WRITING POLICY STATEMENTS

ALDERWOOD ELEMENTARY

Policy Statement Development

                Goal   To develop . . . . .

                                Values   We value . . . . .

                                                Objectives   Teachers will develop students who . . . . .

·         What is it that teacher needs to understand?

·            What is it that the student need to know?

·         How will we assess?

·         How will we evaluate?

Goal

At Alderwood our goal is to develop competent, confident life-long writers who are motivated to use the writing process independently.

 

 

Values

We value writers who:

·         Communicate meaningfully

·         See the connection between their writing and their reading

·         Use standard conventions including punctuation, handwriting and spelling to show respect for the reader

·         Use writing process independently and responsibly

·         Are motivated and enjoy writing

·         Write using a variety of genre for specific purposes and audiences to communicate a message

 

Objectives

 

1.        At this school, teachers will develop students who take responsibility for preparing their writing for an audience by using standard conventions.

2.        At this school, teachers will develop students who understand the connection between reading and writing as they create meaning.

3.        At this school, teachers will develop students who use the writing process independently.

4.        At the school, teachers will develop students who understand how writers write for a variety of purposes and audiences.

5.        At this school, teachers will develop students who understand how writers write using a variety genre.

 

 

Broad Guidelines

               

·         Students have draft books that house their pieces and show progress over time

·         Teachers maintain monitoring notes about student writing, use of the writing process, student responses, and observations

·         Teachers demonstrate writing daily

·         Students show evidence of daily writing

·         “I am learning to/I can” documents student control of conventions

·         Teachers make decisions about instructional approaches  and groupings based upon student needs for writing

·         Teachers use district spelling list and district adopted method for handwriting (currently D’Nealian)

·         Students use the library/media center to support writing/research

 

 

 

Objective 1: At this school, teachers will develop students who take responsibility for preparing their writing for an audience by using standard conventions.

 

What is it that the teacher needs to understand?

 

·         Children progress through stages of spelling development

·         Spelling words come from children’s writing, district word list  and other sources

·         There are spelling patterns and exceptions to spelling patterns

·         Approximations found in draft books can be used as an assessment to evaluate the conventions that the child needs to know next.

·         Editing conference is an opportunity to explicitly teach conventions

·         Students need to be held accountable/responsible for correct use of learned conventions

·         Students need to proofread their writing for learned conventions in spelling and punctuation (use I am learning to/I can)

·         Students learn conventions through teacher demonstrations in both reading and writing

·         Different conventions apply to different genres and forms

·         The conventions for each grade level listed in the State Writing Framework and the Alderwood Convention Continuum

·         Students need to be explicitly taught the formation of letters according to the district adopted form

·         Student’s work is published with correct conventions

 

What is it that the student will need to know?

 

·         Standardized conventions help readers

·         Students are accountable for taught conventions

·         Students are responsible to proofread independently using IL/IC before teacher editing

·         Spelling patterns and exceptions to spelling patterns

·         Students need to know how to use the available resources to assist with standard conventions.  Example:  Dictionary, Thesaurus, Writer’s Guide

·         Different conventions apply to different genres and forms

·         There are strategies for learning how to spell that students need to use

·         There is a correct way to form letters

·         Work is published with correct conventions

 

 

 

Evaluation Questions: 

·         What consistent patterns in the use of conventions are found in students’ approximations?

·         What evidence of student proofreading is found in their writing?

·         Are students writing in a variety of genres that require specific conventions?

·         Is there evidence of student use of correct conventions?

·         What approximations of conventions use are being applied in student writing across the curriculum?

·         What spelling patterns are consistent in student writing?

·         Is there evidence of learned words being spelled correctly in student writing?

·         Are students practicing spelling, letter formation, and use of resources?

·         Is there evidence of correct formation of letters?

 

 

 

 

Assessment Tools:

 

·         Draft Books

·         Teacher Observational Notes

·         Teacher Planning notes showing student grouping for instruction of conventions

·         Math Journals or Reading Response Journals

·         District Writing Assessment for Conventions

·         State 4^th Grade Assessment: Washington Assessment for Student Learning

 

 

 

Objective 2: At this school teachers will develop students who understand the connection between reading and writing as they create meaning.

 

What is it that the teacher needs to understand?

 

·         There is an integral connection between reading and writing.

·         A variety of resources/genres should be modeled and available as examples for the writing/reading connection.

·         Writing behaviors may influence reading behaviors, reading behaviors may influence writing behaviors.

 

What is it that the students will need to know?

 

·         Writers write to communicate ideas (meaning) to their reader (audience).

·         Writers use models of genres, text forms and features as resources for their writing.

