When we teach children to read, we give them decoding skills to use. When we teach children science, we give them to scientific method. When we teach mathematics, we give them skills and drill specific facts, and yet We provide little skill instruction for writing, but expect results. Why don’t we teach a strategy for writing? Judith S. Gould, co-creator of 4-Square Writing Method

Based on the writing program of Judith and Evan Gould

What is 4-Square Writing? Four-square writing is a method of teaching basic writing skills that is applicable across grade levels and curriculum areas. It can be applied for the narrative, descriptive, expository and persuasive forms of writing. Prewriting and organizational skills are taught through the use of a graphic organizer. This visual and kinesthetic aid is employed to focus writing, to provide detail and to enhance word choice. The visual organizers help students to conceptualize, understand, and structure a piece of writing successfully. It can be used to teach concepts in reading or other subject areas as well.

Guidelines Four-square instruction should be done weekly to bi- weekly. It should be accompanied by other writing activities. Ex. Journal Writing, learning logs It is recommended to use the same prompt repeatedly when introducing the steps because the familiarity will aid instruction. It is important for students to understand the relationship of ideas as demonstrated in the four square format before moving to paragraphs.

Prepare the graphic organizer. First fold your paper into 4 squares.

Start Kindergarteners with 4-Square by categorizing pictures Pets

Move on to first grade by categorizing words Zoo Lion Elephant Giraffe Camel

Bump it up by mid-year by adding a closing sentence! Zoo Lion Giraffe Elephant I like going to the zoo to see the animals.

Here’s How it Works… Writing Prompt and Task: Everyone has a fond memory of a special birthday. Think about a birthday that stood out among all the others. Write about your favorite birthday.

I will never forget my sixth birthday. Begin with one well written sentence placed in a box in the center. This will become the topic sentence.

I will never forget my sixth birthday. Add three supporting sentences The fourth box should be a feeling sentence that sums up the other three. All sentences should support the main topic in the center. My grandmother threw me a surprise party. My parents gave me a wonderful gift. My friends and I went to the zoo. It was the best birthday ever.

I will never forget my sixth birthday. Now add a detail in each box to tell more about the supporting sentence. My grandmother threw me a surprise party. My parents gave me a wonderful gift. My friends and I went to the zoo. It was the best birthday ever. She baked my favorite chocolate fudge cake. They surprised me with a golden retriever puppy. We rode the elephants.

From the graphic organizer to the lined paper for a strong paragraph……….. I will never forget my sixth birthday. My grandmother threw me a surprise party. She baked my favorite chocolate fudge cake. My parents gave me a wonderful gift. They surprised me with a golden retriever puppy. My friends and I went to the zoo. We rode the elephants. It was the best birthday ever.

I will never forget my sixth birthday. My Grandmother threw a party, my parents gave me a great gift and I went to the zoo with my friends. Now add three details in each box to tell more about the supporting sentence. My grandmother threw me a surprise party. My parents gave me a wonderful gift. My friends and I went to the zoo. It was the best birthday ever. favorite cake tons of presents exciting games golden retriever named Goldie best friend elephant ride walked for miles rode train

Again from the graphic organizer to the lined paper……….. I will never forget my sixth birthday. My grandmother threw me a surprise party. She baked my favorite chocolate fudge cake. I got tons of presents. We had such fun playing exciting games. My parents gave me a wonderful gift. They surprised me with a golden retriever puppy. I named her Goldie. She is my best friend today.My friends and I went to the zoo. We rode the elephants. The zoo was so large we walked for miles. Finally we gave up and rode the train. It was the best birthday ever.

My grandmother threw me a surprise party. My parents gave me a wonderful gift. My friends and I went to the zoo. It was the best birthday ever. favorite cake tons of presents exciting games golden retriever named Goldie best friend elephant ride walked for miles rode train Early in the day,After lunch, Later, Indeed, Adding a transition word to each box will help the text to flow. I will never forget my sixth birthday. My Grandmother threw a party, my parents gave me a great gift and I went to the zoo with my friends.

