Funny you should ask. I just got home from a day of review training on Step Up to Writing.
Step Up to Writing is a set of strategies and activities for teaching students various types of writing. It teaches baby steps for each feature of a written piece--topic sentences, transitions, details, conclusions, etc., and uses color coding to signal each feature. It goes from K through 12, building on each piece step-by-step. SUTW also gives strategies for using writing to help students comprehend what they're reading, including teaching vocabulary, summarizing, note-taking, and study skills. Some people would think the writing component is too much like formula writing or too structured, but I think it's a really good foundation for the basics and provides a good departure point for more advanced writing. Students have to crawl before they can walk, and walk before they can run. Because reading and writing were always so intuitive for me as a student, I never thought about all the components that go into a good piece of writing, so it has sometimes been difficult for me to communicate with students about how to do it. This gives me the tools to work with and the scaffolding that many of our ELL and low socio-econ. students need so desperately. I think this would also be helpful to those content teachers who are now finding they have to teach "writing across the curriculum." SUTW is also aligned with writing programs or approaches such as "Six Traits," etc. I love SUTW and would recommend it to any teacher who is struggling with struggling writers. Cathy Durham ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ljackson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "A list for improving literacy with focus on middle grades." <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 9:22 AM Subject: [LIT] Step Up to Writing >I need some quick feedback from any persons familiar with this program. >Our district has the opportunity to include some related training, but I am >unsure how this fits with our currect expectations and goals for writing >instruction. Is this a program? Is this an approach? Limitations? >Benefits? > > Lori > > > _______________________________________________ > The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
