Skip to Content

Writing Assignments Focus on Correction Areas

August 18, 2004

Each week, as part of their regular homework assignments, my students write three paragraphs entitled, ‘A Week in the Life.’ The Focus Correction Areas (FCAs) for this assignment change over the course of the year, as students add to their writing skills. The basic FCA's in September include: minimum 5 sentences per paragraph, varied sentence lengths and sentence beginnings, items discussed not listed, basic spelling and punctuation, and an appropriate illustration. As the year progresses we'll add FCAs such as compound sentences, at least one sentence of 20+ words, figurative language, quotations, adjectives and adverbs, etc. Children are allowed to write by hand or do their work on their computers. I collect their paragraphs each week and read them to assess their skills. At the end of the year, I bind the pages into a book, which chronicles the student's year and his or her writing growth. This has become a favorite project with children and parents, and it gives me insight into the lives of my students.



Average User Rating
3 stars
of 5.