EDCON stands for
Education Connections

EDCON’s research-based program follows State writing standards (primarily Common Core) , the Six Traits of Writing, the Writing Process (Plan, Research, Outline, Draft, Revise, Edit), and systematic instruction (objective, direct instruction, modeling, practice, partner share, self-assessment with the rubric).

The number of lessons per genre study varies per grade level, for example, there are about six lessons for TK and 17 lessons for 8th grade.  Similarly, the duration per lesson varies, ranging from 5-20 minutes, which can also vary if students adjust the playback speed.  Because students are required to pause the video to complete specified tasks, a single lesson takes 20-60 minutes to complete.  Ideally, students progress through each genre study 1-3 times with different topics in a school year.

Since EDCON genre studies are meant to be completed in consecutive days, teachers will need to devote sections of the school year to writing, ideally half of the ELA time.  For grades PreK-1, EDCON can be implemented easily with the ELA program daily within a one-hour block (30 minutes each).  For grades 2-8, EDCON lessons need 45-60 minutes, which means teachers will need to devote the entire one-hour block to writing–Ideally, this would be done half the school year.  If the ELA block is closer to two hours daily, then EDCON can be implemented daily throughout the year.

Compatible with any ELA curriculum, EDCON replaces/supplements the “Essay Writing” section.  Typically, ELA programs lack the instruction and resources teachers and students need to complete well-written essays–This is where EDCON meets these needs.  Since EDCON genre studies are meant to be completed in consecutive days, teachers will need to devote sections of the school year to writing, ideally half of the ELA time.  For grades PreK-1, EDCON can be implemented easily with the ELA program daily within a one-hour block (30 minutes each).  For grades 2-8, EDCON lessons need 45-60 minutes, which means teachers will need to devote the entire one-hour block to writing–Ideally, this would be done half the school year.  If the ELA block is closer to two hours daily, then EDCON can be implemented daily throughout the year.

1. Schools/Districts/Teachers sign up.

2. A registration link is emailed to the administrator, which needs to be forwarded to the writing teachers.

3. Teachers create a class (only a few clicks) and an assignment (again, just a few clicks), then share the assignment link to students.  Alternatively, teachers can simply show the video lessons whole-group.

4. Teachers provide students with the digital/hardcopy handouts (rubric, revision, and editing checklists). 

5. After completing the series of lessons within a genre study, students in all grades, ideally grades 2-8, can upload their paper and highlight specific portions of their paper that meet the rubric components.  This further builds the concepts and analytical skills, while helping teachers with the grading process.  

6. While providing a nurturing, respectful classroom environment, teachers can display and discuss student work whole-class, providing rich classroom discussions.  Research shows that increased learning is achieved within the context of peer examples.

7. Teachers administer the assessment.

Yes, EDCON’s professional development for writing instruction can be customized to meet the needs of specific teachers and students.  Both remote and in-person trainings can be tailored to include program orientations, demo lessons with or without students, debriefs with teachers, grade-level team planning and problem solving.

EDCON will be releasing its comprehensive TK-8th grade Common Core writing curriculum complete with videos for students in April 2023.  Please join our interest list to be notified with updated information.