Ecole Peace Arch 2025-2026

As part of our commitment to fostering strong foundational literacy skills, Peace Arch Elementary placed 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. 

In accordance 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

Data was collected from five classes across Grades 3–7, including students from both the French Immersion Program and the Neighbourhood Program. 

Assessment data gathered in November 2025 and June 2026 indicates significant growth in students’ writing skills over the course of the year. This improvement was consistent across all groups, with broad-based gains observed among the majority of students. 

Students in our Grade 3/4 focus class used white boards frequently to practice their writing and focus on getting ideas down, and then going back to revise and edit their punctuation, spelling and grammar.

Students in the same class started the year working in sentences and through their focused on work on the editing and revision process produced large, self edited pieces of writing about wisdom from their family. 

This year,  students were asked to complete a revising activity where they are asked to correct capitalization errors, punctuation and spelling in a grade appropriate text. Students were taught to follow editing checklists and to peer-edit each other's writing. Teachers provided feedback through conferencing with students and marked assignments. 

For this upcoming year,  our hope is to support students in developing a deeper understanding of writing mechanics and revision skills, while working on authentic writing tasks. We want to focus on ensuring students apply their learning in meaningful ways. We want students to apply what they've learned to their own writing. A new addition will be to assess with clearly defined rubrics to help track growth.

In addition, the thoughtful use of digital tools to support grammar and spelling—paired with explicit instruction on how to critically evaluate automated suggestions—will help build student confidence and independence as writers.

Together, these approaches aim to refine both instructional practices and assessment methods, ensuring that all students continue to develop a strong foundation in written communication.