Testimonials

for Resources for Teaching the New Standards in Writing

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I am a first year teacher at Palm Middle in Moreno Valley. I teach eighth grade Language Arts. I purchased Resources for Teaching the New Standards in Writing Grades 7/8. The day I used the color maps to help prepare the students for the benchmark, I saw LIGHTBULBS all over the room. It was the first day that I felt like a real teacher for the entire period. They are a fabulous tool and I am grateful to have the entire folder.
Yesterday at a site development day I shared the folder with my colleagues. They are all interested; we believe we will need twenty.

You are providing an invaluable service. Thank you!

Candy Tweedel, Palm Middle School, Moreno Valley

Donna T., Riverside USD

[And later … ]

“Flo and Sheri: The training went REALLY well. Everyone is starving for information on writing – especially more than just ‘how to get kids to write.’ Your books were a hit. At first I shared my copy as one of the most valuable resources I have come across for teaching genre-specific writing. I showed them the color-mapping, pre-skills pages, and genre overview pages (objectives, goals, etc) for every writing standard at their grade level and they ‘oohed and aahed’ over and over. They asked how much … and I told them – there were some disappointed looks but then … I told them that our Asst Sup bought one for each participant and they literally jumped out of their seats!

[And still later]

Demand is now greater for our training sessions than we can meet immediately, thanks in part to our promise to buy each participant a copy of Resources for Teaching the New Standards in Writing. Your books help address several issues I see consistently at training sessions:

Textbook Writing Workshops (textbook units on writing) are generic in terms of teaching a style of writing - most are not specific enough to meet rigorous California standards (good example is Response to Literature in our McDougal Littell and Houghton Mifflin books.) At several grade levels many writing standards are not met through textbook writing workshops (Houghton Mifflin summary/4th and Response to Lit/5th). Then on the other hand I see textbook "standards manager" or yearlong plans that include weeks on writing workshops and activities that are not grade level writing standards.

Your books are a hit because they give such straightforward information on teaching a specific style of writing -- the WAY California wants it taught. They are comprehensive and practical -- something that EVERY teacher should have access to if they are expected to teach the writing standards. If I am required to teach the standards, I should be provided with the resources/materials for teaching it - the textbook is NOT providing that!

The writing standards are so sophisticated in terms of what most of our new and experienced teachers have been exposed to in terms of training and resources. Asking fifth grade students to identify overall meaning of the story and defend that with textual evidence is something so many of us did not do until high school or even college. Effectively summarizing an article, including the most significant details is tough for teachers to do in my workshop! There is not enough training out there for specific writing requirements - however, there is a lot out there on how to get kids to write - but that isn't what our teachers want or need. It's not a question of getting kids to write an essay - it's getting kids to write a summary or response, etc.

Also, CDE and also the textbook companies have not provided clear definitions of writing requirements- what the state calls summary is more like a paraphrase. The response to literature is more of literary analysis - this makes finding resources and materials difficult. Your books provide those crucial pieces.

Charlayne Sprague, BTSA Program, Etiwanda Unified

Toni P., South San Francisco

Eileen Galarze, Central USD, San Bernardino

[And one year later]

Last year I had the pleasure of serving as the district's teacher-on-special-assignment for grades 7-12. This job required me to work with new teachers on reading strategies, give presentations, do demonstration lessons, and attend various workshops on reading and writing strategies both at the elementary and secondary levels. While attending one of these workshops at the Merced County Office of Education, the presenter briefly held up a binder and suggested that those of us interested in teaching standards-based writing review it. Since teaching writing has always been a great love of mine, I slipped up to the front table at break time to take a peek. That's how I first became acquainted with the work of Flo Ota DeLange and Sheri Henderson. Upon opening that binder, I felt similar to the way I felt my first year of teaching when I was introduced to the CAP Domains -- excited. I had been through CAP, CLAS, and now CAHSEE, but I had never seen a binder quite so organized and teacher-friendly.

During my early years of teaching, I quickly became immersed in the teaching of writing. It became a passion. After receiving my Masters that required me to travel back to the University of New Hampshire where I actually took workshops from Tom Romano, Don Murray, and Tom Newkirk, I worked as a teacher-researcher at UCLA while keeping my full-time job teaching high school in the South Valley. After 10 years of teaching, I moved to the North Valley where I began a family and also a part-time job teaching junior college remedial writing and reading courses. I returned to high school teaching after six years and found myself in the middle of a highly charged environment intent on raising the CAHSEE test scores -- especially in writing. For those instructors who have never taught the writing process, the DeLange/Henderson binders are exactly what they need.

