By: Ann Kavanaugh, Middle School Teacher

This year, Horizon Academy is focusing on a different approach to teaching writing: The Writing Revolution (TWR).  One of the essential aspects of this method is the recognition that writing is integral to all of the core subjects, and as such should be integrated into all of the subject areas throughout the day. Recently, our school’s O-G Fellow of Record through AOGPE, Janet George, reminded us that, according to NAEP data, “students with disabilities are significantly underachieving” in writing and should be “writing 1 hour a day cross-curricular.” The TWR approach to writing instruction integrates writing instruction and practice throughout the day, including reading, math, social studies, and science. Because the approach is consistent throughout the school, students continue to build and develop their writing skills in a familiar and consistent manner each year. Horizon Academy is a transitional school, and this writing approach supports student writing in a way that is readily adaptable to future writing opportunities and ways of teaching.

I appreciate that this approach recognizes that writing, like reading, encompasses all curricular areas. Although we now have ELA (English Language Arts) in the daily schedule, rather than separate specific writing and comprehension times, we are now incorporating both comprehension instruction and writing instruction throughout our curricular areas.  Yet, this approach to writing instruction is done in a way that is fun and engaging to students.  Overall, students are enjoying the various writing assignments, which teach and support skills in a way that offers ample opportunities for them to show their knowledge from their various classes.  The objectives include not only improving writing and reading comprehension skills, but also analytical thinking and content knowledge.

Keep an eye out for the writing assignments that our students are doing, and be sure to ask a teacher if you want to find out more about how writing happens throughout the day at Horizon Academy!