At Short, Short, BIG! we believe that writing skills provide access, inclusion, and opportunity. Proficient writing leads to academic success, increased opportunity for employment and facilitates personal economic growth. Yet, according to the 2011 NAEP Report Card, only 24% of eighth graders are proficient writers.

Source: Langer, J. A., & Applebee, A. N. (2011). How writing shapes thinking: A study of teaching and learning (NCTE Research Report No. 22). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.
Source: National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges. (2003). The neglected “R”: The need for a writing revolution. Reston, VA: The College Board.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). The nation’s report card: Writing 2011.

Writing provides a different modality within which to practice the skills and strategies of reading for an authentic purpose.

Source: Allington, R. L., & Gabriel, R. E. (2012). Every child, every day. Educational Leadership, 69(6), 10-15.

Using the writing process (plan, revise, edit, and publish) to create evidence-based arguments that deepen disciplinary knowledge, critical thinking and academic skills is the core instructional focus for Short, Short, BIG!

Source: Heller, R., & Greenleaf, C. (2007). Literacy instruction in the content areas: Getting to the core of middle and high school improvement. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.
Source: Milewski, G. B., Johnson, D., Glazer, N., & Kubota, M. (2005). A survey to evaluate the alignment of the new SAT Writing and Critical Reading sections to curricula and instructional practices (College Board Research Report No. 2005-1 / ETS RR-05-07). New York, NY: College Entrance Examination Board.

Students can cite specific relevant evidence when offering a written interpretation of a text. They use relevant evidence when supporting their own points in writing, making their reasoning clear to the reader or listener, and they constructively evaluate others’ use of evidence.

Source: Achieve, Inc. (2007). Closing the expectations gap 2007: An annual 50-state progress report on the alignment of high school policies with the demands of college and work. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from link.
Source: ACT, Inc. (2009). The condition of college readiness 2009. Iowa City, IA: Author.

When instruction is strategically scaffolded, as it is for Short, Short, BIG! it successfully develops writing skills for English Language Learners.

Source: Trumbull, E., & Pacheco, M. (2005). The teacher’s guide to diversity: Building a knowledge base.

Building the foundational skills in writing and close reading “suggests that intervention designs should foreground these building blocks of argumentation” to foster advanced evidence-based writing skills.

Source: Litman, C., Marple, S., Greenleaf, C., Charney-Sirott, I., Bolz, M. J., Richardson, L. K., ... & Goldman, S. R. (2017). Text-based argumentation with multiple sources: A descriptive study of opportunity to learn in secondary English language arts, history, and science. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 26(1), 79-130.

We deliberately chose to introduce Short, Short, BIG! in a paper format for several reasons:

Currently, studies indicate that students who use pen and paper as opposed to a computer, retain more knowledge. We want students to own the text.

Additionally, during the COVID-19 global pandemic, the inequities regarding access to technology were readily exposed. At Short, Short, Big! we want all students to have access to instructional materials.

Source: Bothwell, E. (n.d.). Pen and paper 'beats computers for retaining knowledge'. The World University Rankings.
Source: Researchers: We learn better using paper than laptops and phones. Mind Matters News