writing instruction before and after
writing instruction before and after

The fastest, most effective way to teach students clear and organized multi-paragraph writing… Guaranteed!

Using the A, B, C Sentence ™, the Secret A, B, C Sentence ™, and the ROC-It! Sentence ™, you will transform your students into confident authors even if…

  • Your students still struggle with paragraphs and grammar.
  • You teach middle school students who have yet to find writing success.
  • You teach elementary school students who are just beginning their writing career.
  • You already use a writing program and you don’t have a lot of time.
  • You are a concerned parent looking to help your struggling child.

The Foundation and Framework that makes Teaching Elementary School Writing Easy!

The 4th-grade multi-paragraph report and the 5th-grade multi-paragraph essay are long-standing educational requirements. The language changes somewhat, but the requirements remain mostly the same: multi-paragraph, organized, clear, coherent, and focused.

elementary school writingIllustrating this point is California’s 4th grade Common Core multi-paragraph requirement: “Produce clear and coherent writing (including multiple-paragraph texts) in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.”

Let’s not forget 3rd grade. On state writing assessments, most high-scoring 3rd grade writing is presented in wonderfully organized paragraph form. Put simply, multi-paragraph writing is an important component of excellent 3rd grade writing—and it is certainly achievable using Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay.

The reason that teachers don’t achieve their multi-paragraph goals is that the available techniques for teaching multi-paragraph writing are either too dogmatic or too esoteric. Neither approach reveals the truth of multi-paragraph writing to children. Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay does reveal that truth. I developed the heart of this program in a 3rd grade classroom, and the students’ instant visible and verbal reaction told me it worked!

Now it’s working for many, many elementary school teacher!

Here’s What Elementary School Teachers Are Now Saying!

quotation markGrade 5: “My boys hate writing, but with Pattern Based Writing, it was easy for them.”

quotation markGrade 4: “Two months later my students could actually write.”

quotation markGrade 4: “My fourth grade students had a great deal of difficulty writing multi-paragraph essays. This program helped tremendously! My students learned how to organize an essay and to stay on topic. It also helped me to teach topic sentences and supporting details.”

quotation markGrade 4 and 5: “It’s amazing that in two months I was able to get my students writing better than I had been able to in an entire year previously.”

quotation markGrade 3: “I like that the program is simple, easy to follow, and IT WORKS. I have recommended this program to all of the teachers at my school.”

quotation markGrades 2 and 3: “Our students have not been passing the writing portion of the standardized tests… Pattern Based Writing ended up providing our students a structured, organized way to put their thoughts together.”

quotation markPlease see the full-length quotes posted on the homepage!

Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay creates effective student writers and then continues to provide the foundation and framework that powers effective elementary school writing instruction!

Middle School Remediation, Review, and Results—Quickly and Easily!

I had taught elementary school writing for a number of years, so I was quite shocked to see what I saw when I began teaching middle school writing: unorganized, unfocused, stream-of-consciousness writing. Most surprising, the students strongly believed that their writing was excellent. middle school writing studentsNow, with these students, the majority were remedial writers. They all had a great deal of room to grow. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out what was most wrong with their writing. You may know that feeling: “I don’t even know where to begin.” Happily, I had a solution: Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay. Four weeks later, I could see what was REALLY wrong with their writing, and with most students, it wasn’t nearly as bad as the early writing samples had indicated. In fact, at this point, most students were happily chagrined over what they had written prior! This program works with middle school students in three ways depending on the needs of the students:

1. As Remediation: This program is highly effective remediation for students who truly struggle with writing. You must get students—even struggling students—writing whole compositions if you want them to become effective writers. Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay is a new beginning for these struggling and reluctant writers! You will see substantial growth in a short amount of time!

2. As a Way to Pull it All Together for Students – Finally! : Many middle-school students have a mishmash of writing skills, as they have never received concrete instruction that truly helped them make sense of whole compositions. These confused and struggling writers will soon say, “Oh, I get it – finally!” (Then they will attempt to wave you off as they feverishly edit and revise their now self-perceived unacceptable writing. That’s a good thing!)

3. As a Quick Review: Get everyone on the same page by quickly training your students on your expectations of organized writing and writing process. Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay can be used as a quick and effective multi-paragraph review—but a brand new kind of review—presented in an original way, creating a new understanding of writing. Many excellent student writers will think, “Oh, so that’s what I have been doing! I didn’t really understand what I did.” This kind of review is almost always time well spent.

Here’s What Middle School Teachers Are Now Saying!

quotation markBEFORE: February 3, 2011 – “I’m currently wishing I had found this in August when school started! I totally ‘get’ (as my students would say) this program.” AFTER: “…my students, I believe, did wonderfully on the 7th grade writing exam in March… I am so impressed and proud of them! They actually enjoyed learning it!”

quotation mark“I had great success with your program this year. Going into our standardized provincial tests in February, my students were well prepared…”

quotation mark“This is a solid program for students who need to start from scratch to learn how to write an essay, and who might be intimidated by having to jump into writing full essays from the beginning.”

quotation mark“The program is very strategy-oriented with steps that build from a basic foundation and allow me to incorporate other aspects of writing as the student is ready.”

quotation markBEFORE: “I purchased this as a remedial program for my middle school boy. He just couldn’t write. He didn’t know what to say or how to say it. Topic sentence? Foreign concept. I couldn’t get him to understand the organization of writing.” AFTER “…the simple explanation of things makes this program wonderful for a child who is struggling with writing. You get the ‘Oh, that’s all you wanted’ light bulb going off. I have recommended it several times to others.”

quotation markPlease see the full-length quotes posted on the homepage!

Remediation, Review, and Results!

Dear Teachers and Parents,

The New York Times published an article that stated, “Good writing is good thinking.” Is this something you agree with? I sure do. Unfortunately, understanding how to write well is hard for kids, especially when these two roadblocks exist:

  1. Students don’t know how to organize their thoughts in their writing AND
  2. Students don’t have a system for starting and finishing their writing assignments.

