Teachers College of Reading & writing Program
in Saint James, NY
Harbor Country Day School uses the Teachers College of Reading and Writing Program (TCRWP) as a guide to reading and writing instruction. The TCRWP is a premier program created by Columbia University's Teachers College to teach teachers how to use thoughtful methods and strategies to help students unlock their ideas for writing, creating polished pieces with strong voice, details, descriptive language, stamina, and fluency. Students write across many writing genres including fiction, non-fiction, historical fiction, poetry, "how-tos", science fiction, and memoir writing. Students enjoy the writing workshop process, collaborate with classmates, and celebrating their work through publishing parties. An equally thoughtful reading workshop program is used in complement with the writing workshop program. Here, students read the same genres they are simultaneously writing about. This provides students with examples of good literature while they, themselves, are crafting writing pieces of the same genre. he TCRWP is one program in an array of literacy approaches used at Harbor Country Day school to create its balanced literacy program. That program also includes classroom 'read-alouds', student book groups, guided reading with the teacher, phonics instruction, partner reading and reading comprehension studies.