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Upper Elementary & Junior High - Writing
Learning to write well enables your child to better appreciate and understand what others have written and to develop confidence in communicating his own ideas. Good writing and strong communication skills are essential to all levels of education – kindergarten to college and beyond. From the earliest stages, children need to learn the process of writing and practice applying it. Our goal is to foster increased understanding, logical thinking and the joy of self-expression throughout the writing program.
During the writing process your child will be taught how to form an argument, organize ideas, gather evidence, and get straight to the point. He will hone his ability to identify, clarify, structure, and prove his ideas. In doing so, he will learn how to think and will internalize the proper thinking methods essential throughout his life.
These thinking and communication skills are not limited to language arts, but applied across the curriculum in varied forms, including reports in science, speeches in history, essays in literature, and problem solutions in mathematics.
The following is a sample of writing assignments our students complete in grades four to eight.
As their skills develop, students move toward increased independence and challenge in their writing.
- Handwriting skills (cursive)
- Dictation (short paragraphs)
- Written book reviews (from summary to analysis, evaluation, and comparison)
- Paragraph writing (narrative, descriptive, persuasive, expository)
- Letters (business, friendly, thank-you, polite request)
- Short stories, dramatic scenes, and poetry
- Journal entries and learning logs
- Research reports (from 3 - 4 page reports written with instructor's assistance in grade four, to 8 – 10 page term papers written independently in grade eight).
Emphasis is placed on:
- Locating relevant information
- Note-taking skills (paraphrase/summarize)
- Developing an outline to organize notes
- Creating a rough a draft
- Integrating quotes effectively
- Editing for clarity and coherence
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