Write! Foundations and Models for Proficiency Series
The second part of the workbook focuses on models of different forms of writing. Each workbook covers several different types, but the main writing models studied include descriptions, personal narratives, fictional narratives, opinions, research reports, summaries, instructions, persuasion, and expository essays. Each ten page lesson covers one style of writing and begins by clearly describing its purpose and providing a sample selection. Writing tips provide direction on the different components of a form of writing and helpful advice for writing successfully. Different graphic organizers are introduced for each type of writing to help students organize their thoughts and plan their writing. On the last few pages of the lesson children learn about using scoring rubrics. First they study four selections, already scored 1-4, and analyze the writing by reading the teacher comments on the selection and fixing the errors. Then they are provided with the rubric used to grade those selections, which clearly outlines the guidelines for awarding grades. Children then use this rubric to grade four selections on their own, assigning a score and writing their reasons for this score on the space provided. This work with rubrics serves to emphasize the expectations for a piece of writing and helps children identify the crucial elements of writing. Finally, students are given a prompt and guidelines for writing their own draft. The teacher's guide contains a checklist for each type of writing so the student can review their writing for the important elements. The Models unit also wraps up with several writing tests that are similar to what a child might see on an exam. Each test has a different writing prompt and gives children tips to keep in mind as they begin writing.
Each workbook has a corresponding teacher's guide that contains tips on using the workbooks, a suggested schedule, additional graphic organizers and writing prompts, answers to the student exercises, student checklists for the different types of writing, wordlists, and a summary of the research upon which this program is based.
These workbooks are not reproducible. However, there are student response books where your children can write their answers to the various activities, edit the different writing selections, and write the answers to the tests. There is a separate student response book for both the foundations and models unit in workbooks C through H. These student response books are handy as they keep your child from having to write directly in the workbooks so you can use them for all your children! The workbooks are designed for book A to be started in grade 1 and book H to be used in grade 8. However, the workbooks progress in such a fashion that your children may work ahead at a faster pace. ~ Steph