Writing a long-term project at Naples
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| Naples Elementary fourth graders show off their "Flat Stanleys." |
The famous writer, Willa Cather said, “Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen.” At Naples school, the teachers believe this quote to be true and they strive to create purpose with their writing assignments while encouraging students to be creative, descriptive, and precise.
Writing starts in kindergarten and excels throughout all the grades.
In kindergarten, the students create personal books entitled “A Year in Writing."
Monthly, the students write about their learning activities and special events. At the beginning of the year, writing their name and a simple sentence is an accomplishment.
With daily writing practice in journals and class books, these kindergarteners’ writing continues to improve. This month of April, Mrs. Macdonald said, “My students are writing two to three sentences with confidence.”
They will take their books home at the end of the school year.
In first grade, the writing continues with enthusiasm.
First graders start the school year with journal pages containing four lines and they increase to pages containing 12 lines. They write about things that are important to them and what they are learning in school.
Four to six times a year, the students select one of their journal stories to publish into a book. Mrs. Lemley helps with editing and revising skills. Then the stories are ready to type on the computer.
Students create book covers and illustrations for their books. They plan a special day for an Author’s Tea where they have an opportunity to share their books with friends and family.
In second grade, these new writers are ready to expand their horizons with multiple genres of writing.
They learn to write interviews, letters, posters, stories, reports, book reviews, science diagrams, journals, and poetry. Mrs. Hampton said, “Second graders are becoming proficient writers while expanding their confidence and enjoyment of writing.”
In third grade, students use the writing process (brainstorm, write, edit, revise, and publish), writing traits, and language skills throughout the curriculum. Students continue to focus on using these skills while developing creative stories, poems, research projects, and letters. They can then capture an original perspective in their writing.
Mrs. Doolin commented, “Students form ideas with an understanding that writing makes sense. As we know, writing leads to active learning.”
Fourth grade continues to develop writing skills while adding challenging and motivating topics. These students participate in the Flat Stanley Project that started in 1995. It is meant to facilitate letter-writing.
The students begin by reading the book “Flat Stanley." They create paper Flat Stanleys, and they mail him along with a letter to a friend or family member who is asked to treat Stanley as a visiting guest and to write about his adventures.
Flat Stanley usually returns with photos from his visit. Students plot Flat Stanley’s travels on a map and then share the contents of the returned letters with the class.
Over the years Mr. Alverez’s Flat Stanleys have traveled from Sandpoint to Saudi Arabia, and have visited three Presidents.
In Miss Omodt’s fifth grade, students continue to write in their daily journals. They publish their works in either cursive or type on the computer.
Their biggest yearly project is the U.S. State reports where each student does research on their chosen state’s history, landmarks, and climate. They also create a map and flag.
The project concludes with students giving oral presentations. Fifth graders also write biographies about famous black Americans during Black History Month.
Recently, they researched the tragic sinking of the Titanic. Students picked a passenger from the Titanic and wrote a letter as if they were the passenger describing his or her experience on the Titanic.
In closing, we would like to share this wonderful poem written by Marcus from Mrs. Hampton’s second grade class: