Verona Area School District

• Writing needs to be taught like any other basic skill, with explicit instruction and ample opportunity for practice.
• Children deserve to write for real purposes, to write the kinds of texts that they see in the world and to write for an audience of readers.
• Writers write to put meaning onto the page. Children invest themselves in their writing when they choose topics that are important to them.
• To write well, children need opportunities to read and to hear texts read. 

We believe that every learner is a writer! With effective personalized instruction, extended time to write, ongoing feedback, and many opportunities to share, every learner can be successful!

The Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing is research-based, state-of-the-art, personalized writing curriculum based on the Common Core Standards in Writing. Verona Area School District has adopted this curriculum based on the following:

• Writing practices and techniques have been tested in thousands of classrooms across the country and around the world for over 35 years.
• High-level thinking is fostered with effective instructional practices.
• Learners’ goals are personalized and feedback is ongoing.
• Expectations for all learners are high but attainable.
• Continuity is created across types of writing within a grade and across grades.
• Focus is on teaching the writer and supporting greater independence.
• Performance assessments and learner-friendly checklists are included.

“One of the most potent ways to accelerate students’ progress as learners
is by equipping them with first-rate skills in writing.”
- Calkins

All of our units end with a writing celebration. Students go through the publishing process and then get the opportunity to celebrate their hard work from the unit by sharing their writing with others. Students are taught that their writing is not solely for the teacher, but it should be for an authentic audience! There are many ways to celebrate student writing. Here are a few examples of writing celebrations:

• Reading your writing with a buddy class
• Inviting families in for a writing celebration
• Displaying published pieces in the school library
• Creating a video of students reading their published pieces
• Reading poetry at a local coffee shop or bookstore
• Having a museum walk where students walk around the room reading each other's writing and leaving a compliment on a sticky note for the author