Type Three, Type Four, and
Type Five Writing
Writing is a process that encompasses many different skills! Type Three and Four assignments provide students with a clear path to success and improve writing with Focus Correction Areas. Type Three and Four Writing are the key to improving student writing skills and habits purposefully and strategically over time.
Type Five Writing combines the skill work done in Type Three and Four with additional teacher conferencing and multiple drafts to create an error-free product of publishable quality.
With the Collins Writing Program, students write so often that teachers couldn’t possibly mark every error on every paper. Focus Correction Areas (FCAs), cited in the meta-study Writing Next as a best practice in writing instruction, provide the solution. With FCAs in Type Three and Four Writing, students focus on three criteria per assignment. Focus Correction Areas (FCAs) are a powerful tool to help students target areas of improvement and allow teachers to plan effective instruction while grading papers quickly and efficiently. Grades are based on these focus areas only, saving teachers significant assessment time and helping to build student confidence. Focus correcting is a selective approach to assessing student writing that allows students to concentrate on a few growth areas at a time.
How are Type Three and Type Four different?
Both Type Three and Type Four Writing use FCAs to set clear expectations for the written response. Type Three writing is a one-draft, self-edited piece. Type Four takes writing one step further in the writing process, adding a carefully-structured peer-editing component and a second draft. In both cases, students pay careful attention to the FCAs during the writing, revising, and editing process.
Learn more about Revising and Editing in the Collins classroom.
Type Three and
Type Four Samples
See examples of how FCAs are used across grade levels and content areas–from emergent to advanced writers, in all subject areas.
Type Three and Four Writing build writing skills and content proficiency strategically over time. These more carefully-composed pieces of writing are typically submitted for a grade. The visibly-recorded Focus Correction Areas (FCAs) set clear and specific standards for the content, organization, style, and/or mechanics of the writing. For students, the FCAs set the writing focus and provide a framework for revision and editing. For teachers, the FCAs drive instruction and provide criteria for grading and feedback.
Focus Correction Areas (FCAs) to Align with State and National Standards
We review state and national standards to provide Collins Writing Program users with Focus Correction Areas (FCAs) for opinion/argument, informative, and narrative writing for grades K-12. The FCAs shown here focus on the critical, specialized skills that students will need to be proficient writers.
Argument Writing FCAs 6-8, 9-12
Informative Writing FCAs K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Narrative Writing FCAs K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
For additional resources on selecting the right FCAs for your students, see our Free Resources or check out Writing Roadmap (hardcopy & PDF).
How Do I Get Started with Type Three and Four Writing?
Start small! Instead of providing an elaborate rubric or lengthy checklist of “musts” for your next writing assignment, narrow down your expectations to three key skills, your FCAs. Teach these FCAs, ask students to record them on their papers to refer to during writing, and then provide feedback on just these three things! Students will know exactly what is expected and grading will be more efficient.
See our Free Resources for ready-to-use Type Three assignments and lesson plans.
What about Type Five Writing?
Type Five Writing is reserved for written work that undergoes multiple drafts to meet the highest standards of writing for the grade level, combining students’ knowledge of content, style, organization, and conventions into a high-quality work. It is revised and edited for all aspects of good writing, so it can be presented to a critical public audience.
Most Type Fives begin as Type Threes or Fours or a series of Types Threes or Fours combined into one longer piece. Because producing Type Five Writing is difficult for most students, we recommend turning sections of longer Type Threes or Fours into shorter Type Fives (for example, turning one paragraph of a multi-paragraph Type Four into a Type Five, error-free paragraph)–emphasizing the practice of publication in a more manageable and efficient way.
Because Type Five Writing is the most time-consuming of the Five Types of Writing and is often heavily edited by the teacher, rather than the student, we recommend it be used sparingly in all but the most advanced writing classrooms.