This year I found myself adapting and modifying from those binders all year long. I worked with my 9th and 10th grade students on autobiographical and biographical narratives, business letters and resumes, persuasive writing, and responses to literature. During each one of these writing projects, I had the 9th/10th grade binder close at hand along with the book, The Reading/Writing Connection. Both sources stayed opened on my desk all year long.

One of the greatest events that occurred in conjunction with using DeLange/Henderson’s binder happened one day before the CAHSEE exam. The night before, I was pondering how to best prepare my students one final time for the writing prompt, and I decided to use one of the Response to Literature text structures I found in that binder. I explained it on the overhead and then traveled up and down rows working individually with students who still didn't grasp the organizer. A day after the exam, I asked my students how they did on the writing prompt. I had anticipated correctly. The prompt WAS a response to literature. Most of my students felt adequately prepared because we had thoroughly examined the text structure found in DeLange/Henderson 's binder.

Of course, there are other anecdotes to share concerning the applicability of DeLange/Henderson's work. It can be easily adapted to any level of instruction or differentiation. I am hoping to keep that binder close by next year as well, even though it technically belongs to the Professional Development Center. I will always love teaching the writing process and seeing students who thought they couldn't write come to believe in themselves as writers. That's why I appreciate the work of DeLange/Henderson. They, like Don Murray and Tom Romano, remain distant mentors that help me to accomplish what I have just described. I truly believe that we are all readers and writers. . . . We just have to find the right book to read, and the right subject to write about -- and then it all comes. . . but first, WE HAVE TO BELIEVE. Thank you, Flo and Sheri. You help our students to do that, and you certainly help me to achieve my dearest aspirations for my students.

Best Wishes,
Elise

Elise A. Nicoletti, Professional Development Center, Los Banos Unified

J. Creasey, Claremont

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DeLange / Henderson’s Resources for Teaching the New Standards in Writing is a boon to both teachers and students. It takes the sting out of teachers’ sometimes laborious task of finding samples of student writing that demonstrate the numerical values of the rubric/scoring guide, and it offers students the models of student writing necessary to understand what is expected of them as they go about the business of writing in various modes. Students especially enjoy debating the merits and demerits of the sample student essays and come to better understand what they must do to write proficiently or with distinction. The model essays with commentary, features handout, and rubric help me, as a teacher, to make expectations clear.

Kellie Essary, Educational Consultant

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I’ve used the 9th-10th grade writing resource materials for the past three years. Not only have the materials been ideal for helping my students prepare for our state’s high school exit exam, but they have also been perfect for students in our school’s remedial writing program. I would highly recommend the De Lange / Henderson writing binder—it’s a timeless resource and excellent investment!

Laurie Duncan, Language Arts Department. Chair
Academy for Academic Excellence, Apple Valley, CA

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STARLits Units

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Wonderful, simply wonderful! I’ve marveled at your work since the CAP days! To me it is amazing: the energy, the careful and gifted talent, the major works that you accomplish. I look forward to ordering more.

Mary Kaye Mahon, Lompoc Valley Middle School

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Thank you for your materials and your wonderful service. I used the “Thank You, M’am” unit this past week and a half. It was an eye opener, especially the honors, that they could miss some simple questions (on Hot Cocoa and 10 cent cake) simply because they weren’t thinking. I teach my students that the goal is not to find the right answer, but to think, reason, and analyze – then they’ll find the best and right answer. Your quizzes made it so easy to teach them that principle. Thank you again.

Mike Eckgren, Valley Oak Middle School, Visalia

(… and two years later)

I am using the binder this year! What a joy! I sent you a “HUZZAH! HUZZAH!” e-mail when I first looked through it, but now that I’m actually USING it … What’s bigger than HUZZAH?

I am especially impressed with your multiple choice items. Multiple choice is usually against my religion as a teacher, but I looked at yours, and you have managed to ask the “big questions” [I always say that English teachers ask “what is the meaning of life” questions!] in a multiple choice format. Amazing.

And the graphic organizers? Well. Here is a tale: You KNOW “Tim.” He’s the BRIGHT, BRIGHT boy who fails because he can’t be bothered to turn in any work (2 years in 6th grade, 2 in 7th, this is his 1st in 8th). Unlike some, though, he’s engaged during class discussions and is willing to give insightful, thoughtful responses in public. Enter Flo’s graphic organizer about the altercation in Strawberry between Cassie and the younger and elder Simms – the thought bubble vs. speech balloon. I had the kids do both Big Ma and Cassie’s. Most kids “got it”, and were drawing various things representing anger and hurt. One of my favorites was something I couldn’t figure out – a golf club and a sort-of figure-8? The written explanation was “That’s Big Ma’s foot kicking Lillian Jean’s ass.” Ah. After looking at DOZENS, I came to “Tim’s” one of Big Ma: Her thought bubble contained a noose hanging from a tree, a burning cross, and a KKK man. “Tim” “got” Big Ma’s thinking at such a DEEPER level than anyone else, it was scary. Thanks.

