WriteShop is designed to teach composition skills to junior high and high schoolers in a step-by-step manner. Through a series of engaging lessons, students learn the four most common kinds of writing—descriptive, informative, narrative, and persuasive (essays)—by means of the following basic building blocks:
- Brainstorming
- Writing
- Editing
- Revising
It’s no secret that there are many excellent writing programs available. So what makes WriteShop different?
WriteShop is designed to teach composition skills to junior high and high schoolers in a step-by-step manner. Through a series of engaging lessons, students learn the four most common kinds of writing—descriptive, informative, narrative, and persuasive (essays)—by means of the following basic building blocks:
Brainstorming
Brainstorming is vital to successful writing. So many students fear the dreaded blank page, and brainstorming is the key to unlocking ideas. WriteShop provides topic suggestions, brainstorming worksheets, and a tabbed section packed with 17 useful word banks.
Writing
Writing comes easier when students have clear instructions. WriteShop’s concrete guidelines tell them exactly what is expected. They will never be left to wonder how long their paper should be or what content they should include. Also, each lesson presents at least one new writing skill that is 1) introduced as a Skill Builder exercise, 2) put into practice in the current composition, and then 3) used in future compositions. This learn-practice-do-redo approach helps ensure that these new skills become habits.
Editing
Parents and teachers understand the value of the editing process. But whether out of laziness or ignorance, many students reject its importance. At Write Shop, we understand their lack of enthusiasm. By building editing right into the program, we teach them from the very beginning that this is not only unavoidable, but vital to the success of their writing. Individualized Writing Skills Checklists, uniquely tailored to each lesson, help make editing more objective by giving students and teachers specific things to look for when proofreading. After just a few lessons, editing becomes a natural part of the rhythm of writing.
Revising
WriteShop students have two opportunities to clean up and improve their first draft, known as a “sloppy copy.” The sloppy copy is self-edited and rewritten as the First Revision, which they submit to the teacher or parent for a second round of editing. Students then use these teacher comments and suggestions to write a polished final draft.
Writeshop FAQ
Getting Started
Beginner Help
Recommended Supplemental Resources
Basic Set includes the two basic components of the WriteShop program: one Teacher’s Manual and one WriteShop I student workbook. Grades 6-10.
