I teach one ELA block with reading and writing combined. How should I schedule writing?

We have a lot of teachers with a similarly short writing block, particularly in middle school. There are several ways to make this schedule work:

1. Split your ELA block in half. This works best when your total ELA block is approximately 90 minutes, allowing 45 minutes each for reading and writing.

2. Alternate teaching reading and writing every other day. This schedule is better suited for shorter ELA blocks that are 45-60 minutes long. Since it is difficult to teach and practice more than one skill in this short time period, consider alternating days so you can focus solely on one subject each day.

3. Rotate between teaching reading and writing every 2-3 weeks. This provides consistent writing time from day to day within a unit. Try to include at least one full writing unit every 9 weeks.

Our Success with Simplify Writing®️ Course has a full module on setting up your writing block, which includes these suggestions and goes over scheduling more in-depth, so be sure to check it out!