Valley Forge 6 th Grade Writing Framework and the Writer’s Workshop

We believe…

Everyone has the capacity to write, writing can be taught, and teachers can help students become better writers. – NCTE Writing is purposeful: Writing is thinking. Sometimes you are learning to write; other times, you are writing to learn. Writing is a process influenced by: Students and Teachers Writing is developmental and will look different for each writer. Writing Experiences and Pedagogy Writing requires student choice, effective modeling, structured opportunities, and meaningful feedback. Culture and Environment Writing requires a nurturing environment that challenges students to take risks, reflect, and revise.

Students are expected to: Write daily in their notebook at school. “Find” topics for their notebook writing from their life, from reading, and from natural curiosity. Students are expected to make decisions about their writing topics on a daily basis. Try strategies from the mini-lesson before continuing with their own work for the day Fold over any entry they deem too personal to share with the teacher. Respect the integrity of the notebook by taking care of it, valuing its contents and the contents of others. Practice what they know about grammar and conventional spelling. Entries must be legible. Discover how writing can enrich their lives.

*Provide time each day for students to write. *Teach writing strategies as ways to discover writing topics. *Confer with students to help nudge their thinking and writing when students get stuck. *Teach a mini-lesson each day to teach students how to be better writers. *Have my own notebook in class on a daily basis. I will share some of my writing throughout the year to establish that I, too, am a writer. *Respect the folded entries. *Teach rules of spelling and grammar that will enhance student writing. *Recognize that the notebook is a place to practice new conventions and words and to master conventions and words students already know. *Discover how my life is enriched by the writing of each student. Students can depend on the teacher to:

Content of our mini lessons and conferences will be a(n)… *Strategy: how to go about doing something in writing. Share it with a reader and have them tell it back to you. Did the story make sense when someone retold it. *Understanding: know about how writing happens. How are we doing it? *Techniques: are all the things writer know how to do with text to make the writing good. Mechanical options to help convey the thought. *Questions: lines of thinking that are useful for writers to follow. What have I read that is like what I am trying to write? *Conventions: ways to expect things, ways that written text or grammatical constructions are generally formed. Capitals, indenting paragraphs, etc.

6 th Grade English Curriculum Units of Study

Focus for September: Launching the Writer’s Notebook **Write your child a little note if you wish before you leave.

Writer’s Notebook Rubric

The Modes of Writing Narrative Informational Persuasive

Personal Narrative – 1 st Quarter Memoir – 6 th Grade

Informational Writing 2 nd Quarter 6 th Grade – How-To Cross Curriculum: SDL SDL kickoff - January

Persuasive Writing 3rd Quarter

Imagine a place…Rubric ___/25 Writer_______________ Editors _______________ and __________________ 1.___ Similes 2.___ Metaphors 3.___ Use of AND to make compound phrases and ideas 4.___ Personification 5.___ Alliteration 6.___ Use of the five senses 7.___ Repetition 8.___ 5 verses 9.___ Same first line 10.___ Show not tell (rich details, paint a picture) 11.___ 3 thoughts per stanza 12.___ No caps 13.___ Use of ellipsis 14.___ Rich text 15.___ Onomatopoeia

4th Quarter: Meet the Author unit of study

Daily Sentencing Sacred Writing Time Oral Report (1 student per day beginning in November) Poetry Recitation (1 student per day beginning in December) Mini-lesson on Writer’s Craft

Each student should schedule a conference with the teacher bi-weekly. WOW – each student should be collecting new vocabulary words Spelling – Review individual “troublesome” words Writing Sparks – occasional home writing activities

I am looking forward to a great school year. Thank you for coming.

Celeste Sparano English Room