Running Head: LEE INTERDISCIPLINARY WRITING UNITInterdisciplinary Writing Unit 3rd Grade Laura LeeREAD 7140: Methods of Teaching Writing Summer 2006Laura Lee READ 7140 2Interdisciplinary Writing Unit:School and Student Characteristics and Individual DifferencesInterdisciplinary Writing Unit:School and Student Characteristics and Individual DifferencesSchool System and School Your name and grade level ___Laura Lee ______3 rd grade_________ Name of school system __Brooks County Schools ___________ Name of school ____Quitman Elementary School ________School’s Student Characteristicso Students _250_Number of boys _200 Number of girls _5-13 Age rangeo Ethnicity (number of students) _200 African American _20_ Asian American _0__ Native American _30_ Hispanic _200 Caucasian _0___ Othero Reading Achievement (Give percentages.) Based on: _________________________________________________ _23___ % Above-average or advanced skill level _57_ % Average or intermediate skill _20___ % Below average skill levelo Writing Achievement (Give percentages.) Based on: _________________________________________________ _20_ % Above-average or advanced skill level _55___ % Average or intermediate skill _25_ % Below average skill levelClassroom’s Student Characteristicso Students _19_ Number of boys _9_ Number of girls 12-13Age rangeo Ethnicity (number of students) _13_ African American _2___ Asian American _0__ Native American _3__ HispanicLaura Lee Valdosta State UniversityLaura Lee READ 7140 3 _10_ Caucasian __0__ Othero Reading Achievement (Give percentages.) Based on: _________________________________________________ _15% Above-average or advanced skill level _60% Average or intermediate skill _25_ % Below average skill levelo Writing Achievement (Give percentages.) Based on: _________________________________________________ _15% Above-average or advanced skill level _65_ % Average or intermediate skill _20 % Below average skill levelo Classroom Organization (Check as many as apply.) ____ Homogeneous _X__ Heterogeneous ____ Self-Contained ____ Team Teaching ____ Departmentalized ____ Parallel Block List other programs: Individual Differenceso Students Attending Pull-Out or Supplementary Programs (number of students) _10__ Title I _9__ Reading ____ Gifted ____ Early Intervention Program ____ Safety Net List other programs:o Language Proficiency (number of students) _25_ English language _3__ Bilingual _0__ Other languages List other languages:o Students with Individual Education Plans (IEP) (number of students) ____ Blind or visual impairment _1__ Deaf or hearing impairment ____ Developmental delay _2__ Emotional or behavioral disorder _2__ Learning disability ____ Mild intellectual disability  ____ Other health impairmentLaura Lee Valdosta State UniversityLaura Lee READ 7140 4 _1__ Physical disability ____ Speech ____ OtherStudent Interest SurveyMy name is I live with my _____________________________________I have ___________brothers and _______sisters.After school I like to:1. 2. 3. I do not like to:1. 2. 3. My favorite book is: My favorite subject in school is: My least favorite part of school is: If I could go anywhere in the world, I would choose to go to: Laura Lee Valdosta State UniversityLaura Lee READ 7140 5When I grow up, I want to be a(n): Grade 3 Writing Assessment Grade Three Writing Assessment: The writing assessment for grade three is based on teacher judgment of the developmental stage most representative of student writings collected throughout the year. Third grade teachers apply the same developmental scale and scoring guidelines used for the fifth grade writing assessment. The results are sent to the state.Primary Writing Support Project: Trainers are available in Regional Educational Service Agencies (RESAs) and the larger local school systems to conduct Primary WritingSupport Workshops as requested. The workshops are designed to help teachers assess writing more consistently across students and across writing activities. Developmental Stage/Scoring Guidelines for Grade 3 Stage 1: The Emerging Writer - Little or no topic development, organization, and/or detail. - Little awareness of audience or writing task. - Errors in surface features prevent the reader from understanding the writer's message. Stage 2: The Developing Writer - Topic beginning to be developed. Response contains the beginning of an organization plan. - Limited awareness of audience and/or task. - Simple word choice and sentence patterns. - Errors in surface features interfere with communication. Stage 3: The Focusing Writer - Topic clear even though development is incomplete. Plan apparent although ideas are loosely organized. - Sense of audience and/or task. - Minimal variety of vocabulary and sentence patterns. - Errors in surface features interrupt the flow of communication. Stage 4: The Experimenting Writer Laura Lee Valdosta State UniversityLaura Lee READ 7140 6- Topic clear and developed (development may be uneven). Clear plan with beginning, middle, and end (beginning and/or ending may be clumsy). - Written for an audience. - Experiments with language and sentence patterns. Word combinations and word choice may be novel. - Errors in surface features may interrupt the flow of communication. Stage 5: The Engaging Writer - Topic well developed. Clear beginning, middle and end. Organization sustains thewriter's purpose. - Engages the reader. - Effective use of varied language and sentence patterns. - Errors in surface features do not interfere with meaning. Stage 6: The Extending Writer - Topic fully elaborated with rich details. Organization sustains the writer's purpose and moves the reader through the piece. - Engages and sustains the reader's interest. - Creative and novel use of language and effective use of varied sentence patterns. - Errors in surface features do not interfere with meaning. Georgia Department of Education. (2005). Assessment and instructional