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Frequently Asked Questions
- What makes The Write Tools training different from other in-service workshops I’ve attended?
- How does The Write Tools fit in with the 6+1 Traits of Writing?
- Does your writing program have a connection to reading?
- Do the strategies match our state/district standards?
- What kind of student benefits from The Write Tools?
- How will I know where to begin with each student?
- Do you work with schools classified as "underperforming?"
- Can primary teachers benefit from The Write Tools?
- What about the content-area teachers?
- What training do you recommend?
- Do you ever do just a one-day training?
- What about continued support at school sites?
- What are your trainers' backgrounds?
- Do you offer train-the-trainer workshops?
- Will you do a workshop for more than one school?
- Do you ever present at conferences?
What makes The Write Tools training different from other in-service workshops I’ve attended?
During an in-service with The Write Tools materials and trainer, the strategies you learn are modeled, actively practiced, and discussed among participants. Plenty of voice-filled student samples are provided for review. The activities undertaken during the workshop are the same as those you will use in the classroom. By participating in the activities yourself, you will be ready to implement them immediately in your classroom. Our trainers are passionate about what they teach, and guarantee a fun, fast-paced training session.
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How does The Write Tools fit in with the 6+1 Traits of Writing?
The Write Tools trainers are eager to point out connections between the strategies being presented and the 6+1 Traits of Writing. A concerted effort was made during the creation of these materials to clearly connect the strategies, the Traits, and solid reading instruction.
Here’s how a few workshop participants responded when asked, “Were the 6+1 Trait connections helpful?”
“Yes. I have had four workshops on 6 Traits in two years. It was nice to see some practical ways to work with the Traits.”
“Absolutely helpful! Just last week we had a 6 Traits workshop, and this program provides a follow-up ‘next step’ to go beyond the 6 Traits!”
“The connections to 6 Traits were helpful to me because our school emphasizes the Traits. I can easily share ideas with others at my school, and it aligns with what we’re doing.”
“Very helpful! I feel like I’ve had 6 Traits shoved down my throat, and now I know what to do with them. I also liked the links to reading and our state standards.”
Does your writing program have a connection to reading?
Writing instruction has a direct connection to improved reading comprehension. Teaching students to write teaches them to think. When students discover that the way they’ve learned to write is sometimes the way their textbook is organized, the science text or the history text doesn’t seem quite so formidable. The Write Tools book was written with deliberate connections to reading. In fact, the first section of the book covers strategies for responding to reading. We also offer a one-day advanced training module on active reading strategies.
Do the strategies match our state/district standards?
Yes. Our trainers do their homework before they visit your school/district. We make a special effort to reference your state standards in the workshop. Our materials were developed with state standards and assessments in mind.
What kind of student benefits from The Write Tools?
The Write Tools work for the full range of learners. The three-tiered approach to instruction and implementation allows teachers to differentiate instruction. The strategies help high-achieving students, English-language learners, special-needs students, and kids who just don’t like to write! The Write Tools materials and training provide teachers with the knowledge and resources to implement effective writing instruction the very next day.
How will I know where to begin with each student?
The Write Tools program provides quick assessments for each strategy so you can determine which level of instruction to use for each student.
Do you work with schools classified as “underperforming”?
Yes. This is our special passion. We work with many underperforming and program-improvement schools, and have produced results that they would be glad to share with you.
Can primary teachers benefit from The Write Tools?
In our introductory training we show adaptations and samples from kindergarten on up. Because we want all teachers in a building to be "on the same page,” we feel strongly that all teachers should experience the introductory training together. After the two-day basic training is complete, and teachers have a common vision of how these strategies progress through the grade levels, we offer training specifically for primary and Level 1 teachers.
What about the content-area teachers?
Our trainers always offer implementation ideas across a wide range of content area for all strategies presented. We know how important content-area teachers are in the implementation of these tools! Often initial instruction occurs in the language arts classroom, but thereafter, systematic use has to occur in content-area classrooms. We strongly suggest that all teachers experience the introductory training together.
What training do you recommend?
We offer a two-day introductory workshop that provides teachers with tools and strategies to immediately implement effective instruction in their classrooms. After completing the two-day training, schools have a menu of additional training days to choose from. These include multiparagraph writing with compare and contrast, active reading strategies, imaginative narrative and personal narrative writing, persuasive writing, and primary adaptations.
Do you ever do just a one-day training?
Yes. We understand that sometimes you have only one staff development day available. However, we strongly encourage you to schedule the second day as soon as possible. The two days are designed to give participants a complete picture of the strategies, as well as take them through the full writing process.
What about continued support at school sites?
We are happy to continue to support your teachers so that the training they received becomes a natural part of their instruction and they are able to continue to develop their skills. We offer three forms of follow-up training:
Grade-Level Meetings give teachers who have been trained in The Write Tools a chance to ask questions, share student samples, and review particular strategies. It is also a great opportunity to brainstorm instructional bumps they may have encountered, as well as to do lesson planning. These meetings provide a perfect opportunity to match strategies with grade-level state standards and district expectations.
Demonstration Lessons offer teachers an opportunity to observe a strategy being taught in a classroom by one of our professional trainers. Usually all teachers at that grade level attend. As important as the lesson being demonstrated is the debriefing session that follows. During the debriefing, the sequence of the lesson is analyzed, and follow-up lessons are planned.
Coaching is the third tier of on-site support. Teachers plan a lesson with their grade-level peers, then deliver the lesson to students while peers and one of our professional trainers observe. Following the lesson, a debriefing session occurs during which teachers process the sequence of the lesson, analyze student performance, and plan for future instruction.
All of these support days can be scheduled during student contact days. These on-site support days cement the concepts learned in the workshops. One school administrator commented that they were “what made staff development stick.”
What are your trainers’ backgrounds?
The Write Tools training workshops are led by enthusiastic, experienced trainers who have been or currently are teachers on the front lines with students just like yours. Our trainers have also held positions as literacy coaches, resource teachers, reading specialists, and content-area specialists. Because they know these materials inside and out, they are able to customize the training to address your specific needs and interests. To view biographies of our training staff, click here.
Do you offer train-the-trainer workshops?
Our trainers have many years of experience using these strategies with students. After several years of working with our company, we occasionally will customize a "train-the-trainer" workshop for your district. Our success is based on our experience, which we can’t ethically replicate until teachers have had thorough training and plenty of time to use the strategies in their classrooms.
Will you do a workshop for more than one school?
Yes. We work with groups as small as 20 and groups as large as 200. We are especially skillful at making a large group feel like a small group. We believe the sharing of ideas across chools is energizing. We especially encourage feeder schools to work together.
Do you ever present at conferences?
Yes. Please contact our offices for information on which conferences we will be attending. We also offer a one or two-day training through hotel workshops in major cities throughout the United States.