DSAC Professional Development Fact Sheet for
Teaching Informative and Persuasive Writing
offered by the Western Massachusetts Writing Project
Course Description: This course provides teachers with principles and strategies to help students meet the new
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Anchor Standards for Writing, 6-12, in English as well as History/Social
Studies, Science and Technical Subjects. Specifically, it provides a rhetorical framework and pedagogical
strategies for teaching writing for informative and persuasive purposes and in a range of text types (genres),
both print and digital. Topics addressed will include audience, purpose, elements of argument, the writing
process, research and evaluation of sources, and assessing student work. The course will also develop
participants’ understanding of how writing stimulates thinking and understanding of subject matter across
content areas.
Administrator Support Component: Administrators will attend the first session where course goals and key
concepts are introduced and participate in a site visit by instructors. They will also join teachers at the last
session of the course to learn about the unit plans participants have developed, help make connections to the
work of other teachers, and develop plans for supporting participants during implementation of their units.
Site Facilitator/Coach Component: Site Facilitators/Coaches will act as resources for the other teachers and
assist in team building with them and with the appropriate administrators and curriculum coordinators. In
addition to participating in the course, the Site Facilitators/Coaches will be included in planning meetings with
the course instructors, at which they will receive three (or more) hours’ training. Course instructors will also
make one site visit to Site Facilitators/Coaches’ schools to support their work with teachers and administrators.
Course Format: The course meets face-to-face (with some online homework) for a total 45 contact hours. It is
configured as six full day sessions, but could be modified to suit a district’s scheduling needs.
Targeted Audience and Grade Level: Teachers of grades 6-12, from all disciplines.
Prerequisites: None, aside from a bachelor’s degree.
Resources Teachers Will Receive: Teachers will receive a textbook, links to Internet resources and technology
tools, and a $200-$250 allowance to purchase classroom materials.
Products Teachers Will Generate: Participating teachers will complete a writing project relevant to the content
they teach and a fully developed, standards-based curriculum unit with lesson plans and performance
assessments.
Graduate Credit and PDPs: 67.5 PDPs awarded on full completion of the course; 3 graduate credits available
from the University of Massachusetts Amherst for $345 (registration online at www.umassulearn.net).
Number of Participants: We require a minimum of 14 and a maximum of 24 participants.
Cost: As a regional course offering, the per teacher vendor cost is $1,050 per participant. This includes $200$250 per teacher for classroom materials (prorated according to enrollment) to support implementation of each
teacher’s curriculum unit. Instructor travel and any additional stipends are not included. If a district wishes to
contract for the course, the minimum cost is $14,700 and the maximum $25,200 for up to 24 teachers.
Vendor Contact Information: Anne Herrington, Ph.D., Site Director, Western Massachusetts Writing Project,
University of Massachusetts Amherst, anneh@english.umass.edu, 413-545-5466, www.umass.edu/wmwp.