writing learning strategies

A Guide to Effective Writing Instruction

Teacher providing individualized writing support to two students seated at a table, engaging in one-on-one instruction and collaborative writing guidance."

In this blog post, Dr. Gary Troia explores the world of effective writing instruction, linking structured literacy practices with the art of teaching writing effectively to provide valuable insights for educators. Throughout this post, readers will gain a deep understanding of the essential elements of effective writing instruction and how to seamlessly incorporate them into the structured literacy classroom.

Table of Contents

  • Understanding Structured Literacy

The Writing Rope by Joan Sedita

Characteristics of effective writing curriculum, references and further reading, introduction to structured literacy, understanding structured literacy and its role in reading and writing education.

In structured literacy classrooms in which principles associated with the science of reading are employed, teachers use comprehensive, systematic, and explicit instruction to address the fundamental building blocks of successful reading—phonological awareness, phonics patterns, reading fluency, vocabulary knowledge, and reading comprehension (which is addressed primarily through the development of topic and discourse knowledge). Of course, reading is only one aspect of literacy that requires teachers’ expertise and focus; writing development and instruction also benefit from a structured literacy approach. However, many teachers may be unfamiliar with teaching writing using this approach, in part because most teachers have little preparation to teach writing and because there has been a dearth of high-quality writing curricula and instructional materials available for teachers to use. 

?  Download Free Lesson Plans:  Bridge to Writing is a comprehensive writing curriculum for K-5 classrooms that develops strong writers through research-based instruction, making writing instruction easy for teachers and engaging for students.

The Essential Components of Writing Instruction

The Writing Rope by Joan Sedita (2022) offers a convenient way of remembering the critical building blocks of writing in a structured literacy classroom. These are: (1) transcription skills, namely spelling, handwriting, and keyboarding; (2) text structures, including types of writing genres and their main structural elements (e.g., narratives have a setting, a plot with a climax, and character reactions), varied discourse patterns within genres (e.g., compare-contrast versus cause-effect, flashbacks, and flashforwards, haiku versus sonnet), paragraph organization, and vocabulary used to signal linkages and transitions between ideas; (3) syntax, which includes awareness and use of appropriate grammatical structures to most effectively convey meaning; sentence elaboration and combining; and punctuation used to signal syntactic elements; (4) writing craft, namely precise and varied word choice, literary devices (e.g., allusion, symbolism, onomatopoeia), and awareness of task, audience, and purpose; and (5) critical thinking, which includes gathering information through reading source materials and/or performing their own investigations, generating and organizing ideas (i.e., planning), drafting text by hand or through digital means in manageable segments, and revising and editing a text for communicative effectiveness.

All these building blocks in the structured writing classroom must be thoughtfully coordinated to form a comprehensive writing program for students, which is necessary across grades and across disciplines taught in schools to help all students become competent writers. An exemplary writing program also will typically have the following characteristics (see Troia, 2013 for more information):

• Meaningful writing experiences and authentic writing tasks that promote personal and collective expression, reflection, inquiry, discovery, and social change whenever possible to motivate students.      

• A sense of community in which risks are encouraged, children and teachers are both viewed as and engage as writers, personal ownership is expected, and collaboration is a cornerstone so that students are willing to experiment with their writing. 

• Predictable routines that involve both explicit instruction (i.e., modeling with teacher think-aloud, guided collaborative practice with feedback, and independent practice opportunities with feedback) and sustained student practice; in kindergarten, at least 30 minutes daily is recommended, while beyond kindergarten at least one hour daily is recommended, with half the time allocated to explicit instruction (see Graham et al., 2012).     

• A common language for shared expectations and feedback regarding writing quality, which might include the use of traits (e.g., organization, ideas, sentence fluency, word choice, voice, conventions, and presentation).

• Procedural supports such as anchor charts, student-teacher and peer conferences, graphic organizers, checklists for revision/editing, “booster” lessons to help students attain mastery, and computer tools for removing transcription barriers when necessary.

