Students using our Middle School ELA Grade Level Collections will be exploring essay form, enhancing vocabulary, and being introduced to advanced rhetoric in addition to the CORE units. Students at this level have developed confidence in the expanded form of idea-making, are crafting clever Hook openings with unique voicing, and are moving into the territory of unencumbered idea making!
Students regularly engage in the process of writing, idea to draft to the re-read/edit loop that leads to a beautiful polished final work.
When students move to the high school level, each week, in addition to journaling observations character development, themes, symbols, and motifs, they are encouraged to craft a synopsis and a personal reflection to help them timk deeply about the story at hand in preparation for the crafting of a literary essay. 
Crafting the synopsis and reflection within a constrained word count, challenges the writer to make each word matter!
Each culminating essay follows the same form introduced in middle school, so that the writer is now prepared to craft original observations and ideas tied to complex literature constrained to the particular literary form.
Click through to watch a recording of the August Professional Development sessions with Mrs. B & Ms. Clare:
How to Encourage Middle School and High Student Writing!
~Kimberly