Language

The focus in writing is to produce a variety of quality works (short story books, poetry collections, essays, technical procedures, journal narratives, persuasive arguments, etc.) through the processes commonly used by published authors (and in some cases illustrators).  Students will have the opportunity to edit and provide constructive feedback (which they will be taught how to do) using the work of their peers and other published works.  Many of the final drafts will be completed on the computer to further refine their typing and Word/PowerPoint skills. 

Past projects (for 4^th and 5^th) have included: essays on prejudice, freedom, fairness, success, etc., fractured fairytale stories (with photograph illustrations), short graphic novels (wordless story), how-to manuals, various poetry formats combined into a collection, class Important book (everyone writes a page), theme/fable stories (based on a lesson learned and illustrated by student), historical event reports (why do we study/what was the impact or implications from it), various genre short stories (that students illustrate), thinking and learning journals in math and science, and many others.