Scope and Sequence of Basic Assured Experiences Grades K - 8

Certainly, children across all grade levels need experiences with a variety of genres of writing. They gain this experience through reading, discussing, practicing skills related to the characteristics of the particular genre, and applying these skills. There is a lot to learn, and it can seem like an overwhelming task when coupled with the demands of testing.

In many ways "the tail wags the dog" in regard to testing. Each state tells teachers what to teach based on test content at each grade level. In most states narrative writing is tested in grades 3 - 4, expository writing in grades 5 -6, and persuasive/argumentative writing in grades 7 - 8. There is a solid rationale for this focus in terms of genre and the rationale grows out of the way children learn, read, and grow. Consider the following:

Of course, the focus in kindergarten and grade 1 is the sound-symbol connection, print conventions, and the concept that the written word can be used to represent thoughts, feelings, observations, memories, intentions, hopes, and dreams on paper. Our K-1 program takes a parallel route, supporting this core knowledge while building critical awareness and foundation skills that can be identified in literature, and, when developmentally ready, applied to writing.

Since narrative stories are what young children are exposed to with the greatest frequency, and because they are entertaining by design, they are the perfect vehicle for building interest and motivation in learning to read. Therefore, in order to build a reading writing connection, it makes sense to have children in grades 2 - 4 begin to imitate and aspire to good writing in the same genre. (narrative)

When students make the transition from learning to read, to a stance of reading to learn (around 4th grade, typically when textbooks are introduced) they (grades 4 - 6) learn expository reading strategies to better access information and learn expository writing in order to review, sort, prioritize, explore and expand upon information.

As students mature (grades 7 - 8) it becomes important for them to understand that information can be used in various ways to shape opinion. Writing in the persuasive (argumentative/critical stance) genre requires that students explore an issue, using information to effectively support their position, and ultimately to convince others to adopt the same view.

This movement supports the EW sequence of the narrative - expos - persuasive writing from grades 2 - 8. With this continuum in mind, the following scope and sequence for instruction and list of basic assured experiences at each grade level was developed.

The importance of establishing basic assured experiences at each grade level cannot be overemphasized. In order for teachers in grades K - 8 to feel and experience a real sense of responsibility for their contribution to the development of a lifelong writer, a cooperative, scaffolding model of instruction across the grades is critical. In other words, teachers work together as a community of instructors, building steadily and confidently on the foundation laid in previous grades. When basic assured experiences (the minimum number of identified, specific lessons/objectives that become the core learning at each grade level) are established and consistently taught across and between grade levels, teachers have a better sense of the knowledge and experience base students have walking through their doors and spend considerably less time on review and reteaching. Teachers know what they need to teach, based on clear, measurable objectives and lesson plan procedures.

The basic assured experiences suggested in this document should be the bare minimum expectation for any writing curriculum - in other words it is a place to begin, a foundation over which the rest of the writing instruction takes place. The suggested activities should serve as prototypes for additional similar lessons that teachers develop using content area thematic material relating to their curriculum. For example, (in narrative writing) if a particular grade level studies the rain forest, a writing lesson might involve writing a descriptive segment of the rain forest setting rather than a story critical setting that appears in the Comprehensive Guide. If a class is reading a novel such as "Because of Winn Dixie" they might write a main event about an experience with a special dog. In expository writing using any science or social studies theme reinforces content information while practicing writing skills (ex. Write a paragraph applying the detail generating questions to the following main idea sentence: The camel has an unusual appearance.) These are the kinds of cross-curricular applications that encourage teacher creativity and hold special relevance for students. The process and procedure is the same, but the thematic material is original to the particular grade or classroom. In this way writing becomes relevant and connected to what is happening in each individual classroom. Of course, given the wide variety of activities and lessons in the Comprehensive Guides, teachers are encouraged to include additional activities from the books into their instruction as well.

The basic assured experiences for each grade level should be placed in the students' portfolios as evidence of the foundation learning experiences that have taken place and passed along to the next grade level. This becomes a powerful tool for teachers in terms of assessment and guiding instruction.

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