Writing Strategies for the Primary Classroom

This book provides a broad range of fiction and nonfiction passages that help students in the primary grades develop the skills necessary to excel on high-stakes writing tests. Teaching and testing writing skills is a hot topic for good reason: Educators across the country are under the gun to prepare students to perform well in high-stakes tests. While students are taught important writing skills, they typically lack experience in taking high-stakes writing tests—a significantly different skill set. This book is designed to help prepare elementary students for the high-stakes writing tests used throughout the United States. Each lesson provides a paragraph on a topic. Students then answer questions about the reading sample that are written in standardized test format and based on released test questions. The lessons can be used in two ways: as short writing lessons in the classroom or library for an entire class, or as independent practice exercises to accustom students to the format of standardized test. Students will receive invaluable practice in basic writing skills including spelling, grammar, sentence structure, organization and focus, and word choice.