• Integration of writing instruction with reading instruction and content-area instruction (e.g., use of touchstone or mentor texts to guide genre study used for all literacy activities, use of common themes across the curriculum, maintaining learning notebooks in math and science classes as source material for writing, teaching decoding  and  spelling of the same phonics patterns, teaching letter formation while introducing letter-sound correspondences).

• Intentional adjustments to emphasis on teaching the writing process, form, and meaning to meet learners’ needs.          

• Differentiated instruction for struggling learners, multilingual learners, and advanced learners.

• Resident writers and guest authors who share their expertise, struggles, and successes so that children and teachers have positive role models and develop a broader sense of writing craft.

• Opportunities for teachers to upgrade and expand their own conceptions of writing, the writing process, and how children learn to write, primarily through professional development activities but also through being active members of a writing community (e.g., the National Writing Project).

?  Blog Post : Read “11 Science of Reading Resources Every Educator Should Know About” blog post here! Our literacy specialists curated a list of 11+ NEW resources for educators who wish to further their knowledge about the Science of Reading.

Empowering Writers Through Self-Regulation

To assist students with navigating all the complex aspects of writing, teachers should consider the role of self-regulation in writing, as successful writers are highly aware of themselves as writers, of factors that influence their writing performance, and of how to use diverse strategies to manage these factors effectively. Self-regulation in writing includes at least three coordinated components: (1) goal setting, (2)self-talk, and (3) self-evaluation. Incorporating self-regulation components in writing instruction has been shown to positively affect both strong and weak writers’ composing abilities (e.g., Graham, Harris, & Mason, 2005; Graham & Perin, 2007).

The Power of Goal Setting in Writing

Setting goals enhances attention, motivation, and effort and facilitates strategic behaviors (e.g., planning before drafting) through the valuation of goal attainment. In other words, if a goal is sufficiently important, a student will do all that is necessary to attain it. Research has demonstrated that goal setting improves writing skills (e.g., De La Paz, 2007; Page-Voth & Graham, 1999). For goals to have the most beneficial impact on writing behavior and performance and to encourage the student to marshal sufficient effort, they should be challenging (i.e., just beyond the student’s current level of writing skill), proximal (i.e., attainable within a short period of time), concrete, and self-selected or collaboratively established (because real or perceived control boosts achievement motivation). Goals can focus on a writing process (e.g., “I will use my graphic organizer to help me write”; “I will have my writing partner check my paper for mistakes before I put it in my portfolio”) or an aspect of the product (e.g., “I will be sure to have at least three main ideas and, for each idea, two supporting details in my informative paper”; I will include at least five action helpers, descriptive words, or transition words to improve my word choice”).

?  FREE eBook:  5 Steps to Improving Literacy Instruction in Your Classrooms – Despite research showing that most children have the capacity to read, we still see literacy scores in decline. This free eBook explores the body of research on how children learn to read and provides 5 easy first steps coaches and administrators can take to improve literacy instruction in their schools and district.            

The Magic of Self-Talk for Young Writers

Self-talk (instructions, questions, affirmations, or exhortations directed to oneself) helps orient attention to relevant information, organize thoughts, plan actions, and execute behaviors. In addition, self-talk helps one cope with anxiety, frustration, self-doubt, and impulsivity, which tend to plague struggling writers and even those who are more accomplished writers. Self-talk has been widely investigated for several decades by researchers in many areas of psychology—sports, counseling, psychotherapy, and education—with promising results (e.g., Dobson, 2010; Manning & Payne, 1996). With respect to teaching young writers to use self-talk, it is most effective when (1) the content is tailored to the demands of the task and the individual’s needs; (2) it is rehearsed aloud to automaticity and then used as a form of “inner speech” to control thoughts, feelings, and actions; and (3) it is monitored for fidelity of use by the teacher. Examples of self-talk include, “Have I used my revising checklist to check my work?,” “This is hard, but I can do it if I try my best,” “I am good at coming up with ideas, so I will turn in a good paper,” and “Keep concentrating so you do not get distracted!”

