Whether you have an aspiring journalist or your child wants to master basic writing skills, Knowledge Edge will help your child develop the skills needed to prepare them to write their own future. Through writing, feedback and focused skill development, KnowledgePoints can make a positive difference in your child’s language arts skills.

Knowledge Edge has three levels of curriculum to provide the right fit for each learner:

• 3rd – 5th Grades
• 6th – 8th Grades
• 9th – 12th Grades

At each level, the program focuses on the writing process, various types of writing, the 6 Writing Traits, and the skill areas of writing. The use of rubrics (commonly used by teachers for evaluating and scoring writing) is also taught so students understand how their work can benefit from self- and peer evaluation. Students receive immediate feedback as they work through all phases of the writing process during the sessions, building confidence along with skills.

Customized to meet the individual needs of each student, the Language Arts/Writing program includes instruction in the skill areas of writing (sentences and paragraphs, usage, grammar, mechanics, vocabulary, and spelling) based on the initial diagnostic assessment. Work in these areas is integrated into the writing process. Throughout the program, Knowledge Edge maintains a low tutor to student ratio to ensure a high level of feedback through the process. An additional benefit for high school students is that the skills and experience gained also help students prepare for the writing component of the ACT/SAT examinations.

Elements of the Language Arts/Writing Program

Writing Process
For all types of writing, students learn the key steps in the writing process: planning, drafting, revising and editing. Students learn that each step in the process plays a critical role in writing success. They learn to organize their thinking before writing, argue logically, create powerful summaries and improve academic writing skills.

Types of Writing
Each program begins with descriptive writing and progresses to include expository and persuasive writing, building from single to multi-paragraph projects in the forms of writing most commonly taught and used. For high school students there is also a focus on timed writing to a specific prompt as well as the opportunity to work on a college application essay.

6 Traits
The 6 Traits have been widely adopted as a methodology for teaching and assessing writing. The traits (ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions) give teachers and students a common language for discussing and improving writing, most often using a rubric.

Skill Areas of Writing
These skill areas in language arts are best learned through reinforcement by using the skills in actual writing. Use of these skills is therefore imbedded in the writing part of the program.

Sentences and Paragraphs are the building blocks of strong writing; with better understanding, students learn to write complete, effective sentences and paragraphs that powerfully convey their ideas.

Usage skills focus on the correct word choices for both speaking and writing. Students learn about the tenses of verbs, adjectives, and nouns. This helps students avoid errors so that they become confident and effective writers and speakers.

Grammar skills are essential to know and understand the structure of the English language, which in large part defines our culture. Students learn about nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, and more.

Mechanics subject areas focus on the conventions of punctuation and capitalization. These skills are vitally important in the editing phase of the writing process.

Vocabulary expands the student’s ability to eliminate significant vocabulary deficits and to comprehend subject matter. This is achieved through emphasis on wide reading, instruction on individual words, and instruction on word learning skills to foster independent word learning.

Spelling is an essential skill for producing a high quality final product. Rather than spelling drills, the approach to spelling used is to focus on problematic spelling issues such as homophones. Spelling strategies are taught and applied to foster spelling independence.

In today's electronic world, the ability to properly express oneself in writing is not only paramount for academic success, but for success throughout life as well. Let Knowledge Edge help your child get the knowledge edge!