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Professional Support

Units of Study for the Teaching of Writing K-5 offers an array of professional support options. Select the option that addresses your needs best.

Script for a Tabbed Book Overview Presentation
  • Tabbed Book Overview Presentation for Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3-5
    This presentation highlights key features and benefits of Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3-5 as it describes each component and walks through a sample session. This script provides a comprehensive introduction to the series and can be easily customized to address the needs of your audience.
  • Tabbed Book Overview Presentation for Units of Study for Primary Writing, A Yearlong Curriculum (Coming Soon)

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New! Slide Presentation
The following slide presentations can be used to introduce the Units of Study for Teaching Writing series to adoption committees or as part of an inservice plan for launching the series in your school. The series and component overviews in each slide presentation are provided in an easy-to-access PDF format. You can print out each four-color presentation onto transparencies or view electronically through Acrobat Reader. Select "Full Screen" in the "View" menu and advance pages using the arrows on your keyboard.
  • The K-2 slide presentation describes the thinking, organization, and components in Units of Study for Primary Writing.
  • The 3-5 slide presentation describes the thinking, organization, and components in Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3-5.
  • The K-5 slide presentation describes the thinking, organization, and components shared by Units of Study for Primary Writing and Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3-5.

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Curricular Calendars
These curricular calendars suggest one possible way of imagining a spiraling writing curriculum for grades K-8. Organized around a series of month-long units of study these plans rely on Units of Study for Primary Writing and Units of Study for Teaching Writing, Grades 3-5. Designed by Lucy and her colleagues from Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, with the input from hundreds of New York teachers, coaches, and principals, these plans can be easily adjusted to address your state's assessments.

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National Affiliation with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project

In order to provide support for districts using the Units of Study Curriculum, the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project is developing relationships with a small number of districts from across the country, with an eye towards those districts eventually becoming satellites of the central Project. The Affiliate Division currently consists of approximately 30 national school districts and 30 suburban school districts. We are very excited to report a 50% growth for 2003-04. For now, the Project invites schools or districts that would like to develop a closer alliance with us to consider the following option.

A school or district can apply online to become an Affiliate School (or District) with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Network. In an Affiliate School (or District), teachers and administrators would participate in the programs offered as follows:

  • The Affiliate School (or District) would receive professional development from Project leaders. This work would most likely be targeted towards coaching and supporting school administrators and staff developers, assessing and planning for the work, developing long-term and large-scale plans, or leading a large conference day or providing a keynote.
  • At least five days of on-site professional development. Project staff members work with a school's teachers and principals just as they work with educators in New York City, providing collaborative coaching to groups of teachers in "lab site" classrooms and work-shop settings.
  • The Affiliate School (District) would possibly host their own "Home Grown Institute" by offering a 2-5 day conference mirroring the Project Institutes to teachers and administrators from within the school and district. The Project would join with skilled educators from within the district to develop and staff these local events.
  • The Affiliate School (or District) would receive a pre-specified number of guaranteed seats in Project institutes, providing they met deadlines, paid fees, etc. (The number of guaranteed spaces will be proportional to the amount of work in the school or district.)
  • Leaders from Affiliate Schools (or Districts) would participate in long-term planning for our joint work together. We would expect leaders from Affiliate Districts across the country to gather with us at an annual conference in January to imagine further steps and to benefit from each other's experience. In this way, the Affiliates could become a learning community.

  • Leaders from Affiliate Schools (or Districts) would participate in long-term planning for our joint work together. We would expect leaders from Affiliate Districts across the country to gather with us at an annual conference in January to imagine further steps and to benefit from each other's experience. In this way, the Affiliates could become a learning community.

The cost of this package will vary to some degree based on the personnel but in general, a staff developer's fee is within a range starting at $1,500 a day (plus expenses). People in leadership roles at the Project cost somewhat more.

If you are interested in working with the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project and Project Staff Members, please fill out an online application.

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Units of Study for Primary Writing: A Yearlong Curriculum, K-2

Units of Study for Teaching Writing, 3-5
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