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Third Grade Teachers Chatboard

Question about essay for 3rd grade?

by panther

Jan 22, 2013

So, I am giving the WIAT-III for the first time. I am giving it to a third and a fourth grader. I had been putting off learning how to do it because I heard how hard it was to score the writing portion. That's the truth. I practiced on my own kid and I still haven't figured out how to score it.

But my question for you all is do third and fourth graders even know what an essay is? I always hear composition, not essay in the schools today. As far as the CA standards go, third graders are only required to write a single paragraph but this prompt and scoring require multiple paragraphs with a thesis and a conclusion. The word thesis isn't even in the CA writing standards until grade six.

Aside from all of that, you only give the kid 10 minutes to write it from prewrite to finish. My gifted and high achieving 11th grader wasn't even able to finish a paragraph, much less an essasy. There is only one prompt for all grades from 3rd-12th.

I say again, do kids this ag...See More

Sara I dunno... I hear so much talk these days about writing across the curriculum and teaching the parts of speech in 1st grade etc.etc but - most of my students will tell you they know what an essay is but when you ask them to tell you, they really can't. They'll start saying "it's something you write".

If I press further and ask, "Is an ess...See MoreI dunno... I hear so much talk these days about writing across the curriculum and teaching the parts of speech in 1st grade etc.etc but - most of my students will tell you they know what an essay is but when you ask them to tell you, they really can't. They'll start saying "it's something you write".

If I press further and ask, "Is an essay true? Or is it made up?" They won't have a clue.

I've taught all the grades and few 4th or 5th graders or even 6th and 7th and 8th really understand what a complete sentence is. They'll tell you "it's something you say" or the really scholarly ones will fumble around for the words 'subject and predicate' and never come up with them.

The world in regard to education has gone mad. My history standards say I'm supposed to teach 4th graders six different causes of the French and Indian War. I majored in history and I don't think I could come up with six causes of the French and Indian war.

Tell the students you're testing to write a story - they can do that - sometimes. An essay? If they don't understand the concept of a complete sentence, do they understand what a pargraph really is? My students would say "It's the place where you have to skip some spaces to start a new one." But they have no real idea that the sentence and the paragraph are the building blocks of expository writing. And NO one ever tries to teach them that all writing breaks down into two categories of expository and creative writing. That is thought to be way too hard a concept for them but unless you really consider that concept, you can't understand what an essay is. My best students will tell you "an essay is something that can have 3 or five paragraphs." > >Do you have to use the word essay? Use 'story' instead. Or 'write me what happened on your last birthday.' > > Aside from all of that, you only give the kid 10 minutes to > write it from prewrite to finish. My gifted and high > achieving 11th grader wasn't even able to finish a > paragraph, much less an essasy. There is only one prompt > for all grades from 3rd-12th. > > I say again, do kids this age even know what an essay is or > am I out of touch?

No - you're in touch. It's the standard writers who are WAY out of touch with the developmental realities of children and teenagers and their developing brains. > > cross posted on sped and 3rd grade boards

Jan 23, 2013

panther Thsnks for your response. I have to use the word essay because it is a standardized test and you are supposed to read it word for word. I checked out the standards and the word essay doesn't even appear until fifth grade. I also took a survey of the third grade teachers I work with, not a one use the word essay. I guess it its the test writers who ...See More

Jan 24, 2013

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