Materials and Resources

Curriculum Guide

The scope and sequenced Writing Alive Curriculum Guides for each grade, K-8, are aligned to the CCSS and contain day by day lessons which build a common language of skills and genres.

Resource Book

Primary grades need the Resource Book of blackline masters that accompany the handwriting curriculum and the many sentence games, sentence building charts and activities specific to the developmental level of grades K-2.

Instructional Sentence Shapes 

A set of large write-on, wipe-off sentence and punctuation shapes for explicit instruction and modeling are included in each kit. Magnets on the back of the 36 sentence shapes make them easy to display on the classroom white board for teacher and student sentence building and modeling. Students also hold the shapes for interactive learning and speaking/listening skill practice.

Student Sentence Shapes 

Every week students manipulate these small sentence shapes to learn sentence structure and grammar skills. The colors, shapes and manipulation help students understand and internalize the skills.

Student Toolbox (Teacher Copy) 

Student Toolboxes have a two-fold purpose:
After every skill lesson, students record their new learning in the Student Toolbox section. This section also contains lists (prepositions, irregular verbs, etc) that students use as a reference guide.
Students learn and practice revision skills each week on a short paragraph in 15 minute increments. Students then use these revision skills in their writing.

Online Writing Record

Teachers enter writing scores in class lists; the software sorts the scores by students and skills.

Online Teacher Resources

Teachers log on to project planners, brainstormers, rubrics, writing models, articles, daily sentence styling and sentence shapes to use on their Promethean or Smart Boards.

Wall Skill Cards (Grades K-6)

Each grade level teaches 31 skills. After each skill lesson, teachers post the large, laminated skill card on the wall. Students review these every day.

Revision Strips (Grades 1-8)

Each week students learn a specific set of revision skills that are written on strips for classroom management so teachers can teach small group lessons.

Prompt Game Planners
(Grades 1-6)

Throughout the school year students engage in prompt practice and games.
Size: 8.5" x 11"

Goal-Setting Revision Posters
(Grades K-2 and 3-8) 

These colorful posters, which come in two sets, one for Grades K-2 and one for Grades 3-8, provide students with a visual reminder of the revisions steps.
Size: 8.5" x 11"

Camera Stamp (Grades 4-6)

The camera stamp shows students where they need to “explode the moment” with a word picture to improve their writing.

Letter Flash Cards (Grades K-3)

The teacher holds up a letter flashcard while students form the letters using a large arm movement, say the sound and key word.

Clause and Preposition Posters
(Grades 6-8)

Teachers post clause starters and prepositions to encourage students to vary sentence structures and add details. The mnemonic device AAWWUUBBISE helps students remember the subjective conjunctions that begin clauses.
Size: 8.5" x 11"

Courtesy Conversation Starters
(Grades 6-8)

Students learn Socratic discussion skills and active listening skills along with how to agree and disagree with each other’s ideas.
Size: 8.5" x 11"

Mentor Texts
The suggested mentor texts, listed in each grade level’s Curriculum Guide, provide writing and plot models and enhance the lessons.

Your school may have most of these books in the Media Center. If not, you may order them through Amazon.com. Used library books are durable and inexpensive. A detailed list with authors is available in each Curriculum Guide and in the Administrative Support.