What does it mean to "write well" in First Grade? To some, it means being able to form letters beautifully and spell. To others, it means remembering to put capitals at the beginning of sentences and periods or question marks at the end. At Polaris and in the Denver Public Schools, "writing well" means something very different. Even at a young age, students study writing as a craft - how to write a compelling story, report or poem. They learn how to write a beginning sentence that "draws the reader in" and an ending that "provides closure." Over the course of the year, First Graders will try their hand at many genres of writing including:
- personal narrative
- procedural writing or what we call "how to" stories
- non-fiction reports
- biographies
- essays about what they've read
- poetry
- writing in the style of a mentor author