Encouraging Self-Evaluation and Growth in Young Writers

Self-evaluation consists of self-monitoring and self-recording behavior and can be used to assess attention, strategy use, and task performance. Frequently, self-evaluation is accomplished through the graphic representation of a target behavior’s occurrence with a goal (thus, these two aspects of self-regulation are functionally interdependent). For instance, students might quantify their use of story structure elements in fictional narratives produced over time on a chart with the maximum score at the top (the goal). Likewise, students can track how many words they have written per time interval, with the goal of increasing their productivity by 25% over baseline. Self-evaluation has been found to positively affect behavior and academic performance (e.g., Lloyd, Bateman, Landrum, & Hallahan, 1989; Maag et al., 1993). Self-evaluation helps students establish worthwhile goals because the concrete data collected during this process provide feedback on their status relative to an external benchmark or a personal goal.

Fostering Writing Skills with Mentor Texts

Several other practices based on empirical research and informed professional practice can help teachers foster writing development (see Graham & Perin, 2007). The examination of touchstone or mentor texts for attributes that students can mimic in their own writing (e.g., a strong lead for an informative article, the use of dialogue to advance the plot in a story, applying onomatopoeia to create vivid sensory details, the use of punctuation and capitalization to mark and build cadence in a poem) helps them internalize a mental model for the written product and identify rhetorical goals. It thus gives students a focus for their planning and revising efforts. The use of mentor texts is enhanced when strong models of particular aspects of writing are contrasted with weak examples. A related instructional practice involves activities to develop genre and topic knowledge. Again, such knowledge can help students acquire internal frames of reference or performance benchmarks for planning and making meaningful revisions to their writing. In many cases, knowledge about a genre is appropriated through immersion in texts that exemplify the canonical genre traits (e.g., story structure) and discussion of (1) how the genre reflects a unique way of communicating ideas within specific contexts (its purposes and functions) and (2) how the genre is embodied in the structure of the text (its form). Explicit and systematic instruction in genre structure, coupled with authentic purposes for reading and writing in that genre, positively impacts the quality of students’ writing within a genre (e.g., Purcell-Gates, Duke, & Martineau, 2007).

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Elevating Writing through Effective Peer and Teacher Conferencing

Finally, peer and teacher conferencing, whether one-on-one or in small groups, is frequently used in structured writing classrooms to engineer better student papers. However, conferencing between students and teachers often has the “flavor” of typical instructional discourse (teacher-controlled and centered on assignment requirements and teacher expectations) rather than egalitarian conversations regarding writing craft and composition content, especially when the teacher is more knowledgeable about the writing topic. Moreover, peer respondents often provide vague and unhelpful comments and suggestions to authors unless they are explicitly taught to give meaningful feedback. Thus, the positive impact of conference feedback on the quality of students’ papers is likely because many students benefit from attention to even the most global aspects of composition, such as text structure and form, and notably improve their texts with even limited revision. To maximize the effectiveness of writing conferences, a teacher should aim to do the following (see Martin & Certo, 2008):

• Establish a conversational stance to understand students’ goals and ideas before discussing specific textual issues.

• Provide frequent and varied opportunities for conferencing about pieces of writing.

• Encourage flash drafting, a technique in which smaller segments of text (e.g., the climax of a story) are drafted, examined (through conferencing), and revised to help the student feel less invested in a completed draft of the whole paper.

• Collaboratively establish concrete goals for planning, drafting, and/or revision.

• Give weaker writers more conference time that is also of high quality.

• Along with a student’s text, use checklists, questionnaires, and graphic aids as touchpoints during conferences to help link concrete tools with strategic behaviors.

Empowering Educators Through Effective Writing Instruction

In conclusion, effective writing instruction is a vital component of literacy education, and when coupled with structured literacy practices, it can genuinely empower educators and students alike. I hope this blog post has shed light on the critical elements of effective writing instruction and how they can be harnessed within structured literacy classrooms. For those eager to explore this topic further, I invite you to learn more about Bridge to Writing at heggerty.org/bridgetowriting, where you can access valuable resources and tools to enhance your teaching journey. Together, we can help students become proficient and confident writers.

