The following recommendations are made by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance to help teachers teach writing in the content areas.
Recommendation 1. Explicitly teach appropriate writing strategies using a Model-Practice-Reflect instructional cycle.
Recommendation 1a. Explicitly teach appropriate writing strategies. 1. Explicitly teach strategies for planning and goal setting, drafting, evaluating, revising, and editing. 2. Instruct students on how to choose and apply strategies appropriate for the audience and purpose.
Recommendation 1b. Use a Model-Practice-Reflect instructional cycle to teach writing strategies. 1. Model strategies for students. 2. Provide students with opportunities to apply and practice modeled strategies. 3. Engage students in evaluating and reflecting upon their own and peers’ writing and use of modeled strategies.
Recommendation 2. Integrate writing and reading to emphasize key writing features. 1. Teach students to understand that both writers and readers use similar strategies, knowledge, and skills to create meaning. 2. Use a variety of written exemplars to highlight the key features of texts.
Recommendation 3. Use assessments of student writing to inform instruction and feedback. 1. Assess students’ strengths and areas for improvement before teaching a new strategy or skill. 2. Analyze student writing to tailor instruction and target feedback. 3. Regularly monitor students’ progress while teaching writing strategies and skills. (p. 2)
Graham, S., Bruch, J., Fitzgerald, J., Friedrich, L., Furgeson, J., Greene, K., Kim, J., Lyskawa, J., Olson, C. B., & Smither Wulsin, C. (2016). Teaching secondary students to write effectively (NCEE 2017-4002). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from the NCEE website: http://whatworks.ed.gov.