Students Take Initiative at the Middle School Writing and Learning Center

A signature program in the Middle School at St. Patrick’s is our Writing and Learning Center, which provides appointment opportunities for students. Designed to encourage self-advocacy and develop planning and prioritization skills, this program helps students in Grades 6 through 8 learn how to use Google Calendar to sign up for shoulder-to-shoulder writing support during free periods throughout the day.

During these sessions, humanities teachers and learning specialists are available on a rotating basis to offer support with specific writing assignments. Students sign up for 15- to 20-minute slots using Google Calendar and complete a Google Form to identify the piece of writing they plan to work on and the specific aspects of the assignment they would like feedback on.

This fall, the Writing Center was bustling with students seeking support for English papers, history outlines, science lab report analyses, and more. Student requests for help were thoughtful and varied. For example, one student wrote, “My lab analysis needs a little work. I am unsure if it is detailed enough,” while another shared, “I would like to meet with someone to add strong transition words and vocabulary to my outline. I know I need to make the ideas clearer and easier to understand so that they will flow when I write my paper.”

Through this program, students begin to understand that writing expectations are shared across subject areas, that all good writers seek feedback, that writing is a process, and that self-advocacy involves recognizing your strengths and weaknesses, identifying what you need to succeed, and effectively communicating your needs to others.

We are so proud of our Middle School writers for their determination and self-advocacy skills and look forward to supporting them in future appointments throughout the year!