EmPOWER - Wilson Language Training

Writing is hard for SO MANY students

They can’t get started. They don’t write very much, and when they do, their ideas are disorganized. They ramble off topic and don’t answer the question.

Some have tons of ideas, but they don’t know how to get them out of their heads.

They’re stuck!

A simple red stick-figure character sitting at a desk, looking worried while taking a test. A scribbled black cloud hovers above their head, symbolizing confusion or frustration. A pen lies next to the test paper.

The way writing is taught isn’t working

Students who struggle with language, literacy, and learning need more explicit instruction in writing. With a reliable way to approach writing and insight into how language works, they do better.

A simple red stick-figure character looking worried while juggling multiple small balls. Some balls are falling to the ground, symbolizing being overwhelmed or struggling to manage multiple tasks.

Writing: the ultimate juggling act

To write, students must manage many things simultaneously: handwriting, spelling, punctuation, word choice, grammar, purpose, organization, clarity, and rhythm, to name just a few.

Mix in feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, or disinterest — chronic problems for so many students with learning challenges — and there are simply too many balls to juggle all at once.

Students convince themselves that they can’t do it. Once that negative self-story sets in, it’s unlikely to change.

Writing goes where self-talk goes

In our effort to understand how to help students who struggle with writing, we asked them what they were saying to themselves as they sat with their writing assignments.

Their answers were heart breaking. They were drowning in negative thoughts about themselves. Their struggle with organizing language was palpable, and they envisioned a lifetime of failure.

We realized that the most important thing we needed to change was the conversation students were having inside their own heads. They also needed better tools for harnessing all the ideas that were stuck there.

To do that, we needed to change the conversation teachers were having with them about writing and give them more effective tools for teaching.

EmPOWER solves all of these problems

Drawing on the best research, we merged self-talk, dialogic instruction, and a set of visual tools that illustrate how language works.

A more systematic way to teach the writing process

EmPOWER is an explicit way to teach the writing process in six, finely articulated steps:

A simple red stick-figure character joyfully climbing a staircase made of the word EMPOWER. Each letter of EMPOWER represents a step, with smaller text beside them indicating actions: Evaluate, Make a plan, Organize, Work, Evaluate, and Re-work. The staircase visually represents a process of growth and achievement.

Our secret sauce

At its core, the EmPOWER method consists of 9 questions, 10 visual tools, and 5 strategies that support academic writing. It can be used in grades 2 through 12 to guide expository and narrative writing.

Using EmPOWER, teachers pose the same set of questions each and every time students sit to write, opening a dialogue to explore options together. Each question triggers the use of a strategy or visual tool that students use to organize their ideas. Ultimately, students decide what they want to say and how to assemble their ideas and express them clearly.

As students move through the writing process with EmPOWER, they make all the decisions, and they are in full control. Rather than guess or ramble, their conscious choices give birth to ideas expressed well on paper.

A simple red stick-figure character sitting at a desk, holding a pen and looking thoughtfully at a piece of paper. A thought bubble with three question marks hovers above their head, indicating confusion or deep thinking. A stack of books and papers is scattered on the desk.

A simple red stick-figure character with a happy expression holding a sign above their head that says HOW, symbolizing curiosity or a desire for understanding.

EmPOWER keeps the focus on HOW, not WHAT

WHAT students write in school is dictated by school-wide curriculum and the content goals of individual teachers.

EmPOWER leaves the WHAT up to teachers and focuses on HOW. It gives them a way to navigate the writing process from start to finish and express thoughts and ideas in a way that makes sense.

Because every written text begs for a smart process, EmPOWER supports any writing assignment in any grade and any content area.

The key to success: A universal approach

When used by a whole school community, EmPOWER aligns general and special education seamlessly across all tiers of instruction as well as all grades and content areas.

Everyone speaks the same language, so students have the consistency they need to excel.

Measurable gains in just one year

School-based action research at The Summit School shows students using EmPOWER make statistically significant gains in how much and how well they write within just one year.

These gains hold into the following school year, impervious to the “summer slide.”

Both teachers and students report gains in self-confidence.

Increased confidence shifts the stories they tell themselves about what they can do and what’s possible for them in the future.

A 3D bar chart comparing data across Grade 2 to Grade 7 for three different months: September (yellow), January (blue), and May (red). The chart shows an increasing trend, with values rising as the grades progress, and the highest values appearing in May.

Number of words written improved at every grade level

A 3D bar chart displaying data for Grade 2 through Grade 7, comparing values across three months: September (yellow), January (blue), and May (red). The chart shows a general upward trend, with values increasing in higher grades and the highest values occurring in May.

Composition quality improved at every grade level

A 3D bar chart comparing responses labeled "Agree" and "Disagree." The "Agree" bar is significantly taller, reaching above 50 on the vertical axis, while the "Disagree" bar is much shorter, staying below 15, indicating a strong majority agreement.

EmPOWER helps me write well

A 3D bar chart displaying four response categories: Minimal, Somewhat, Moderate, and Significant. The bars for Minimal and Somewhat are very low, the Moderate bar is slightly higher, and the Significant bar is the tallest by a large margin, reaching above 15 on the vertical axis.

To what degree has EmPOWER enhanced your success with teaching expository writing?

EmPOWER gave me the language I desperately needed to teach my students. I developed an eye for many of the behind-the-scenes difficulties kids were having, difficulties that had to do not with grammar and spelling, but with managing the planning, organizing, and holding processes necessary to create a text.

Greg S. Middle school English teacher

In the past, teaching students how to write was exhausting because I could never really get students to think for themselves. With EmPOWER, they’ve become independent thinkers. Now, when they have a question, all I do is redirect them. They know how to work out their writing problem on their own.

Rocio E., Speech-Language Pathologist

My students’ confidence has soared with EmPOWER. They now have a ‘can do’ attitude about writing. Now I spend a lot less time clarifying, and students spend more time working independently.

Elisa P., Grades 3-7 Special education teacher

A method for teaching academic writing

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