WEEKLY WRITING ASSIGNMENT/SCHEDULE/RUBRICS

For the month of September, you must write at least one paragraph to achieve a level 3. However, your
paragraph MUST include an introduction and a conclusion.
DATE TOPIC Oral Writing
Mark mark
Sept. 4 -7
th th Short week, no Weekly Writing- Instead we will create “Selfies”
Sept. 10 -14
th th Introduction to Weekly Writing~ no assignment due this week. “What are the
elements of a descriptive paragraph?” We will create an anchor chart to reference the
elements and talk about what a Thesaurus is used to accomplish.

Sept. 17th-21st How were your first weeks of school? Describe everything you
have liked/not liked and why. Were you happy or scared? Have
B
you made any new friends? If you are new to the school, do you
feel you are going to like it here?
G
Descriptive
Sept. 24th– 28th Pretend that you are planning a huge birthday party for yourself.
Describe your party? Who would you invite? What would you
serve? How would you entertain your guests?
B G
Descriptive
FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, YOU SHOULD BE PLANNING TO INCREASE THE NUMBER
OF PARAGRAPHS YOU ARE WRITING! Remember that you need an introduction and a
conclusion. Therefore, you should be up to at least 3 paragraphs by now. One for intro, one for the
body (details) and one for the conclusion.
Oct. 1st-5th It’s Thanksgiving! Write about why you think Thanksgiving is
important to celebrate. You can describe your family traditions.
G B
Descriptive
Oct. 9th- 12th No Weekly Writing- Thanksgiving.
Instead, we will take a look at Expository paragraph writing samples.

Oct. 15th-19th Write a paragraph explaining about how the Musculoskeletal System (Gr

Expository
5) works. This assignment counts toward both your writing and science
marks. Grade 6’s TBD.
B&
G
Oct. 22nd-26th No Weekly Writing- P.A. Day
Oct. 29th-Nov. 2 Describe anything that has to do with Hallowe’en. Here are
some examples of what you can write about (What is your
B G
Descriptive favourite monster; best/worst costume, best/worst treat? etc).
Remember to engage your senses when describing.
Nov. 5th- 9th
Descriptive
Monday the 11th is Remembrance Day. Write a letter to a
Veteran thanking them for their service to Canadians.
G B
Nov. 12th - 15th No Weekly Writing- PA Day
Nov. 19th – 23rd
Descriptive
FREE CHOICE! You made it through two months of Weekly
Writing!
B G
Nov. 26th – 30th
Descriptive
What would you do if you were in charge of the school for the
day?
G B
Dec. 3rd – 7th
Descriptive
Create a never before discovered animal. Describe how it looks,
how it moves, and where it lives. Don’t forget to write about
B G
unusual things it can do and what it eats!
Dec. 10th – 14th Write about your favourite Christmas so far OR Describe what
G B
 WEEKLY WRITING ASSIGNMENT/SCHEDULE/RUBRICS

Descriptive the perfect Christmas would look like, sound like, feel like.
Dec. 17 – 21 th st No Weekly Writing-Early Christmas Gift!
YOU MUST BE WRITING AT LEAST 3 PARAGRAPHS BY NOW. However,
don’t forget that you need an introduction and a conclusion; therefore, you
could/should be up to 5 paragraphs once they are included.
Jan 7th – 11th
Descriptive
Write a paragraph for each of the following questions.
1) Tell me how your Christmas vacation was.
B G
2) Are you happy to be back at school? Why or Why
not?
3) The New Year brings a new beginning. What are
some of your New Year resolutions and why did you
pick them?
Jan. 14th – 17th No Weekly Writing- PA Day
Jan. 21st – 25th
Descriptive
Imagine that you found a “Genie in a bottle.” What would
be your three wishes and why?
G B
Jan. 28th – Feb. 1st TBD
B G
Descriptive: These paragraphs have four main aims. First of all, they naturally describe something or somebody, that is conveying the information. Secondly, such
paragraphs create powerful images in the reader's mind. Thirdly, they appeal to the primary senses of vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, to get the maximum
emotional response from the reader.
In an expository paragraph, you give information. You explain a subject, give directions, or show how something happens. In expository writing, linking words like
first, second, then, and finally are usually used to help readers follow the ideas.

INSTRUCTIONS

This year for Term One, you will be assigned different weekly writing topics that will help develop your writing
stamina and creativity, use of language (work choice), editing skills and oral communication. Term Two will
focus on writing for an intended purpose and audience and students will explore and create different styles of
writing. For instance, you will be writing a biography on a chosen Black person from the past or the present for
Black History month in February.

