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North
Kenwood-Oakland Charter School
1119 E. 46th Street
Chicago, IL 60653
Phone: 773.536.2399
In Kimberly Folkening’s third grade writing workshop, students are eager to move on from the memoir genre to fiction. They are just beginning to form their story plots. “My story is about a girl entering a spaceship race with her dad,” one student enthusiastically said. “Well, they can’t live in Chicago if they ride spaceships; can they?” Folkening asked. “No,” the student said, “they live in Georgia.”
At North Kenwood-Oakland Charter School (NKO) children are trained to become comfortable with writing, beginning in pre-k. “We try to get the kids to see themselves as authors and to also get the kids to read as writers and to see how they can build on that,” said school leader, Dr. Marvin Hoffman.
Students have one-hour writing/literacy workshops each day. It is a time for students to focus on grammar, organizational skills, draft lessons and writing styles. At the end of each workshop, students share their ideas. The goal is for publication, whether it involves reading it in front of class, posting the story in the hallway or putting it into a class anthology.
“There’s no magic to teaching good writing,” Hoffman said. “Teachers need a lot of time to respond to give good feedback. It’s what motivates kids, to know there’s an attentive audience at the other end.”
Structure is taught through different genres. Students are pushed forward as writers but are still allowed to express their individuality. “I think because they write early on, they are open to the structure,” Folkening said. “They impress themselves as well as me.”
ISAT tests are taken in the third, fifth and eighth grades. NKO’s writing test scores are far above the state’s average. Last year, 89 percent of NKO eighth graders, 67 percent of fifth graders, and 73 percent of third graders met or exceeded state standards. Throughout Illinois, 62 percent of eighth graders, 59 percent of fifth graders and 58 percent of third graders met or exceeded state standards. NKO’s writing program is clearly working.
SCHOOL STATISTICS |
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Opened: 1997 |
Success Stories
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