New Tools for Primary School Writing

Learning recovery is still an unfortunate byproduct of the Covid pandemic. Edtech software developers continue to try to meet the challenge. Discovery Education Chief Product Officer Pete Weir spent some time with eSchool News to highlight their efforts.

The company announced last week that it is offering elementary educators nationwide the unique opportunity to participate in the development of its latest product, Mystery Writing by Discovery Education, through a free, year-long trial. Individual educators interested in claiming their free trial can visit the Mystery Writing website here. 

Mystery Writing engages students in grades K-5 with “wow!” content that captivates young learners and builds their confidence in writing. Featuring no prep, open-and-go lessons, Mystery Writing helps multi-subject elementary educators quickly and easily provide students with differentiated lessons that explicitly teach the writing process.  Mystery Writing’s innovative approach combines subjects of high interest to students with step-by-step written, visual, and auditory directions to ensure no young writer experiences the dreaded “fear of the blank page.”  

Educators participating in the free trial will receive access to the current collection of genre units and essential skills lessons created for grade 3-5 classrooms. Following their use of Mystery Writing materials, educators will be asked to share qualitative and quantitative feedback on their experience using the lessons. This feedback will be used in real time to refine current and future lessons. This process replicates the iterative process used to create the CODiE Award-winning Mystery Science by Discovery Education, the most widely used K-5 science program in the United States, per Rand.   

Key Takeaways

1. New Mystery Writing Initiative: Mystery Science is launching a new writing curriculum for grades 3-5, offering a free trial for the upcoming school year. This initiative is intended to complement their existing K-5 science curriculum and focus on improving literacy through engaging, hands-on activities.
2. Teacher-Centric Development: The development of the new writing curriculum involved direct feedback from educators. The product is designed to be “grab and go,” addressing teachers’ needs for easy-to-implement and high-quality resources.
3. Hands-On Learning: The curriculum is designed to be interactive, with a focus on practical activities such as producing podcasts. This approach aims to keep students engaged and actively involved in their learning process.
4. Classroom Focus: Initially, the writing curriculum is intended for classroom use. It includes components like differentiated instruction and step-by-step writing guides to make lessons more accessible and effective.
5. Industry Engagement: Mystery Science balances its approach between engaging directly with classroom teachers and discussing broader educational needs with administrators. This dual focus helps ensure the relevance and impact of their products.
6. Continuous Improvement: The company emphasizes iterative development, seeking ongoing feedback from teachers and making adjustments to enhance the curriculum based on real classroom experiences.
7. Call to Action: Educators interested in participating can enroll in the free trial through the Mystery Science website. The company also encourages teachers to join their Facebook insiders group to provide feedback and help shape future improvements.