Passion for Learning

Young Writers

GRRL tech

Results

Young Writers’ Academies in 2008-2009

Thirty (30) out of sixty-six (66) students raised their writing scores by at least one level based on the “Six Traits of Good Writing” assessment model*.
Five (5) students raised their writing scores by two-three levels.
Twenty-five (25) students raised their scores by one level.
Nine (9) students were one point away from raising their scores by one level.
At the beginning of the school year, 25 students had writing scores at the lowest level (little or inaccurate application of the Six Traits) At the end of the school year,only 8 of the students had scores at the lowest level.
Three (3) Young Writers from Eastern Middle School earned full scholarships to a rigorous three-week summer theatre camp at Lumina Studio Theatre based on their stellar after school program attendance, drive and ambition. All three girls performed in a Lumina production at the Round House Black Box Theatre in downtown Silver Spring in July. Two girls were sponsored by Lumina and one girl received a Norma Gregerman Memorial Fund scholarship through Passion for Learning.

* The “Six Traits” components are a writing assessment model developed by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (www.nwrel.org).
The “Six Traits” model is nationally and internationally recognized. It is used throughout the Montgomery County Public School System to help measure student progress in developing and mastering important writing skills. The Six Traits are: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions (grammar, punctuation,spelling and capitalization).

GRRL Tech in 2008-2009

Based on pre- and post- surveys, our middle school girls increased their interests in taking the following tech courses in high school: 3D graphics, radio/video/TV production, web site design and administration, software design and computer programming.
Based on pre- and post- surveys, the middle school girls also increased their interests in pursuing technology-related professions. The “top five” list included: web site designer, graphic designer, film-maker, multi-media artist/animator and computer programmer.
Five (5) girls from Eastern and Takoma Park Middle Schools earned full scholarships to a two-week summer GURL Power computer day camp at Montgomery College where they learned web site design , computer programming and completed multiple web site projects. Three of the scholarships were funded by the Meltzer Employee Giving Group and two scholarships were underwritten by Kevin Beverly of Social and Scientific Systems.

Girls completed a wide array of digital media projects this past school year at our five GRRL Tech sites:
Thirty (30) 3rd, 4th and 5th grade girls at Pine Crest and Georgian Forest Elementary Schools completed and presented two web site design projects to classmates and teachers.
Thirteen (13) girls at Eastern Middle School designed, completed and presented their own weblog projects at a culminating event at school in May. Their instructor, Angela Render, is a web developer as well as a professional writer and she taught the girls not only tech skills but also how to "write for the web."
Seven (7) girls from Sligo Middle School and eight (8) girls from Takoma Park Middle School completed and presented short film projects to their classmates, friends and teachers. The girls learned film-making and editing skills from youth and adult film-makers from the Gandhi Brigade, one of our GRRL Tech partner organizations.