Writing
Primary Grades 3B, 4, and 5
What an exciting year we will have in writing. This year students will develop a writing portfolio based on the seven traits of writing: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Conventions and Presentation. We will use picture books to motivate and inspire our writing projects. This year, instead of merely journal writing, we will develop a home/HSA connection based on journaling, weekly convention tune ups, and mini-assignments. These weekly steps will become part of the writing portfolio. We will complete four major projects - one each marking period - and several special projects.
Expect a weekly Writing Wrap-Up to keep parents updated on HSA work, homework and quarterly assignments. We will keep our binder/portfolio at HSA for safe keeping, but add to it every week with the Writing Connection work that will be sent home in a separate writing folder (I will supply this folder.) The work will come back to HSA weekly to be reviewed then filed in the portfolio. I am hopeful that you will witness an incredible development in your child's writing as you compare work in September with work in May. It will all be compiled in one place and organized into sections that will certainly showcase a whole year of hard work and creativity. We will have a sharing day once each quarter when each student presents a piece of writing from their portfolio during HSA class time.
Supplies needed:
3 ring binder (suggested size 1")
Not too big or too small, but select anything you like. It can be fancy, plain, have a unicorn on the cover or maybe stripes. Just make it special for YOU. This binder will fill up with a year's worth of writing samples, homework assignments, and communication between HSA and home.
Package of tab dividers
Most packages have five, which is what we need. They can be write on, plastic with insert labels, plain, fancy or anything you like.
Write your child's name on the front cover of the binder in sharpie just in case we have 3 puppy binders and 4 red and 6 black!
Marbled cover composition notebook
This style of journal should cost .50. Please, no spiral notebooks or "fancy" journals... just a regular old composition notebook.
Literature per grade-
Grade 3B- Please purchase a copy of The Courage of Sarah Noble, by Alice Dalgliesh. The cost for this book is $5.50.
Grade 4- Please purchase a copy of A Cricket in Times Square, by George Seldon. The cost for this book is $5.75.
Grade 5- Please purchase a copy of The All of a Kind Family, by Sydney Taylor (cost- $5.50) and Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare (cost- $6.25).
Please bring the literature specific to your grade with you the first day of class along with your other supplies. If you prefer, you can bring the money for the literature piece to the first class and your teacher will purchase it. **ALL money is due the first day of class!
Meet the Teacher
Primary 3B, 4, and 5
Suzanne Glann
Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, I taught preschool and first grade in Denver, Colorado. We moved to New York twenty-six years ago and I pursued my graduate education at SUNY Brockport, studying Elementary Education. My husband and I have six children - two are grown, three are teens, and one just entered his double digits. For the past seven years, I have been involved in a variety of home school co ops in the Rochester area, creating and teaching classes for children of all ages. When I’m not in the car, driving my children to jobs and activities, I enjoy spending time with my 3 dogs, my birds, gardening, and cooking.
EXPECTATIONS:
This writing/literature class is designed to enhance what is already being taught in your home-school program. With limited time each week, we want to focus more on the skill & technique rather than the mechanics of writing.
Students are expected to come to class with a basic understanding of grammar appropriate for their grade level. The fifth grade constants (the things that are expected to be correct in every piece of work turned in) are as follows:
Fifth Grade Five Constants (5/5)
- Students will write complete sentences with correct capitalization, appropriate ending punctuation and verb agreement.
- Students will not use contractions, “you”, numerals, or text language in their written work.
- Students will use a variety of sentences in their work.
- All work will be double spaced whether typed or hand written. Handwritten paper must be legible.
- For most assignments, a paragraph should be five to seven sentences long.