Take Writing Instruction to the Next Level
How? Hire Smekens Education to provide customized professional development that targets your school’s unique needs
When Schools Work with Smekens,
Writing Instruction Improves
Your data shows that writing needs improvement, but where do you go from here? Simply doing more writing won’t move the dial. You need a customized PD plan that prepares the whole staff to teach writing with confidence.
Define “Good” Writing
Teach Writing Every Day
Achieve Growth in Writing
With a proven game plan for teaching writing all year long, teachers can help students achieve grade-level benchmarks.
What Does
Working with Smekens Education
Look Like?
PRACTICAL
ENGAGING
Smekens consultants motivate and encourage teachers with high-energy professional development.
EFFECTIVE
What Does an Effective
Smekens Education
Writing Initiative Look Like?
Improving student achievement in writing requires more than buying a boxed program or an all-in-one textbook series. It takes effective professional learning that prepares teachers to deliver rigorous, standards-based writing instruction all year long.
Strong Kickoff
Teachers have a lot on their plates, and any new initiative needs to be seen as relevant and achievable. That’s why we are intentional about making the first PD session one of the most powerful.
Mini-Lesson Modeling
Professional development becomes even more meaningful when teachers learn a new strategy and then watch as a Smekens consultant models that same strategy with their own students.
Implementation Support
After teachers learn best-practice strategies for teaching writing, the next challenge is to implement with fidelity. With remote and in-person coaching from Smekens, teachers get the support they need to succeed.
Continuous Learning
A strong kickoff sets the tone for a writing initiative, but it’s the learning that occurs afterward that keeps the spark alive. Smekens Education’s on-site consulting, remote coaching, and on-demand videos provide options for every budget.
Professional Resources
When teachers are armed with professional learning and quality resources, they have the tools to improve achievement in writing. To that end, Smekens has developed a collection of books, guides, videos, and classroom tools that can complement any writing initiative.
A Dynamic Team That Loves
Making a Difference
The literacy consultants at Smekens Education have one important thing in common: they all had classrooms of their own where they navigated the real challenges of being a teacher. It’s from those days in the classroom that this team of educators developed the drive to help other teachers succeed.
Kristina Smekens
Courtney Gordon
Didi Harris
Shona Lansdell
Bridget Longmeier
Kristi McCullough
Rachel Remenschneider
Holly Sluyter
Smekens Professional Development Topics
Six Traits of Writing
- Teaching writing with the Six-Traits framework
- Introducing the Six Traits to students
- Teaching trait-based writing mini-lessons
- Establishing school-wide consistency
- Educating parents on the Six Traits of Writing
- Assessing writing with a Six-Traits rubric
Writer’s Workshop
- Launching the writer’s workshop
- Assigning writing-time tasks
- Helping students write more
- Teaching writing with mentor texts
- Building writer independence
- Leading effective writer conferences
Writing Units
- Advancing from drawing to labeling to listing
- Planning a yearlong scope and sequence
- Teaching informative writing
- Teaching persuasive writing
- Teaching argumentative writing
- Teaching narrative writing
Writing Mini-Lessons
- Developing writers with standards-driven lessons
- Teaching with the gradual release of responsibility
- Modeling with a “Think-Aloud”
- Delivering dynamic writing mini-lessons
- Teaching grammar in context
Writing About Reading
- Making an inference
- Writing polished constructed responses
- Synthesizing ideas before writing
- Improving extended-response writing
- Integrating writing into the content areas
- Writing for success on ILEARN
Writing Assessment
- Assessing writing based on instruction
- Building kid-friendly rubrics
- Tallying points & calculating grades
- Providing focused & frequent feedback
Progress Starts by
Creating a Common Language
with The Six Traits of Writing
When the entire staff has a shared understanding of what constitutes “good writing,” the foundation is in place for powerful growth. With the Six Traits of Writing framework, teachers have the criteria to guide every lesson, assignment, and assessment.
Equip Teachers with Strategies & Resources to Improve Writing
Customized professional development from Smekens Education will take writing instruction to the next level.
On-Site Professional Learning
Virtual Professional Learning
Provide high-energy, engaging PD for the whole staff with Smekens Education’s customized professional learning that occurs virtually via Zoom.
Remote Coaching
After teachers participate in Smekens professional development, they schedule time with their Remote Coach to focus on implementation.
Conferences
When educators attend a virtual or in-person Smekens conference, they get re-energized by learning practical strategies that can be used right away.
On-Demand Workshops
Video Subscription
Professional Books
A dealer for several educational publishers, Smekens provides curated recommendations of professional resources to support a writing initiative.
Mentor Texts
Teaching writing with mentor texts is made easier, thanks to the books and resources available exclusively from The Literacy Store by Smekens Education.
Smekens Originals
Teachers love our best-selling “Smekens Originals” because they offer practical, ready-to-use strategies for teaching reading and writing at affordable prices.
Are We the Right Fit for Your School?
Typical PD provider approach
Experts tell teachers what they are supposed to do but don’t explain how to do it.
Down-to-earth consultants share simple and effective ways to make change happen in the classroom.
All professional learning is tied together by a core set of vocabulary and strategies that are applied K-12.
You have to purchase an expensive program and resources that accompany the training.
Energy, enthusiasm, and best-practice strategies are delivered without the obligation to buy more.
During on-site professional development, the expert delivers a canned presentation.
Every on-site or virtual consultation is customized to address the unique needs of your school.
Don’t Leave Your Writing Initiative to Chance.
Hire experts who can take your writing instruction to the next level.
Tara Bush, Principal
Olive Township Elementary – New Carlisle, IN
Nakia Nicholson, Deputy Chief of Leadership Development
Susan Wardell, Principal
Holland Township School – Milford, NJ
Julie Meitzler, Assistant Superintendent
Bluffton Harrison MSD – Bluffton, IN
Julie Cox, District Literacy Coach
Tricia Stanley, Principal
Granville Wells Elementary – Jamestown, IN
Let’s Connect
Complete the form below or call (888) 376-0448.
We are eager to help you achieve your PD goals!