Units 1 through 5 are available now.  Foundations is complete and Framework has started.  See the tiers
Structured Steps to Writing

Writing instruction taught the way you teach reading.

Explicit. Sequential. 15 minutes a lesson. Everything scripted.

See the three tiers Not sure where to start? Take the screener
Structured Steps to Writing Unit 1 shown on a monitor, laptop and tablet with lesson pages behind

Twelve units. Three tiers.

Each tier builds on the last. Students start where they are and move forward when they're ready.

The four Foundations instructor manuals, Units 1 to 4, fanned out Available now

Foundations

Units 1 to 4

Building sentences. From capital letters and end punctuation through to combining and expanding ideas.

See Units 1 to 4
Unit 5 lesson plan, student workbook page and baseline assessment Unit 5 available now

Framework

Units 5 to 9

Paragraph writing. From a single paragraph to writing several that hold together. Unit 5 is ready, the rest are in development.

See Unit 5
Coming soon
In development

Composition

Units 10 to 12

Essay planning and multi-genre composition. Where the whole sequence has been heading since the first sentence.

What's coming
See all twelve units, lesson by lesson
CAMPS and SPARK+SORT graphic organizers and anchor charts
Works with every unit

The graphic organizer sets

CAMPS and SPARK+SORT are two of the four tools students carry through the program. Once a tool is introduced it keeps working, unit after unit. The sets are also sold on their own, with differentiated versions for students who need more or less support.

  • CAMPS editing set, $9
  • SPARK+SORT brainstorming set, $9
  • Both together, $15
See the GO sets

Four tools, introduced across twelve units

Each tool is taught explicitly when a student is ready for it, then carries forward through every unit that follows.

The SPARK and SORT brainstorming organizer

SPARK + SORT

Beats the blank page.

The STEMS paragraph framework: state your topic, target your idea, explain with an example, make it matter, sum it up

STEMS

Builds every paragraph.

The CAMPS editing organizer and anchor chart

CAMPS

Catches every error, in order.

The Introduction and Conclusion checklists

CHECKLISTS

Opens and closes with confidence.

Watch a lesson overview Watch a lesson walkthrough See inside the student workbook

Each preview is about a minute long.

25+
Years of combined experience in explicit, systematic literacy instruction
OG
Orton-Gillingham certified practitioners who use these materials in real sessions every week
Built
From real sessions with real students, not from theory alone. We know your students because they are our students.

SSW started the way most good things do: out of necessity. After years of piecing together writing instruction for our own students, we built the resource we wished had existed. Everything in SSW has been used in real 1:1 and small group sessions before it was ever packaged for anyone else.

Learn more about us →

Not sure where to begin?

The Writing Skills Placement Screener takes about 20 minutes to administer and tells you exactly which unit to start in.

See the screener

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