|
Writing at Pleasant Hill
Last year, teachers at Pleasant Hill initiated a PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) process in order to improve writing skills for students at all grade levels at Pleasant Hill. They studied the 6 Traits Writing program and decided it would provide a common language to help improve writing across all grade levels. This year (2008-09), they are beginning to implement 6 Traits throughout the grade levels, and will have Fall, Winter and Spring writing samples to evaluate writing progress.
What is PDSA?
PDSA is a continuous improvement process used by the District to collect and analyze specific data to determine improvement priorities, make decisions about what goals they want to achieve, and continuously measure progress toward achievement of those goals. PDSA is used throughout Pleasant Hill's School Improvement Plan to address ways to improve education at Pleasant Hill. The PDSA writing plan is a living document, in that it is changing all the time as goals are assessed and modifications made. An example of the PDSA plan is available here, but parents are welcome to stop in the school office to view the most "up-to-date" version of the writing PDSA plan.
What is 6 Traits Writing?
The 6 Traits Writing program focuses on six key aspects in learning to write:
-
Idea Development
Understanding the focus and details of a good idea provides the foundation for your writing.
-
Organization
Organization provides the structure, or blueprint, of your writing.
-
Voice
Your voice brings your personality and style to your writing.
-
Conventions
Spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, etc.
-
Sentence Fluency
A variety of beginnings and connections add fluency to your writing.
-
Word Choice
Word choice makes your writing more interesting, precise and effective.
The 6 Traits Writing program can be applied at any grade level in a way appropriate for that grade.
What can parents do to support 6 Traits Writing at home?
By learning about the 6 Traits Writing program, you can support your children's learning by using the common language of 6 Traits. For example, when your child brings home writing work that shows their unique voice, praise them saying, "I can really hear your voice in that piece." Not every piece of writing will, or is designed to, have all 6 Traits. Understanding and supporting their writing progess helps your child to become a more confident writer.
As always, talk to your teacher about ways you can help your child improve their writing!
|
||||||||||||