Writing Aviator is a one-year course for elementary, K–8, middle, and high school students. It is anchored by two curriculum units for each grade.

The first unit, the First 30 days, establishes the rituals and routines that support Writers Workshop. We recommend that teachers schedule 30 consecutive instructional days near the beginning of the school year to teach these lessons.

At the end of these 30 days, teachers introduce the genre study. These lessons should be taught consecutively as well. Following these two courses of study, teachers and students will be able to maintain the Writers Workshop with teacher- selected content.

In the second year, elementary schools add author studies to their curriculum and additional strategies for English language learners.

For grades 6–8, there is one year of implementation. The initial unit—Writers Workshop Lessons—contains 35 lessons, including a pre- and post-assessment. The unit’s final lessons show teachers how to continue the Writers Workshop in a new genre.

The genre study, which contains 25 lessons, should follow the initial unit, although it does not have to follow it directly.