In this class, students will be guided by an experienced elementary school teacher, through a workbook Harcourt Family Learning: Writing Skills: Grade 3).  We will work on writing personal narratives, informative writing and descriptive writing.  

Each class period begins with reading a book together on-line through screen share. Then after describing for students what they are to do students are broken up into individual break out rooms.  Students will be alone in these rooms for privacy while working and the teacher will go around to the breakout rooms offering help.  After completing the workbook pages, if there is extra time, students will be led in phonics-based games through the teacher's screen share. Completing workbook pages, I use a structure called gradual release in which teachers show students how to complete the skill, the students and teachers do the skill together and finally the students work independently. 

The syllabus for the students is found below.  In each unit, students learn about the type of writing, various skills they need for that type of writing, create a draft, proofread and create a revised draft.  Note, this is the first half of two semesters. This can be taken completely independent of the other (as can the second) but this class covers the first half of the book.  

Unit 1: 
Week 1: Introduction to Narrative Writing
Week 2: Maid Ideas/Details
Week 3: Varying Sentences 
Week 4: Strong Endings
Week 5: Drafting
Week 6: Revision

Unit 2: 
Week 7: Informative Writing
Week 8: Organizing Steps/ Sequence Words
Week 9: Drafting 
Week 10: Revising 

Unit 3:
Weel 11: Introduction to Descriptive Writing
Week 12: Sequencing a Story
Week 13: Using Sensory Details
Week 14: Drafting Narrative Writing
Week 15: Revising a Narrative Writing

Students will be graded based on rubrics found within the book.  


This class is best suited for students who are in third grade, but second graders and fourth graders are welcome.