My name is Paul Barger and I have taught writing for the last fourteen years in both elementary school and middle school. Through trial, error, and persistence I have perfected a system that I guarantee any teacher, homeschooling parent, or concerned parent can use to bring about true writing success for their children and students, quickly and easily.

I have outlined the system below. Please take a serious look at it. It is a complete writing program that takes students sequentially and incrementally from unorganized sentences to complete essays. It does this naturally, effectively, and in a way that makes sense to elementary school and middle school students.

A Child Proof and Teacher Proof Solution

Having taught writing to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders for 17 years, I can say with confidence that this is the best writing program I have come across. It’s fantastic how it all ties together. This connectedness makes it child proof and teacher proof. A+ Mr. Barger!

-G.L., California – Teacher

Who Is This Writing Program For?

  • Beginning Writers – Transport your students from sentences to correctly structured essays and reports in just a few months. (Gr. 2-6)
  • Remedial Writers – You will have major breakthroughs with students for whom other methods simply did not work. (Gr. 7-12 and even adults)
  • Homeschool – The kind of thinking and organization that this program teaches will transform your entire curriculum.
  • Kids and Adults Who Just Don’t Get It – You are not alone. If your students (or any adults you may know) don’t consistently write in beautiful paragraph form and with natural introductions and conclusions–they just don’t get it. This program will make sure that they do get it! Furthermore, it will be fun!

pencil and paperMastering Essay Writing Quickly and Easily!

Why is it that so many high school and college students still struggle with the basics of paragraph form and of a complete essay? What could possibly go so wrong for so long? After all, these are both common upper-elementary school writing standards.

On the Writing Success Blog and in the Free Writing Guide found at the top of this page, along with a variety of articles, you will find a video on teaching the five-paragraph essay. What’s shocking about this video is that it is from Ashworth University and is designed for high school students. Why do soon-to-be college students need instruction on a five-paragraph essay?

The woman giving the instruction is sharp and her five-paragraph essay instruction is precise. In order to keep up with her, you will need to use organized thinking. You will need a firm understanding of how ideas are put together in order to form good communication.

This video is intended for high school students, yet many 3rd graders from the inner-city who were taught to write basic essays using Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay could easily keep up with the ideas. In fact, they would be one or two steps ahead of them.

Paragraph format and complete basic essays are not that complicated. Students simply need to understand and internalize two levels of beginning, middle, and ending:

  1. Beginning, middle, and ending in the paragraphs.
  2. Beginning, middle, and ending in the whole composition.

This will be achieved quickly and easily using Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay.

pencil and paperWhat Are Patterns in Writing? What Kinds of Patterns are in Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay?

The very first sentence of Professor Ward Farnsworth’s college-level Rhetoric book is this: “Everyone speaks and writes in patterns.” Should we keep that a secret from our beginning and struggling writers? No. Hearing that gives students confidence that they can master the skills of effective writing.

Many natural patterns of thought and writing exist: simile, analogy, metaphor, problem-solution, cause-effect, compare-contrast, and more. However, the most important pattern in all of writing is this: beginning, middle, and ending. We must have a beginning, middle, and ending in our whole composition and in our paragraphs. When students achieve this, they express fully-developed points and ideas in their writing—and they do so with rhythm and flow.

Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay is a highly effective methodology that develops this kind of organized, natural, effective multi-paragraph writing. How does it do this? Put simply, it does this through patterns of connection. In this program, it’s all connected!

The patterns in this program are unique, trademarked, and highly effective! As you will see below, the program is built around the A, B, C Sentence ™ and the Secret A, B, C Sentence™. And since every sentence ever written is one or the other, this is hardly a formula. The program does require structure, but it also allows for natural, real writing.

Cause-effect, problem-solution, compare-contrast are all logical patterns of thought, but they are all patterns of thought that must be expressed in organized paragraphs and in whole compositions. And for young and struggling writers, it’s the paragraphs and the whole compositions that are the problem. What is a paragraph? What is an introduction and a conclusion? How are paragraphs connected and related to each other? How are the introduction and conclusion connected to the other paragraphs?

The patterns and systems in Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay teach students how ideas and paragraphs are connected, along with how the stages of the writing process are connected. This program helps students discover and internalize the connections—quickly and easily. Then the “Purpose in Writing” section builds upon these skills by applying them to 14 different types of writing, including cause-effect, problem-solution, and compare-contrast.

In effect, you will teach both of these:

  1. The structure that guarantees your students will do well on writing assessments.
  2. The connection, rhythm, and flow of effective writing that will change the way your students feel about writing.

Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay will do this quickly, easily, and in a way your students will never forget.

pencil and paperWriting Without Pattern: Confused and Unorganized Writing

If your students don’t like to write, or if they don’t write in nice paragraph form, it’s likely that when they read back their own writing to themselves they see one long thought, or worse yet, a long list of words. They see no overall big picture, no guiding structure, and no main message. They can’t see what is going on with their own writing. There is no pattern to it—so they feel lost in it.

Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay is a simple writing curriculum that guarantees your elementary and middle school students will feel truly great about the entire writing process.

Everything in this program ties together both logically and systematically. Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay brings about real understanding and not just compliance. When students read back their multi-paragraph writing, they will do so with pride and confidence. Based on my experience, that act alone changes the writing paradigm. Student writers transform into passionate authors!

pencil and paperThe Research Shows: Teaching Grammar and Writing

In The Neglected ‘R,’ the National Commission on Writing stated two clear facts about teaching writing:

  1. “Experiments over the last 50 years have shown negligible improvements in the quality of student writing as a result of grammar instruction.”
  2. “Decades of research (Elly, 1979, Hillocks, 1986, Freedman, 1993, Freedman and Daiute, 2001) have shown that instructional strategies such as isolated skill drills fail to improve student writing.”

Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay is not a grammar program. Grammar is very important, and I do not neglect teaching it. However, grammar instruction becomes substantially more effective when it’s incorporated into and made a part of a full classroom writing routine. Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay will help you turn your grammar students into writing students. In its simplest form, here is what the research says works. It’s not rocket science.

