Short, Short, BIG!

Evidence-Based Writing

The science behind the methodology. Research, standards alignment, and instructional design.

The science of writing instruction

Evidence-based writing, built on what works

Short, Short, BIG! is grounded in decades of research on writing pedagogy. The methodology combines the most effective, classroom-tested approaches into a single, coherent program.

Core principles

What the research tells us works

Four evidence-backed principles that drive the design of every lesson.

Principle 01

Positive, immediate feedback

Feedback that points out growth and builds student confidence while remediating areas of challenge reaps better results than heavy reliance on summative assessments of competency.

Principle 02

Foundational writing skills

Focus on the organization of ideas, appropriate sentence construction, and the use of proper writing conventions. These provide a core toolkit that enables students to advance to more sophisticated writing tasks.

Principle 03

Writing supports reading

Research proves that to build strong writers is to commensurately build strong readers. Writing and reading instruction reinforce each other when taught together.

Principle 04

Dedicated writing time

In many K-12 classrooms, very little of the language arts block is dedicated to writing. SSB ensures writing gets its own sustained focus, not leftover time.

What the research indicates

Writing is too often treated as an afterthought

In many classrooms across all grade levels (K-12), very little of the language arts block of instruction is dedicated to writing. That block is often used for reading activities, with writing taught as a separate activity outside the language arts block, or not formally taught at all.

Becoming an adequate to excellent writer requires deliberate, sustained instruction. Short, Short, BIG! provides that instruction in a format teachers can deliver immediately.

Bring it to your school

Ready to see it in action?

Contact our team about pricing, samples, and Master Class PD.

Evidence-Based Writing