Writing Curriculum

I think I have just about everything prepped for the start of the school year.  We're camping for a couple more weeks in August and I dedicate the final week before school starts to daycare prep - so having the school stuff ready to go early creates peace of mind.

Our school district advances a portion of the 2012/13 budget in the summer to help cover the costs of school supplies and books - such a bonus!

Now, I must admit, I did not put a ton of research into choosing a curriculum provider.  My sister is a dynamite researcher and did a lot of the ground work for me.  She helped me narrow it down to Evan-Moore and then I reviewed the curriculum to find a good fit for our goals this year.  One of the pluses of the Evan-Moore curriculum is that there is continuity in format across the grades which helps when teaching multi-grades. Also, the programs are generally set-up with a "daily M-F" format building in practice.

Banana Bread - PreK

My preschool program during daycare hours is primarily experience and  play-based. My goal is to provide responsive, reciprocal, respectful care.

As she is showing a readiness to learn to read and write I plan to spend about 20 minutes per day (while the older kids are doing independent work & the daycare kids are napping) teaching Banana Bread to read and write.

We will be using the Evan-Moore Everyday Literacy: Reading & Writing.  This program does a great job of presenting letter recognition and phonics in a unified approach.

I've also photocopied reading books for her.  The books are levelled with the Reading Recovery Program - a well-researched reading intervention program for students in early grades.

George & Muffin Mouse - Gr 6 and Gr 7

I'm so excited about the Evan-Moore Daily 6-Trait Writing Program.  It combines all the elements I am looking for: practice, grammar & conventions, editing, and organizing. 

It covers the following lessons:

Ideas
Choosing a Strong Idea; Writing Topic Sentences and Supporting Details; Developing Character, Setting, and Plot Ideas; Elaborating on Ideas and Details; Maintaining Your Focus
Organization
Sequencing; Organizing Information Logically; Organizing Information to Compare and Contrast; Organizing to Persuade; Choosing Which Way to Organize Your Writing
Word Choice
Writing Precise Descriptions; Writing About Action; Using Figurative Language; Choosing the Right Words for Your Audience; Getting the Reader's Attention
Sentence Fluency
Combining Sentences with Conjunctions; Writing Complex Sentences; Parallel Structure Within a Sentence; Beginning Sentences in Different Ways; Writing a Smooth Paragraph
Voice
Identifying Different Writing Voices; Using Different Voices for Different Purposes; Using Voice in Poetry; Writing from Different Points of View; Using Voice in Persuasive Writing.

Each day has the lesson objectives laid-out.

The weekly format builds on a skill and concludes with a writing assignment.  The assignments vary, and include:

• Editorials for a paper
• Book reports
• Short stories
• Descriptive paragraphs
• Letters
• Personal narratives
• Compare and contrast articles
• Speeches
• Formal reports
• Biographies
• Reviews
• Responses
• Poetry
• How-to paragraphs
• Persuasive paragraphs.
  

It would be a lie to say I can't wait to get started - I'm still in holiday mode:) But, I am looking forward to a successful year!

Joyfully prepared,

Caz.