Writing

1. Writing Lucy Calkins Program

2. The Writing Workshop • 4 times per week • Consistent structure: mini-lesson, guided practice and conferencing • Writer’s notebooks: school and home • Reading/writing connection

3. Writing GenrePersonal Narrative • Children at this age write best about what they know • 1 unit of personal narrative, essay unit from a personal perspective and realistic fiction based on personal experience • We will also be introducing more expository and opinion based writing

4. Strategies for Generating Writing • Think of a person who is important to you. • Think of a place that matters to you. • Think of an object and let that object spark a memory. • Then create the “movie” of that small moment and play it over and over. • Storytelling is an important component

5. Qualities That Make Writing Great! • Tell a seed story, not a “watermelon” story. • Include true, exact details. • Tell the story step by step. • Develop strong leads and endings. • Write so your reader gets a picture in his/her head.

6. Writing Across the Curriculum • Literature response • Science and Social Studies reflective writing • Write Math

7. Ways You Can Help • Storytell with your child • Highlight experiences that could be good seed ideas • When reading together, help your child notice elements of the writing that they might try in their own writing • Join us for Author’s Celebrations