What is writing camp, you ask? Well, it is 4 days of intensive writing lessons and practice to hone in on specific writing skills that learners need more practice with, as well as time to write an expository and conference about the writing piece EACH DAY.
We split up the entire 4th grade into 4 groups so that teachers could deliver 1 hour writing lessons to their group each day. The next day, the group rotated to receive a new lesson from a different teacher.
My lesson was about revising and editing, but there were also lessons covering intros/conclusions, global reasons, and transitions.
Once learners returned to their original homeroom, they were given a STAAR-like prompt (made to mimic a real STAAR prompt). They then went through the entire writing process and conferenced with the teacher to see what they could improve on and what was working well in their piece.
Learners brought sleeping bags, flashlights, comfortable pillows, and even dressed up to a specific theme each day of camp. See graphic below:
Each day we also had a theme snack.
For example: Smores- marshmallows, cinnamon toast
crunch and chocolate chips
Dirt- gummy worms, oreos, coco puffs
Going Fishing- goldfish and pretzels
Trail Mix- M&Ms, raisins, cheerios
Ms. Knight created a writing rap, and the lyrics are designed to help learners remember what they need to do in their own writing. Hopefully my learners remember their rap when they are writing their expositories for STAAR.
Here are the lyrics that Ms. Knight in Purple 4 wrote:
Instrumental Chopped Version (use this one)
OO OO AH AH hey hey turn up (x4) (techno beat comes in)
Bet you can't write like me (drum thing in back)
Can't hook the reader like me
Can't topic write like me
Can't add transition words like me
Hey
Bet you can't write like me
Can't write reasons like me
Clarify like me
add examples like me
It's like-
Nope, betcha can't write like me, betcha can't write like me
Nope, betcha can't write like me, betcha can't write like me
Nope, betcha can't write like me, BETCHA CAN’T WRITE LIKE ME!Ms. Knight also shared a song that 4th grade teachers at Mockingbird Elementary in CISD created to the tune of Do Your Ears Hang Low?
Do Your Ears Hang Low?
Do They Wobble to and Fro?
Can You Tie Them in a Knot?
Can You Tie Them in a Bow?
Can You Throw Them Over Your Shoulder Like a Continental Soldier?
Do Your Ears Hang Low?
Expository Song
(With Gestures)
Does your Expository explain? (hands out to side, palms up)
Is your topic really strong? (make strong muscles)
Do your details add support? (raise the roof)
Do they match? Do they belong? (put hands together 2x- like mixing dough)
Did you use the rule of three? (3 fingers out)
Is your ending interesting? (grab chin like you're thinking)
Does your Expository explain? (hands out to side, palms up)
