College, Career & Community Writers Program

Why Argument?

College-Ready Writers Program answers the contemporary call for respectful argumentative discourse. The instructional resources help teachers and students read critically, explore multiple points of view, and finally take a stand on important issues.

How the Program Works

CRWP works by integrating curricular resources, formative assessment, professional reading, and professional conversations.

Learning to write arguments takes time and practice, which is why teachers who take advantage of CRWP resources engage in at least 4 "cycles of writing." A cycle of writing is more than simply teaching a mini-unit. Instead, a cycle of writing includes professional development, formative assessment, and the teaching of argument writing. In a cycle of writing, both teachers and students learn. The graphic below shows how these cycles work from the teachers' point of view. They begin by asking students to write informal arguments, continue through a sequence of mini-units, and conclude with extended research arguments that replace the traditional research paper. Each cycle is informed by formative assessment that helps teachers and students see their strengths and how and where to build on them. Students' capacity for sophisticated argument writing is thus built over the course of a year, not in a single argument unit.