Committee
Name: Writing
Purpose:
1.
Plan ways to improve writing instruction, especially at the 4th
grade level;
2.
Explore more efficient ways of completing and scoring writing portfolios;
3.
Integrate open-response and on-demand questions into the curriculum.
Date
of Meeting: Nov.
9, 2004
Starting
Time: 2:45
PM
Ending
Time: 3:45
PM
Submitted
by: Lynda
Davis
Members
Present: Lynda
Davis, DeAnna Johnson, Mary Jane Kinman, Julie Pearman, Dana Rose, Marilyn
Melton, Andrea Guise, and Brenda Jenkins (parent rep)
Agenda:
Discussion
on each item:
1.
Writing Portfolio Development
Assessment
Ethics and Portfolios—questionnaires were completed
and discussed to ensure correct/ethical portfolio development at
Stonewall. It was agreed that only
teachers would assist with portfolio development.
(DeAnna Johnson and Brenda Jenkins’s questions were addressed as
unfamiliar topics arose)
Teachers
listed students who have special accommodations (ESL, 504, IEP)
2.
Genres of writing:
(a)
Personal (Narratives and/or Memoirs
to be completed)
(b)
Transactive (several How-to-Pieces
and Persuasive Letters completed; Feature Articles to be started in December)
(c)
Literary (poems ongoing in
classroom and technology classes; short stories/tall tales begun)
Teachers agreed that it would be beneficial to utilize uniform proofreading marks on student papers (sp.—spelling; p.—punctuation; P—paragraph)
3.
Open-Response Questions
Teachers
agreed to focus on ORQ in all curriculum areas.
4.
On-Demand Writing
Teachers
shared examples of On-Demand writng prompts, and agreed to focus on
letter-writing on a weekly basis.
Action
taken on each item:
Teachers
will meet at least twice a week to address writing needs/progress.
(4th grade meetings every Day 4, meetings called during
planning period, lunch, etc.)
Lynda
Davis will check on status of ESL students to ascertain if they are required to
complete portfolios.
Teachers
will share ideas, resources, writing pieces and Open Response questions.