National Writing Project

Wondering how to improve your students’ reading and writing abilities? The National Writing Project (NWP) is a nation-wide programme supported by the United States (US) Department of Education for teachers to train teachers. The aim is to develop teacher knowledge and leadership, which will in turn aid students in becoming proficient writers.

The NWP network consists of 185 sites in 50 states across the US and neighbouring areas. Each site runs both standardised and customised programmes within their local schools or districts. Teachers come together for professional development activities and programmes that foster improvements in teaching and learning of writing.

Although developed in the US, many of the writing programmes and teaching tips can be seamlessly adapted for our use locally. The information is particularly useful for those teaching Primary 4 to Secondary 2 (Grades 4 to 12) who are interested in improving students’ reading and writing.

Teachers would be interested in the Resources section, which contains useful links to articles and other resources for both educators and administrators.

The website offers free access to various discussion boards once you sign up as a member. The two main forums for teachers are the English Language Learners Network Resources and Teacher Inquiry Communities Network Resources. The large number of teachers accessing these two forums almost guarantees response or aid to any posted queries.

There are also online conferences, structured like seminar-style conversations, held annually that bring authors and teachers together online.

The website is easy to navigate and comes with a user-friendly search engine.