  1. Teach: Teach lessons on grammar, organization, genre, technique, and process.
  2. Write: Assign meaningful writing assignments across the curriculum. Have students write often.
  3. Ownership: Foster students’ ownership of their own writing. Teach students to use checklists and rubrics in order to fix and evaluate their own writing.
  4. Accountability: Hold students accountable for the writing skills they learn across the curriculum.

After using Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay, teaching writing is this easy. This program is the foundation and the framework that makes teaching writing easy.

Basically, the research shows that it is very difficult to teach writing to non-writers, as non-writers don’t see why grammar and literary techniques are important. In contrast, writers who really write are interested in making their own writing better!

After you get your students writing using Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay, day by day, you will find that about half of all of your students’ grammar errors simply disappear. Half? Yes. Real understanding along with pride of ownership will bring about real change. It’s likely that your students know more grammar rules and writing rules than they choose to use.

Teach grammar, definitely, but students need to apply it in what they consider to be real writing. That’s what the research shows.

pencil and paperElementary School Writing Errors Become Middle School Writing Errors and then Become Habit

Below is a list of common multi-paragraph writing errors. They exist in elementary school and then continue into middle school. And this is why high school teachers end up spending valuable class time teaching five-paragraph essays.

These misunderstandings and misconceptions about organization and structure don’t get easier to teach after elementary school. In fact, they often become harder to teach because students have been practicing writing (and thinking) the wrong way for so long that they become set in their bad habits.

Unfortunately, with more homework and increased writing expectations, many middle school students become overwhelmed with both their schoolwork and homework. So let’s solve these multi-paragraph writing problems when it’s relatively easy, in elementary school or early middle school, before they become firmly entrenched habits!

Say Goodbye to All of These Multi-Paragraph Writing Errors, Misconceptions, and Poor Writing Habits:

  • Students fail to answer the essay question or don’t follow the directions. They are off topic.
  • Students don’t understand what a true introduction or conclusion is.
  • Students believe “paragraph form” means you simply start a new paragraph every 3-5 sentences.
  • Students repeat ideas or paragraphs. The more they write, the more they repeat.
  • Students don’t want to do prewriting. They don’t see the value or purpose of prewriting. They believe prewriting is a waste of time.
  • Students write whatever pops into their minds. The more they write, the more they ramble.
  • Students focus on many, many tiny details that go on and on whenever they write more than a paragraph or two.
  • Students find it difficult to connect their prewriting to their writing. At extremes, student prewriting actually seems to prevent students from getting started on the real writing for which they will be graded.
  • Students use inconsistent form within an essay. Sometimes a paragraph is about one main idea; sometimes it’s about many.
  • Students use inconsistent structure from essay to essay. Sometimes they write correctly; sometimes they don’t.
  • Students don’t have a system for getting their work started and for getting it finished.
  • And many, many more!

Not only will you eliminate all these problems, but you will also create the skills that put your students in complete control over the paragraph, how paragraphs fit together within an essay, and the relationship between paragraphs and the introduction and conclusion. Your students will be able to organize and compose an entire multi-paragraph essay in 30 minutes or less, and it will be so good that no one will believe it is a first draft!

…Better Results, Faster, Than Ever Before

I’ve taught 4th and 5th grade for five years. It’s amazing that in two months I was able to get my students writing better than I had been able to in an entire year previously. We have a writing program, but it doesn’t teach what this teaches. This program works! Thanks!

-M. Lutz, Cleveland, Ohio – Teacher

pencil and paperLet’s Examine the System That Transforms Children into Confident Authors!

Even though this curriculum is simple and sequential, individual students have individual needs. As such, I have made sure that when you are using Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay, you are never left without a resource. You have 246 pages of the following resources:

  1. Student worksheets
  2. Explicit diagrams
  3. Step-by-step examples
  4. Detailed instruction

In addition to the methodology and the resources, seven additional components and characteristics ensure your success with this writing curriculum.

pencil and paperThe Program’s Seven Components and Characteristics that Help Create Writing Success

This methodology works! But beyond the methodology, this program helps create writing success for a variety of teachers and students, in a variety of ways, and for a variety of reasons. Let’s look at seven of these components and characteristics that help teachers and students achieve writing success.

  1. Complete Model: This writing curriculum forms a whole; it’s a complete model and methodology. Each step of the methodology is either a pattern or a system. Not only are the patterns and systems made clear—but they are also clearly connected. Students quickly see that organized writing is not random. Once students understand this, their writing confidence improves. They see that they will surly become successful writers.
  2. Evaluation Method: There is a built-in method of evaluation that allows teachers and students to objectively evaluate writing progress. Did the curriculum really work? Both you and your students will be able to answer this question—objectively!
  3. Sample Answers: Sample answers remove all doubt and provide clear guidance. This kind of certainty powers you forward.
  4. Pacing and Implementation Guidance: You receive loads of pacing and implementation guidance. Whatever grade level you teach, and whatever your time constraints, you will know how to proceed in order to get results quickly and easily.
  5. Appendices: Over the years, I’ve interacted with program users and I’ve answered all the questions! Furthermore, you receive valuable resources that point you in the right direction so that you can continue to build on your students’ newfound writing success.
  6. Foundation and Framework: This multi-paragraph writing model provides a foundation and framework that teachers and schools can continue to build on all year, and even year after year. It creates a shortcut and shorthand for addressing all multi-paragraph writing. This makes it easy to layer on additional skills, techniques, and strategies, while keeping student active in real writing across the curriculum.
  7. Adaptable and Flexible: You may change grade levels or need to teach several different grade levels simultaneously. You may find yourself tutoring or remediating students. Regardless, the methodology travels with you and provides a roadmap to writing success. I even know of teachers who use the methodology with adult learners who need to improve their writing quickly—and it works!

You may not need every single page, resource, and pattern in order to achieve writing success, but you will have the resources available. This is a complete writing program where all the gaps have been filled.

pencil and paperWhat’s Inside of Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay?

Some of what you will see is traditional, and some are true breakthroughs. It’s the breakthroughs that make this program so effective! The breakthroughs are the reason why I put this program down on paper!

