WRITER'S WORKSHOP AND STEM

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Writer’s Workshop & STEM program is a program designed for students entering grades 4 in the Fall. Students will apply concepts of writing to craft creative writing pieces. Writer’s Workshop students review grammar, sentence formation, paragraph construction, and editing strategies to increase their writing fluency and written communication skills with a strong focus on furthering developing their writing voice. In addition, the STEM part of the program will give students an opportunity to exercise their critical thinking skills through problem solving using project-based learning.

WHAT HAPPENS IN CLASS

This program is structured to allow for simple, predictable transitions from STEM to play to Reading and Writing. Students will engage in project-based learning STEM activities geared to incite curiosity and innovative thinking. The afternoon will include lunch, group play, swimming and Reading and Writing Workshop. The Writer's workshop will include a daily warm-up writing prompt in order to develop writing stamina and prepare students for the work ahead.Students should expect to:

9:00-11:00 AM: Students will begin each day working collaboratively with a partner/ partners on a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math based practical project that are fun yet challenging. Students will be required to write age appropriate science research questions and solutions.

11:00-12:00 PM: Lunch and Recess (Swimming 3xs per week Monday, Wednesday & Friday)

12:00-2:00 PM: In the afternoon students will focus on regular 1:1 writing conferences with the teacher in order to set and develop strategies to achieve individualized writing goals and to reflect upon writing achievements. Participate in regular small group writing/grammar strategy sessions throughout the 2 weeks.

Independent Work

Students should expect to participate in class in order to practice and develop their Spanish. Students will spend 60 minutes on independent work each week. It is crucial that students keep up with this work and come prepared for class each day.

Throughout the 2 weeks, students will work on different tasks in class. Students will also have different formative assessments as indicators of their progress in the course.

TEACHER FEEDBACK

Since students will complete their writing in class using a writing journal, there will be many opportunities for the teacher to provide informal feedback. The teacher will conference individually and in small groups with students regularly; providing oral feedback and some informal written notes on their work. Students will submit their final draft and receive detailed, formal written feedback from their teacher. By the end of the course, students will revise their work and engage in self-reflection regarding their writing pieces.