I will never forget my sixth birthday. Early in the day, my grandmother threw me a surprise party. She baked my favorite chocolate fudge cake. I got tons of presents. We had such fun playing exciting games. After lunch, my parents gave me a wonderful gift. They surprised me with a golden retriever puppy. I named her Goldie. She is my best friend today. Later, my friends and I went to the zoo. We rode the elephants. The zoo was so large we walked for miles. Finally we gave up and rode the train. Indeed, It was the best birthday ever.

Where does CAT strategy fit?

Context – Assertion - Thesis Context – Assertion – Center of 4-square; the topic sentence; prepares the reader Thesis – Goes in the boxes; “chunky” ideas; elaborate with details

My grandmother threw me a surprise party. My parents gave me a wonderful gift. My friends and I went to the zoo. It was the best birthday ever. Assertion Thesis I will never forget my sixth birthday.

Improving the First Paragraph Use a hook (context) to grab reader’s attention Use the topic sentence (assertion) to prepare the reader for what the main focus of the paragraph will be. Include the two or three thesis statements (“chunky ideas”) to let the reader know what to expect in the rest of the piece.

On to the essay…... Getting a year older may be bad for some, but I will never forget my sixth birthday. My grandmother threw a party, my parents gave me a great gift, and went to the zoo with my friends. It was a very special day for me. Context Assertion Thesis

Getting a year older may be bad for some, but I will never forget my sixth birthday. My grandmother threw a party, my parents gave me a great gift, and went to the zoo with my friends. It was a very special day for me. Early in the day, my grandmother threw me a surprise party. She baked my favorite chocolate fudge cake. I got tons of presents. We had such fun playing exciting games. After lunch, my parents gave me a wonderful gift. They surprised me with a golden retriever puppy. I named her Goldie. She is my best friend today. Later, my friends and I went to the zoo. We rode the elephants. The zoo was so large we walked for miles. Finally we gave up and rode the train. Indeed, It was the best birthday ever.

Improving the Final Paragraph (summary) Wrap-up Sentence with a Transition Personal/Feeling Sentence, Question or Exclamation(closing with a punch!)

Getting a year older may be bad for some, but I will never forget my sixth birthday. My grandmother threw a party, my parents gave me a great gift, and went to the zoo with my friends. It was a very special day for me. Early in the day, my grandmother threw me a surprise party. She baked my favorite chocolate fudge cake. I got tons of presents. We had such fun playing exciting games. After lunch, my parents gave me a wonderful gift. They surprised me with a golden retriever puppy. I named her Goldie. She is my best friend today. Later, my friends and I went to the zoo. We rode the elephants. The zoo was so large we walked for miles. Finally we gave up and rode the train. Indeed, it was the best birthday ever. The wonderful surprises from my family and friends will stay with me forever.

Instruction When moving from the information from the four square to the multiple essay, use a rote lesson by:  The whole class builds a four square.  Build the story one sentence at a time.  As the composition is built one sentence at a time, students copy it down.  During this time, the teacher integrates rules of composition.

A rose by any other name…. Rote instruction Live scoring Score together Immediate feedback “Shared Pen”

Four Square in the Writing Process Four-square is not the writing process, it is a way to organize thoughts. PrewritingBrainstorm for ideas relating to the prompt. Organize thoughts using four-square or other method. DraftingRough draft RevisingARMS or other revision method to improve content EditingCUPS or other editing method to fix spelling, punctuation, capitalization errors. PublishingPut it to the paper

Revising with ARMS to make writing stronger  Add details  Remove ideas that don’t make sense  Move ideas around  Stronger words (synonyms)

Editing with CUPS  Capitalize correctly  Use correct verb forms  Punctuate correctly  Spell correctly.

Remember this is a slow process. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Closing thought… Louisa May Alcott's father (Amos) said..."The more a man writes, the more he can write!" Restated…The more a child writes, the more he/she can write. What is needed for our students to be good writers? Practice, practice, practice—every day!

Resources for Writing Write On Teaching 4-Square Writing in First Grade Writing Fix—Home of Interactive Writing Prompts Mrs. Meacham’s Writing Workshop