Having said that, I have used all of the program’s breakthrough concepts alongside of traditional writing vocabulary—topic sentence, main idea, paragraph, introduction, body, conclusion, and more. Students must know these terms when it’s time for state and district assessments, and I make sure they learn them and understand them!

Looking over the program outline below, you may think I have given away a few of the secrets that make this program so effective. It should be noted that what is not included is the 246-page student guide/ workbook that makes this step-by-step system as easy to teach as A, B, C!

The Writing Curriculum Outlined
Welcome, Introduction, and Evaluation System
Section 1: Introducing the Patterns

Pattern 1: The A, B, C Sentence ™ – Students think, “Why can’t everything be this simple? This one sentence outlines an entire essay!”

Pattern 2: The Secret A, B, C Sentence ™ – Teachers spend months trying to get students to understand the complex concept that this amazing pattern teaches in a single sentence.

Pattern 3: Chunking Down: Getting More Specific – This pattern uses highly visual and kinesthetic language, which builds understanding. The concept is explained and illustrated with high-interest diagrams. Students learn exactly how everything they read and study in school is organized. Students internalize this kind of thinking and logic and apply it to their own writing.

Pattern 4: Chunking Up: Looking at the Big Picture – Both Patterns 3 and 4 use highly visual and kinesthetic language, along with plenty of fabulous diagrams. This language makes sense to kids–and adults! Everyone will find the diagrams and examples fascinating!

Pattern 5: The Perfect Paragraph – What does perfect mean to you? Perfect to me means that students say, “I truly understand this!” This Perfect Paragraph combines patterns 1-4 in order to create a perfect understanding of paragraphs. You and your students will love this pattern!

Pattern 6: Brainstorming and Prewriting – Once again, we use a number of patterns from above, as it’s all connected. Soon students connect the patterns in this prewriting system directly to the entire structure of their essay. Your students also learn a variety of do’s and don’ts. Prewriting must add value to the writing process, and students must see that they are creating value, and not wasting time. This is prewriting with a connected purpose!

Section 2: Writing a Complete Essay

Pattern 7: Rules and Systems for Writing and Discussing our Complete Essay – Students will be writing a number of multi-paragraph essays, and hopefully, they will quickly share and discuss a number of these essays. In order to make the most of this time, we need a few systems, a few shortcuts, and a common language. It makes all the difference in the world. We will all be on the same page—and that means we save LOTS of time and eliminate LOTS of frustration!

Patterns 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12: These five patterns are five steps that help students grow an essay. The body paragraphs stay the same, but the introduction and conclusion build from extremely simple to attention grabbing and powerful. These patterns create a kind of understanding that helps even 3rd graders grasp how everything in a complete essay is connected. Teachers try to explain this with logic, but it rarely works.

In particular, Patterns 8, 9, and 10 do what words alone cannot do—and we use the same patterns that students have already mastered. This means we achieve the goal quickly and without question. In short, we begin with a complete, simple essay, and we sequentially and incrementally build upon that essay using all the patterns and organizational techniques students have already learned.

A Three-Point Analysis of Section 1 and Section 2:

  1. This is both a writing curriculum and a methodology.
  2. Showing is just slightly better than telling. Doing, on the other hand, is infinitely better than both!
  3. This is not a formula. It is a writing curriculum composed of built-in connection!
Section 3: Applying and Extending the Patterns

Patterns 13-14: Writing Prompt Breakdown and Analysis – In order to receive high scores on state writing assessments, students must address every aspect of the writing prompt. Students may not write about just the parts they wish to write about. Here are two powerful strategies that make certain that students break down the writing prompts correctly, follow the directions, and stay on topic.

Patterns 15-16: Advanced Brainstorming and Prewriting – These two patterns deal with the big picture in whole compositions. Students learn how to dig deep and find the most important main ideas. They also learn how to organize them for effect. Your students will be able to publish multi-page essays and reports once they understand this.

Pattern 17: How to Get Great Ideas for Your Writing – This section contains a number of fun and interesting ways to come up with great ideas, yet at this point in the writing program, getting ideas is rarely an issue!

Pattern 18: Transitions and Sequencing – The real ART of writing!

Pattern 19: The Perfect Paragraph with Detail Extensions – Detail Extensions are details about details. Detail Extensions often take the form of commentary and elaboration, both of which are important writing concepts. Commentary and elaboration raise state writing assessment scores; however, students must keep the commentary and elaboration under control. Detail Extensions keep the writing under control and all connected!

To Infinity and Beyond: Where Do We Go From Here?
Student Evaluation: The Timed Writing System

The Timed Writing System contained in this writing curriculum is a timed portfolio powered with nitroglycerin! Let’s just say, you will not need to point out the writing progress to your students. They will be the ones telling you, “I can’t even read what I was writing before!” I guarantee this.

Writing Genres

This brand new 22-page section ties together 14 different types of writing. It answers two questions:

  1. What’s the purpose of your paragraph?
  2. What’s the purpose of your essay?

Is it:

  • to inform
  • to persuade
  • to describe
  • to argue
  • to compare and contrast
  • to explain
  • to classify
  • to narrate
  • to critique
  • to explain the cause and effect
  • to entertain
  • to define
  • to evaluate
  • to describe a problem and explain a solution

Your students will understand and engage in each of these types of writing, and with a little practice, they will be able to apply all of these types of writing in any assignment they receive.

Most important, your students will understand how to interconnect these “paragraphs with a purpose” within an entire “essay with a purpose.”

Additionally, they will understand how this “purpose” or “intent” is expressed both within their topic sentence and within their thesis statement.

Simply amazing!

pencil and paperProven Methods and a Proven System That Works!

When it comes to children’s education, time is valuable! You have the right to know that the educational materials you are using have been tested and proven effective by real teachers and in real classrooms! As such, my credential is viewable at the “California Commission on Teacher Credentialing” website.

This is standards-based instruction, implemented in a creative way, that works with all elementary and middle school students. You will now get the results in a matter of months that you had only DREAMED of getting over the course of an entire school year! Better results and better understanding in one-third the time!

pencil and paperWhat Do Students Think?

