Write On
Writer’s Workshop is now in full swing in PYP. Led by Lisa Woods, a trainer with
over 20 years of experience, all class and Portuguese teachers have participated in
seven weeks of after-school training and team teaching in class. Seizing students’
enthusiasm and guiding them through ways of recording ideas, we have focused on
planning and drafting, revising, editing, and publishing to create a real buzz for
writing. We are examining the traits of writing: ideas, organization, voice, word
choice, sentence fluency, conventions and presentation.
Regularly meeting with each writer enables the teacher to provide individual
guidance to help every student progress. When patterns are found in student needs
such as common difficulties in spelling and writing conventions they are addressed
as mini lessons. Then the students are able to apply these strategies to their own
writing.
We are working hard to build a culture of writing in the primary school where
students both love to write and understand the impact of writing. They see that
mastering the technical skills required to communicate their ideas to a specific
audience has powerful effects. For example, last week Year 6 wrote and presented
persuasive arguments which convinced me that a fieldtrip would be the best way for
them to extend their present inquiry.
To help our students become proficient writers we are practising skills in class
every day. These skills can also be reinforced at home during the holiday. Children
need to write daily. This helps them organize their ideas and construct words in
context rather then just memorizing their spelling. Children also need to read daily.
As they read they see how sentences are structured, meet a wealth of vocabulary
and are exposed to standard spelling.
Developing our writing is a life-long process that takes dedication, encouragement
and support. It is an essential tool which enables learners to frame their thoughts
and share them with others so they can be confident and considerate
communicators.
Carolyne Marshall
Primary Principal
Please look at the following documents to learn more about learning language:
IB PYP Language scope and sequence
A Speller’s Bill of Rights by Sandra Wilde:
www-tc.pbs.org/teacherline/courses/rdla165/docs/c4s1_4billofrights.pdf