Research
CEEDAR - Utilize evidence-based practices for writing instruction.
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) - Explore council books, journals, meetings and other online resources to provide professional support.
- NCTE Guideline - Find professional knowledge for teaching writing.
NCTE on What Works in Writing Instruction - Read a chapter on writing strategies.
What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: Teaching Elementary School Students to be Effective Writers - Provides four recommendations for improving elementary students’ writing.
What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively - Presents three evidence-based recommendations for helping students, Grades 6–12, develop effective writing skills.
Writing Next - Find effective strategies to improve the writing of adolescents in middle and high school.
Writing to Read - Provides evidence for how writing can improve reading.
Instruction
Mentor Texts
Using Mentor Texts to Motivate and Support Student Writers - Tell students and show what the expectation is for their writing.
Modeled Writing
Claims, Evidence and Reasoning (CER) Model - Explains the CER model to get to an explanation and the importance of explicitly teaching it to students.
CLIFTER- A free tool to support cursive handwriting and early reading by combining letter and word formation instruction with videos and printable worksheets.
LIFTER- A free tool to support print handwriting and early reading by combining letter and word formation instruction with videos and printable worksheets.
Teaching Writing
Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers - Provides four recommendations for improving elementary students' writing, including implementation steps and solutions for common roadblocks.
Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively - Provides three evidence-based recommendations for helping students develop effective writing skills.
WestEd: Scaffolding Writing Through the Teaching and Learning Cycle - Pamela Spycher of Leading with Learning at WestEd shares what happened when one team of teachers implemented TLC in their classrooms; defines scaffolding, and explains what it entails; describes how the language in different genres (or text types) works and provides concrete strategies for scaffolding writing through the five TLC stages.
Text-Based Writing
Instructional Considerations for Text-Based Writing - Offers evidence-based guidance as teachers plan for and provide instruction on text-based writing.
Writing Across the Curriculum
Argument Writing Across the Content Areas - Discover key instruction for teaching argument writing.
A Range of Writing Across the Content Areas - Teach students to write for a variety of purposes to a variety of audiences, including in mathematics, science, and social studies.
Writing to Learn
Low-Stakes Writing: Writing to Learn, Not Learning to Write - Use low-stakes writing to scaffold instruction, develop student voice, and foster critical thinkers.
Vermont Writing Collaborative - Find resources that promote Writing for Understanding, including a collection of Projects and Resources and Teacher Planners.
The WAC Clearinghouse - Offers examples of writing-to-learn activities.
Assessment
Feedback
Responding to Student Writing - Read about the myths and examples of strong feedback.
Scoring and Analyzing Student Work
Calibration Protocol for Scoring Student Work - Provides a process that groups of educators can use to discuss student work in order to reach a consensus about how to score it based on rubric/scoring criteria.
Formative Assessment - Includes resources for educators to learn more about formative assessment to inform instruction.
Informing Writing - Provides research on the benefits of formative assessment in a report from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Student Work Analysis Protocol - Provides a process that groups of educators can use to discuss and analyze student work to inform the next instructional steps.
Writing Rubrics
ISASP Writing Rubrics - Access rubrics used for scoring student responses to the ISASP Writing Test.
The Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) - Offers CCSS-aligned writing rubrics. Sign up for a free CoreTools account and access the rubrics and student work samples under the Resources tab.
Writing Samples
Appendix C: CCSS Student Writing Examples - Illustrates the work that all student writers should regularly produce and with independence.
Grades K-12 Annotated Student Writing Samples - Provides annotated student writing samples that illustrate the integration of content understanding and writing in the three types of writing expected by the CCSS.