They then write formal paragraphs, incorporating an opening statement, a body of detail, and a closing statement. Writing as a process is stressed and the students move through brainstorming, prewriting, revising, editing and proofreading, teacher conferencing and publishing. Styles of writing that are taught include Journals, Letters, Narratives, How-To, Poems, Summary, Observation and Outline. Vocabulary Vocabulary is taught through a structured curriculum called Vocabulary Workshop. Students learn the meaning of words, how to use them in sentences, synonyms and antonyms, and analogies.
Students also learn new vocabulary through the literature they are reading.
They are instructed on how to observe its context, the use of prefixes, suffixes, and familiar parts. In fourth grade we continue with the Rebecca Sitton program that students were introduced to in the Primary School. They are taught words that have a high frequency in their writing. These words are grouped in language clusters. Activities are presented that afford the children the opportunity to practice spelling these new words.