Welcome! I’m Sally Bergquist.
I’m here to support K-2 teachers by offering a complete, explicit, and age-appropriate writing curriculum so you can enjoy teaching writing.
Whether you are frustrated by the writing curriculum you have, or are searching for answers, I am here to help. Growing Writers was developed as I was teaching in the classroom. I did it to preserve my sanity and so that other teachers and children could have what they deserve.
I have always loved to write, and when I became a teacher I wanted to instill that love in my students. Instead, I experienced writing time as stressful with many children off-task or needing a lot of help. Eventually I realized that the problem wasn’t them, it was the lack of instruction in basic skills that was keeping them from succeeding. When I began to remedy that, everything changed.
Growing Writers is built on the following values:
- I value teachers and the hard (sometimes almost impossible) work you do.
- I value simplicity. Curriculum doesn’t have to be confusing and dense. Simplicity means realistic goals and priorities.
- I value clear, focused and explicit instruction. This builds a strong foundation for literacy.
- I value fun and creativity as a part of writing instruction.
- I value community. The frequent sharing of writing can help build positive relationships.
I’ve also spent a lot of time in the last 10 years studying the research on writing instruction. You can access my list of books and research studies here.
Growing Writers was a 20 year labor of love for me. Here’s my story.
Click here to access short video and PDF “Four Reasons Why Teaching Handwriting is Important”. It’s not just about neatness. Check it out!
What teachers are saying
“I have some boys who get easily distracted and tired of writing. I was nervous about doing the program every day. But as soon as I started it they really looked forward to the routine and they liked knowing what was coming. The consistency of the program worked really well for those kids. Even the kids that really struggle with fine motor skills enjoy the task of the lessons. It isn’t a battle.”
“There is high engagement. They are always excited when those books are coming out. If there is a day we don’t do it, they are sad. A lot of my kids who typically don’t like to write are always engaged during writing time.”
“Everything just flows. The creative choice writing every day gives me the time to walk around and check everyone’s work on the conventions. A lot of kids are proud of their work and they want you to check it, so I try to get around to everyone each day. I like that the program gives me time to do that.”
“It is nice to make time for writing and to have it in the schedule. I’ve never had that. Sure, we did writing as a part of science and social studies and reading and all that but we weren’t teaching it. I don’t think we can expect kids to just know how to write. If you don’t teach it, how do you expect them to know it? It gives me chills to think where my kids would be if we hadn’t had Growing Writers this year.”