As a teacher facing school closures and remote learning at this time, are you looking for ways to engage your students in writing?
Many teachers need immediate support in getting things in place for their students. As part of our Assistance for Schools and Families ( in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand ) response to Coronavirus, we are providing free access to our new Writing Legends program (usually $11.50 USD per student) for 8 to 14 year olds through to July 31, 2020.
Writing Legends may be particularly helpful for engaging your students in writing and it works well in a work from home situation.
What is Writing Legends?
When teaching writing, how can technology be of greatest benefit? This was a question we pondered upon and which led to Writing Legends. Created with love by passionate teachers, our mission is to help every child develop a love of writing.
Writing Legends is a comprehensive writing program that expands on many of the Storyathon elements. Storyathon is a fun and free writing event where children are challenged to write a story that is precisely 100 words in length. It has proven to be exceptionally popular with over 50,000 stories already created by students.
Writing Legends includes a full range of writing types and supports teachers with features such as annotated exemplars, checklists and vocabulary analysis. It blends the best of technology with captivating writing prompts and modelling to dramatically improve teaching and learning.
Teachers tell us how much students enjoy using Writing Legends and we are especially proud to hear of its success in engaging reluctant writers. The vocabulary tools are specifically designed to help close the word gap. Additionally, teachers appreciate the ability to set activities and to provide individual feedback within the program.
How can Writing Legends help during school closures and for remote learning?
Many teachers, and the education sector in general, are facing tremendous challenges currently. You may be asked to dramatically change your teaching practices with little opportunity to prepare. And while online or remote teaching and learning cannot replace in-person relationships, they are the next best thing available now. Remote teaching and learning can not only keep you connected with your students but it can help minimise disruption to their education.
- An online program accessible anytime, anywhere
Writing Legends functions on any device with an internet connection. We recommend your students have access to a keyboard as this makes typing a lot easier. Laptops, desktops and Chromebooks work very well. Your students could also use an iPad but this is more challenging for typing.
- Assists with writing processes
Navigating through all the aspects of the writing process can be challenging. With Writing Legends, your students are guided through their writing development with writing prompts and various tools including opportunities for your timely feedback.
These are highlights of the key features of the program:
Podcasts – Activity podcasts showcase example responses and provide analysis on the positive elements. These podcasts are designed to give your students greater confidence that writing activities are achievable.
Quick Writes – Every fortnight, your students would be presented with four Quick Write focus activities. These are ideal lesson starters because above everything else, we want students to enjoy writing and thinking of ideas.
Writing Process Activities – There are over 60 writing process activities available that cover most writing types. These assist you in the management of the writing process from Plan & Draft to Edit & Publish. It provides support structures to enable your students to transition from dependent to independent.
Writing Types – There are over 200 writing activities for 18 types of writing including narratives, advertisements, persuasive texts, biographies and autobiographies, discursive writing, emails texting and messaging, letter writing and more. Each type has a different rule, purpose and audience.
Why do we have so many writing types? We do this because students benefit from learning the intricacies of a wide range of writing types.
Class Review – This provides you with a live feed and a summary of your student responses. This increases teachable moments, especially when discussing vocabulary. It also facilitates immediate collaboration and feedback within your class.
Student Replay – You are able to re-play student responses and view exactly how your students constructed their writing. This enables you to encourage and reward student reflection and editing. You will be able to do more than just assessing the finished output – you can glimpse your student’s approach to writing.
Vocabulary Analysis – Vocabulary is analysed and showcased in a variety of ways at both a student and class level. Our goal is to help you expand student vocabulary especially since studies consistently show a strong correlation between vocabulary and writing skills.
- Model and support
Writing process activities include annotated exemplars highlighting key elements. Students benefit by seeing exemplars and having them deconstructed to show exactly why they work well. Writing checklists guide self-reflection and editing. Through all of this, your students are able to explore new forms of expression and reduce their reliance on overused words.
- Build independence
The goal is to develop independent writers. When your students regard themselves as independent writers, they are able to confidently create any text type. Every class may have varying degrees of readiness for independence that can be accommodated.
- Showcase every child’s greatness
Every piece of writing needs an audience. The value in creating an environment where every student’s best writing can shine lies in the fact that it enhances powerful learning.
- Supercharge teaching
All of this comes together in the form of great educational technology that helps teachers do their job more effectively. It helps you amplify your impact in the classroom and in this current environment of school closures, continue to support you in carrying out your role.
Who is Writing Legends for?
Writing Legends is suitable for 8 to 14 year olds.
Find out more or sign up at Writing Legends. If you have any questions, drop us an email at info@writinglegends.com
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