This course will give you a fresh perspective on your writing instruction. Writing is personal and can be a difficult subject to teach. You will be guided through reflections on your current instruction while exploring new ideas and confirming the best practices you already use. Throughout this course we will focus on simplifying your writing instruction while making it more meaningful and fun for you and your students. A few of the topics this course will cover are: writing workshop, conferencing with writers, your writing beliefs, assessing writing, and many more!

For K-8 Teachers

This class is offered as for 3, 4 or 5 credits

Required Textbooks:

Text for all credit options: 

Teaching Writing by Lucy Calkins

Additional text for 4 and 5 credit options: 

Writing Essentials: Raising Expectations and Results While Simplifying Teaching by Regie Routman

Register Anytime!  You can start your course TODAY!

1. Click "Registration" below.  Our site will redirect you to an SPU registration page where you will pay both the TINT and SPU fee with a credit card. 

2. You will receive an email from SPU with your receipt and a link to the coursework. 

3. You have a year to complete the work at your own pace.  Your grade will be posted on your transcript within a few weeks (and often sooner) of you finishing!

Fees:

Option 1:  Non-Credit/Audit TINT Tuition Fee (30 PDUs): $525

Option 2:   3 Quarter Credit (60 PDUs) = TINT Tuition Fee: $525

+ $165 SPU Credit Fee (Click here for SPU Info) = $690

Option 3:  4 Quarter Credit (80 PDUs) = TINT Tuition Fee: $625

+ $220 SPU Credit Fee (Click here for SPU Info) = $845

Option 4:  5 Quarter Credit (100 PDUs) = TINT Tuition Fee: $715

+ $275 SPU Credit Fee (Click here for SPU Info) = $990

Click Here For Coursework Preview

Student Testimonials:

I have found this class to be so beneficial and helpful to my teaching practice.  I am starting to feel more confident in myself as a teacher of writing.  This is where I lack the most confidence in myself as a teacher and have been feeling like the way we teach and assess writing is a little outdated. I feel less overwhelmed about teaching writing now.  I’m really excited to try a lot of these ideas, especially in the area of writer’s workshops, student choice, and assessment.  I like how I was able to learn a lot of new ideas and reflect on my own teaching of writing up to this point. I found the examples in both books to be very helpful. I also thought the assignments were meaningful to my teaching. Thank you!

—TINT Student

This course definitely met my goals/expectations. I find I start the school year with high aspirations of thinking out of the box and doing new, exciting things. As the paperwork mounts, student challenges, inevitable class size increases wears on you – you sometimes retreat to recycling what worked last year. This course definitely re-energizes that spirit of creativity and always looking for improvements that would benefit your students today and tomorrow (when you recycle something great!).

—TINT Student

I really enjoyed the Writing Essentials book and think I will revisit it for years to come. I felt better about how I have been teaching writing (not failing my students completely) but learned so many new tricks and tips. Things I was fortunate about being able to try and things I am excited to start next year. I feel that I have a better understanding of how to engage writers and help develop their voices. Prompts are easy to give but have no real meaning. Allowing students the power to choose produces stronger writers. I witnessed this in the “How to build a sandcastle” writing the students came up with. I always enjoy learning new things and reflecting on old practices and trying new things. Thank you for your time and the thought provoking questions!

—TINT Student

This course exceeded my expectations. I didn’t expect to feel as confident as both a writer and teacher of writing with just these two texts. I knew of Calkins but didn’t realize her value until this course. The texts you chose are indispensable and will be dogeared and used again and again in the coming years. Having to plan out a unit or even “teach” a student or family member always helps me to see what it’ll be like in my own classroom to introduce strategies that are new to me. How prepared I feel for the fall, whether we’re online or in the building, is a great feeling mid-July!

—TINT Student

This course has helped me to not only understand writer’s workshop better, but has also given me tips and tricks I can start incorporating into my teaching of the three types of writing genres I teach. I think the thing that I found most beneficial in this course was learning about conferring with my students one-on-one.

—TINT Student