I think researching and developing a five paragraph paper on a famous person in American history is not developmentally appropriate for third grade writers. I know I am not alone because my team and I have talked about this, and I have talked to other teachers about it too.
So this year we decided to write the five paragraph paper on the solar system instead. It was a much better learning experience for me as a teacher and for the science investigators. They were much more engaged with this paper. It was finished in a shorter amount of time too. They took a whole week less to write than last years biographies.
We still studied famous people this year, but the paper was only a paragraph long.
With the new standards quickly approaching I wonder what will happen in the future. I want my students to be excited about writing, and I want them to feel that they are good at it too.
I hope by this time in the school year they feel like they have grown as writers. For example, they know how to write strong leads now and solid conclusions.
The past few weeks have been so consumed by testing that I know I haven't given writing the attention I was before all the MCA and MAP madness.
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