and add it as a new row of the chart with the class.
Independent writing (10 min): Students answer item 5 and then revise the third paragraph in item 6, replacing every vague phrase with a specific day, amount, or action while keeping the meaning the notice intends.
Closure (2 min): Ask two students to read the original paragraph and their revision back to back so the class can hear the difference in a single pair of readings.
Student Handout
Both drafts below were written for the same fictional town of Tarnside during a dry summer. Read them carefully, then answer the questions.
Draft 1 of the Tarnside drought notice
Because of recent conditions, the reservoir is somewhat low, and the situation may become more serious. We ask residents to please try to cut back some on outdoor watering when they can. Being careful with water is appreciated. Residents who continue heavy watering may hear from the district. We hope to update everyone soon.
Draft 2 of the Tarnside drought notice
Tarnside Reservoir now holds enough water for about 40 days at the rate the town is using it. Until the reservoir refills, outdoor watering is allowed only on Tuesday and Saturday, before nine in the morning. Washing a car at home and filling a private pool are not allowed during that time. A first violation brings a written warning, and a second brings a fee on the next water bill. The district will publish a new reservoir number every Friday.
Paragraph to revise for item 6
The district would also like people to keep an eye on their indoor water use, since a fair amount of water can be lost inside a home without anyone noticing. Please check things from time to time and fix anything that seems wrong. More information about this may be available later.
- Copy two words or phrases from Draft 1 that leave a reader unsure of what to do. Explain what each one fails to tell the reader.
- Copy the sentence from Draft 2 that tells a reader exactly when outdoor watering is allowed.
- Draft 1 says the reservoir is "somewhat low." What does Draft 2 say instead, and why does that wording help a reader more?
- Draft 1 says residents "may hear from the district." Draft 2 names two consequences. Write both, and explain how naming them changes what a reader expects.
- Draft 1 uses the words "ask" and "hope." Draft 2 uses "is allowed only" and "are not allowed." Explain how that change affects whether a reader treats the notice as a request or a rule.
- Rewrite the paragraph to revise so that every vague phrase becomes specific. Name at least one thing to check, one way to check it, and one date. Keep the paragraph to four sentences or fewer.
From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.
Answer Key
- Answer: Answers will vary. Accept any two of "somewhat low," "may become more serious," "cut back some," "when they can," "may hear from the district," or "soon," each paired with what it fails to tell the reader, such as how low the reservoir is or how much to cut back.
- Answer: The sentence stating that outdoor watering is allowed only on Tuesday and Saturday, before nine in the morning. It names the days and the hour, so a reader needs no further explanation.
- Answer: Draft 2 says the reservoir holds enough water for about 40 days at the current rate.
A number of days lets a reader judge how serious the shortage is, while "somewhat low" could mean almost anything. - Answer: A written warning for a first violation and a fee on the next water bill for a second.
Naming the consequences tells a reader what will actually happen, so the notice reads as a rule with a result rather than as a warning that might mean nothing. - Answer: The verbs in Draft 2 state a limit rather than a wish, so a reader treats the notice as a rule to follow. Accept any answer noting that "ask" and "hope" leave the choice with the reader while "allowed" and "not allowed" do not.
- Answer: Answers will vary. A proficient revision names a specific thing to check, such as a toilet or a sink faucet, a specific way to check it, such as reading the water meter before and after two hours with no water use, and a specific date, such as the end of the month. Look for the removal of "a fair amount," "from time to time," "seems wrong," and "may be available later."
Differentiation
Support
Give these students the chart with the vague column already filled in, so their work is to supply the precise replacement. Provide a bank of specific replacements for item 6, including a meter reading, a toilet dye test, and a named date, and let them choose which to use.
Extension
Ask students to write the two-sentence version of Draft 2 that would fit on a road sign, then explain in one sentence which precise detail they kept and which they cut, and why a driver needs the one they kept.
ELL supports
Pre-teach "vague," "precise," "reservoir," and "violation" with paired examples from classroom life, such as "come back later" against "come back at ten." Allow students to answer items 1 through 4 by copying phrases and adding a short explanation, and provide the sentence frame "This phrase does not tell the reader ___."