Enthusiasm spreads like wildfire! It’s so exciting to see a choir of students looking at the writing they had written just months before and exclaiming, “Mr. Barger, I can’t even read what I had written before. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Why a Skeptic Turned Believer

I was a little skeptical when I first saw a few of the patterns, but then I figured out how it all fit together. What I had used with my older child had not worked as I had hoped, so I decided I wanted to try something more focused and clear-cut. This curriculum clearly has a goal in mind. I taught my 4th grader to write a complete essay in a fraction of the time that it had taken me before, and it was fun!

-Fran W.— Minneapolis, MN -Homeschool Parent

pencil and paperSuccess: My Guarantee to You

I guarantee that this program will bring about better results, faster than any writing program available for all grades 2-6, as well as when used remedially in grades 7 and above. I guarantee that all teachers, homeschooling parents, and even concerned parents will be able to implement this program and get the same results that I have gotten.

As you can see, I’m confident with what this program can do. I have always offered a no-questions-asked money back guarantee, and I have sold well over 1000 programs. Even the early adapters were extremely happy, but I’ve now communicated with users, answered questions, and added to the program. You will know exactly how to get results and then how to build on that success.

This program is not an end to writing growth. In fact, it’s intended to be a new beginning! This program will be the engine that powers your writing instruction all year long—and beyond. You will be teaching writing to students who can really write!

pencil and paperThe Story of How this Program Came to Be

The heart of this Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay program began with a 3rd grade classroom that had experienced well over 55 teachers and substitutes throughout the school year. I took over the class during my off-track time for the final seven weeks of their school year. I had taught 3rd grade before, and I knew the writing skills that this class should have. They had none of them. Based on what I saw, it seemed to me that the entire school year had been lost.

Teaching writing had always been a passion of mine, but I was at a loss for how to get this class writing even somewhat decently. I did have a great methodology for teaching writing that worked in a normal classroom situation, but in this situation, I had to get creative. And I did! This situation forced me to think outside the box.

I came up with the the A, B, C Sentence ™ and the children’s faces lit up! Next came the Secret A, B, C Sentence ™, and the kids had an almost puzzled expression that said, “This is easy! Is it really this simple?” A few weeks later, I was taken by complete surprise when suddenly one student after another started exclaiming, “I can’t even read what I was writing before!”

I had never seen anything like it. We continued forward!

Thirty-seven days after arriving in this class, these students were able to write the best complete essays of any class I had ever taught. I insisted the principal take home the students’ before-and-after timed writings and look them over. When she came to return them, her eyes welled up as she asked, “You mean these are first drafts?!” I replied, “Yes. That’s an objective TIMED WRITING – 25-minutes from start to finish.”

Many nice words followed, but for me… the principal’s eyes had said it all.

Over the next few years, I built on and perfected the system in both elementary and middle school classrooms. Now the effectiveness of the program is bottled up within these amazing patterns and systems.

Let me say, there are struggles along the way. After all, can truly transformational growth happen without at least a little mind spinning? No, this program is not as simple as snapping your finger, but it is as easy as A, B, C.

This Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay system is the missing manual for what makes sense to kids!

100% Thrilled-with-the-Results Money-Back Guarantee

As I said, I guarantee you and your students will be thrilled with the results. If at any time during the first eight weeks you are not completely thrilled, simply send me an email (you will have my direct email address) and I will refund your money. There are no hidden fees or funny loopholes! 100% guarantee means 100%.

Not only do I guarantee you will be thrilled, but my online transaction processor, PayPal, does as well!

100% Secure

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A Bit of Fine Print

  1. This writing curriculum is available exclusively in Adobe PDF format. If you are not sure what Adobe PDF is, the “Free Writing Guide” at the top of this page is in Adobe PDF format.
  2. Because this is a digital product, you are purchasing a single-user license.
  3. There is nothing more to purchase. You will get ALL your students writing correctly for the same low price.
  4. Download the writing program to your computer RIGHT NOW. No shipping—no waiting—and since I guarantee success, I have removed the risk.
  5. This curriculum contains a number of unlisted bonus appendices. These appendices point to valuable resources and provide guidance that ensures you will know exactly how to use the program and get excellent results. I have even included a section on how to print the program off your computer for less than a penny a page.

Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay

One-Teacher License — Available Exclusively in Adobe PDF Format

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Remember: This is a 100% Risk-Free Opportunity to Get All of Your Elementary School and Middle School Students Writing Excellent Essays and Reports Quickly and Easily!
An Amazing 96% Five-Paragraph Essay Success in just ONE MONTH!

February 3, 2011

…currently wishing I had found this in August when school started!

I totally “get” (as my students would say) this program. I was describing it to a colleague a little while ago as, “the basics made clearer.” I have taught many of these ideas, but not as an organized structure. 5-paragraph essays just make sense, but I had no formal way of getting that idea to be part of their natural writing process. I love this.

We start on Monday and the 7th grade writing exam is on the first Tuesday in March. I will let you know how it works out. Thank you for this program.

February 17, 2011

Oh, my goodness! We have been working with this program for two weeks… Today I gave them five minutes to write an outline for an introductory paragraph. I simply said “rain.” In a class of 31 all but 5 completed it with NO STRESS! (Even those 5 knew what to do but were over thinking the assignment.) I am excited to see what the outcome will be when I do my final assessment on the 25th and they take their writing exam on the 2nd of March.

Thank you for this opportunity to enjoy teaching my students writing. Just thought I would keep you informed as to the progress of things.

May 24, 2011

Hello Paul,

I am finishing up the last week of school…but my students, I believe, did wonderfully on the 7th grade writing exam in March. On the test I gave them the day before, all but 5 (140) could write a 5-paragraph essay! I am so impressed and proud of them! They actually enjoyed learning it!

