Writing
Overview
We strongly believe that writing is critical for the development of effective communication, language development, and the development of critical thinking skills. Your student will write for a variety of purposes and audiences in all subject areas.
In the writing program at Murdoch, which contains elements of the John Collins program model, students use five different kinds of writing. You will likely hear about these Five Types of Writing from your student (and you will notice the posters prominently displayed around our building), so I wanted to explain them in this letter.
Type One writing is the type we use simply to get ideas down on paper. It is not a composition, but rather a “quick write” to generate ideas, express an opinion, make a prediction, or reflect on an event. Teachers will not be assessing Type One writing for spelling or writing conventions. Teachers will assess it basically to ensure that your student completed it; this type of writing, when done frequently, contributes to writing fluency, overall learning, and language development.
Type Two writing is also a quick write. With Type Two writing, your student will be answering a specific question about something he/she is learning about in class. In evaluating Type Two writing, teachers will be judging only the content of the writing—not the conventions. Type Two also contributes significantly to your student’s writing fluency.
Type Three and Type Four writing are compositions done to produce ideas and develop specific writing skills. With Type Three and Four writing, teachers will use a strategy called focus correcting. Focus correcting is based on the belief that writing improves more quickly when students work to improve a few skills at a time. You will know what the focus correction areas are on any writing project your student does because they will be listed at the top of the paper. On Type Three and Type Four writing, teachers will be evaluating only the focus correction areas. This strategy keeps students focused on key aspects of writing and avoids giving too much negative feedback.
Students will also do some Type Five writing. Type Five writing is writing that is revised and edited to be as free as possible of all types of errors. This type of publishable writing requires multiple drafts and a variety of feedback.
You can help at home in several ways. First, encourage your student to write as frequently as possible about a wide range of topics. Second, be aware of the Five Types of Writing your student does at school. Remember that all writing does not have to be perfect and free of errors to be of value to your child’s language development. Third, as always, enrourage your student’s writing efforts. Talk about your student’s writing and ask that it be read out loud (a strategy that will be used in class) as a way of checking it.
If you have any questions about our writing program, please don’t hesitate to contact your student's Humanities teacher.
All School Writing
As a part of our effort to help students become better writers, all students will participate in All School Writing three times throughout the year. The students each write an expository essay, which is then assessed for content and standard English conventions. This writing piece directly corresponds to our work towards Goal 1 of our accountability plan, "All students at Murdoch Middle School will become proficient readers and writers of the English language."
In the writing program at Murdoch, which contains elements of the John Collins program model, students use five different kinds of writing. You will likely hear about these Five Types of Writing from your student (and you will notice the posters prominently displayed around our building), so I wanted to explain them in this letter.
Type One writing is the type we use simply to get ideas down on paper. It is not a composition, but rather a “quick write” to generate ideas, express an opinion, make a prediction, or reflect on an event. Teachers will not be assessing Type One writing for spelling or writing conventions. Teachers will assess it basically to ensure that your student completed it; this type of writing, when done frequently, contributes to writing fluency, overall learning, and language development.
Type Two writing is also a quick write. With Type Two writing, your student will be answering a specific question about something he/she is learning about in class. In evaluating Type Two writing, teachers will be judging only the content of the writing—not the conventions. Type Two also contributes significantly to your student’s writing fluency.
Type Three and Type Four writing are compositions done to produce ideas and develop specific writing skills. With Type Three and Four writing, teachers will use a strategy called focus correcting. Focus correcting is based on the belief that writing improves more quickly when students work to improve a few skills at a time. You will know what the focus correction areas are on any writing project your student does because they will be listed at the top of the paper. On Type Three and Type Four writing, teachers will be evaluating only the focus correction areas. This strategy keeps students focused on key aspects of writing and avoids giving too much negative feedback.
Students will also do some Type Five writing. Type Five writing is writing that is revised and edited to be as free as possible of all types of errors. This type of publishable writing requires multiple drafts and a variety of feedback.
You can help at home in several ways. First, encourage your student to write as frequently as possible about a wide range of topics. Second, be aware of the Five Types of Writing your student does at school. Remember that all writing does not have to be perfect and free of errors to be of value to your child’s language development. Third, as always, enrourage your student’s writing efforts. Talk about your student’s writing and ask that it be read out loud (a strategy that will be used in class) as a way of checking it.
If you have any questions about our writing program, please don’t hesitate to contact your student's Humanities teacher.
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More About Focus Correction Areas (FCAs)
Focus correcting is a selective approach to correcting student writing. When teachers focus correct, the select one, two or three critical areas and correct only for those areas. Teachers can select any area for focus correction, from capitalization to the use of details. They can also select areas for an individual, a group, or the whole class. Students do best when they have clear targets and are held explicitly accountable. The use of FCAs in an integrated writing program can enable students to be more successful. Categories of FCAs
1. Selective, manageable approach to correcting student writing 2. Emphasis on clearly specified writing criteria 3. Develops individual writing style 4. Promotes content and critical thinking skills 5. Improves organizational skills Below are several examples of focus correction areas that apply to writing in any subject area, not just language arts. Use of a clear topic sentence and a strong conclusion Explain ideas with sufficient/relevant details Use content specific vocabulary Vary sentence beginnings/lengths Use end marks and commas correctly Include graphic illustrations with labels |
All School Writing
As a part of our effort to help students become better writers, all students will participate in All School Writing three times throughout the year. The students each write an expository essay, which is then assessed for content and standard English conventions. This writing piece directly corresponds to our work towards Goal 1 of our accountability plan, "All students at Murdoch Middle School will become proficient readers and writers of the English language."
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