Curriculum - Writing
 

Writing


Overview Statement

The vision of Walla Walla Public Schools is to have centers of learning which meet the writing instructional needs of all students. In partnership with the community, we are committed to excellence in personalized learning which challenges and supports all students in becoming effective writers.

Below is the link to the district’s Strategic Plan for the Instruction of Writing, 2005-2008. It speaks to the need to create a safe and nurturing learning environment and to ensure a rigorous program of student that builds a connection between writing and the “real world” for students in preschool through grade 12.

Strategic Plans and OSPI Links

OSPI Links:

Instructional Resources

Elementary, middle and high school writing committees are currently meeting to align writing instruction from pre-school through Grade 12. They also are looking at all of the instructional resources currently used in the district. A partial list includes: Six Trait +1, Jane Schaeffer, Structure and Style, 4-Square, Step Up to Writing, High Performance Writing, Adventures in Language, and Reasoning and Writing.

Writing Committees

K-5 Writing Leaders have set goals for the 2006-07 school year. They are sharing each of the Six Traits (Ideas and Content, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions) with fellow elementary teachers this year. They are creating a common writing vocabulary for elementary schools; evaluating the handwriting curriculum and developing district guidelines; evaluating instructional practices; and focusing professional development on effective writing instructional practices. Students in grades K-5 are being assessed three times this year, and committee members are using data from those assessments to evaluate instruction and make decisions on alternative instructional practices. Committee members also are revising the writing sections of elementary report cards to make sure they accurately reflect classroom instruction.

Middle School Writing Leaders (see list below) are meeting regularly throughout the year. Their work includes alignment of writing practices with the GLEs; developing a master list of instructional materials for possible purchase; piloting a Grade 6 common writing assessment; completing a timeline for work in the 2007-08 school year; and making recommendations for purchase of instructional materials.

The Wa-Hi Writing Committee includes writing instructors and teachers from each of the content areas. This year, the Core Committee (writing instructors) created a Writing GLE survey to identify modes of writing across all high school content areas (math, social studies, etc.) and members plan to offer mini lessons on writing for each high school department. Ninth grade English teaches have been working on a pilot writing assessment and scoring rubric during their Wednesday Late Start collaboration times. Later in the year, three content area teachers will be sent to a Six Trait Writing training so that they can become “experts” in content writing and mentor their colleagues.

Six Trait + 1 Presentations (powerpoint)
Newsletters 

April 2006 Pen Pals Newsletter

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