“Writing allows each of us to live with that special wide-awakeness that comes from knowing that our lives and our ideas are worth writing about.”

—Lucy Calkins

Teaching Writing is Lucy Calkins at her best—a distillation of the work that’s placed Lucy and her colleagues at the forefront of the teaching of... more

“The Common Core State Standards call for high levels of writing proficiency. Meeting these standards requires a planned, sequential, explicit writing program, with instruction that gives students repeated opportunities to practice each kind of writing and to receive explicit, assessment-informed feedback at frequent intervals. The tools in these units of study can be... more

"These assessment tools make progress in writing as transparent, concrete, and obtainable as possible and put ownership for this progress into the hands of learners, allowing students and teachers to work toward a very clear image of what good writing entails."

Lucy Calkins' groundbreaking performance... more

About the Grade 4 Units

Written for children on the cusp of writing more academic texts, the fourth-grade units familiarizes students with the genres they will regularly encounter throughout school—thesis-driven persuasive essays, literary essays, and research reports. Each of the units begins where children are and then provides a progression of... more

Now Available Separate from the Units of Study in Argument, Information, and Narrative Writing!

The Guide to the Writing Workshop, first introduced as a part of the Units of Study in Argument, Information, and Narrative Writing, is now available for separate purchase. The Guide can be an essential... more

Now Available Separate from the Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing!

The Guide to the Writing Workshop, first introduced as a part of the Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing, is now available for separate purchase. The Guide can be an essential manual for principals,... more

Now Available Separate from the Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing!

The Guide to the Writing Workshop, first introduced as a part of the Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing, is now available for separate purchase. The Guide can be an essential manual for principals,... more