Teaching Writing

"An outstanding publication on the latest developments in writing instruction."--Language Arts

This title, by Ann Browne, focuses on the teaching of writing at Key Stage 1 and before and fully addresses the National Literacy Strategy at this level. The text fully reflects the requirements of the ITT National Curriculum, whilst addressing the latest research findings on the development of literacy skills in the primary years.

Writing is the vehicle for communication. In addition to promoting the need for good communication skills, the teaching of the writing process provides opportunities for students to develop clear thinking skills. Writing is also a developmental process that each student can successfully experience at different levels when approached systematically. Based upon this premise, this Action Tool presents the five stages of writing: prewrite, write, revise, edit, and publish in a manner that allows writing to be taught as a process. Strategies for Teaching Writing: An ASCD Action Tool makes writing in the classroom manageable. The tools provide a step-by-step approach to teaching the writing process. The tools include complete how-to-use instructions, suggestions, classroom examples and cross-curricular activities. Using the tools, teachers can grant students time to write, to process their thoughts and develop a way to analyze their thinking using cognitive reasoning instead of impromptu thought. The Action Tool also provide teachers with assessment strategies to assess students participation and progress at each stage of the writing process.

Writing is best taught through models. Showing K-8 students how other authors apply the writing-craft skills that you teach is a vital part of writing instruction. This innovative resource matches 24 fundamental writing-craft Target Skills to a wide selection of fiction and non-fiction books, providing a solid set of strong models for writing-craft instruction. Both trade books and texts available only from educational publishers are included. Most of these are picture books, which are particularly engaging for young readers. A Target Skill cross-index helps you reference models and multiple craft skills.

"Writing allows each of us to live with that special wide-awakeness that comes from knowing that our lives and our ideas are worth writing about." -Lucy Calkins Teaching Writing is Lucy Calkins at her best-a distillation of the work that's placed Lucy and her colleagues at the forefront of the teaching of writing for over thirty years. This book promises to inspire teachers to teach with renewed passion and power and to invigorate the entire school day. This is a book for readers who want an introduction to the writing workshop, and for those who've lived and breathed this work for decades. Although Lucy addresses the familiar topics-the writing process, conferring, kinds of writing, and writing assessment- she helps us see those topics with new eyes. She clears away the debris to show us the teeny details, and she shows us the majesty and meaning, too, in these simple yet powerful teaching acts. Download a sample chapter for more information.