Writing Matters!

On Tuesday, December 4th, English teachers from Kearny Engineering, Innovation, and Design (EID) met together to look at student writing to ensure that what students are doing in grades 9-12 is aligned and helping all students progress in their writing skills. Teachers Jessica Frichtel, Sean Armijo, and Kira Matsuo each brought writing samples from their classes that they used to look at common patterns and areas for growth in teaching and learning. With the goal of helping students be college and career ready, the teachers identified specific areas where they need to focus, including helping students understand the difference between summary and analysis, making sure students follow instructions and answer the prompt, and thinking about ways they, as teachers, can help students go deeper in their analysis. The outcome of this work is that students are continually more prepared for the demands of exams, such as the SAT and the Smarter Balanced, as well as ready for the expectations of college level writing.