Being a Writer
The Writing Program:
The writing program supports and extends the strategies taught in the Shared Reading program, and relies on real literature to model writing and highlight techniques used by published authors. I work with the whole class to model the practices, skills, and strategies proficient writers use to express themselves and communicate in a variety of genres. Students then work independently or in small groups to reinforce and extend what they've learned.
Each unit of the writing program focuses on a single genre of writing, for example, narrative writing. Throughout the program, students use the writing process to generate ideas or topics to write about, plan their writing, write drafts, revise, edit, and publish their work. They have frequent opportunities to work together to practice what they've learned and to share their writing.
The Narrative Writing Diamond
Students were introduced to the Writing Diamond as a “road map” for writing a narrative story in third grade. This is a very useful tool for young writers which we will continue to use in fourth grade. It gives their stories structure and enables them to comfortably move through their writing. Students will create “Entertaining Beginnings”, “Describe the Setting or Character”, “Build Suspense”, write “The Main Event” (The main part of the story, stretching it out frame-by-frame), and create a “Satisfying Ending”. You can find the outline for "TheNarrative Writing Diamond" as a link on my main menu.