I will start teaching this program again in August. With all the budget cuts, I won’t know what grade I will be teaching until then. A good thing about this writing program is that it works for most grades. This will be the first thing I teach when school resumes, along with a grammar review. This program has even impressed my principal. I am working on a grade level plan, so there might be more licenses to purchase in August. I so appreciate the work you have done to make my life easier.

-Mary Vallejo – 7th grade teacher – Rosamond, CA

An “I GET IT” Solution for a 4th-Grade Reading Specialist Who Teaches Struggling 4th-Grade Writers with Learning Disabilities

I just purchased this program tonight, yet I COMPLETELY GET the genius of this! You have succinctly put together all of the pieces that I have been doing and wanting to do with my students! This program couldn’t be more clear. I completely see the puzzle and its pieces!

This was an answer to prayer. I was literally asking God for help because I reached a point where I was just “stuck.” I knew where I wanted to get, but I wasn’t sure the best route to take. Then I stumbled upon this in my internet searching! As I was reading through the download, I kept thinking, “Yes! This is exactly what I wanted to do, but I wasn’t sure how to make it work!” I love it. It’s pure genius! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I thought you might appreciate having some additional context in understanding how I “got it” so quickly. I was tasked with a new assignment this year—to teach writing for an hour a day to a group of eight fourth graders. My principal’s specific goal was that these kiddos would be able to independently write a paragraph that included a topic sentence, three detail sentences, and a conclusion. The students profiled exceptionally low (at least two grade levels behind where they should be, and some even more than that). Processing, language, and overall retention were big issues, with one student experiencing severe language deficits.

I was up for the challenge, but I had never exclusively taught writing before, and I was starting from scratch with absolutely no curriculum. The entire course had to be tailored to the specific learning needs of these students, and I didn’t have much context for what they could and couldn’t do until the school year started. I immersed myself in research, and I felt confident moving forward.

My big problem came with topic sentences. They don’t get it. They don’t get what it is. They don’t get how to write it. My confidence in being able to teach writing was suddenly shaky! Then I found your site, and it intrigued me enough to purchase the program. As soon as I read the specifics about the ABC Sentence and, in particular, the Secret ABC Sentence, I knew I had found what I was looking for. That’s how quickly I got it.

I know this is a quality program because it makes sense with what I already knew good writing instruction should look like. I thank you for taking the time to put it together and for offering it at a price that is so very reasonable for a classroom teacher to pay (as I don’t think I will be getting reimbursed, although I did inquire!). It was money well spent and has helped to alleviate a great deal of stress for me as I teach this new class.

– Stephanie Friel — Elementary School Reading Specialist — Midd-West School District, Pennsylvania

Makes Sense to a Math Teacher. It’s Logical Just Like Algebra.

I purchased your program “Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay” several years ago. I am a former math/algebra teacher, but I use this program in my tutoring company when I am teaching clients how to write essays.

I can write essays (had to write a thesis to earn my master’s degree in Math Education) but teaching essay writing has always been a weak area for me until I found your program. I love the program because it is very logical. It’s like following a formula in algebra—step by step by step. Tonight, I was getting ready to use the program with an adult who is preparing for the GED….

-Tutor – Children and Adults – Texas

Two Months Later the Results Were Amazing!

Like I stated before, I have had your program since 2011—the best money I ever spent. I was having a very difficult time with my fourth graders at the time, more so because it was an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) class with very limited vocabulary. I was going crazy because they had trouble constructing a single paragraph. I stumbled upon your program and decided to buy it on the spot. Two months later the results were amazing! My students could actually write. Since then I have been using it in my classroom and also with students I tutor from other schools. It has been my go-to tool when tackling poor writing skills. Thank you so much again for such a wonderful program.

-Ana Cristina Velasco – 4th grade teacher – tutor of struggling writers – Ecuador

Great Success on Our Standardized Tests

I have to say, I had great success with your program this year. Going into our standardized provincial tests in February, my students were well prepared and comfortable with the Secret ABC format. Most of my students are Indo-Canadian, with Punjabi as their first language, so helping them to structure their writing made it easier for us all. Even when we had put our Pattern Based Writing booklets away, I kept referring to the Pattern Based Writing system – and held kids accountable for the lessons they’d learned. The booklets were always there for reference, and they were the ‘criteria’ for good writing.

-Sherry O. – 6th grade teacher – British Columbia

I Finally Get It!

I am a homeschooling mother of five. I have been at this for 15 years and the process of teaching writing has eluded me for all of these years. I have used just about every curriculum known to the homeschooling community, (___, __________, _________, ect. [names omitted]), but I just didn’t get it. I was so frustrated. I didn’t understand how to teach these materials.

Finding Pattern Based Writing was like finding the one piece of the puzzle that makes all these others work. I just wish I had found your program first. It would have saved many dollars and many more tears. The simple step-by-step process streamlined the whole process for us in such an easy to understand way. My kids are producing excellent paragraphs and expanding into descriptive, narrative and opinion based essays. Pattern Based Writing is the one key to unlock the writing process for us. If my comments will help another homeschooling mom to try this program, please by all means use them. Thank you so much!!

-Denise W. – Homeschool mom – Colorado Springs, Colorado

A System that Brought Control to Out-of-Control Writing

Not only did this program bring my son’s (8th grade) writing under control, but it gave me a system for looking over his work and immediately being able to determine if there are any major problem areas.

Basically, he got control over his writing, and I did as well! Thank you Mr. Barger!

-S. Kirby – Houston, TX – Middle school parent

Skills that Transfer Over to All Our Writing Across the Curriculum

This is an excellent writing program. I’m a home schooling parent and I got great results really fast. My kids liked it, and I thought it was interesting, too. You think a little differently after this program.

Most important the organization and writing skills transfer over to almost all the writing my children do. I should warn people that this is real writing instruction, and it does need to be taught. It’s not just a lot of cutesy ideas or writing prompts. That’s one reason it works so well.

-L. S. – Florida – Homeschool Parent

Fifth Graders Who Think Essay Writing is Fun!

I wanted to teach essay writing in an engaging way. The kids really enjoyed the program. I think it’s a great program and I intend to use it again this coming year. If the kids like it, and they did, that’s success! When programs are this good, I don’t mind giving credit where credit is due.

