Developing adequate, if not superior, writing skills in elementary grade students is essential if the New Haven School System is going to produce individuals who can handle the competition that will face them in the years to come. Hence, the elementary level curriculum places considerable emphasis on the development of all types of writing. Naturally this emphasis continues in increasingly sophisticated form as the student moves toward graduation. Achieving success in writing at an early level will lay the foundation for future mastery. The fourth grade Connecticut Mastery test requires students to write a narrative piece, while in sixth grade they must produce an expository essay. During the years leading up to these Mastery tests, the student's curriculum concentrates on each test's area of focus. Second and third grade develop an understanding of narrative writing, while fourth and fifth grade are primarily concerned with the traditional five paragraph expository essay. In each of these segments of the curriculum, students are given numerous opportunities to become proficient in each type of writing. At every grade level in New Haven's curriculum expectations, requirements for the teacher's writing program are clearly spelled out. Besides the need to achieve these primary academic goals, becoming literate in all forms of writing will enrich and facilitate the lives of all students in their future pursuits. This unit aims to further those objectives.
