Teachers often feel they are given writing curriculum calendars that are unrealistic.

This week a teacher shared with me, "Sometimes my kids are just starting to get the feel of it, and I want to stick with it, but I know a new month is coming and I need to move on to the next unit".

Another teacher pointed out, "Doing a unit of study a month doesn't work because some months are much shorter and busier than others."

A unit of study in writing workshop should allow for deep, sustained thinking about a particular genre and the decisions writers make, while giving students opportunities to produce pieces of writing under the influence of the study.

Just because you don’t do 10 Units of Study, does not mean you don’t have a rigorous writing workshop.  I believe in quality over quantity.