Focusing on the story, this program helps teach many of the elements and strategies of writing to beginners. Just Write Book 1, intended for 2nd graders, begins with planning to write a story and learning about story elements. The first chapter focuses on pre-writing activities: brainstorming, categorizing, and using a web. Chapter 2 studies some of the processes involved in writing the story - selecting a topic, learning about sequencing, planning the basic parts of a storyline (who, what, where, when and why), creating characters, revealing feelings, and choosing a setting.

The next chapters hit some of the nuts and bolts of putting words and sentences on paper. Chapter 3 studies capitalization and basic punctuation. Chapter 4 is about using your senses to create more vivid writing. Chapter 5 explores the paragraph - what it is, how to format it, what it's made of. Chapter 6 coaxes children to "tell more" (expand sentences beyond the kernel) and Chapter 7 instructs them to be choosy with their words - to avoid overused words and use creative comparisons (similes). The course closes in Chapter 8 with editing, choosing a title, and publishing. These chapters vary in length and include definitions of concepts, models, and interesting exercises for student practice.