Corla Crase, Solano Middle School, Vallejo

Rebecca Camarena, Naval Air Station, Lemoore

Patty Palmer, Edna Hill Middle School, San Juan

Barbara Allen, Vanguard University

Deborah Johnson, LAUSD

Laurie G., Napa

Kristin Elam

Denise Stephenson

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I purchased several STARLits units on my own and have been extolling their virtues for ages---now that we have almost all brand new teachers (I've been here twelve years and was the "newbie" until about three years ago) it's a good time to update our materials. The downloaded PDF files opened perfectly. I never dreamed I'd get them so soon.

Denise Schlaman, Cambrian School District, San Jose

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Thank you so much for your swift reply! I really appreciate you and your materials; they are wonderful :-) You have been tremendously helpful today!

Trish Brentwood

And a Year Later

I have the wonderful blessing and challenge of teaching two extremes. I teach remedial seventh graders and advanced eighth graders. Most of my remedial seventh graders are performing three to four levels below grade level, and most of my eighth graders are performing two to four levels above grade level. What I like about the DeLange/Henderson literature and writing binders is that they were valuable for both extremes. I was able to use the materials to help my advanced students improve their critical thinking and writing skills even more, while at the same time, I was able to bring my remedial seventh graders up to grade level. I felt confident when my students took the STAR that they would improve simply because the resources we had used all year prepared them well. I don't see these resources as test-taking preparation. On the contrary, I consider them as high school preparation and real world preparation. I can't imagine a new teacher starting off without these excellent resources, and I'm in the process of securing funding to purchase more.

Renee Sowers, Oak Crest Middle School, San Dieguito UHSD

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Your work is great! It's very challenging for the kids, and fun to do.

David J., San Diego Unified

Barbara Earl, Comstock Middle School, Santa Rosa

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Thank you thank you thank you for your swift response. You can tell I'm really in need. Your stuff is great.

Kathy T., Banning USD

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Thank you so much for taking time out of what I am sure is a busy schedule to send me the missing pages. The attachment opened easily on my iBook G4. I had hoped, but really didn't expect, to make contact with you and actually get the pages today. What tremendous service!

Kellie Essary, Educational Consultant

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Seminars

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I really lucked out on choosing the best presenters with the most useful materials at the CATE conference. I'm stoked to get back to school Tuesday and try out yours, Jane Schaffers' and Kylene Beers' work. Thank you so much for the inspiration and product.

Kate W., Mark Twain Middle School, LAUSD

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The reviews have been wonderful. You were terrific, and what you offered will give our department the opportunity to work together more deeply around substantive material. We get along well together now, but we'll be a better team because of your work. Thanks.

Sandi Robertson, Santa Barbara Junior High School

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I wanted to thank you for you wonderful presentation yesterday in Glendora. I feel like our district is far behind, and it was great to see us catching up.

Therese L., Glendora Unified School District

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Great CLMS focus session!!! Beautifully organized and to the point! I love what you two are doing.

Tami Schwartz

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I really enjoyed your presentation at Yosemite on Saturday. You are providing such timely information for teachers--thanks.

Wynn Clevenger, Lompoc Unified

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Thank you so much for your informative and entertaining presentation at CLMS in San Francisco. One powerful piece that I would like to use is the information concerning the relationship between raw and percentage scores. Thank you for sending me that file; i It will save me many hours of work. Thank you also for the wealth of advice I can now share with the rest of our staff.

Gail Levine, Oak Grove Middle School, Jamul

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It has been my pleasure to work with Sheri Henderson on several
occasions. She has presented many workshops for our teachers. She is
always well prepared and knowledgeable. Sheri is easy to work with and
willing to accommodate our needs. Our teachers get excited about her
presentation and report finding the information very useful. The
teachers also like using the binders, Resources for Teaching the New
Standards in Writing, that we purchased from De Lange Henderson. Working with
Sheri is always a positive experience!

Debi Gonsalves, Coordinator of Curriculum and Instruction
ABC Unified School District, Cerritos

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Wow! They loved you and your materials. I will be calling soon. We need to be planning the next steps.

Dr. Ken Parker, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum,
Orcutt Union School District

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Your outstanding presentation last week was by far the best buy-back day we’ve seen in years! Thank you for being so helpful and accommodating. Everyone is looking for money to buy more of your binders.

Susan Karpowitz, Marina Village Middle School, Rescue, CA

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