Enhanced Writing Lessons Help Teachers Prepare Students for College and Career as well as Upcoming Common Core Tests
Grandville, MI – In an effort to respond to the changing needs of teachers and to help prepare teachers and students for the upcoming Common Core tests, WriteSteps announced the launch of Revision Four to their research-based, award-winning, digital and print, 100 percent K-5 Common Core writing and grammar program.
WriteSteps’ team of gifted curriculum creators completed months of work to re-design and upgrade the K-5 writing lessons teachers’ love. The most significant changes are in the areas of Response to Text/Literature.
“The skill lessons we enhanced reflect an emphasis in the CCSS, on the PARCC and Smarter Balanced tests, as well as a need voiced by teachers nationwide.” said Arlynn King, WriteSteps’ Coaching Director and Curriculum Creator.
The most comprehensive upgrade to date for both the digital and print formats of WriteSteps for the upcoming 2013-14 school year includes:
- an improved Table of Contents, making resources easier to find.
- revisions to lessons and units with an emphasis on “response to text” and “writing across the curriculum.”
- a new Conversion Chart in Pre-unit 1. Teachers will no longer need to do the math when converting a raw score to a letter grade.
- additional grammar skills.
- improved rubrics stating specific Common Core standards on each rubric to assist teachers at report card time.
- increased time for writing within WriteSteps lessons.
- an update to the monthly references on the Pacing Guides. These were changed to a number of weeks, making it easier for teachers to schedule their year with WriteSteps, regardless of their school calendar.
- expanded lessons in grades K-2 with a focus on sentence construction.
- some Reading Cores added to grades 3-5.
- a new technology list that offers suggestions of great digital tools students can use to publish their work.
- additional Prezi presentations to eWriteSteps that help teachers get started with the writing curriculum. Teachers can access these by clicking the “Get Started” link in Unit 2 for Kindergarten and in Unit 1 for grades 1-5.
- new and improved narrative planning sheets.
- response to Text lessons in narrative, informative, and opinion units in grades 3-5.
- differentiation Strategies in revised lessons.
Current WriteSteps’ teachers who use the print binders can download and print the lesson upgrades by logging into their eWriteSteps account. For teachers solely using eWriteSteps, all of the lessons are automatically updated.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Brett Gillin, Communications Specialist
[email protected]
Phone: 1-866-889-3729