Writing

Every child has the potential to express themselves competently as a writer in many different forms. In a calm, supportive environment, and with encouragement, guidance and good instruction, all of the children at Running River feel confident about their talents as writers.

Running River students are engaged in writing on a daily basis in all subject areas. This includes: creative writing; expository writing; literature responses in reading class; writing poetry; writing for our school magazine; spelling; practicing handwriting; explaining math solutions; writing out science experiments; or writing letters to each other to be delivered through the class post office.

Creative Writing

Children are full of stories – that’s why we begin teaching writing in kindergarten! The younger children start the year by dictating stories to teachers and then illustrating them. They make these individual stories into books to take home to read to their families. The books are also kept for a class library.

In every classroom we have a very dynamic process called Writer’s Workshop. Here the children learn to fully express their rich inner imaginings and life experiences. Anything they have an urge to write about is worthwhile and fuels a lifelong love of writing.

At any time during our Writer’s Workshops one can walk into a classroom and see children at any stage of the writing process: starting a new story, writing, sharing with another student, conferencing with a teacher, illustrating, editing, copying a final draft, reading over what they have written, or doing what we call an “Author’s Chair”.

As children are learning to write (and to read) we start by using their personal writing to teach these skills. The way we have discovered that children best learn writing skills is by using them to improve their own writing, not by merely doing worksheets. In order to facilitate this, we use word walls, personalized spelling lists, mini-lessons to teach grammar and mechanics as well as give instruction in writing skills. We also tie reading comprehension strategies back to writing stories. We use “Author’s Chair” to encourage children to read their stories out loud to the class or to a few friends so they can learn to receive feedback and suggestions to improve their stories.

We go through this whole writing process so that each child can have a completed book they have written, edited, revised and illustrated at the end of the year. The children have hosted teas and invited parents to come and hear their original book readings. The children have also published school magazines and entered writing contests.

Expository Writing

We begin teaching expository writing skills in second grade with short reports in science, history or language arts. Children learn how to choose a topic and find information from various sources. They learn how to take notes and organize them. They learn to find important information and sort through less important details in order to make choices of what they will include in their writing.

We teach the writing of topic sentences and move to supporting sentences, building to the 11-sentence paragraph. In the upper primary and middle school, children learn to write a variety of essays. While this kind of paragraphing is being developed we also start writing longer reports using the same skills. The children write rough drafts, learn to self-edit and then edit with an adult, and then do second drafts and final copies. By the time children leave Running River for high school they are adept at every aspect of expository writing.