The units in the K–2 program are designed to be taught in order. Each unit builds on the academic and social work from prior units of instruction. Additionally, the program honors what we know from years of research on writing and child development. Teaching the units out of order creates unnecessary challenges.
In grades 3–5, the Being a Writer program consists of eight units of instruction.
Unit 1 (The Classroom Community) and Unit 2 (The Writing Process) should be taught in order at the beginning of the year. The genre units may be taught in any order, although we recommend that the expository nonfiction unit be taught later in the year. Unit 8, the last unit, is taught at the end of the year to help the students reflect on their growth as writers and as members of the classroom writing community.
The eight units comprise 30 weeks of instruction, which allows time to:
- Extend or finish units that take longer than expected
- Teach Extension Lessons
- Teach units from the Writing Assessment Preparation Guide
A grade-level specific Sample Calendar is provided in the Implementation Handbook. You might refer to the Sample Calendar as you make your long-range writing plan for the year.