The NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing, written by the Writing Study Group of the NCTE Executive Committee, pinpoints 11 key issues in the effective teaching of writing. Over the next few weeks, we will unpack each one. This week, we will look at:
“Everyone has the capacity to write, writing can be taught, and teachers can help students become better writers.”
What are some resources that can be used to teach writing?
Listen to teacher and author Nancie Atwell talk about the importance and power of writing in the lives of young adolescents.
“A Tale of 3 P’s—Penmanship, Product, and Process: 100 Years of Elementary Writing Instruction”: Past teaching manuals and curriculum guides recount 100 years of instructional practice in the US elementary writing classroom
Becoming Writers in the Elementary Classroom: Visions and Decisions: Demonstrates how to (re)claim our professional practice to ensure that young people have the opportunity to become competent, constantly growing writers who use writing to think, communicate, and pose as well as solve problems.
“Narrative as a Springboard for Expository and Persuasive Writing: James Moffett Revisited”: Leaning on James Moffett’s, “I, You, and It” theory, the author presents the instructional practice of spiraling writing experiences to support the development of middle school writers.
Read more in the writing-themed issue of Voices from the Middle.
This Time It’s Personal: Teaching Academic Writing through Creative Nonfiction offers a diverse range of creative nonfiction writing assignments with authentic audiences and many vibrant examples of student writing.
What Works in Writing Instruction: Research and Practices takes a close look , through teacher-friendly language and classroom examples, at effective, research-based practices for writing instruction.
Catching Tigers in Red Weather: Imaginative Writing and Student Choice in High School describes how the author refocused her ninth-grade English course to help students explore writing as an art form with the same potential for creativity as, say, Web design, filmmaking, or music.
“Understanding Composing” was written by Sondra Perl in 1980, where she discussed the writing process and the process of writing. Listen to Perl discuss writing today and the impact technology has had on composition.
How do you use the NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing in your classroom?