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WHAT WE DO

We serve teachers and home educators with our fully customizable, research-based writing program for K-8. 

Simplify Writing® provides an engaging core curriculum + differentiation materials that help fill in learning gaps and empower students to share their opinions and ideas. Looking for systematic, direct instruction? You're in the right place!

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FREE TRAINING FOR TEACHERS OF GRADES 2-8

How to Engage Every Student During Writing

...without spending hours planning for additional learning needs.

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Bite-Sized Instruction

Students learn best when the writing standards are broken down into short, clear lessons that they can then apply in their own writing. Each of our lessons takes about 10-15 minutes and keeps students engaged and active in the learning experience. 


 

Fluid Grammar

Grammar instruction should naturally flow into student writing. We show teachers how to use our library of grammar tools in the context of student writing to better develop the written language skills of their students.


 

Differentiation

We know firsthand that each classroom is made up of a diverse group of students. Our resources provide the flexibility teachers need to reach students with varying experiences, background knowledge, and ability levels.


 

Support

Teachers are more successful when they receive adequate training on a new curriculum. We walk teachers through using the Simplify Writing® materials in every step of their writing instruction, and we provide ongoing email support to address any questions or issues they have in their writing block.

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WHAT'S INCLUDED

The Core Components

Daily Lesson Plans

Access to fully editable daily lesson plans for your grade level for the entire school year

Small Group & Intervention Lessons

Everything you need to individualize writing instruction and see massive growth

Grammar Lessons

Growing library of grammar lessons developed for use in whole group, small group, or conferencing

E-Learning Compatible

Every student page is available as an optimized Google file that can be used in any eLearning platform. (Grades 3-8)

CORE PROGRAM

Each Lesson Includes:

  • Standards, learning goals, and success criteria
  • Simple, step-by-step teacher directions
  • Mentor text and teacher models
  • Blank graphic organizers for students
  • Digital copies of all student organizers (Grades 3-8)
  • Exemplars and rubrics
ELL Modification Library

Supporting English Language Learners

Modifying and adapting our grade-level lessons for your ELLs through the use of research-based instructional practices is an effective way to make the grade-level content more accessible and to create a more equitable, accessible learning environment for all students. 

Our ELL library of resources includes: Color-Coded Essay Templates, Essay Sort Templates, Sentence Frames, Bilingual Glossary, Pre-teach Vocabulary Strategy, Language Proficiency Rubrics, Reduced Text, Unpacking Sentences, and Word Banks.

Text Read-Alouds: Every mentor text and reference text inside of the Simplify Writing© program comes with a read-aloud option. This can help your students access the text, hear academic vocabulary spoken aloud, and provide opportunities for students to refer to the text without the teacher being there to read it to them.

Available resources vary by grade level program.

Audio Read-Alouds Provided For Included Reference & Mentor Texts

Audio Read-Alouds Provided For Included Reference & Mentor Texts

Research-Based Strategies

The Simplify Writing® Program was built using research-based strategies and tested in real classrooms.

STRATEGY #1

Dedicated Writing Time


Although applying writing skills naturally happens in other subject areas, studies support having a dedicated writing time where students can receive adequate practice and instruction in writing.

(Graham, 2019). Graham, S. (2019). Changing How Writing Is Taught. Review of Research in Education, 43(1), 277–303.

STRATEGY #2

Strategy-Focused Direct Instruction


Strategy-focused instruction is one of the most effective approaches to improve writing skills. It aims to teach developing writers strategies that give them executive control over their writing processes. Programs under this kind of instruction tend to have multiple components that include direct instruction, modeling, and scaffolded practice. Study findings suggest that both components, direct teaching and modeling, are equally effective in improving writing skills in upper primary students.

(Lopez, 2017). Lopez, P. (2017). Effects of Direct Instruction and Strategy Modeling on Upper-Primary Students’ Writing Development. Frontiers Psychology.

Marzano, R. (2017). Conducting Direct Instruction Lessons. In The new art and science of teaching (pp. 29–34). Solution Tree.

Raquel Fidalgo, Mark Torrance, Gert Rijlaarsdam, Huub van den Bergh, M Lourdes Álvarez, Strategy-focused writing instruction: Just observing and reflecting on a model benefits 6th grade students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, Volume 41, 2015, Pages 37-50.

