The literacy-focused organization has also sponsored a writing contest among its affiliate schools
New York, NY — The Writing Revolution has expanded its Black History Month collection of complimentary grade school writing activities for teachers by offering activities that profile award-winning Black authors.
The featured authors include:
The current collection of Black History Month classroom materials include historical figures such as Amanda Gorman, John Lewis, Shirley Chisholm, Cudjo Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the real-life women behind the Hidden Figures film, and others.
First-time visitors to the page will be prompted to register prior to access. “The power of explicit writing instruction, coupled with well-developed writing
activities, can be a game-changer for students,” says Dr. Dina Zoleo, co-executive director of TWR.
“We are excited to offer free writing activities that celebrate Black individuals and groups of not only the past but also the present,” adds Dr. Toni-Ann Vroom, co-executive director of TWR.
In addition, TWR is sponsoring a Black History Month writing contest, where students from TWR-affiliated education institutions have been asked to submit descriptions of African-descendant persons or groups, past or present, who have made the most significant impact on society. Selected winners can win prizes, ranging from American Express gift cards to tablet computing devices. So far, the contest submissions have included innovators like Kezzmekia Corbett, African American immunologist who led a team at the National Institutes of Health that developed a COVID-19 vaccine that Moderna eventually brought to market; and Madam C. J. Walker, America’s first Black woman millionaire.
More broadly, TWR’s complementary resource page contains class activities, teacher pacing guides, assessment tools, and customizable templates that cover a wide range of topics.
All resources are available online, and accessible at any time.
“It’s important to celebrate [Black history], and to learn about all of these African Americans, who look like many of my students, and who have achieved many things — many of which have helped to pave the way for these students to have free public education,” said Karen Rogers, a ninth-grade Monroe, Louisiana English teacher in Carroll High School, which has a 97.1 percent African American student population.
“Writing is not an easy thing to teach,” adds Ms. Rogers. “But when you have resources [like those from The Writing Revolution], along with TWR’s strategies and methods, students learn how to write in a very effective way.”
TWR has made a portion of its vast, premium-subscription Resource Library free to the public since March 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the shutdown of public schools. The overwhelmingly-positive response from educators all over the world has prompted TWR to make the free resources permanently available while bolstering the offerings of its paid-subscription
service. During the same time period, TWR shifted its in-person writing instruction delivery method to online.
Founded by Dr. Judith C. Hochman and based in New York City, The Writing Revolution’s mission is to enable students, especially those from historically marginalized communities, to develop writing skills, as well as the ability to read and think critically, so they will have enhanced opportunities to succeed in school, in the workplace, and in life.
TWR trains and supports teachers and school leaders in implementing the Hochman Method, an explicit set of evidence-based strategies for teaching expository writing. The method builds from sentences to compositions and is embedded in curricula across all content areas and grade levels. The organization believes that improved writing skills support the improvement of overall academic performance, and will position students with stronger personal skill sets that can help to narrow the social inequality gap. TWR has positioned writing instruction as a solution to help address the students’ learning loss that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Published in 2017, the book, The Writing Revolution: A Guide To Advancing Thinking Through Writing In All Subjects and Grades, was co-written by Dr. Hochman and Natalie Wexler. A top-seller within the educator community, The Writing Revolution has been sold throughout all 50 U.S. states, 36 countries, and more than 1,000 colleges and universities.
Through courses, workshops, and webinars, TWR’s training footprint spans North America and 17 other countries.
While TWR’s book and courses are available for purchase by any educator, school, district, and community member, the organization focuses its partnership work on educational institutions that are located within historically marginalized neighborhoods.
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