At PNA we use the Lucy Calkins Framework for our Reading and Writing Workshop, however to help us improve on the nitty gritty aspects and foundational skills of writing in 4th grade, this year we are trying something new!

​What is VCOP and Big Write?
VCOP and Big Write is a teaching approach based on the research of Ros Wilson, an expert based in the UK. It focuses on four main aspects of the writing process (VCOP) and provides children with the skills to improve their own writing with a lot of emphases being put on self-assessment and self correction/improvement. Each letter of VCOP stands for an aspect of writing that will help them improve all writing in every subject.
As you move down the pyramid the better your writing becomes!

V = Vocabulary (the words they use in their writing)
Some call them WOW words! For example: instead of using the word ‘nice’, we could other more interesting words such as ‘beautiful, stunning, fantastic’ etc. In 4th Grade we say “spice it up”, “Can you spice up this word?”

C = Connectives (we call them joining words)
These are words we use to make our sentences longer. For example: ‘and, because, but, so, when, then’. The words come in the middle of sentences, e.g. ‘When I stared out of the window I felt angry because…’ Students use connectives (joining words) to change their simple sentences into a complex sentence.

O = Openers (we use these words to open or begin our sentences)
For example: ‘I…, My…, When…, First…, Suddenly…’ There are many more openers. We encourage the children to use a different opener to start each sentence in their writing. Using varied openers ensures their writing doesn’t appear ‘boring’ or ‘repetative’.

P = Punctuation (the marks we use to help our writing make sense!)
Students are taught the names of the different types of punctuation and their use and they learn to use them in their writing. From periods to speech marks to ellipses.

BIG WRITE:
Big Write is a celebration of students’ learning. 4th Grade will be conducting the at the end of each Lucy Calkins unit as a kind of finishing piece. The biggest difference between Big Write and the ‘everyday’ writing session is the environment. The classroom has a different atmosphere. The lights are tuned off, and quiet music is playing. The room is silent as everyone writes at their own pace and focuses on their own individual writing goals.

COLD WRITE:
A Cold Write is where students are not given the opportunity to talk about the topic before writing and the learning aides are removed. This is an opportunity for students to display what they know without the assistance from external resources. 4th Grade will perform a cold write at the start of a unit to show of what they already know. We can then compare our cold write and big write to show the progress each student has made!