Writing
Writing is an often overlooked component of literacy, but the ability to write clearly and communicate effectively is critical to students — classroom and workplace success. And writing assignments can provide a means to enhance students' vocabulary, comprehension, and spelling skills.
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A Student's Perspective on Writing
Eli tells us what it is like to have dysgraphia. Regina Richards, a well-known expert on dysgraphia (and Eli's mom), explains how to help children who struggle with the challenges Eli describes. Practical techniques discussed include POWER (Prepare, Organize, Write, Edit, Revise) and providing authentic positive comments that move the child forward.
Teaching Writing to Diverse Student Populations
Writing is a complex operation requiring knowledge of text structure, syntax, vocabulary, and topic, and sensitivity to audience needs; so it is not surprising that many teens find writing challenging. This article identifies the qualities of strong writing instruction, and offers advice to teachers for incorporating writing instruction into their practice, using tools like notebooks and journals, and sharing strategies that reinforce the importance of pre-writing and revision.
Making Writing Instruction a Priority in America's Middle and High Schools
Sometimes writing is seen as the "flip side" of reading, and it is assumed that students who are proficient readers will naturally be proficient writers. While reading and writing are complementary skills, students do not become skilled writers without explicit instruction. This policy brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education examines how writing can be taught in secondary schools, and how policy can encourage more teachers to undertake writing instruction.
Writing Next
How can thousands of low-achieving adolescent writers develop into the flexible and fluent writers required by colleges and employers? This report recommends and details eleven fundamental elements of writing instruction and suggests ways to implement them in the classroom.
Cognitive Strategies Tool Kit
This article describes eight cognitive strategies—including monitoring, tapping prior knowledge, and making predictions—to help readers develop their comprehension skills.
Time is Not on Our Side: Literacy and Literature for High School Language Learners
Given that teachers often have too much to teach and too little time, Dana Dusbiber suggests an alternative approach to teaching literature for secondary ELLs: the introduction of more multicultural literature in the classroom.
Academic Language: Everyone's "Second" Language
Being able to speak English fluently does not guarantee that a student will be able to use language effectively in academic settings. Fluency must be combined with higher order thinking skills to create an "academic language," which allows students to effectively present their ideas in a way that others will take seriously. The author, an ELL teacher, describes her use of "protocols" (a cheat sheet of sentence starters) to build students' cognitive academic language proficiency.
Using Assistive Technology to Support Writing
In this article, CITEd examines how technology can support students' writing skills, including such tools as text-to-speech engines, word prediction software, speech recognition software, and larger keyboards.
Spelling Supports Reading
Many readers are puzzled by the rules and exceptions of spelling. Research has shown, however, that learning to spell and learning to read rely on much of the same underlying knowledge. Read this article to learn more about the relationships between letters and sounds, and how a proper understanding of spelling mechanics can lead to improved reading.
Guidelines for Teaching Middle and High School Students to Read and Write Well: Six Features of Effective Instruction
Building on research in secondary classrooms, the Center on English Learning and Achievement has developed a practical booklet that describes six essential features of effective literacy instruction and spells out how teachers can enact them.
