Getting Started With One World

Sixty thousand DC residents over the age of 18 have never finished high school, putting themselves and their families at a tremendous disadvantage in today’s economy. They have a wide range of reasons to learn to write effectively.

One World provides professional development to teachers at adult learning centers.  They then present the program to students. Student engagement soars when they start the program by picking a social justice issue that matters to them. Adult learners often write about their own problems and the problems of their children. They then learn from studying the essays of their adult peers from past years.

Adult Program

The One World Program teaches students important research, writing, and presentation skills. One World provides teachers with professional development and they then deliver the program to students.

What's Included?

One World provides:

  • Professional Development: Teachers experience the program as students and learn to differentiate to meet the needs of all learners.
  • Curriculum: Lesson plans teach students strong research, writing, and presentation skills.
  • Student Resources: Students receive journals with exercises and assessments, and access to vetted sources to use to find credible evidence.
  • Evaluation: Pre- and post-assessments evaluate skills to measure student growth.

Teachers are also offered:

  • Planning support
  • Coaching
  • Direct support for students

Program Stages

Stage 1: Student Exemplar Analysis

Students are introduced to the foundation, uses, and vocabulary of the problem-solution approach to argumentative writing through an analysis of a student exemplar.

Stage 2: Research

In this stage, students build background knowledge and reflect on their personal connection to the topic. Then, they draft a claim and practice identifying quality sources and evidence. Finally, students conduct in-depth research to find evidence that will help them make their arguments.

Stage 3: Writing

Students are guided through the process of selecting the best evidence to support their claim, organizing their research into an outline, and transferring their conclusions into a draft of their argumentative essay. They then provide and receive peer feedback and engage in revision toward a final draft.

Stage 4: Presentation

Throughout each stage, students practice public speaking skills to refine their ideas and prepare for a final presentation that can be led in small peer groups, whole classes, or a school-wide celebration.

Adult Research Topics

New adult topics include:

Affordable Healthcare, DC Statehood, Death Penalty, Domestic Violence, Financial Literacy, Gender Equality, Gender Wage Gaps, Climate Change, Gun Laws, Immigration (refugee policy, DACA), Income Inequality, Mental Health Support, Police Brutality, Racial Equality and Employment, School to Prison Pipeline, Sexual Violence, Voting Rights

Results

Academically, One World students get statistically significant gains because they learn skills like how to:

  • think critically and develop cogent arguments
  • identify problems
  • develop actionable solutions
  • create hooks to engage an audience
  • build a research plan
  • use evidence
  • outline to organize ideas
  • write with clarity
  • give and receive peer feedback
  • revise to strengthen writing
  • present ideas to inform and persuade

Karen Rivas Carlos Rosario

There are few high quality materials on the market to teach writing to students like ours. The entire One World framework and approach to teaching writing fits perfectly with what our students need. It builds both student learning and community at our school.

Karen Rivas
Principal, Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School

Let’s Get Started

Expect to hear back within 48 hours.

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