Transforming Writing Instruction in Your Classroom

When beginning to implement writing instruction in the classroom, it can be hard to know where to start. It is no secret that there’s a plethora of information out there with regard to the Science of Reading, but where does that leave writing instruction? As your students have embarked on their Science of Reading journey, they have acquired a diverse set of foundational skills that can be directly applied to writing such as comprehension and vocabulary. Upon mastery of said skills, students will be able to understand and structure their writing to best meet their learning objectives. Similar to that of the reading journey, the writing journey, too, requires the right tools and resources to guide instruction, elevate student motivation, and encourage and support practice in its varying forms. If you have selected Writable as your companion on your writing journey, we’d love to introduce you to our new writing solution, Writing A-Z, built from the ground up and guaranteed to simplify your writing journey even further!

Writing A-Z: A Tool You Can Trust

Designed by the creators of award-winning products such as Reading A-Z, Writing A-Z takes the guesswork out of writing instruction by implementing research-based instructional best practices and offering resources and tools to help your students thrive. Learning A-Z is an avid advocate for Science of Reading Research, and has produced countless offerings, such as Foundations A-Z, to help students continue to refine foundational skills using research-based practices. In doing so, Learning A-Z has applied similar tactics to create Writing A-Z, a comprehensive solution for writing instruction intended to provide teachers with the confidence to implement writing instruction while instilling the joy of learning within their students. As you consider what writing solution may best suit your classroom’s needs, we’d like to provide you with further insight into how Writing A-Z can exceed your expectations in comparison to Writable.

Explicit, Systematic Lesson Plans

Gone are the days when you’ll need to spend your precious planning time or time outside of the classroom composing lesson plans for writing instruction. Unlike Writable, Writing A-Z provides you with access to explicit, systematic lessons that follow a scope and sequence, saving you time and allowing you to focus on what you love- teaching. To support implementation, sample dialogues that cater to anticipated scenarios in the classroom accompany each lesson, making it easier to feel confident during instruction. To take things a step further, Writing A-Z also provides point-of-use embedded professional development to help build confidence within teachers when implementing writing instruction.

In addition, Writing A-Z provides teachers with a module “cheat sheet,” a resource comprised of writing models for the busy teacher who simply doesn't have the time to plan a writing sample for each step of the writing process with the class. These models act as a guide for teachers to follow as they model their writing for students

WaLT (Writing and Learning Together)

The saying ‘practice makes perfect” certainly applies to writing instruction. Though Writable offers a plethora of assignments such as genre-based essays, short responses, and graphic organizers, Writing A-Z takes things a step further. Writing A-Z includes a feature called WaLT (Writing and Learning Together), a digital writing platform that allows teachers to model and students to practice. Using this platform, students are able to further engage with the text by viewing tools such as the writer’s notebook, graphic organizers, checklists, or reference texts and the writing space side-by-side. Whether students would like to capture their ideas, complete quick writes, or record thoughts for future reference, this platform provides them the tools they need to thrive.

Though Writable also offers graphic organizers and writing space, the system can prove to be quite cumbersome for students, as they are required to toggle between the different tools they are using. WaLT grants teachers with peace of mind knowing that their students have all of the tools they need at their disposal, including this simplified view that makes writing and evaluating text easier.

In addition, WaLT provides students with interactive revision checklists, editing checklists, and graphics organizers specific to each lesson, allowing them to evaluate their drafts, and thus, increasing their understanding of what they are learning to apply to their next draft.

Auto-assign Grammar Practice

As students demonstrate their creativity through writing, Writing A-Z takes things a step further by reinforcing grammar skills using Auto Assign Grammar Practice. Though Writable offers collections of assignments related to grammar, it doesn't offer research-based grammar instruction. Offering auto-assigned independent instruction and practice, Writing A-Z truly teaches students how to apply grammar rules to their writing. Once all students are rostered, grade level grammar packs are available to help students learn about grammar, practice grammar skills, and apply appropriate grammar in their writing. This interactive practice makes a significant difference in the development of successful writers and has the potential to help students as they transition from grade-to-grade and eventually pursue their professional careers.

Encouraging Creativity, One Prompt at a Time

Writing A-Z offers a unique feature called Build-a-Book, an online resource that allows students to draft and submit full color creative books and stories. Using this feature, students can write independently, or teachers can assign them a specific prompt. Providing a library of hundreds of images to spark ideas, Build-a-Book helps students to illustrate their books and supports them through the four important steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revision, and publication to the students’ Writing Library. Once complete, students submit their books to their teacher’s basket, where it can easily be viewed and shared with the rest of the class .

In addition, the Kids Writing Library allows students to read one another’s writing, inspiring them to continue to write and find new ways to be creative in their writing. Though Writable includes a wide variety of materials, it fails to promote creativity with activities that are truly open-ended such as Build-a-Book. As developing writers continue on their journey, it is imperative that they continue to feel inspired to create and free to express their creativity to the fullest extent.

The Tool You Need to Help Your Students Succeed

Though Writable presents a considerable amount of offerings, Writing A-Z provides support from instruction to practice and everything in between. As you decide what writing solution is best for your classroom, consider these aforementioned features and how they can amplify writing instruction.