First Author
First Author is a comprehensive curriculum that guides educators to teach beginning writing skills, helping ALL students learn to write as a form of expressive communication.

First Author is a comprehensive curriculum that guides educators to teach beginning writing skills, helping ALL students learn to write as a form of expressive communication.
Meet the widest range of needs for students with complex learning barriers.
Engage every student in the learning process, no matter their learning style or ability.
Drive meaningful progress towards IEP goals and today’s academic standards.
Structured classroom time
broken down through mini-
lessons (4x/week), writing time
(4x/week), and Author’s Chair
sharing time (1x/week).
A comprehensive
group of measurement tools
for monitoring writing development, communication,
and behavior.
Guides for
instructional supports
for each student including
“writing” tools and
communication methods.
82 mini-lessons that are designed to repeat with variety keep students engaged.
Preparation to demonstrate skills using alternate assessments including DLM, STAAR, and NCSC.
“First Author helped my students to express themselves and their interests through writing. It also helped them start communicating in different ways with me and their classmates.”
KEARY PIECZYNSKI, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER
“There’s other opportunities that have been huge for these students that they may have not gotten in other curriculums.”
Cathy Kostecki, Assistant Superintendent
First Author was developed in partnership with an
interdisciplinary team of specialists, including Dr. Janet Sturm, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, F-ASHA
Janet M. Sturm, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL, F-AHSA, Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Central Michigan University. Dr. Sturm's research and clinical interest include developing high-quality differentiated writing instruction for students with developmental disabilities, assistive writing software, formative and summative writing assessments of beginning writers, and tools and strategies to support effective classroom communication. Her work in special education classrooms has spanned more than 30 years.
FREE
Get free access
to samples of
First Author materials
and try them with your
students—no credit
card required.
$699/classroom
Getting started
with First Author
is simple. Just
inquire, implement,
then watch your
students soar.
The First Author curriculum aligns to the expectations of the new alternate assessments, so you can feel confident that your students are getting the best writing instruction possible and will be prepared to demonstrate their skills.
Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching
DLM Essential Elements
NCSC Core Content Connectors
STAAR Alternate 2
Florida English/Language Arts Access Points
Karen A. Erickson, Ph.D. is Director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies at University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill. Her focus is on understanding the best ways to assess and teach reading and writing to children with the most severe disabilities. As a special education teacher, Dr. Erickson has worked to support students with a range of disabilities in a variety of classroom settings, particularly students who do not use speech as their primary means of communication.
Website: https://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/clds
Author Profile: https://products.brookespublishing.com/cw_Contributorinfo.aspx?ContribID=110&Name=Karen+Erickson,Ph.D.
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