Date: Fri 06-Feb-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: MICHEL

Quick Words:

schools-writing-initiative

Full Text:

Initiative Brings Continuity To The Quest For Writing Skills

(with cuts)

BY MICHELE HOGAN

Newtown Public Schools has received $30,000 in a Goals 2000 federal grant

aimed at improving student writing and reading from grades K-12. Tom Murphy of

the State Board of Education said that Newtown's grant proposal was one of the

most highly rated grant applications.

The grant extends the work begun in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 years and aims to

join reading and writing in a comprehensive language arts curriculum

stretching from kindergarten to twelfth grade.

Jacky McMahon, first grade teacher at Sandy Hook School, said that studying

writing development over a student's school career rather than just one or two

grades is illuminating.

Good writing is more than just knowing how to spell, more than using good

grammar, and more than coming up with exciting story ideas. Stories will have

more impact if written a certain way, and students can learn to recognize and

apply a variety of literary patterns to their original ideas, according to Mrs

McMahon.

Mrs McMahon wrote that the children in her class read the collection of books

by children's author Eric Carle. Then they decided to apply some of the ideas

and patterns found in Eric Carle's books to their own work.

The teacher said that the children wanted their book to teach people

something, just like Eric Carle's books do. She said that they had been

learning about different types of weather, so they thought they could apply

their new knowledge to their writing project.

The class brainstormed to come up with different kinds of weather and

corresponding animal characters.

They then decided that each page should include one original and one "pattern

sentence" which they then wrote together. Tyler Edwards and Taylor Ansbro,

first graders, wrote about their cat liking to sleep in the sun with the

incorporated pattern sentence, "What kind of weather do you like best?"

Next they were off to the computer lab to type their sentences and then back

to their desks to make tissue-paper artwork for their page.

Mrs McMahon said that the kids loved making their own book and are very proud

of it.

The writing initiative brings teachers of all grade levels together to

coordinate increasingly sophisticated and complex writing projects

incorporating what has been learned in earlier grades .

Fourth and fifth graders learn to recognize tone and foreshadowing in novels,

such as Polar Express , which they can then use to spice up their own stories.

Fiction is only one source for written material.

Reading and writing is used in every curriculum area, just as it is used in

almost every career.

Fourth graders at Sandy Hook School studied writing patterns used in travel

brochures. Then they applied that writing pattern to brochures they made about

various cities in Australia.

Middle Grades

Nancy Martin, a teacher at Newtown Middle School, has been involved with the

writing initiative since 1995 and has a particular interest in writing across

curriculum areas.

She said that since the writing initiative started, she has seen improvement

in student writing in science, social studies, mathematics and music.

She said that "kids are more comfortable with writing, and getting their

voices on paper" in many different subjects.

High School

The juniors in Jeanetta Miller's English class at NHS were very comfortable

presenting unfinished work for others to critique.

In a writing group, one junior said, "I'm bored with my poem. It rambles. It

sounds like a mad grandmother going on and on. I need some structure, some

form for it."

Students listened to the poem, then discussed whether the poem would fall into

an eight or ten syllable line more easily. One student asked, "Do you want it

to rhyme?" Another said, "I think an a,b,a,b rhyme could make it too jingly,

but a,b,b,a, might work."

The writing initiative grant allows teachers time and opportunity to examine

five main areas of writing: the writing process, technical merit of writing,

range and versatility of writing, self-direction in writing, and reflection.

Besides the writing skills, Mrs Miller said that the students' attitude to

writing is very important for their continued learning. She said that "if we

make writing a chore in school, then we run the risk of making a generation of

non-writers."

In an eleventh grade honors English class, Johanna Francis read her poem

"Journey," a reflection on a Georgia O'Keeffe painting called "The Black

Cross," to a small group of students gathered around the table.

Someone in her group commented on the powerful effect created by avoiding the

word "cross" yet constantly alluding to it. The student critic said "it's like

you won't quite touch it."

The student author confirmed that she had purposefully refused to say the word

"cross." She seemed pleased that this subtle literary effect worked.

She then agreed with a peer who commented that the title didn't tell her

enough about the poem, and the group started working on a new title.

Their teacher, Mrs Miller, said this process of reflection on writing becomes

internalized to the point, she hopes, that the students no longer need her

around.

Mrs Miller said, "These kids have the humility to listen and respond."

She also pointed out the importance of balance in literary education. She said

she wants students "to know the classics and also allow them to make personal

connections with reading and writing, in a variety of forms. We want them to

become literate people. That balance, that's what we're looking for all the

time."

How it Started

The Writing Initiative started in December of 1994, when Robert Kuklis was

hired as Assistant Superintendent of Schools.

The need for curriculum coherency from first through twelfth grade was

identified early on, and by April of 1995, a decision was made to start with

the teaching of writing.

A core group of eight teachers was selected and now approximately half of the

teachers in Newtown have attended at least one Writing Initiative workshop or

have been involved with an action research team in their school.

Each school focuses on a different topic related to writing, which they then

research and recommend curriculum improvements as a result.

Dr Kuklis said that now, the initiative has "touched almost everyone,"

teachers and students alike. He noted that with the new grant, teachers

involved in studying the reading curriculum and those involved with the

writing initiative will be working together to continuously improve the

curriculum.

Fifty parents took part in a writing initiative workshop last spring, and Dr

Kuklis plans to make more workshops available to parents this spring.