Writing Traits Masterclass Series
Transform how you teach writing
"I often found it difficult to give students specific feedback on their writing when there were so many things that needed 'fixing'. Narrowing that focus down to using a particular 'lens' (trait) has helped immensely."
Do any of these sound familiar?
- Your data shows you're not getting growth in your writers over time.
- You struggle to identify the strengths in your students' writing.
- You find it hard to pinpoint exactly what your students need to work on to improve their writing.
- You find it hard to give feedback on anything other than structure, spelling, punctuation and/or grammar.
- You wonder if there's more to teaching writing than just teaching structure.
- You're not sure how to get the most out of mentor texts in the writing classroom.
If so, the Writing Traits Masterclass is just for you!
Learn the qualities of good writing
Go beyond teaching the structure of writing and learn to teach your students about all the other ingredients in good writing.
Learn how to use mentor texts to teach writing
Learn how to pull mentor texts apart to use them in your explicit instruction, "showing" rather than "telling" your students.
Learn how to identify the strengths and weaknesses in student writing
Use this knowledge to provide more effective feedback and differentiate your instruction.
Why this course?
When I first learned about the 6+1 traits of writing it was like being told all the secrets of the writing world. I finally had a language to explain why one piece of writing was better than another (hint: it's so much more than correct structure!). I became confident in diagnosing my students' needs and planning minilessons to target these needs. It totally transformed how I taught writing.
Realising how much of a difference the traits made to my students' writing (as well as their engagement), I wanted to let everyone else in on the secret.
Prior to creating this course, I'd facilitated professional learning that tried to build teacher knowledge across every trait in one day (hello whole school curriculum days!) I quickly realised that these one-day introductions just weren't going deep enough. Teachers often left with sore heads and the information overload rarely lead to sustained changes in teacher practice.
I genuinely want teachers to implement more effective writing instruction, so I set about creating a course that did justice to each of the traits. One that would leave teachers feeling truly confident to know:
- what each trait really was,
- what it looked like in mentor texts and
- what it looked like in student writing.
Following my favourite mantra of 'do less and do it well,' I designed this course in a way that allows teachers to go deep on just one trait at a time.
What this means is that you can take the time to get your head around what each trait is and trial some of the teaching suggestions for that trait, before you decide to start learning about the next one.
It's a slow and steady drip-feed of content and support over time- just like the research on effective professional learning says it needs to be!
The content is divided up into six 1-hour modules, each made up of a series of short video minilessons. (Which makes it perfect for PLCs and school groups).
I've had hundreds of teachers and whole schools participate in this course and I'm so proud of the feedback and impact it has had.
This course works!
I can't wait to share the learning with you.
-Riss
6-hours of professional development that you can access anywhere, any time, from any device.
You'll have access to the course for 12 months from the date of purchase, so you can revisit the videos and resources as many times as you like in that time.
The course is accessible via desktop or laptop and even through the Kajabi app on your tablet or phone. (Which means you can learn all about effective sentence structure and word choice while you're out walking your dog!)
All the details:
What: 6-hours of self-paced pre-recorded video lessons. The course is divided into 6 modules. Each module is approximately 1-hour long. (Perfect for PLCs)
When: You'll get access to all modules as soon as you sign up. You'll have access to the course for 12 months from the date of purchase. This course opens for individuals twice a year: February and July. (It's open for whole school purchases all year round).
Price: $250AUD + GST ($275 total) per person. If you'd like to enquire about large group discounts, please email [email protected].
Who: This course is suitable for pre-service, graduate and experienced teachers.
Other: 5% of all profits from Oz Lit Teacher courses go to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
At Oz Lit Teacher we're serious about improving the literacy outcomes of every student across Australia. We believe postcode should not determine destiny, which is why we donate 5% of all our profits to Australia's Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
This foundation is focused on improving the literacy rates in remote indigenous communities in Australia and we're very proud to support their work.
Want to pay via school invoice?
No problems! Simply fill out the form below and we'll send you an invoice and get you signed up quick smart!
Is writing a whole school priority for your school?
We love it when leadership teams purchase the Traits Masterclass Series for their whole staff because we know it leads to whole school improvements in student writing. The course is designed to be delivered via a drip-feed of learning and support- just like the research says it needs to be to be most effective.
We've had loads of schools use our course to support their staff with a flexible drip-feed of learning and support across a year. You can choose to watch the modules as a whole staff, in PLC groups or even individually.
We have generous whole-school discounts available. Email [email protected] to get a quote.
Click here to learn more about whole school access to the Traits MasterclassWhat schools are saying about this course:
Cowes Primary School, VIC
The self paced pre-recorded masterclass series was very supportive of our leadership team managing professional learning along with the other constraints a leadership and teaching position can bring. Narissa's presentation capabilities supported this as she was interactive despite the pre recording and we were able to revisit sections during our discussions if required.
St Benedict's Catholic School, QLD
The Traits Masterclass has been a resource within a 'Writing Project' within our school. It has been great professional learning to help teachers understand the traits. We love that it's online and self-paced. It's been a great resource to go with the 6+1 Traits book.
Westgrove Primary School, Vic
We love the 1 hour modules. We allocate time for PLC bands to meet to go through modules together. But we also love that staff can front load for upcoming modules or revisit as needed. We love that you can access the modules for the year and pace the learning to ensure staff aren’t overloaded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pay for this course via a school invoice?
When does this course open?
What time are the workshops?
How long will I have access to the course?
Are there discounts available for large group / whole school purchases?
I've read all the traits books- is this content any different?
I'm a secondary teacher, would this course be suitable for me?
I'm not from Australia, can I pay in another currency?
Where can I access the T's & C's of the course?
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Keen to learn how to give more effective feedback to your students?
Want to teach your students that there's more to good writing than structure and spelling alone?
Sign up to the Traits Masterclass now