[MUSIC] >> Welcome. In this short video, we will explore the Writing A to Z Unit and Module structure, including explicit lessons that teach the writing process within opinion, informative and narrative genres. Designed to be flexible and teacher-friendly, we hope that by the end of this guided tour, you will walk away with new tools to support your work.
As we explore, you may want to use the editable note catcher available here. At any point during this video tour, if you need time to reflect, practice or take notes, press Pause, then press Play when you would like to resume.
We are so happy you're here. Let's get started. First, we will locate the Program Resource menu in the upper left hand corner of the Home page. Here you will find all of the Writing A to Z instructional resources. To access the program units and modules, select Lesson Plans. Each grade level, kindergarten through fifth, has four units, with a total of 80 lessons. Having fewer lessons than you're probably used to will allow more room in your schedule for writing instruction.Writing A to Z is a curriculum that adapts to the teacher, rather than asking the teacher to adapt to it. Use the filter to choose the gray bubble; I'll choose Third Grade for my demonstration today, but all grade levels, kindergarten through fifth, provide the same genre units and systematic instruction of grammar and writing process skills. Having consistent instruction and expectations across the grade levels helps to create an environment where students thrive and writing skill soar.
Unit 1 is an introduction, and consists of one module with five lessons designed to build a writing community, and introduce the writing process. We recommend teaching this unit to create a safe space for students to communicate their ideas, and to grow your class into a community of writers. Units 2 through 4 are genre and process writing units. These units are broken into five modules, and for second through fifth grade, pre and post-assessments are also included, along with a genre-specific rubric for scoring. The same prompt and resources are used for both assessments to demonstrate growth specific to the unit genre. For Units 2, 3 and 4, Module 1 will always introduce and build background knowledge, based on the unit genre.
Modules 2, 3 and 4 in each unit take students through the stages of the writing process three complete times. Let me show you this, using Module 2. In each module, lessons start with planning, progress through the writing process, and end with an edited writing piece that integrates grammar and writing skills. Students have multiple opportunities to demonstrate the skill of writing within a genre. The writing experiences within the unit modules differ across the grade levels, and can supplement any literacy plan; however, the writing expectations always increase in complexity from module to module. For example, in this third grade unit, students begin with letter writing in Module 2, expand their skills to essay writing in Module 3, and then move into Module 4, where they are required to use referenced texts to write a text-dependent essay.
modules within a unit can be taught out of order, but keep in mind that the skills build upon each other. If you teach Module 3 without teaching Module 2 first, the skills from Module 2 might be unfamiliar to your students. In Module 5, students complete a self-reflection on what was learned. Then they can either choose their favorite writing from Modules 2 to 4, or they can write a new piece to publish as a final example of their work from that unit.
Here are a few examples of how you could consider scheduling the genre units. Other than Unit 1, Units 2, 3 and 4 can be taught in the sequence they are presented, or aligned with your reading curriculum. They can even be taught as a repeated cycle where you teach Modules 1 and 2 from all three genre units in one sequence, then repeat with Module 3, followed by Modules 4 and 5.
As you look at these examples, consider your current writing instruction, and how Writing A to Z units might fit into that plan. Writing A to Z has developed a thoughtful unit and module structure that supports flexibility, and combines genre writing with process writing instruction.
We hope learning more about this structure will help you find the right implementation path for you. This concludes our guided tour, but there is so much more to explore.
Want to learn more about Writing A to Z? Check out other Writing A to Z videos found in the Related Offerings section at the top right of this page. Learn more about our professional learning services, or book your next training here. We hope that this short video has helped you learn about new tools to support your work.
Teachers, thank you for everything you do. [MUSIC]
