I would like to take a moment to explain how the John Collins writing program works, and what you may expect to see coming home with your child. You will begin to see familiar formats, with the name on one side, and the assignment and in some cases, the Focus Correction Areas (FCA's) on the other, along with the date. FCA's allow teachers to focus on three particular items in each assignment (like spelling, sentence beginnings, or use of action words), correcting only those areas. This may at first seem unusual or odd, particularly when you may see other problems on their work that are not noted, but the benefit of this approach is that by dealing with writing problems three at a time, the student is better able to focus and learn.
As the year progresses, you will see your child create several different types of writing. The Five Types of Writing are defined here;
� Type one: Capture Ideas. Here students will be asked to create a brainstorming document which has no correct answer, and which represents a free flow of thoughts and ideas. One draft is involved.
� Type two: Respond Correctly. In this case, students will be asked to create something which makes a point, and has the correct answer or content. One draft is involved here.
� Type three: Edit for FCA's. This is writing that is read out loud and reviewed by the author who then asks three critical questions: Does it complete the assignment? Is it easy to read? Does it fulfill the Focus Correction Areas?
� Type four: Peer Edit for FCA's. The student's writing meets type three criteria, but must additionally be read out loud and critiqued by another.
� Type five: Publish. This includes only material that is clearly publishable, that can go outside the classroom without explanation or qualification