Today, my students are working on a writing pre-assessment. The prompt: What did you imagine KDDC Middle School was going to be like? Now that you've been here for a week. What is it really like?

I asked them to do their best and assured them no grade would be given. I explained how I use the writing to get an idea of where they are in their development as a writer.

This is one of my favorite assignments to read. Since I'm their only audience, they say it all! These papers will be placed into a writing file in my classroom and given back at the end of the year. Hopefully, when they see these again, they'll see a lot of maturity in sentence structure, vocabulary, and grammar.

How can you help at home? In conversations with your sixth grader, use a more mature vocabulary. Ask open-ended questions and challenge him/her to use details when describing an event or situation. (If your child is long-winded like my daughter, this will NOT be necessary.)

Working together,
Mrs. Swinger