What's Your Point?

What’s Your Point?

A Persuasive Reading and Writing Program from Tony Stead

Capstone Classroom is proud to introduce an exciting new K-5 writing program from internationally known educational author and consultant Tony Stead. This new program focuses on argument and persuasive writing. It includes topics that are sure to engage your students.

This new program is unlike any others because the Mentor Texts are written by students, for students. The student books each offer differing perspectives on the same topic and are loaded with actual student art. The teacher guide provides instructional strategies for teaching students to analyze and write persuasive texts.

Program
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Big Books
Teacher's Resource Guides
Tony Stead

Program Overview

Capstone Classroom is proud to introduce an exciting new K-5 reading and writing program from internationally known educational author and consultant Tony Stead. This new program focuses on argument and persuasive writing. It includes topics that are sure to engage your students.

This new program is unlike any others because the Mentor Texts are written by students, for students. The student books each offer differing perspectives on the same topic and are loaded with actual student art. The teacher guide provides instructional strategies for teaching students to read, analyze and write opinions.

Program Features

Mentor Text written by students for students
K-2 Big Books for shared reading
Student books were designed to allow for partner reading and discussion, facilitating gradual release and moving toward independence
The Teacher Resource Guides contain assessment rubrics, outline for instructional path, support for using the mentor texts as springboards for instruction, and more

Program Components

Five student books at each grade, grades K-5. Books are student-written under the direction of program author Tony Stead
Big Books for shared reading: one each for grades K, 1, and 2. Big Books incorporate excerpts of the text from the student books and as well as new author–written text
Teacher Resource Guides for each grade provide the road map for instruction of strategies including analyzing text and incorporating the writing process
View or download the brochure

Big Books Package

The Big Books allow students to explore the features of arguments in a shared reading setting. There is one big book for each grade K-2.

Explore Big Books

Big Book features:
Some of the text in the Big Books comes from the student books, allowing for whole-class exploration of the student books. Some of the text in the Big Book introduces new author-written mentor texts. The Big Books feature varying text types, including a letter, book review, persuasive poster, and a Readers Theater piece that promotes speaking while also featuring the components of a strong argument.

Teacher's Resource Guides

The Teacher’s Resource Guides contain lessons and tools to move your students through both reading and writing arguments and opinions. The instructional path is clear and easy-to-follow, supplementing your language arts instruction with resources designed to specifically focus on arguments and opinions. Use this guide to inform your instruction, from speaking and listening to reading and making the writing connection.

The guides include an entire section devoted to writing. As you support students through the writing process, you will find a lesson devoted to each stage of the writing process, from identifying the features of opinion writing to gathering thoughts and drafting all the way to sharing writing and assessing the final product.

Explore Teacher's Resource Guides

Features of the writing lessons:

Writing lessons follow the gradual release of responsibility model, with the teacher leading the students in each step of the writing process before giving students the opportunity to practice those strategies independently. Students examine the mentor text to notice features.
Some lessons include a features chart. Be sure to create this features chart and share with students throughout the process to keep them focused.
After watching the teacher modeling strategies, students are given the opportunity to explore the text or writing process with guidance.
Each lesson ends with an opportunity for students to reflect on their learning and summarize what they learned.
Teaching tools — rubrics, graphic organizers, and checklists — guide students' work and enable them to think and write independently.

Tony Stead

Australian educator and internationally known literacy specialist Tony Stead has both taught in elementary schools and lectured at universities. Past president of the Melbourne Chapter of the Australian Reading Association, he is the author of numerous publications, including Is That a Fact? Teaching Nonfiction Writing and Explorations in Nonfiction Writing. Tony has been a keynote speaker at hundreds of conferences and works with school districts around the world in literacy consulting and teaching.

What's Your Point?

What’s Your Point?

A Persuasive Reading and Writing Program from Tony Stead

Program Overview

Program Features

Program Components

Kindergarten Package

Grade 1 Package

Grade 2 Package

Grade 3 Package

Grade 4 Package

Grade 5 Package

Big Books Package

Teacher's Resource Guides

Tony Stead

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