Bridges Reading & Writing Institute

THE CURRICULUM

THE BRWI APPROACH™ uses proprietary methods of teaching reading and writing that you will not find at any other tutoring company. The BRWI Approach is a personalized reading and writing curriculum created by experienced and credentialed English teachers designed to provide unquestionable, consistent and tangible results. The BRWI Approach successfully provides results because (1) we create a process-based curriculum; (2) we emphasize research and technology and (3) we have a high standard for the texts we read. With the BRWI Approach you have the peace of mind to know that your child will gain valuable and practical reading and writing strategies from a curriculum that is well-developed and not “watered-down.”

The BRWI Approach is a curriculum that teaches the process of reading and writing. We have created methods for reading and writing that are practical and easy for students to remember. After our students have completed the BRWI Approach, they will know how to attack any text or writing assignment that they are given, whether in school or elsewhere.

During every session, our students will practice (1) the Read, Stop, Think and Write reading method (the “RSTW Reading Method”), (2) the Search, Identify and Analyze reading method (the “SIA Reading Method”), (3) the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. writing method (the “Read, Stop, Think and Write“). The RSTW Reading Method makes reading an active task for students. Most students pick up a book and do nothing with it. What they do not know is that reading “with a pen in hand” prompts them to think and write down their thoughts, opinions and interpretations and, in immediately doing so, these ideas do not get lost or forgotten. This is an important piece in the BRWI Approach because it serves as a foundation for students' pre-writing brainstorm when they plan for their essays and stories. The BRWI Approach infuses the RSTW Reading Method into every reading assignment -- teaching students to utilize various tools to analyze a text during pre-reading, reading and post-reading. The chart below describes some of the tools taught in the RSTW Reading Method throughout the reading process.

	Tools
Pre-Reading	Looking at the title, pictures and table of contents and writing a short prediction about the mood, problem and theme of the story. Researching people, places, cultures and events that are related to the story. Skimming the text for unknown words and writing a synonym or phrase in the margins. Reading through the comprehension questions and highlighting cue words. Writing questions about the story based on the title and the pictures.
Reading	Highlighting and color-coding evidence of the different elements of a story (e.g. mood, setting, character development and themes). Journaling inferences, questions and evaluations on post-its or in the margins. Boxing unknown words or phrases and rewriting them in the margins using words and phrases they can understand. Writing numbers next to the text that answers the comprehension questions they are answering.
Post-Reading	Filling out graphic organizers as a note-taking device. Writing a summary of the chapter or section. Drawing a story map or story grid that highlights the main characters and events of the story. Filling out a double-entry journal with quotes from the text on one side and commentary on the other side. Writing an analytical paragraph/essay about the story's mood, setting, characters, or themes.

Search, Identify and Analyze. The SIA Reading Method teaches students a method to search, identify and analyze the structure and style of a text. The purpose of the SIA Reading Method is to teach students the different structures, elements, styles and purposes for each type of informational text (description, cause and effect, compare/contrast, problem/solution and chronological order) and each literary type (folktale, autobiography, mystery, science fiction and fantasy) so they can attack the text with a clear focus and purpose. The SIA Reading Method teaches students to SEARCH for the typical organizational patterns, elements, cue words, clues to style, tone and purpose so that they can easily IDENTIFYthe type of text they are confronting. Next, the SIA Reading Method gives the students tools to ANALYZE the text such as graphic organizers, note-taking frames, sentence starters or response questions.

The B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Writing Method. The B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Writing Method teaches students the process of writing narratives and analytical essays in seven practical steps:

B -- Students will BRAINSTORM all their ideas in this planning phase and write down everything they can think of that relates to the topic.
R -- They RELEASE these ideas onto paper without worrying about organization, spelling, grammar or other writing mechanics that might hinder them from getting all their ideas out. We want students to understand that in the first draft they should write as freely and unrestrained as possible so the entire content of their ideas can be released. This also helps us to see how the students write naturally without focusing on conventions and rules.
I -- They INSPECT their writing using our Six Traits Questionnaire to analyze the first 5 traits: content, organization, voice, word choice and sentence fluency. (The sixth trait of grammar/spelling is evaluated later in the writing process.) This step is crucial in teaching students the difference between good and bad writing. Each of our students use the questionnaire for every draft they write. The end result is that students begin to independently know how to satisfy the requirements for each trait and how to incorporate them into their writing.
D -- Students DISSECT, or cut apart, their writing with their pens. They break up their sentences and paragraphs by adding new ideas and words, moving words and phrases, and erasing irrelevant words and details.
G -- They GO BACK and rewrite their second draft with all the changes made.
E -- They EVALUATE AND EDIT their second draft. They use the Six Traits Questionnaire a second time, evaluating all six traits this time (grammar/spelling is the sixth).
S -- The students will revise the paper so that it is ready to be SUBMITTED, published, read, or graded.

Skill Drills. Since students come to BRWI with their own set of strengths and weakness, we also incorporate mini-lessons, or what we call Skill Drills. The Skill Drills focus on the more basic reading and writing skills that a student should have already mastered, but has not. For example, Skill Drills include answering comprehension questions in complete sentences, reading directions, using context clues, writing a summary, free-writing, finding the main idea, or determining fact from opinion. The Skill Drills prescribed for each student will be based on the student's initial assessment and will be outlined in the Student Individualized Program

Phonics-R-Us. For our younger students from kindergarten through second grade, and the older students who struggle with word analysis, the BRWI Approach also incorporates a phonics curriculum that will teach phonemic awareness, syllabication, blending, sight words and word families -- all the components necessary to learn how to read. Our philosophy behind Phonics-R-Us is that learning to read can be a fun and easy task rather than a daunting one that only leads to a sense of failure or a loss of self-confidence. Using hands-on manipulatives such as pictographs, letter cards, dry erase boards, flashcards, magnet letters, and introducing a variety of creative, simple and practical word games, our students learn to read very quickly while building up their self-confidence.