-Barbara M. – 5th grade teacher – Port Washington, NY

Helped 4th Graders with Topic Sentences, Supporting Details, Organizing Essays, and Staying on Topic

I purchased Pattern Based Writing for my fourth grade students and I wasn’t sure my students would be able to do it. My students had a great deal of difficulty writing multi-paragraph essays. This program helped tremendously! My students learned how to organize an essay and to stay on topic. It also helped me to teach topic sentences and supporting details.

-G.W. – Las Vegas, NV – 4th grade teacher

Helping 2nd and 3rd Graders with Standardized Tests

Our students have not been passing the writing portion of the standardized tests. I wondered if the Pattern Based Writing program would work. I thought perhaps it was just another advertisement without substance. Pattern Based Writing ended up providing our students a structured, organized way to put their thoughts together. We used the program for second and third graders, but the program had to be modified for the younger students.

I would recommend the program to every subject area teacher. I like the structure, the simplistic technique, and its effectiveness. It’s easy for students to learn and easy for teachers to teach.

-B.P. from Michigan – Used with 2nd and 3rd grade students

Systematic Teaching for Learning Disabled Middle School Students

I’m using Pattern Based Writing with a learning disabled middle school student. The program is very strategy-oriented with steps that build from a basic foundation and allow me to incorporate other aspects of writing as the student is ready.

I was easily able to teach each pattern and spend as much time as is needed on each step. Also, I was able to utilize Inspiration software and create templates as organizers based on the pattern that my student had used to begin his paragraph writing. I would recommend it to others working with special needs students.

-Lois-Anne Davis, Speech-Language Pathologist

Laid it Out in Black and White in a Way I Couldn’t

My 4th and 7th grader needed help with organizing their thoughts and staying on subject. Pattern Based Writing laid it out in black and white in a way that I couldn’t and made sure I covered all the bases.

-L. Harris, TX – Used with grades 4 and 7

Worked with Middle School Students Who Lacked Organization in Their Writing

I bought the program hoping to help my middle school students who lacked organization in their writing – no topic sentences or even paragraphs to reflect the separation of ideas. I was quite happy when my students began to experience “flow” in the patterns they learned. Because the instruction was explicit and broken down into bite-sized pieces, with practice opportunities for every pattern, students began to internalize the process. I also liked that the program is easy to pull out and use- very little to create or supplement on my own. The program is very useful for middle school students who are beginning middle school without a firm grasp of paragraphing skills.

-J. Meadows – Indian Creek Middle School, Crownsville, MD

Quick and Easy Writing Remediation

My greatest need was to be able to teach my son the steps of writing a sentence, paragraph, and essay and how they all build upon each other. Pattern Based Writing laid out the patterns in an easy to teach and easy to learn method. I liked the step-by-step process and ease in which you teach the program. This is a valuable tool, especially for parents looking for a way to quickly remediate writing needs. I would recommend Pattern Based Writing to other homeschool families. It is easy to teach and easy to implement.

-Lori P. – Homeschool mom

I Had No Idea How to Teach my Children How to Write Well!

I was worried about my ability to teach my children writing (using any method!) well enough to enable them to be successful in writing. I was pleased to see how easy to teach your method was! It gave me a structured layout from which to teach, and organized everything I needed to cover, saving me many exhausting hours of research and compiling. I like how easy it is to just flow through the material, and everything is explained in detail. Yes, I would recommend it to anyone with a child struggling to write, and to any homeschooler.

-Heather S. from Florida – Homeschooling two boys at the elementary level

Helped Create Structure and Focus in Writing – My 3rd Graders Actually Enjoyed the Lessons!

My greatest challenge was getting the students to use complete and interesting sentences. There was also the issue of organization. Pattern Based Writing gave the students’ writing structure and focus. They actually enjoyed the lessons. I liked that the students were able to latch onto the patterns easily. It specifically helped with the challenge of main idea and details, which is huge in third grade. I have already recommended the program to my colleagues in third grade.

-Cheryl – 3rd grade teacher – Moreno Valley, CA

Works with Boys Who Hate Writing!

I have a 7th grader and a 5th grader who needed to learn how to write a paragraph and an essay. Pattern Based Writing taught them that it was easier than they thought to put together a good essay. It teaches a very simple method for writing an essay. My boys hate writing, but with Pattern Based Writing, it was easy for them.

-Janice in Washington – Homeschool mom – 5th and 7th grades boys

Is the Program Effective with all Learning Styles?

I originally ordered it for use in the learning clinic as extra practice for writing referrals. I found that Pattern Based Writing is an excellent step-by-step repeatable program that can be used in a small group setting or with the whole class. It has a very easy to follow format with many different activities per pattern. I would recommend the program for teachers whose kids are struggling with the basics of paragraphing, as well as Learning Assistance Teachers and homeschoolers.

-Rick – Grade 6/7 & Learning Resource Teacher

It’s Simple, Easy to Follow, and IT WORKS!

Our school’s writing program is not helpful, nor do the students comprehend what they are supposed to write. Pattern Based Writing has explicit instructions with examples and takes the writing process one step at a time. I like that the program is simple, easy to follow, and IT WORKS. I have recommended this program to all of the teachers at my school.

-Pat M. – CA – Grade 3 Teacher

It’s Painless to Get Started and it Progresses Easily from There

My 14-year-old son has little writing experience and little interest in writing. I wasn’t sure this program would be engaging enough for him. Specifically, I wanted a curriculum that my son could use primarily on his own (with my support) to learn the basics of essay writing. So far he is working through steadily and seems to be gaining important skills in a systematic way. I like that the examples are clear, and we appreciate the sense of humor throughout.

This is a solid program for students who need to start from scratch to learn how to write an essay, and who might be intimidated by having to jump into writing full essays from the beginning. This program is so incremental that it’s painless to get started, and it progresses easily from there.