STRATEGY #3

Teacher Clarity


Teacher clarity goes beyond simply writing the standards on the board. We support both teachers and students by providing clear purpose, success criteria, and learning goals for every lesson. We must have appropriately challenging goals in order to maximize feedback (Hattie, 2010). The way that we sequence our lessons provides a logical pathway from where the students are at to where we want them to be.

Hattie, J. (2010). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge.

Freibrun, M. (2021). Getting started with teacher clarity: Ready-to-use research based strategies to develop learning intentions, Foster student autonomy, and engage students. Ulysses Press.

STRATEGY #4

Teacher Modeling & Exemplar Usage


We provide age-appropriate model texts for every unit. These texts reflect the elements of the writing genre that we want students to replicate in their own writing. In one study, the organization scale revealed significant overall differences between the Models Group and No-Models group. Students in the Models group received higher scores than students without models [Models = 4.1, Control = 3.7, F(l, 80) = 6.4, p < .01]. This result may reflect better organization of sentences within sections as well as inclusion of information in the appropriate section (Charney, D).

Charney, D., & Carlson, R. (1995). Learning to write in a genre: What student writers take from model texts. Research in the Teaching of English, 29, 88-125. .

STRATEGY #5

Graphic Organizers


Graphic organizers provide a necessary visual element for our English Language Learners and visual learners. Several studies (e.g. Kansızoğlu, 2017) show that students using a concept-mapping learning strategy do better and retain what they have learned longer than students who limit themselves to text-only strategies. We use consistent graphic organizers throughout our units to further increase retention.

Kansızoğlu, H. (2017). The Effect of Graphic Organizers on Language Teaching and Learning Areas: A Meta-Analysis Study. TED EĞİTİM VE BİLİM. 42. 10.15390/EB.2017.6777.

Corrigan, K. (2017). The Use Of Graphic Organizers When Writing With Dual Identified EL And LD Students. Hamline University.

STRATEGY #6

Consistent & Timely Feedback


Feedback is the cornerstone of revision during the writing process. In addition to strategies to incorporate peer and teacher feedback, we include many self-assessment opportunities. We base our feedback materials around the core principle that a “where to next” or “how to improve this work” comment is necessary for student improvement (Hattie, 2019).

Hattie, J. A., & Clarke, S. (2019). Visible learning: Feedback. Routledge.

THE DATA SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

Here's How We're Measuring Up

98.2% of teachers have seen student growth while using the Simplify Writing® program.*

94.3% of teachers report that their students find the Simplify Writing® materials very engaging.*

95.9% of Simplify Writing® teachers feel confident in planning effective writing lessons.*

*Survey data provided was self-reported by a portion of Simplify Writing® adopters in our annual survey.

HEAR ABOUT OUR PROGRAM

From Teachers

"...everything we need to be successful."

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"I love this program so much because it is so comprehensive and provides both me and my students with everything we need to be successful. It helps me become a better writing teacher through the trainings that are provided, the lesson plans, and the organized standards. The past two years I have seen more student growth than I thought possible. Students who enter the year dreading writing, leave with so much confidence, skill, and a new appreciation for writing. It is amazing to see the growth, and to see how writing is a skill that everyone can master, not just the kids who enter the year already loving to write." ~ Morgan Hazel

"...a comprehensive program that truly simplifies writing!"

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"As the name states, it's a comprehensive program that truly simplifies writing! It chunks the daunting task of genre of writing and has activities that break down the stages of writing in a manageable way for students.

As a middle school special education teacher that has students with varying ability levels when it comes to writing, I love how the program breaks down everything into manageable pieces for my students. My students do not groan when it's time for writing instruction. We are currently finishing up our Explanatory writing pieces and I have been so impressed with the ideas my students have come up with. I can already tell they're proud of their published pieces and it goes without saying that I am so proud of them too." - Megan Brown

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For Schools

Thousands of teachers and administrators trust the Simplify Writing® Program. We make the purchase order process simple so that your teachers can get the curriculum they need faster.

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For Personal Use

Get instant access to our full writing curriculum with a personal teacher license that you can take with you to any school or district. Please contact us for help getting school funds for the program.

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For Homeschool

Currently in development. With simple directions and instructional videos for adults supporting children at home, our new secular homeschool program is going to be a great addition once it's complete.

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