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| Far more comprehensive than the usual programs, the America’s Choice Writers Advantage™ is a carefully sequenced, coherent K–10 program that offers: |
- Daily writing instruction and practice in a one-hour class
- An approach to classroom management, known as Rituals and Routines, that keeps students on task and working independently, while also allowing teachers to work with students in small groups and individually
- Well-crafted instructional materials, including lesson plans, mini-lessons with practical advice on writing topics, writing assignments, and Writing Monographs that explain all the components of Writers Advantage
- A standards-based approach to performance expectations for writing a wide variety of genres, including narratives, reports, essays, and responses to literature
- Grade-level Genre and Author Studies that focus on the language and structure of effective writing
- High-quality professional development and ongoing technical assistance for teachers, literacy coaches, and principals that demonstrate and reinforce effective strategies and techniques, help teachers analyze student work, and differentiate instruction to meet specific needs
- Classroom rubrics for judging how well student work meets specific expectations
- A program that is compatible to the needs of English language learners (ELLs) and special populations, plus targeted assistance for meeting their needs
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| To be able to meet the high-stakes writing demands for state tests, rigorous high school classes, the SAT and college essays, students need to learn and practice the craft of writing every day, every year. |
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In too many American schools, writing takes a back seat to reading, math, and other academic subjects. Infrequent writing produces anxiety in students, who often have trouble organizing their thoughts, conveying information, or even getting words down on a page. Not surprisingly, schools’ scattershot approach to writing doesn’t help students get progressively better at this essential skill.
Poor writing skills are endemic in college and in the workplace. According to the 2004 Reading Next report, “Even the best readers in high school do not necessarily write well enough to succeed in college or the business world—or perform well on the SAT.” Indeed, more freshman entering degree-granting, postsecondary institutions enroll in remedial writing than in remedial reading classes, according to a 2003 report by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Many teachers admit that they don’t consider themselves good writers—and they don’t know how to teach writing to their students.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
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| Mastering the Basics and Beyond |
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Writing is a craft. With targeted, systematic instruction and daily practice, students can learn the craft—and learn to write effectively, fluently, and on grade level—beginning in kindergarten.
Students need to learn the habits and processes that good writers use to create pieces that hit the mark. They need to learn how to get started, how to persevere, and how to make their writing better over time. Most writing is not a one-draft event, but rather an iterative process in which writers revisit and improve their drafts over time before they are finished.
Putting writing on the radar screen in schools requires more than assigning students extra written work. Rather, it requires a complete instructional system that builds students’ knowledge, skills, and comfort with writing, while providing in-depth professional assistance to teachers who have never thought of themselves as experts in writing instruction.
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