Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Susie Pickering

Oak Lane Day School

137 Stenton Ave, Blue Bell, PA 19422

Phone: 610-825-1055

Fax: 610-825-9288

Email: spickering@oaklanedayschool.org

Fifth Grade Publishing Party

At Oak Lane Day School, learning the art of writing is taken very seriously, and students are encouraged from the primary grades on to consider themselves as authors. Recently, in the Fifth Grade class, these facts were wonderfully evident when the students and other members of the community gathered together for a Fifth Grade Writer's Workshop publishing party.

The students had spent weeks writing personal narratives that recounted actual events in their lives, and when all the brainstorming, composing, editing, and final touches were complete, each child prepared to read aloud their piece to an audience of their peers and teachers. On the day of the party, fortified with ice-cream sundaes, each fifth grader took his or her turn in front of the group and, with reminders to speak slowly and clearly, shared their writing. The use of strong, descriptive vocabulary in the writing enabled the listeners to feel the tension of one student as she was about to jump off the high-dive for the first time and wince when another told of a major wipeout while skiing. After each presentation, the audience offered comments on the qualities of good writing that were evident in the stories and suggestions for improvement.

The Writer's Workshop is based on the work of Lucy Calkins from Columbia University's Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. It explicitly teaches aspects of good writing such as creating a strong lead for the piece by including action, description, or dialogue and providing details throughout. In teacher Sherry's Fifth Grade class, students write for 30-45 minutes a day following a 15-minute lesson.

Throughout her experience, Sherry has observed that the process “makes a significant difference in helping children to express themselves through their writing.” In fact, Oak Lane is so invested in this writing program that the school regularly sends several of its teachers to summer workshops taught by Lucy Calkins. As important as the writing itself is the publishing of it. This practice supports the Oak Lane tradition of preparing children to express themselves eloquently and with confidence, a skill that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

Oak Lane Day School Information

An independent elementary school, founded in 1916 and located in Blue Bell, Oak Lane Day School serves a diverse population of boys and girls. Oak Lane honors each child's unique individuality while fostering intellectual, creative, academic, and personal growth within a diverse community of active, engaged learners. Small class sizes and an atmosphere that encourages children to develop their academic and social skills are priorities at Oak Lane, where learning is a meaningful and joyous pursuit. Oak Lane's country-like property of 30 acres along Butler Pike and Stenton Avenue boasts a stream, pond, woods, meadows, and specimen trees as well as athletic fields and playgrounds.

Oak Lane Day School is accredited by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS), and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS).