Throughout the 2017-2018 school year, I was able to teach the Fundamentals in Sentence Writing model for two different groups of students. Both groups of students were served in a special education small group setting. My first group was compiled of three fourth grade students and my second group included four fifth grade students. I am currently only working with my fifth grade students and they have a goal in writing a complete paragraph with a supporting details. They have completed up to lesson 5 in the curriculum. I was not able to continue with the first group of students due to a schedule change in the building. I taught both groups, at different times, how to write a variety of simple sentences throughout the unit. While teaching my students how to write a variety of simple sentences, I included many different skills within the unit. Each one of my students is able to explain and produce a set of sentences with all of the main requirements; capital letter, subject, verb, punctuation, and meaning. They have also learned the PENS and -ARK strategies as a mnemonic device that will help them remember how to write a complete sentence. They also learned how to write a variety of simple sentences by learning to identify subjects and complete verbs. The subjects includes simple, compound, and complete subjects. They have mastered the action, linking, and helping verbs. We will continue to work on the remaining lessons that include infinitives and prepositions for the remainder of the school year. They are anxious to learn how the -M fits in with -ARK. We used a unit organizer, anchor charts, student folders, and cue cards throughout the unit in order for the students to ultimately achieve success.
Pre and Post testing results show tremendous growth in percentage of complete sentences. This strategy has given my students confidence when it comes to writing a complete paragraph. The focus of the unit was learning different strategies in order to help control their writing. They were surprised to see how they had improved throughout the lessons.
It is my desire to continue using this strategy throughout the next school year. I would love to be able to finish the fundamentals and teach the students the strategies in the Proficiency in Sentence Writing model