Basic Writing Skills was developed by Dr. Judith Hochman, the former head of the Windward School, a nationally renowned school for bright children with learning disabilities in New York. For more information about Dr. Hochman, the Basic Writing Skills Program, and the upcoming activities workbook, see Dr. Hochman's website at http://www.basicwritingskills.net/index.html  .
 

The focus is on expository writing, as most of the school-related writing students are asked to do from third grade on is expository in nature.
 

The focus is on writing across the curriculum, in all subject areas, to increase writing abilities while increasing content area learning.
 

The focus is on strategies for sentence writing, including
 sentence vs. fragment vs. run-ons
 sentence expansion using "wh" question responses
 use of varying conjunctions and transitions to increase language complexity
 use of each of the four sentence types (statement, question, exclamation.  and command)
 grammar (syntax) practice, focusing on parts of speech, verb tenses,
    clauses, and so on
 

The focus is on strategies for writing outlines and paragraphs
 identification and development of topic sentences
 identification and development of details, using key words (enhances note-  taking skills)
 identification and development of conclusions
 

Dependent on the student's grade- and ability-level, either one-paragraph "quick outlines" or multiple-paragraph outlines are used, with one consistent format so that students become adept at using them whenever they are required to organize their thoughts for writing.
 

Components other than BWS are also integrated, including the use of a scripted writing prompt that helps students develop an efficient way to approach a writing task and to organize what they have to say prior to beginning to write.