Written Expression

Four Square Strategy

Strategy:Four Square Strategy
Appropriate Grade Level:1st & 2nd
Procedures/Steps:
  1. Each morning prepare the left side of the chalkboard with the four-square diagram and the requisite words before students come to class. Also create four-square booklets that contain five sheets of paper. Each sheet of paper has the four-square figure on the top half and lines for writing sentences on the bottom half. This should be done on Friday so all you have to do is place them on the students desks.
  2. On the right side of the chalkboard draw three to four sentence lines. (duplicate the standard primary writing paper format) You then place the phonetic element in the middle and one word in each square.
  3. Once students arrive, you identify the phonetic element and explain its use. (ex. Ch or Sh) They then write them into their booklets.
  4. Pronounce the first word, enunciating each syllable, consonant, and vowel, and call attention to the phonetic element.
  5. Together pronounce the word twice: first slowly and then at a normal rate. Repeat as necessary.
  6. Give the definition and briefly discuss with examples relevant to the class.
  7. Allow volunteers to read the words, skipping around the square, and see how many of the words they can use in one sentence. (Some of the sentences can be silly!!)
  8. Then move over to the right side and create as many sentences as you can with the words from the squares that make sense when used together.
  9. Finally have students dictate as you write. While doing this include proper letter formation and penmanship.
  10. Call attention to the grammar and mechanical points and then allow students to write the sentences in their booklets using their best penmanship. While they are doing this you can be assessing or other housekeeping chores.

Comments and/or tips:
This strategy takes quite a bit of effort and time each week in the beginning, but only minimal time each week once started. It is a good idea to determine phonetic elements and linguistic structures that first graders need to learn in the first marking period.
Source:
Brunn, M. (2002). The four-square strategy. The Reading Teacher, 55(6), 522-532.