Teachers Getting Ready for Grammar
Teachers from across the province are attending a three-day training session May 29-31 to prepare for the province's new grammar and writing initiative that begins in Grade 4 classrooms in September.
Education Minister Jane Purves announced Writers in Action in January. It will provide new resources to help students develop strong writing skills to express themselves effectively.
"Communication skills are more important than ever in our growing knowledge economy," said Ms. Purves. "Our children need polished writing skills to succeed in future learning and in life."
During the training session, leadership teams from each school board are reviewing new resource materials designed to help them teach the writing elements of the elementary language arts curriculum.
The materials include teacher resources, reference books and a writing handbook designed specifically for Nova Scotia's Grade 4 to 6 students. The handbook is being developed by Gage Publishing in consultation with the Department of Education.
"There's never been a writing handbook available for children at this level," said Linda Neville, a Reading Recovery leader and literacy consultant at Churchill School in Sydney. "They're developing and tailoring one for all our students, and teachers are getting a resource that matches it. These materials will go a long way to help our students learn how to move forward with their writing."
Ms. Neville is on the leadership team for the Cape Breton- Victoria Regional School Board. The teams comprise 66 teachers and board staff.
The teams are also reviewing effective teaching strategies to help students learn how to use grammar, spelling, punctuation and other language conventions in their writing.
One strategy is the writing workshop. In a writing workshop, the teacher gives instruction on a particular aspect of writing. Then students learn and practice by pursuing their choice of different writing activities.
The teams will offer full-day workshops for all Grade 4 teachers in the 2002-03 school year to help them use the new resources and teaching strategies.
Writers in Action will expand to include junior high in the future. As it begins in each grade, classrooms will receive new sets of dictionaries and thesauruses, and students will receive writing handbooks. A more advanced handbook will be provided for junior high students, and their teachers will get a matching resource.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Media are welcome to visit the professional development session on Friday, May 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Citadel Halifax Hotel. The workshop leader is Martin MacDonald.