On Hand: Easel or white board, marker, two or more fat cookbooks (optional)

Mini-lesson: Model the process of focusing a topic.   For example, I might tell students that I have a special interest in cooking, but cooking is much too large a topic. (I might even show them a couple of my big fat cookbooks to emphasize my point.) So, I brainstorm smaller, more focused topics and record them on the board:

Cooking

My favorite way to cook an egg

Comparing my nonstick pan to my cast iron pan

Tips for making a better piecrust

Experimenting with sandwiches

Vegetarian night

I tell students that today, during Quiet 10 (pp. 8, 36-38), I'm going to choose "experimenting with sandwiches," and circle it on my list. Before students leave the rug I ask, "What are you going to focus on today?" If a child chooses a too-big topic (my birthday party), I help him or her focus by saying, "What was the most exciting part of your birthday party?" or "Of all the things that happened at your party, what would interest a reader most?" When the student tells me, I say: "Write about that."

During conferences ask students to tell you the focus of their piece.

Day 2:

On Hand: Your writing on a focused topic

Mini-lesson: Share a paragraph or two of the writing you accomplished yesterday. Ask student to use the techniques of pointing and questioning (pp. 42-46) to help you continue your piece.

Day 3:

On Hand: A mentor text that has an easily recognizable, tight focus, for example: Bats Love the Night by Nicola Davies for informational writing, Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins for narrative, Red is Best  by Kathy Stinson, for opinion.

Mini-lesson: Remind students that authors often do their best writing when they choose focused, manageable topics. Point out the focus of your mentor text. For example, you might say: "Nicola Davies didn't try to teach us all the animal facts she knows, or even everything she knows about bats.  Instead, she focused her book on pipistrelles, and then only tells us what they do at night."

Day 4:

On Hand: Two mentor texts on the same subject. For example, Bats Love the Night and Where are the Night Animals? by Mary Ann Fraser; Rosie's Walk and The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) by Philomene Sturgis; Red is Best and The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli. (If you brought in a couple of cookbooks on day 1, you may have two good examples of focus to share.)

Mini-Lesson: Compare the focus of the two books. Point out that the two authors chose similar subjects (animals, stories about hens, opinions about what is best), but different focuses.

After you've discussed focus, take a moment to examine the titles. Share with students that authors often choose titles that tell readers their focus. Say, "Today, you might want to write a title that tells the reader your focus."

Finally, point out the capital letters at the beginning of all (or most) of the words in the title.

While conferencing, determine whether your students can come up with a title that indicates the focus of their piece. Are they using capital letters in the title?

Day 5:

On Hand: The piece you've been writing since Day 1. Add a sentence or two that pulls your piece off focus. For example, if writing about sandwiches, I might include this extraneous information:

My favorite bread for sandwiches is multi-grain or sourdough. My favorite color is yellow. I have lots of yellow sweaters. I even have a pair of yellow shoes. Once I've chosen the bread, I choose ingredients for my sandwiches that I've never combined before.

Mini-Lesson: Read your writing aloud. (Or, if possible, project your writing.) Tell students that often you record information that really doesn't belong with your particular focus. Ask them to listen while you read your piece for any information that pulls the reader off track. When students recognize the irrelevent sentence(s), cross them off.   Encourage them to read their own work for any information that doesn't belong.

During conferences, high-five any students who have crossed out unnecessary information.