-Nancy R. – Massachusetts – Homeschool mom

Middle School Boy Didn’t Know What to Say or How to Say It

I’ve tried lots of writing programs that turned out to not be what was advertised. I was skeptical that this would be another one of those. I purchased this as a remedial program for my middle school boy. He just couldn’t write. He didn’t know what to say or how to say it. Topic sentence? Foreign concept. I couldn’t get him to understand the organization of writing.

This program is very systematic in its teaching. It was like having a step-by-step to do list. Where all other programs failed because they were too conceptual, this program worked because of the easy step-by-step process. My son is in high school now and his writing is acceptable. He’s not a natural writer, so I don’t think it will ever be exceptional, but it is good now. Even though Pattern Based Writing is intended for younger children, it is great for a remedial program at the middle school level. I just moved faster at the earliest stages. What I found was that the simple explanation of things makes this program wonderful for a child who is struggling with writing. You get the “Oh, that’s all you wanted” light bulb going off.

I have recommended it several times to others, specifically other homeschooling moms whose children are having trouble with the writing process. I wish more schools would teach writing this way. For some reason, teaching writing is hard. I think it is the conceptual approach. Most writing programs do not have a concrete plan; a plan that tells you what to do next in a definitive way. This program does. I love it!

-Carol – Ashburn, GA – Homeschool mom – Used it as a remedial writing program for middle school

BEFORE: Unable to Write a Coherent Paragraph
AFTER: Wrote a Complete Essay That Got Him Admitted to a Prestigious and Highly Competitive High School

2014 – Before: My 13 year old son’s writing is mechanically fine, but he has a hard time staying on subject and organizing his thoughts. He has to take a timed writing test as part of an application to a specialty high school and I’m hoping this PBW system will give him the tools he needs.

2015 – After: I am using PBW with my younger son this year. Last year, it made an incredible difference in my older son’s writing. He was basically unable to write a coherent paragraph before PBW. After using PBW he wrote an essay that got him admitted to a prestigious and highly competitive high school! Now I tell everyone about the program whenever the subject of writing comes up, and I know at least a couple of people have purchased it and are experiencing the same success with it that I have had.

-Lorah Vizdos – Virginia – Middle school parent

A Reluctant 13-Year-Old Struggling Writer’s Breakthrough

Thank you for sharing this approach to writing. It was the breakthrough conceptually that my son needed. Writing has been SUCH a block for him! He’s a bright kid with a tremendous vocabulary, very good oral grammar skills, and a lot of interesting things to say–as long as he doesn’t have to write it down.

It’s like there’s a big brick wall between thinking and talking on one side and written expression on the other. I’ve tried all sorts of approaches to try to work through it, but this is the first one that really clicked for him. Now when I ask him to write me a paragraph about a specific subject, he doesn’t get that deer in the headlights look and start trying to negotiate down from a paragraph to three well-chosen words.

Instead, he actually says things like, “Only a paragraph? Sure thing, Mom.” And heads for the computer to start typing. I can even say I want a paragraph about each of these three topics we studied in science, and he doesn’t even flinch. Before, such a request would have been so overwhelming to him that it would have resulted in a catastrophic breakdown.

I’m actually looking forward to taking on essays this upcoming year! I literally despaired about essays; I couldn’t see any possible way to get THAT boy writing anything as lengthy and structured as an essay. A whole sentence was like pulling teeth. Now I even have hope for term papers. Not right away, maybe, but for the first time, I can see the path between here and there.

-Middle-School Homeschool Parent, Winnipeg, Canada

A No-Nonsense Writing-Assessment Boot Camp for Fifth Grade

I’m a new fifth-grade teacher, but I taught computer in middle school for eight years.

The thing I really like about your program is the brevity and clarity. We have another writing workshop book, and it’s yakkity yak, yakkity yak, page after page after page. I’m like, just tell me what to do. Give me something workable. Your program is the no-nonsense, use-it-tomorrow sort of program that I wanted.

I need to get these kids ready to take the PSSA in essay writing. Your system is perfect for January-April, getting ready for the 5th-grade PSSA. It’s like a ‘writing boot camp’ for kids. And I don’t need to spend much time in preparation—your stuff is ready-to-go. Thanks!

– Fifth-Grade Teacher — Pennsylvania

A Skeptical Third-Grade Homeschool Mom is Excited to Teach Writing

I’m a homeschool mom and have a third-grader who is not up to snuff in his writing. He struggles to put his thoughts on paper in a way that is comprehensible to others. I have known that this year was the year to really bear down and work on his writing skills, but I just wasn’t sure how to go about it. I came upon your curriculum online, and I was hopeful that it was what I was looking for, but I have to admit that I was skeptical that it would be worth the money. Since I’m on a budget, I’m not willing to plunk down money for every person who claims they have the right course for my family.

Finally, after reading a third-party review today, I decided to bite the bullet and go ahead and add your course to our curriculum this year. I’ve become very versed at sizing up curriculum with a short looksie, and I have to tell you that although I only downloaded this course 10 minutes ago, I am SO excited and relieved. This course is exactly what I hoped it would be. Thank you for putting it out there! I’m now looking so forward to teaching my son the joys of writing. Thanks again!

-Elementary Homeschool Parent — Spanish Fork, Utah

Remedial Writing Help for Below-Grade-Level Fifth-Grade Students

I just purchased and downloaded your Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay book, and I’m so excited! As I looked through the book, I can see that the patterns you’ve outlined are fantastic and are going to really help my 5th-grade students.

I have 21 students whose language arts evaluations are below grade level and 7 who are on grade level. I have been searching for remedial programs for teaching writing, and I truly think yours is going to be the ticket that I need! This organizational method speaks to my soul, and I think it is going to be great!

– Fifth-Grade Teacher — Utah

Five Years of Success in Elementary School, Middle School, and High School

I have been using your curriculum for the last five years with quite a bit of success! I have used it in elementary school, junior high, and high school. PBW is definitely effective.

In Texas, our students take the STAAR exam, which involves rigorous writing. My state testing results have exceeded other teachers who do not use the curriculum. My administrators have taken notice and are asking if you do any seminars or trainings on the curriculum.

-Elementary, Middle School, and High School Teacher – Texas