Ecole Peace Arch 24-25
OUR CONTEXT
École Élémentaire Peace Arch School is located on the unceded traditional territory of the Semiahmoo Nation who share the remarkable White Rock Coastline and surrounding lands with our school community. Our team of educators take advantage of the many green spaces, parks and beaches that are within walking distance from our school and incorporate experiential learning into their practice that have our students out and connecting to their land and community often throughout the school year.
We have a unique campus setting with 5 "Pods" or modular-like buildings, making our hallways primarily outdoors. We have a large outdoor space with two incredible playgrounds, one of which is accessible, undercover play areas, a gravel field, and an outdoor basketball court. We are alongside the grassy Peace Arch Playing Field, that our students are able to access throughout the day.
We are a dual track school where our Neighbourhood Program learners work, learn and play alongside and with our French Immersion learners. Regardless of the language of instruction, together we are the Peace Arch Ravens and we focus on taking care of ourselves, each other and our land!
OUR LEARNERS
Developing our understanding of how language works allows us to use it purposefully.
Writing is a foundational skill for elementary students, playing a crucial role in their overall academic and personal development. Writing develops communication skills, enhances critical thinking and problem-solving, fosters creativity and imagination and reinforces learning across all subject areas.
While reviewing our students' strengths and stretches in Writing, a common goal appears to be the curricular competency: Improving their repertoire of conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Currently, students at Peace Arch, work on the above goal through journal writing, paragraph and essay writing, story writing, and speech writing. Our intermediate French Immersion students participate in the Concours d'art oratoire French Speech Meet each year.
OUR FOCUS
As part of our commitment to fostering strong foundational literacy skills, our elementary school is placing a focused emphasis on grammar and punctuation across all grade levels. This initiative aligns with the BC English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum, which emphasizes the development of students’ ability to communicate clearly and effectively through both oral and written language.
Curricular Connections
According to the BC Curriculum, students are expected to:
- Use language to communicate meaningfully in a variety of contexts (Curricular Competency).
- Understand and apply language conventions, including grammar and punctuation, to enhance clarity and coherence in their writing (Content).
- Reflect on and assess their own writing to improve accuracy and effectiveness (Curricular Competency).
Focus Areas by Grade Groupings
- Primary (K–3):
- Introduction to basic sentence structure (capitalization, periods, question marks).
- Use of simple conjunctions (e.g., and, but, because).
- Understanding subject-verb agreement in simple sentences.
- Encouraging oral language development as a foundation for written grammar.
- Intermediate (Grades 4–7):
- Expansion of sentence variety (compound and complex sentences).
- Correct use of commas, quotation marks, apostrophes, and other punctuation marks.
- Application of grammar rules in editing and revising written work.
- Integration of grammar instruction into cross-curricular writing tasks.
Instructional Strategies
- Explicit instruction in grammar and punctuation rules within writing workshops.
- Modelled and shared writing to demonstrate correct usage in context.
- Daily language routines and editing practice to reinforce skills.
- Use of mentor texts to highlight effective grammar and punctuation in authentic literature.
Assessment and Reflection
Students will engage in self-assessment and peer feedback to reflect on their use of grammar and punctuation. Teachers will use formative assessments to guide instruction and provide targeted support, ensuring that all learners are progressing toward proficiency.
OUR NEXT STEPS
In the 2025/2026 school year, 10 teachers have signed up to be part of a working group using the resource: The Writing Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Writers by Jennifer Serravallo.
The plan is to follow the lessons in Chapter 8: Conventions: Spelling and Letter Formation and Chapter 9: Conventions: Grammar and Punctuation with their classes, meet monthly and discuss strategies that are and aren't working in their classroom. Primary teachers and LST will also continue to use UFLI in their writing program. 
Along with a school-wide write in September, students will be asked to complete a revising activity where they are asked to correct capitalization errors, punctuation and spelling in a grade appropriate text. Throughout the year, students will be taught to follow editing checklists and to peer-edit each other's writing. Teachers will also continue to provide feedback through conferencing with students and marked assignments. They will then be given a similar revising activity in January and again in May to see the progress that occurs throughout the year. Data will be collected from various grade levels and we will look for the percentage of errors corrected in September compared to in May.
Sample Grade 1 Revising Worksheet
Surrey Schools
Formed in 1906, the Surrey School District currently has the largest student enrolment in British Columbia and is one of the few growing districts in the province. It is governed by a publicly elected board of seven trustees.
The district serves the cities of Surrey and White Rock and the rural area of Barnston Island.
