GET GITA, GET RESULTS!

GITA is a highly strategic writing toolkit designed to propel student success in informational, persuasive, and narrative writing in grades K-12!

After spending four years in the classroom where I led unprecedented growth in students’ English and Language Arts scores, I was recruited to become a Literacy Professional Development Specialist with an Atlanta-based organization. Once established in the Atlanta area, I became an independent consultant; presently I am in my 21st year in education and my 17th year in consulting. I took everything I learned in the classroom and used it to compile the GITA Writing Toolkit, a toolkit that I have taken all over the southeast and which has continually and consistently produced significant increases in student achievement at all K-12 levels. Although a full-time consultant for 17 years, I still teach students in their classrooms at least once per week, keeping on the cutting edge of what is working, how it best works, and ways it can be adapted.

My GITA Writing Toolkit can be applied to ANY writing curriculum, is cross-curricular, and is grounded in the idea that writing must be intentionally and explicitly taught, just like reading.  Unfortunately, most curricula require students to write sentences, paragraphs, stories, and essays without adequately providing the necessary tools teachers need to help students get from where they are to where they are expected to be. My toolkit provides fun, engaging, effective tools to produce phenomenal writing, and it is vertically aligned for grades K-12! 

The focus of the GITA Writing Toolkit is writing composition (informational, persuasive, and narrative writing beginning at the sentence level and reaching the most complex levels of grade 12+ composition, including all components of grammar/syntax). I can offer professional development as short as a 1-day workshop or training and guidance as complex as a year-long partnership. 

In addition to staff development, I can come to your school to model teach, co-teach, observe, and/or meet with teachers to provide very focused and targeted support. I also offer student tutoring at all levels and college essay-writing consultations for high school students.
I hope we can converse soon so that I can learn more about your school and explain how the GITA Writing Toolkit can serve the needs of your teachers and students!

THE GITA MISSION

The GITA Writing Toolkit equips students who have traditionally struggled with writing to not only succeed, but to soar! It also molds good, solid writers into distinguished composers! The GITA Writing Toolkit brings confidence, excitement, and celebration to the ELA classroom.

My goal is to take the GITA Writing Toolkit to the masses so that children everywhere can have these tools to succeed! When they do, it changes their lives, literally. As a result of mastering the writing standards, students score highly on standardized tests, provide excellent writing in all of their classes, and therefore have higher grades in all subjects, write impressive cover letters to schools for college admittance, and produce higher quality work throughout college and their careers! The strategies they learn through the GITA Writing Toolkit guide their writing for the rest of their lives. Let’s get started!

TESTIMONIALS

I used to struggle with teaching writing and dreaded it. Mrs. Richards, “The GITA lady,” helped me “Get it.” The strategies I have learned for GITA and TIE have really helped me feel comfortable with teaching writing, and my students love it. We are able to apply it to other areas like Science and not just ELA. Thank you for teaching me how to love teaching writing again!

Frances Smith, Ed.S.

3rd Grade Teacher

LaLona Richards has been an excellent resource for me as an ELA teacher. She is knowledgeable, helpful, and easy to work with. Her GITA Toolkit breaks the writing process down into simple and manageable steps for students. My students are less overwhelmed with the writing process and have gained confidence using GITA. Mrs. Richards has also modified the program to help my struggling writers and meet students’ individual needs. Some of my best writers have improved their writing using GITA, and students who previously despised writing have begun to enjoy the writing process. I highly recommend LaLona Richards and her GITA program to any school who wants to create better writers.

Samantha Strain

5th Grade ELA

I have been teaching writing for 16 years, and this is the best program I have used to meet the needs of struggling writers. My students hated to write at the beginning of the year. With Mrs. Richard’s GITA and TIE strategies, they are writing 5 paragraph biographies. Not only that, this program gives them the confidence to tackle any prompt or writing activity. It is easily adaptable to any reading program and fits in seamlessly.

Amy Heutel

4th Grade ELA

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