The Summit Writing Program

The method behind the magic

Mark Dato ’06 reported to the school that his required freshman English course at Columbia University covered three styles of writing he had already learned from the English and History departments at The Summit. He dubbed these the Fultz/Vetter/Rosero style, the Pat Kelly style, and the Cronin Research style. He was surprised at how many students didn’t know any of the styles.

In fact, Summit’s Writing Program is not a mystery. It is an amalgam of different writing approaches that have been tested in the school’s classrooms throughout its history. What worked was incorporated, and what made no difference was tossed. Among educational approaches to writing, The Summit’s program is unique and unusually successful.

From toddlers in Montessori through Advanced Placement English in the twelfth grade, each year of the writing program builds systematically on what was learned before. It is one integrated system based on the fundamental idea that reading a large volume of great literature, writing prolifically about it, and receiving one-on-one feedback on each effort results in mastery.

Ignition, Blast-Off in Montessori

Two-year-olds begin writing by tracing a sandpaper letter as it would be written using two fingers of their dominant hand. As they trace the letter, they receive three distinct impressions: they see the shape of the letter, they feel its shape and how it is written, and they hear the teacher pronounce its sound.

“Many parents find it curious that Montessori children are not taught the names of the letters; instead, they learn the sounds as the teacher phonetically sounds out words one letter at a time,” said Phyllis Schueler, Director of The Summit’s Montessori School. “We call the letters by the sounds they make: aah, buh, cuh, etc.”

Research reveals children are capable of encoding words months before they develop the eye-hand coordination needed to control a pencil. Montessori’s Moveable Alphabet was devised to facilitate children being able to create words, sentences and eventually to compose their own stories.

When eye-hand coordination happens, and the child has mastered the alphabet, the Scott Foresmen’s D’Nealian letter formation approach to handwriting is introduced. “Using this formation eliminates reversals of some of the letters,” explained Mrs. Schueler. “This formal handwriting practice begins in Montessori with excellent results, and it continues through the primary grades at The Summit.”

Of course, reading stays intertwined with the writing program all the way through the Upper School. “Typically reading is the first skill they learn before writing, and the children quickly jump from reading a single word to sentence stories,” said Mrs. Schueler. “This is called the ‘explosion into reading.’ For some children this process
will begin at age four, and for others when they’re five or six. Most of our children will be reading very comfortably when they enter first grade.”

Writing Workshop Takes Over in Lower School

Drafting, revising, editing, and publishing are the key steps taught to students in the first through fourth grade as part of the Writing Workshop program. Students are introduced to grammar, content, sentence formation, mechanics, and organization – all of which are central concepts in writing proficiency.

As the children progress through their primary years, they learn about and practice writing in different genres (narrative, expository, etc.). They use journals, write from life experiences, begin to use punctuation, and learn how different parts of speech are used in writing complete thoughts. They begin using more complex rules and writing paragraphs which include topic sentences, supporting details and conclusions.

“Because teachers model and then facilitate as students learn in a workshop setting, our program is tailored to meet individual needs,” said Terry Malone, Lower School Director. “The Writing Workshop allows us to challenge students who are working at advanced levels, and at the same time work with students who need additional support to meet the standards. Writing Workshop allows teachers to individualize instruction so every child reaches or exceeds the standards.”

Beyond classroom teacher feedback, Lower School students also benefit from the expertise of Stephanie Duggan, Summit’s literacy instructor who spends 100 percent of her time working with children one-on-one. Sometimes her work is remedial; other times she helps accelerate the progress of the advanced writers.
“By the end of fourth grade, students are proficient in writing paragraphs,” said Mr. Malone. “They have a firm foundation in grammar and punctuation. They have experience with writing in a variety of genres for a variety of purposes and audiences. They are proficient in using manuscript and cursive handwriting, and they are proficient in using technology in the writing process.”