Expository Writing & Embedded Grammar Instruction

In partnership with Model Teaching, an industry leader in supporting educators, this course guides you through the entire expository writing process, covering topics like expository vs. narrative writing, planning, drafting, grammar, editing, and assessment. Model Teaching's Mission is to improve student performance by directly supporting teachers with quality content and resources. It will equip you with all the knowledge and strategies to effectively teach writing skills to your 4th-8th-grade students.

SHARE
3 Months / 12 Course Hrs
Open Enrollment
Offered in partnership with your preferred school

Stephen F. Austin State University

Change School
Learning method

Expository Writing & Embedded Grammar Instruction

Enroll Now

Course code: T14716

This teacher professional development course teaches you the entire writing process as you support your 4th-8th grade students in expository writing. You will explore the fundamentals of the writing process before diving into how you will teach students to plan for and draft their essays. Later, you will learn about creating mini-lessons, scheduling student conferences, and teaching revising and editing strategies to your students. Lastly, you will learn about how to assess student progress in writing. You will leave the course with an expository writing lesson plan ready to implement and multiple resources that support your planning and your student's writing.

What you will learn

  • Analyze five different expository essay formats
  • Build a plan for a successful expository writing lesson
  • Explore assessment methods for expository essays to help you drive your instruction

How you will benefit

  • Your classroom expectations will become clearer and your students will be able to find success more easily when writing their essays
  • Acquire lesson planning strategies for expository writing lessons that will become more targeted and simpler to implement
  • Learn to successfully monitor student progress, address areas of concern, and measure student growth more easily

How the course is taught

  • Self-Guided, online course
  • 3 Months access
  • 12 course hours
  1. The Writing Process
    1. The Difference Between Expository and Narrative Writing
    2. Five Different Expository Writing Structures
    3. An Overview of the Writing Process
  2. The Planning & Drafting Stage
    1. How to introduce and teach each of the five expository writing structures
    2. How to analyze a writing prompt and choose an appropriate structure
    3. Several general tips to encourage your students to begin the drafting stage
  3. Writing Mini-Lessons
    1. A Basic Lesson Structure You Can Use For Any Writing Mini-Lesson
    2. Five Sample Lessons You Can Incorporate Immediately Into Your Writing Instruction
  4. Conferences
    1. How To Manage Your Time So You Can Conference Privately with Each Student
    2. The Four Key Parts of a Writing Conference
    3. How to Track the Content of Your Conferences
  5. Revisions
    1. The ARMS Acronym for Revising
    2. Several Strategies You Can Teach to Help Your Students with Revising
    3. How To Use a Checklist to Encourage Your Students to Peer-Revise
  6. Embedded Grammar
    1. Why Grammar is So Important
    2. How Grammar Used to Be taught and Why That Method is Not Effective
    3. A Strategy to Teach Grammar with Mentor Sentences
    4. How to Apply This Strategy in Your Own Classroom
  7. Editing
    1. The CUPS Acronym for Editing
    2. Several Strategies You Can Teach to Help Your Students with Editing
    3. How to Use a Checklist to Encourage Your Students to Peer-Edit
  8. Assessment
    1. How to Score Expository Writing
    2. How to Use the Data You Collect from Scoring
    3. Three Intervention Strategies to Use with Your Struggling Writers
  9. Putting it All Together
    1. Using the sample provided, build your own expository writing lesson plan for an upcoming lesson.
  10. Applying What You Have Learned
    1. Get ideas on how to implement the concepts into your classroom, find a list of online resources that provide additional strategies for expository writing, and read the research behind collaboration and student engagement that supports this evidence-based professional development.
Self-Study

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

  • This course can be taken on either a PC, Mac, or Chromebook.

Software Requirements:

  • PC: Windows 10 or later.
  • Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
  • Browser: The latest version of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox is preferred. Microsoft Edge and Safari are also compatible.
  • Microsoft Word Online
  • Editing of a Microsoft Word document is required in this course. You may use a free version of Microsoft Word Online, or Google Docs if you do not have Microsoft Office installed on your computer. Model Teaching can provide support for this.
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader
  • Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

  • Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

Your course begins immediately after you enroll.​

You have 3 months of access to the course. After enrolling, you can learn and complete the course at your own pace, within the allotted access period. You will have the opportunity to interact with other students in the online discussion area.

There is no time limit to complete each lesson, other than completing all lessons within the allotted access period. Discussion areas for each lesson are open for the entire duration of the course.

Because this course is self-guided, no extensions will be granted after the start of your enrollment.

Building Effective Writing Prompts for All StudentsFundamentalsBuilding Reading and Writing FluencyFundamentalsClassroom Writing Strategies for ELL StudentsFundamentalsChoosing The Right Assessments For Your StudentsFundamentalsLiteracy Stations for PreK-2nd GradeFundamentals
Fundamentals
Building Effective Writing Prompts for All Students
Fundamentals
Building Reading and Writing Fluency
Fundamentals
Classroom Writing Strategies for ELL Students
Fundamentals
Choosing The Right Assessments For Your Students
Fundamentals
Literacy Stations for PreK-2nd Grade