Updated Units Offer Fully Integrated Solution With New Digital Experience to Extend Teacher Capacity
Heinemann today announced the release of a new edition of Units of Study in Writing for Grades 3-5 authored by Dr. Lucy Calkins and Units of Study colleagues. The Units of Study in Writing is an innovative and effective supplemental curricula and instructional approach. Developed over decades, it has transformed the way children learn to write by adapting the “writing workshop” model to meet the needs of elementary-age students.
The new edition offers a blended experience and features new lessons aligned to the latest evidence-based writing principles to ensure students can successfully meet the demands of today’s world. An updated edition of the Units of Study in Writing for K-2 was released in 2023. The new 3-5 Writing Units will be available for back-to-school 2024, completing the updated K-5 Units of Study in Writing portfolio.
Responsive Instruction, Grounded in Research
The new Units incorporate the latest research on oral language development, writing instruction, grammar, vocabulary, knowledge generation, executive function and feedback, providing explicit lessons in narrative, informational, argument and literary essay writing. A new sequential, standards-based curriculum in grammar ensures that students’ writing instruction aligns with and reinforces their reading instruction. Responsive teaching remains at the heart of the curriculum with more tools for assessment-based small group instruction, options for differentiation to support learners as they develop their skills and writing craft, and increased guidance for supporting multilingual learners embedded in each lesson.
New AI Tools for Teachers
Launching on the Heinemann Flight platform this summer, the new Units will harness the power of AI as a tool for educators by giving teachers access to generative AI-suggested comments, uniquely tuned to the instruction and style of Units of Study, to provide each student with customized feedback. This feature will help teachers more quickly and easily see patterns in students' writing and identify areas of support, extending teacher capacity and deepening student engagement and success. The new Units will also provide more comprehensive support for blended teaching and learning with downloadable materials to streamline planning and an innovative student experience with opportunities to submit work digitally.
“Heinemann is delighted to offer the new edition of Units of Study in Writing as a fully integrated solution,” said Maggie DeMont, general manager of Heinemann. “We know that fostering students’ digital literacy is essential in an increasingly digital world. The new Units feature the best in research-based, responsive writing instruction alongside innovative generative AI tools that help enhance the breadth and depth of teacher feedback as part of an immersive digital student writing experience.”
Pilot users have reported increased engagement and improvement in students’ writing abilities. “The beauty of Units of Study and the workshop model, in general, is the ability it gives teachers to be responsive to the individual needs of students. Responsive teaching is needed today and will be essential in education going forward,” said Thomas Nickerson, a 4th grade pilot teacher from Massachusetts. “The new writing units are written to meet this challenge. They are full of thoughtful ideas and strategies to meet students who are striving, meeting, and exceeding the standards.”
For more information about the Units of Study, please visit: UnitsofStudy.com.
