Guiding Emergent and Early Struggling Writers to Success Grades K-2

This online course for teachers is designed for educators in grades K-2 who want to help their struggling students with key writing skills. The course begins with a brief discussion of why students may struggle with writing as well as an exploration of writing standards. Then, teachers will learn the difference between, and characteristics of, the emergent writer and the early writer. Teachers will also learn how to differentiate between struggling writers and those who are learning disabled so appropriate remediations can be selected. Information on the writing process is shared together with suggestions for incorporating specific writing strategies such as the six traits and writing across the curriculum. Teachers will also learn how to motivate their struggling writers so they become more interested and focused on the process. The strong connection between reading and writing will be explored. Additional strategies such as writer’s workshop, technology that promotes writing, and using quality literature as an inspiration for writing are shared. Finally, writing assessment is fully explored.