The All Write timetable presents a suggested sequence of activities focusing on writing and language skills. For example, throughout the first two quarters, students learn about the “Process of Writing” while practicing the initial “Forms.” (The progression reflects James Moffett’s “Universe of Discourse.”)
In addition, you’ll find suggested integrations of editing and language skills from the “Proofreader’s Guide” and the All Write SkillsBook. For even more practice, you can use activities from the Write on Course 20-20 SkillsBooks for levels 6, 7, and 8.
Check out the free online All Write Teacher’s Guide for page-by-page correlations to the Common Core, teaching tips, start-up activities, minilessons, digital downloads, and much more.
ESL Considerations
Students need a wide range of writing activities; but if one quarter is too ambitious for your students, adjust it accordingly.
Quarter 1
Use journals to help students practice personal writing, explore topics, and gain fluency. You can also ask students to designate a section of their journals as a personal dictionary, helping them build vocabulary.
Start each class by writing on the board one “Daily Sentence” from pages 183–215 in the All Write SkillsBook. Have students correct the sentence as a warm-up.
Integrate the “Process” and “Forms” chapters so that students can learn strategies for prewriting, drafting, and so on and then can immediately apply them in their writing. Use the sentence-writing instruction to help students gain mastery of sentence basics and combining and correcting sentence errors.
Quarter 2
Help students practice their explanatory and persuasive writing, which in turn helps them develop academic thinking skills. Use the parts-of-speech instruction to deepen students’ grasp of grammar and word use in English as they build sentences and paragraphs.
Quarter 3
Use the third quarter to strengthen students’ reading and research skills. Common Core assessments require students to closely read texts and draw evidence from them to support a position about them.
Students will learn to use the library to find texts, write summaries of the information they find, and further build their vocabularies.
Quarter 4
By the final quarter, students will have mastered many of the basics. They will be ready for more challenging writing assignments, such as responses to literature, stories, and poetry. The mechanics activities help students learn the fine points of polishing their writing for final publication.
Yearlong Timetable
This suggested yearlong timetable presents one possible sequence of writing and language skills units based on a five-days-per-week class. The units and lessons build from basic to more advanced skills throughout the year. In addition, where appropriate, the schedule suggests conventions practice from the All Write SkillsBook and the companion Write on Course 20-20 SkillsBooks for grades 6, 7, and 8.
You can also download a PDF version of the yearlong timetable along with a scope and sequence.
First Quarter (9 Weeks)
Week |
All Write Handbook, or All Write SkillsBook (AWS), or Write on Course 20-20 Skillsbook (WC6, WC7, or WC8) |
1 |
Using the Handbook, Table of Contents, and Meeting Your Language Needs iii–xi |
2 |
One Writer’s Process 9–14 Writing Basic Sentences 63–70 Conventions: Sentence Basics 438–443
|
3 |
Traits of Effective Writing 15–21 Writing Narratives 119–126 Conventions: Sentence Problems 66, 69–70
|
4 |
Writing Narratives (Continued) 119–126 Conventions: Sentence Agreement 66–70
|
5 |
Prewriting 23–36 Writing Biographical Stories 127–133 Conventions: Sentence Combining
|
6 |
Writing and Revising 37–44 Combining Sentences 71–74 Writing Biographical Stories (Continued) 127–133 Conventions: Sentence Clarity
|
7
|
Thinking and Writing 263–270 Writing Informational Essays 135–142 Conventions: Noun 445–448
|
8 |
Group Advising 45–48 Writing Informational Essays (Continued) 135–142 Conventions: Pronoun 449–452
|
9 |
Editing 49–54 Publishing 55–61 Conventions: Verb 453–454
|
Second Quarter (9 Weeks)
Week |
All Write Handbook, or All Write SkillsBook (AWS), or Write on Course 20-20 Skillsbook (WC6, WC7, or WC8) |
1 |
Writing Emails and Blog Posts 113–117 Note-Taking Skills 339–344 Conventions: Verb 455–462
|
2 |
Writing Explanations 143–148 Conventions: Adjective 463–465
|
3 |
Speaking Skills 371–379 Writing Explanations (Continued) 143–148 Conventions: Adverb 466–467
|
4 |
Understanding Media 245–250 Writing News Stories 149–155 Conventions: Preposition 468
|
5 |
Using Technology 251–256 Writing News Stories (Continued) 149–155 Conventions: Interjection, Conjunction 467, 469
|
6 |
Building Arguments 157–160 Writing Persuasive Essays 161–165 Conventions: Parts of Speech Review 444–469
|
7 |
Thinking Clearly 271–276 Writing Persuasive Essays (Continued) 161–165 Conventions: End Punctuation 381–382
|
8 |
Test Taking 351–358 Responding to a Prompt 359–365 Conventions: Comma 383–388
|
9 |
Portfolio Review 58–60 Conventions: Comma 383–388
|
Third Quarter (9 Weeks)
Week |
All Write Handbook, or All Write SkillsBook (AWS), or Write on Course 20-20 Skillsbook (WC6, WC7, or WC8) |
1 |
Reading Nonfiction 281–296 Writing Summaries 181–184 |
2 |
Using the Library 257–261 Writing Observation Reports 177–180 Conventions: Semicolon, Colon 389–390
|
3 |
Improving Your Vocabulary 315–329 Writing Observation Reports (Continued) 177–180 Conventions: Quotations Marks and Italics 393–394, 397
|
4 |
Reading Graphics 307–314 Writing Classroom Reports 185–197 Conventions: Hyphen, Dash, Parentheses 390–392
|
5 |
Writing Classroom Reports (Continued) 185–197 Conventions: Apostrophe 395–396
|
6 |
Writing in Science 217–222 Conventions: Punctuation Review 381–397
|
7 |
Writing in Social Studies 223–230 |
8 |
Writing in Math 231–236 |
9 |
Writing Business Letters 237–243 Portfolio Review 58–60 |
Fourth Quarter (9 Weeks)
Week |
All Write Handbook, or All Write SkillsBook (AWS), or Write on Course 20-20 Skillsbook (WC6, WC7, or WC8) |
1 |
Planning Skills 345–350 Group Skills 367–370 |
2 |
Reading Fiction 297–306 Writing Book Reviews 167–172 Conventions: Capitalization 398–402
|
3 |
Writing Book Reviews (Continued) 167–172 Conventions: Capitalization 398–402
|
4 |
Other Responses to Literature 173–175 Conventions: Plurals, Abbreviations, Spelling, and Numbers 403–414
|
5 |
Thinking Creatively 277–279 Writing Stories 209–215 Conventions: Using the Right Word 415–430
|
6 |
Writing Stories (Continued) 209–215 Conventions: Using the Right Word 415–430
|
7 |
Writing Poems 199–208 Conventions: Using the Right Word Review 415–430
|
8 |
Writing Poems (Continued) 199–208 Conventions: Understanding Idioms 431–437
|
9 |
Portfolio Review 58–60 |