Teaching Writing

What is the Teaching Writing course?

Teachers recognize that equipping students with essential writing tools will shape them into strong and effective communicators. Writing is a practical and enriching skill that will always be valued, no matter what career or vocational field students choose. This online professional development course is designed to explore the writing process, as well as the types, styles and mechanics of writing.

Who is the Teaching Writing course for?

The Teaching Writing course is designed for educators in grades 3-12 looking to improve their own writing skills and learn techniques to improve their students' skills. Having students who are good writers makes teaching easier for educators.

What will you learn in Teaching Writing?

Students will leave this course with a practical collection of effective writing activities to use in their own classrooms; these lesson plans will have been tailor-made to meet their students' needs. Teachers will be inspired with practical, hands-on strategies to build strong writing skills in their students. Students will learn how to:

• Identify types of writing
• Identify purposes of writing
• Identify the stages of the writing process
• Teach writing with confidence and skill
• Manage peer and teacher conferences

Assignments are practical and designed to bring new ideas to an educator’s classroom, even while they are still taking this course. Educators demonstrate new skills by completing assignments such as:

• Reading and responding to the text
• Building an annotated list of resources and sharing it with online colleagues
• Designing and teaching four lessons incorporating the concepts and strategies presented
• Sharing strategies for using technology in a writing workshop

National Standards

This course is designed to meet the objectives identified in the Common Core State Standards in Language Arts and the five core propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. These national standards undergird the activities of the course. Students will be asked to make connections between their work and these standards or the standards of their own states.

"What an incredibly effective and useful course! I will implement the writing workshop in my classes post haste! Thank you, Professor Elaine, for providing such constructive and supportive feedback. I highly recommend her classes!"

- Educator from Washington

This course is applicable towards the English Language Arts Teaching Certificate.