ORANGE, CALIF. - October 26, 2015 - Orange Unified School District (OUSD) is pleased to announce that all kindergarten through sixth-grade teachers are implementing the new Write from the Beginning... and Beyond narrative writing program this school year.

Write from the Beginning... and Beyond is designed for teachers, schools and districts who apply the Thinking Maps curriculum to learning, which OUSD has done since 2006. Thinking Maps provide teachers with an understanding of how to visually represent - “map” - critical thinking skills embedded in the California State Standards. These maps also help students develop their thinking processes and build the foundation of skills needed to support deeper levels of understanding.

All elementary sites will further their implementation of narrative writing on November 3, when they move into the second part of the program. Throughout the year, all teachers will engage in focused modeled writing, mini-lessons and activities to teach and support the essential criteria of effective writing.

Elementary teachers participated in the initial Write from the Beginning... and Beyondimplementation training during the August professional development days. The second round of trainings finished for all schools this week. During these trainings, teachers had the opportunity to collaborate and learn how their grade-level colleagues are utilizing the program in their classrooms. After participating in the two professional development sessions, teachers reported feeling more confident in writing instruction and stated that their students are enjoying the writing process.

Due to the overall intensity of Write from the Beginning... and Beyond, the District has a three‐year roll out planned. This includes the four basic writing genres: narrative, expository, response to literature, and opinion/argument.

Congratulations to all OUSD elementary teachers on the successful first steps in the implementation of Write from the Beginning... and Beyond.