Attached you will find a schedule that outlines the dates and topics for Term One.

For the month of September, you must be writing one paragraph (more if you can) on the assigned topic. You
must be including an introduction and a conclusion. This can be done all in one paragraph in September.
However, as you advance, your introduction and conclusion will be paragraphs on their own.

Your Weekly Writing assignment will always be assigned and discussed on Mondays. On Friday of the same
week, you will either present orally or submit a clean written assignment with a title page and illustration. So, if
you present one week, the next week you will hand in your writing. It is acceptable to email type written
assignments to me and I will print for you unless you have already printed at home. However, your assignment
must still include a hand drawn title page with illustration. If you chose to email: patricia.ward@dcdsb.ca
Please remember to save your writing with a title ex: “Birthday Party Writing”.

It is expected that you will at least partially memorize your writing if you are presenting. It is a very good
strategy to have notes in front of you to refer to. Try writing down the important details that you want to ensure
you talk about on cue cards. Reading the whole piece from paper will result in a lower mark. Be sure that you
are speaking in a clear voice and that the whole class can hear. Appropriate gestures in fitting with the
 WEEKLY WRITING ASSIGNMENT/SCHEDULE/RUBRICS
assignment are welcome and should be included. However, no silliness will be tolerated and will result in a
lower mark or an assignment redo.
PLEASE REFER TO THE ATTACHED WRITING AND PRESENTATION RUBRICS TO ENSURE YOU
HAVE INCLUDED ALL ELEMENTS NECESSARY BEFORE HANDING IN OR PRESENTING!
RUBRIC USED TO ASSESS WRITING
LEVEL ONE
SENTENCE STRUCTURE I used a few complete
sentences in my response.
PARAGRAPHS There is no attempt to write
using paragraphs.
PICTURE/GRAPHIC Picture is missing or fails to
match the theme of the
response.
DETAILS I added very few details to
my response. Reader cannot
get a clear visualization.
SPELLING/GRAMMAR I made 5 or more spelling or
grammatical errors.
RUBRIC USED TO ASSESS ORAL PRESENTATION
LEVEL ONE
VOLUME AND CLARITY I was heard and understood
by a few audience members.
GESTURES AND I had difficulty using gestures
INTONATION and altering the tone of my
voice to convey meaning.
MEMORIZATION My presentation was not
memorized.
CONTENT Few parts of my presentation
were related to the topic and
with very few details.
LEVEL TWO
I used some complete
sentences in my response.
I attempted to write my
response in complete
paragraphs(s)
Picture is lacking in detail or
colour but it does match the
theme of the response.
I added some details to my
response. Reader can
visualize some of the text.
I made 3-4 spelling or
grammatical errors.
LEVEL TWO
I was heard and understood
by some of the audience.
I used some appropriate
gestures and facial
expressions. I altered the tone
of my voice to convey
meaning to the audience with
some effect.
My presentation was partially
memorized and read.
Some of the parts of my
presentation were related to
the topic and had some detail.
LEVEL THREE
I used complete sentences in
my response.
I wrote the required number
of paragraphs.
Picture matches the theme of
the response.
I added details/examples and
descriptive language to my
response. Reader can
visualize the details in the
test.
I made 1-2 spelling or
grammatical errors
appropriate for my grade
level.
LEVEL THREE
I was heard and understood
by the audience.
I used appropriate gestures
and expressions. I altered the
tone of my voice to convey
meaning to the audience.
Most of my presentation was
memorized with little use of
notes. I used cue cards when I
needed a reminder!
The content of my
presentation was relevant to
the topic with very good
detail added.
LEVEL FOUR
I used a variety of sentence
types in my response
(statement, exclamatory,
interrogative).
.?!
I wrote more paragraphs than
required and they add to the
interest level of my response.
Picture adds to the response
and it is nicely coloured and
presented with very little
white remaining and good use
of space.
I added a lot of
details/examples using
descriptive language that adds
to the reader’s understanding
and maintains interest. Reader
gets a clear visualization of
the text.
LEVEL FOUR
I used exceptional gestures
and expressions. I altered the
tone of my voice smoothly
throughout my presentation
which aided in projecting the
desired meaning.
All of my presentation was
memorized with no use of
notes.
(I can have cue cards
available).
The content presented was
centred around the topic with
exceptional detail and flowed
very well.