North Carolina

• Letter formation, posture, and pencil grip are explicitly taught and students are given opportunities for practice over time to the point of fluency.

Explicit lessons on writing posture, pencil grip, paper positioning, and letter formation are included in the Simplify Writing® curriculum starting in Kindergarten. A suggestion sequence is provided that aligns with common phonics sequences of letter introduction.

A variety of lined paper styles are provided for scaffolding letter formation. Additional letter formation and handwriting practice resources are provided for additional support and practice.

A structured spelling program is included that aligns with common phonics sequences. A progression of spelling patterns are used (including short vowels, blends & digraphs, silent e, vowel teams, etc.) and move toward instruction with morphology and syllabication.

Foundational skills, including capitalization, punctuation, and complete sentences are emphasized throughout each unit. A variety of resources for punctuation are included at a range of levels, from ending punctuation to advanced usage within dialogue and quotations. 

Every Simplify Writing® unit covers the writing process from brainstorming to publishing, with structured mini-lessons that guide students through each step. Ample time is provided for oral discussion and brainstorming throughout each step of the process. At the end of each unit, students will have produced a published piece for a specific writing genre, including personal and creative narrative, explanatory, informational, and opinion/argumentative compositions.

Text-dependent writing is a cornerstone of the Simplify Writing® program. Every informational and opinion unit includes text-based tasks, with students incorporating evidence from outside sources to support their ideas in writing.  The Simplify Writing® curriculum also incorporates writing across the content areas, with units at each grade level that focus on science, social studies, and literature-related topics.

• Instruction in writing follows a gradual release of responsibility (I do, we do, you do).
• Lessons and materials are structured with modeling and graphic organizers. 
• Lessons and materials include opportunities for teacher and/or peer feedback.

Each mini-lesson begins with teacher modeling using provided mentor texts and anchor charts, followed by scaffolded practice of the targeted skill, before students move to write independently. Consistent graphic organizers that align with each writing type are included within every unit, providing vertical alignment from grade to grade. 

Feedback is a key part of the revision process. Simplify Writing® provides specific, targeted feedback guides for teachers to support the conferencing process. Peer feedback lessons and anchor charts are also included to encourage the process of quality peer conferencing. 

• Grammar and syntax is taught explicitly during writing lessons.

Starting in Kindergarten, students learn to produce and expand sentences, with explicit instruction on the components and various types of complete sentences. Grammar resources are provided for specific sentence and paragraph-level writing skills such as capitalization, punctuation, sentence construction, parts of speech, figurative language, and more.