Literacy Update

6 + 1 Traits

We are excited to share an update on our recent endeavors in enhancing the writing skills of our students at SKiPPS. As part of our commitment to fostering a love for learning, the staff has successfully completed professional learning sessions centered around the sixth trait of writing: conventions. 

We're delighted to have had the guidance of Riss Leung, the ‘Oz Lit Teacher’, who has been leading us through the engaging modules. Her expertise will further shine as she collaborates with our staff on the upcoming Curriculum Day, scheduled for Friday September 8th. During this event, staff will collectively map out our next steps in shaping the future of writing at SKiPPS.

What Are Writing Conventions?

Writing is a fantastic way to share our thoughts and ideas. But have you ever wondered how we can make our writing not only interesting but also easy to read? That's where writing conventions come in! Writing conventions are like the rules that help our writing look its best and make sense to everyone who reads it.

Writing conventions are special rules that we follow when we write. They help us use capital letters, punctuation marks, and spelling correctly. Imagine reading a story without any capital letters or punctuation marks– it would be confusing, right? Ruth Culham, an expert in the writing traits, says that these conventions are like the tools we use to fix our writing and make it enjoyable for others to read.

Writing conventions are not just boring rules! They can make our writing exciting! We can use things like dashes, capital letters, and ellipses to make our writing more interesting. These tools help our words jump off the page and capture the reader's attention.

Writing conventions are like a secret ingredients that make our writing awesome. They help us share our ideas clearly and make our stories fun to read. Remember, when SKiPPS students write, we focus on the strengths, and take one step at a time to make their writing shine!

Sometimes, when we focus too much on fixing mistakes, it can deflate the writer. Imagine you wrote a great story, but all the teacher saw were the mistakes. That's why we want to celebrate the good parts of our students’ writing first! Think about the amazing words chosen, the clear ideas shared, and the strong voice used. These are the things that make writing work.

Conventions can be addressed at the editing stage of our writing process. We edit our writing to make it even better. Editing is like polishing our work. We care about our readers, and we want them to enjoy our writing without getting stuck on errors. We want them to dive into their ideas and feel excited about what they are writing.

As teachers and students, we're a team. Our goal is to help each other grow and become better writers. We are trying to focus on the strengths in our students’ writing. Instead of highlighting the mistakes, let's learn from them. Pick one thing/trait at a time to improve.

Culham's wisdom resonates with us: "We edit because we care about our reader... we want them to effortlessly follow our writing and become immersed in our ideas."

Let's always keep in mind that our role as educators is to nurture our students' growth, encourage them to take risks, and foster their writing skills. As we embark on this journey, let us read beyond conventions and celebrate their strengths. By focusing on one trait at a time, we lay the foundation for continuous improvement.

The 4 Key Qualities the staff will work with the children on, when addressing the trait of conventions are;

Book Week

We have thoroughly enjoyed reading and sharing the shortlisted nominated books for the CBCA 2023 awards.

Most classes have had a chance to vote and we look forward to sharing the books that our SKiPPS community have loved the most. Currently, it is looking like Frank’s Red Hat is leading the way for Picture Story Book, Best Hiding Place is looking strong to take out the best illustrator. DEEP is well in front in the non-fiction category and it is a close race between Lionel and Me and SNAP for the Early Childhood section. Stay tuned to hear the SKiPPS winners!

Our annual Book Week Dress Up Parade is taking place this Friday at the end of our regular assembly.

There is excitement in the air as we are all sharing ideas for dress up costumes. If you are still trying to find the perfect costume, here are some ideas;

We look forward to seeing how you all tap into the SKiPPS value of CREATIVITY this Friday.

Jac Morphy

Literacy Leader