 

Evaluation Questions:

 

·         Does the child write in a variety of genres appropriate to their audience?

·         Does the child use models of genre as resources for their writing?

·         Is there evidence of previously read genres in their writing?

 

Assessment Tools:

 

·         Draft Books

·         Student responses gathered during conferences

·         Teacher Observation/Teacher monitoring notes

·         Published work

 

 

 

Objective 3: At this school teachers will develop students who use the writing process independently.

 

What is it that the teacher needs to understand?

 

·         The writing process is the tool that we use as writers to communicate clearly.

·         There are phases of the writing process: forming intentions, drafting, revising, proofreading/editing, publishing, and sharing.

·         There is a continuum of writing development

·         The writing process is recursive

·         Students need to see and hear many models of writing

·         There are different kinds of conferences at each phase of the writing process (revision conferences, editing conferences, etc.)

·         The focus of the writing conferences is to deepen the writer’s understanding of the writing process.

·         The Six Trait model is an embedded too for students to analyze the effectiveness of their writing and set goals for improvement

·         Students writing is assessed and evaluated to plan for whole group, small group, or individual instruction (teaching/learning cycle)

·         Daily demonstrations to teach specific skills within each phase of the writing process

·         Students need to write for their own purposes as well as to teacher prompts.

 

What is it that the student will need to know?

 

·         Writers use a process that is recursive

·         The phases of the writing process include forming intentions, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, publishing, and sharing

·         The Six Traits are used in order to analyze the effectiveness of their writing and to set goals for its improvement.

·         Writers ask themselves questions at each phase of the writing process

·         Effective writing is a life-long skill

 

 

Evaluation Questions:

 

·         Is there evidence that the student is using each phase of the writing process?

·         Are students able to articulate/show new learning after a writing demonstration or conference?

·         Are students using Six Traits to evaluate writing?

 

Assessment Tools:

 

·         Draft books

·         Observation/monitoring notes

·         Six Trait analysis

·         Student responses

·         Published work

 

 

 

Objective 4:  At this school, teachers will develop students who understand how to write for a variety of purposes and audiences.

 

What is it that the teacher needs to understand?

 

·         Writing demonstrations are opportunities to model the selection of audience purpose and form

·         Use the writing demonstration to model clarity of meaning for intended purpose and audience

·         Instruction is guided by assessing student understanding of audience and purpose

 

What is it that the students will need to know?

 

·         Writers use the writing process to clarify meaning out of respect for their audience (reader)

·         Writers write for a variety of purposes to a variety of audiences

·         Writers use their purpose to determine the plan and form to be used

·         Writers evaluate their pieces by receiving feedback from their audience

 

Evaluation Questions:

 

·         Are students using the plan that best supports their purpose?

·         Is there evidence of the student revising for clarity, meaning and use of appropriate text out of respect for their audience?

·         Are students getting their piece to their intended audience?

·         Is there evidence that the writer writes for a variety of purposes to a variety of audiences?

·         Can the writer identify the purpose?

·         Can the writer identify the audience?

 

Assessment Tools:

 

·         Draft book

·         Students responses gathered during conferences

·         Audience feedback

·         Published work

 

 

Objective 5: At this school, teachers will develop students who understand how to write using a variety of genres.

 

What is it that the teacher needs to understand?

·         Writing demonstrations need to include a variety of genres

·         There are appropriate forms for specific purposes and audiences

·         Teachers are responsible for modeling the genre and forms of specific text features as found in the State Writing Frameworks

·         Specific forms and genres can be used as resources for student writing

 

What is it that the students will need to know?

 

·         Writing can be categorized into genres

·         There are a variety of forms within genres

·         There are specific text features of forms

·         Specific genres, forms and text features can be used for resources for their own writing

 

Evaluation Questions:

 

·         Is there evidence of the writer using a variety of genres?

·         Is there evidence of the writer using different forms correctly?

·         Is there evidence of the writer using correct text features specific to the form/genre?

 

Assessment Tools:

 

·         Draft book

·         Students responses gathered during conferences

·         Observation/monitoring notes

·         Published work

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography (in our professional library)

·         Dancing With the Pen

·         The Whole Story

·         Inside the Learning Network Schools

·         Reading For Life

·         Text Features and Forms (State doc.)

·         State E.A.L.R.

·         State Writing Frameworks

 

 

 

GLOSSARY

 

Write to:

 

I Am Learning To/ I Can:

 

Genre:

 

Mode:

 

Conventions:

 

EALRs:

 

Draft Book:

 

TAP:

 

Six Traits

 

 

APPENDIX

 

A – Teaching Learning Cycle

 

B – Writing Process

 

C – Six Traits