Writing Instruction That Works

Backed by solid research, Writing Instruction That Works answers the following question: What is writing instruction today and what can it be tomorrow? This up-to-date, comprehensive book identifies areas of concern for the ways that writing is being taught in todays secondary schools. The authors offer far-reaching direction for improving writing instruction that assist both student literacy and subject learning. They provide many examples of successful writing practices in each of the four core academic subjects (English, mathematics, science, and social studies/history), along with guidance for meeting the Common Core standards. The text also includes sections on Technology and the Teaching of Writing and English Language Learners.

"What works?" As teachers, it's a question we often ask ourselves about teaching writing, and it often summarizes other, more specific questions we have: What contributes to an effective climate for writing? What practices and structures best support effective writing instruction? What classroom content helps writers develop? What tasks are most beneficial for writers learning to write? What choices should I make as a teacher to best help my students? Using teacher-friendly language and classroom examples, Deborah Dean helps answer these questions; she looks closely at instructional practices supported by a broad range of research and weaves them together into accessible recommendations that can inspire teachers to find what works for their own classrooms and students. Initially based on the Carnegie Institute's influential Writing Next report, this second edition of What Works in Writing Instruction looks at more types of research that have been conducted in the decade since the publication of that first research report. The new research rounds out its list of recommended practices and is designed to help teachers apply the findings to their unique classroom environments. We all must find the right mix of practices and tasks for our own students, and this book offers the best of what is currently known about effective writing instruction to help teachers help students develop as writers.

This book examines nearly 30 years of research to identify how teachers can incorporate writing instruction that helps students master the course content and improve their overall achievement. Building on the recommendations of the National Commission on Writing, authors Vicki Urquhart and Monette McIver introduce four critical issues teachers should address when they include writing in their content courses: Creating a positive environment for the feedback and guidance students need at various stages, including prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing; Monitoring and assessing how much students are learning through their writing; Choosing computer programs that best enhance the writing process; Strengthening their knowledge of course content and their own writing skills.

Explicit instruction is systematic, direct, engaging, and success oriented--and has been shown to promote achievement for all students. This highly practical and accessible resource gives special and general education teachers the tools to implement explicit instruction in any grade level or content area. The authors are leading experts who provide clear guidelines for identifying key concepts, skills, and routines to teach; designing and delivering effective lessons; and giving students opportunities to practice and master new material. Sample lesson plans, lively examples, and reproducible checklists and teacher worksheets enhance the utility of the volume. Purchasers can also download and print the reproducible materials for repeated use. Video clips demonstrating the approach in real classrooms are available at the authors' website: www.explicitinstruction.org. See also related DVDs from Anita Archer: Golden Principles of Explicit Instruction; Active Participation: Getting Them All Engaged, Elementary Level; and Active Participation: Getting Them All Engaged, Secondary Level

Foundational Practices in Online Writing Instruction addresses administrators’ and instructors’ questions for developing online writing programs and courses. Written by experts in the field, this book uniquely attends to issues of inclusive and accessible online writing instruction in technology-enhanced settings, as well as teaching with mobile technologies and multimodal compositions.

As digital technologies continue to develop and evolve, an understanding of what it means to be technologically literate must also be redefined. Students regularly make use of digital technologies to construct written text both in and out of the classroom, and for modern writing instruction to be successful, educators must adapt to meet this new dichotomy. Exploring Technology for Writing and Writing Instruction examines the use of writing technologies in early childhood, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary classrooms, as well as in professional development contexts. This book provides researchers, scholars, students, educators, and professionals around the world with access to the latest knowledge on writing technology and methods for its use in the classroom.

For courses in Educational Psychology, Advanced Educational Psychology, and General Methods for the elementary, middle school, or secondary levels. Designed as a self-study resource, this handbook guides readers through nine categories of instructional strategies proven to improve student achievement, and to apply the teaching practices from the companion text, Classroom Instruction That Works. For each of the nine categories, exercises, brief questionnaires, tips and recommendations, samples, worksheets, rubrics, and other tools are provided so teachers can apply what they've learned immediately in the classroom.

Highly practical and accessible, this indispensable book provides clear-cut strategies for improving K-12 writing instruction. The contributors are leading authorities who demonstrate proven ways to teach different aspects of writing, with chapters on planning, revision, sentence construction, handwriting, spelling, and motivation. The use of the Internet in instruction is addressed, and exemplary approaches to teaching English-language learners and students with special needs are discussed. The book also offers best-practice guidelines for designing an effective writing program. Focusing on everyday applications of current scientific research, the book features many illustrative case examples and vignettes.