Transforming Student Writing Part 2: From Sentences to Essays

This workshop focuses on guiding educators through practical, research-based strategies to help students progress from writing individual sentences to composing well-structured essays. Participants explore methods to support planning, organizing, and expanding student writing while reducing cognitive overload. The session integrates tools such as Single Paragraph Outlines (SPOs), Multiple Paragraph Outlines (MPOs), and targeted revising strategies to improve clarity, coherence, and depth in student work. By embedding explicit instruction in sentence types, subordinating conjunctions, and appositives, teachers can help students enhance both the form and substance of their writing.

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• Students struggling to plan and organize their writing effectively.
  
  
• Weaknesses in sustaining focus, resisting distractions, and self-monitoring during writing tasks.
  
  
• Limited use of complex sentence structures and transitions, resulting in repetitive or underdeveloped writing.
  
  
• Difficulty moving from basic sentence-level writing to cohesive multi-paragraph compositions.

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• ‍Structured Planning Techniques – Participants will learn how to implement Single Paragraph Outlines and Multiple Paragraph Outlines to help students organize ideas, sequence information logically, and manage cognitive demands before drafting.
• Sentence-Level Skill Development – Teachers will gain strategies to teach sentence variety and complexity through explicit instruction in sentence types, subordinating conjunctions, and appositives, enabling richer and more precise student writing.
• ‍Revising for Clarity and Flow – Educators will explore revision practices that improve sentence variety, word choice, and transitions, helping students produce more cohesive, polished, and effective essays.