Maywood Public Schools Logo

The Write Tools is the “Right Stuff” for MPS Students

 Launch the media gallery 1 player

MPS teachers, grades K-12, at attended a three-day training August 12^th – the 14^th over Write Tools, a program designed to improve literacy instruction. The trainer was Carolyn Simmons, a career educator from Colorado.MPS chose Write Tools after researching several literacy instruction programs because it is a good match with the needs of MPS students and closely aligned with state standards and the 6 Traits model of writing that Nebraska uses as its state writing assessment instrument. Each day of the workshop focused on a different aspect of writing with plenty of hands- on activities and strategies. Teachers practiced many different strategies, so they could return to their classrooms and implement some of these right away with their students. The benefits of all teachers experiencing the training, as opposed to just the language arts teachers, is that now everyone will be using the same terms and strategies, and all teachers have a vested interest in improving the writing of MPS students.  An added bonus of Write Tools is that it also improves students’ reading scores by engaging students with the text.

The Write Tools training and curriculum are grounded in solid research, and clearly aligned to the Common Core State Standards.  Trainers model best practices in writing throughout the workshops, which include writing demonstrations, collaborative work, and strategy-specific instruction that is step by step and easy to follow. The Write Tools has helped schools around the nation improve their writing instruction, increase student engagement, and improve test scores with systematic, explicit writing instruction that includes common language, common strategies, and a common vision.