A Principal's Guide to Leadership in the Teaching of Writing: Helping Teachers with Units of Study

by Lucy Calkins

"A Principal's Guide to Leadership in the Teaching of Writing will keep you company during the hard work of leading school reform in teaching writing. It will bring you inside a community of practice comprised of scores of principals who have also thought, 'How can I provide my teachers with the support they deserve in teaching writing?' This book will allow you to stand on the shoulders of others who have tackled the challenge of supporting whole school reform in writing." Lucy Calkins & Laurie Pessah Schoolwide reform in writing involves all members of the school community. This resource is for the leader in that reform effort. Organized around the school calendar, A Principal's Guide to Leadership in the Teaching of Writing will help you work strategically throughout the school year researching, imagining, problem solving, building infrastructure, and developing leaders. The accompanying DVD welcomes you into a community of practice where you can learn from other principals who have engaged in the beautiful, difficult, exhilarating work of supporting schoolwide reform in the teaching of writing. This Principal's Guide is a companion to the Units of Study for Teaching Writing series. For a comprehensive overview of the Units of Study for Teaching Writing series, including sample minilessons, sample videos, curricular calendars, overview presentations, frequently asked questions, and information on the companion principal's guide and the Workshop Help Desk series visit unitsofstudy.com.

224 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2008

Reviews

[Erin]

I love the month-by-month format. It is such a well-organized text, and it's packed with great advice.

The only drawback I've found so far is that Calkins has geared this text specifically towards elementary school literacy reform. I am not having much trouble adapting it to use in our middle school setting, but it is something to note for other interested readers.

[Jessica]

This book is divided into chapters for different months of the school year so I could digest it slowly. My book is filled with highlights/tabs and I already know I want to go back for a reread. It also comes with a dvd resource to hear other principals talk about leadership in writing.

[Amy]

A must read for Writers Workshop implementation!

[Diana Pettis]

A must read for teacher leaders and administrators interested in using the workshop structure as a primary model for writing instruction.