Hannah Brown Four Square Writing Strategy to Improve the Development and Organization of Paragraphs in Third Grade

Why Development and Organization Paragraphs? Conferencing with my host teacher Poor Writing Skills School Wide-Shown By Test Scores Fairview Elementary School is working together to increase writing scores. Observing and using questioning methods with my students

The Guiding Question Will the use of the four square writing strategy help improve the development and organization of each student in the third grade’s writing? By the end of my research period, my students will be able to write a fully developed and organized paragraph on a given topic.

School and Classroom Fairview Elementary School 153 Students from Grades Pre-K-third Fairview tested third and fourth grade last year 3 rd Grade Classroom 23 students- nine boys and fourteen girls All are Caucasian Variety of learning styles-most prevalent are visual, kinesthetic, and auditory Different literacy skills are always taking place throughout the day

Teaching Strategy Implementation of a graphic organizer called four square writing to help students with the development and organization of their paragraphs. “The Four Square is an elaborate prewriting organizational tool. Four Square helps the writer’s thoughts and prepares them for drafting the composition.” –Gould (1999) Perchance by using the Four Square graphic organizer in the classroom, my students’ writing will significantly improve.

Pre-Assessment Students Grade Out of 12 Points pts 12 pts – 0 11 pts – 0 10 pts – 3 9 pts – 1 8 pts – 2 7 pts – 7 6 pts – 6 5 pts – 1 4 pts – pts – 0 *No Four Square Used

Post-Assessment Students Grade Out of 12 Points (pts) 12 pts – 5 11 pts – 5 10 pts – 5 9 pts – 3 8 pts – 4 7 pts – 1 6 and below – 0

Students Grade Out of 12 points (pts) 12 pts – 1 11 pts – 1 10 pts – 7 9 pts – 2 8 pts – 6 7 pts – 3 6 pts – 1 5 pts – – 0

Students Grade Out of 12 Points (pts) 12 pts – 3 11 pts – 3 10 pts – 6 9 pts – 4 8 pts – 3 7 pts – 1 6 pts – pts – 0

Randomly Selected Student

Conclusion Overall, I believe that the Four Square strategy works well when looking to get your students’ paragraphs developed and organized. I think if I had more time with my class I would’ve been able to help them understand the concept a little better, rather than just over a span of two weeks.

What I Learned At times when you use a strategy over and over students get tired of it, and that turns into them not giving you their best work. Always record your data when you try different strategies in your classroom. This will help you remember what worked and what didn’t with your students.

Acknowledgements Fairmont State University – School of Education Fairview Elementary School Faculty and Staff 1 st Placement Teacher Lacey Parker/PDS Coordinator 2 nd Placement Teacher Andrea Price Dr. Raol – Liaison