?  Ready to dive into more learning?  Take a peek at some of our popular structured literacy resources:

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De La Paz, S. (2007). Managing cognitive demands for writing: Comparing the effects of instructional components in strategy instruction. Reading and Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties, 23, 249-266.

Dobson, K S. (Ed.). (2010). Handbook of cognitive-behavioral therapies (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.

Graham, S., Bollinger, A., Booth Olson, C., D’Aoust, C., MacArthur, C., McCutchen, D., & Olinghouse, 

N. (2012). Teaching elementary school students to be effective writers: A practice guide (NCEE 2012-

4058). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications_reviews.aspx#pubsearch.

Graham, S., Harris, K. R., & Mason, L. (2005). Improving the writing performance, knowledge, and self-efficacy of struggling young writers: The effects of self-regulated strategy development. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 30, 207-241.

Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). Writing next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high schools—A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York . Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.

Lloyd, J. W., Bateman, D. F., Landrum, T. J., & Hallahan, D. P. (1989). Self-recording of attention versus productivity. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 22, 315-323.

Maag, J. W., Reid, R., & DiGangi, S. A (1993). Differential effects of self-monitoring attention, accuracy, and productivity. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 26, 329-344.

Manning, B. H., & Payne, B. D. (1996). Self-talk for teachers and students: Metacognitive strategies

for personal and classroom use . Allyn & Bacon.

Martin, N. M., & Certo, J. L. (2008, February). Truth or tale? The efficacy of teacher-student writing conferences . Paper presented at the Third Writing Research across Borders Conference, Santa Barbara, CA.

Page-Voth, V., & Graham, S. (1999). Effects of goal setting and strategy use on the writing performance and self-efficacy of students with writing and learning problems. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 230-240.

Purcell-Gates, V., Duke, N. K., & Martineau, J. A (2007). Learning to read and write genre-specific texts: Roles of authentic experience and explicit teaching. Reading Research Quarterly, 42, 8-45.

Sedita, J. (2022). The writing rope: A framework for explicit writing instruction in all subjects . Brookes Publishing.

Troia, G. A. (2013). Effective writing instruction in the 21st century. In B. M. Taylor & N. K. Duke (Eds.), Handbook of effective literacy instruction: Research-based practice K-8 (pp. 298-345). Guilford Press.

Photo of author Gary Troia

Gary A. Troia, PhD, CCC-SLP

Gary A. Troia, PhD, CCC-SLP, is Associate Professor of Special Education at Michigan State University. Prior to receiving his doctorate from the University of Maryland in 2000, he worked 10 years in the public schools as a special educator and speech- language pathologist, and 6 years as a university clinical supervisor. Dr. Troia is co- editor of the journal Topics in Language Disorders and serves on the editorial boards of several top special education journals. With colleagues Froma Roth and Colleen Worthington, he developed a phonological awareness intervention program for young at-risk children called Promoting Awareness of Speech Sounds (PASS), published by Attainment Company. With fellow researchers Lori Skibbe and Ryan Bowles and funding through the Institute of Education Sciences, he has developed an online phonological awareness assessment for young children with complex communication needs called ATLAS-PA, one component of the Access to Literacy Assessment System. Dr. Troia has authored over 70 research papers, book chapters, and white papers and has given numerous presentations about his work in the areas of phonological processing and awareness, writing assessment and instruction, and teacher professional development in literacy. He has been awarded over $6.5 million in intramural and extramural grants and contracts.

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8 Smart Strategies for Teaching Writing

Inside: Teaching writing DOESN’T have to be complicated! With these simple strategies, you can improve students’ writing without having to work so hard.

I turned around to an outstretched notebook in a kid’s hands.

“I don’t know what to do next,” said the student.

I leaned closer to decipher the 2nd-grade handwriting. Then with my most positive I’ll-guide-you-on-the-right-path tone, I gave the student an idea to run with.

I straightened up, ready to move about the class, peering over shoulders, offering feedback as needed.

My bubble was abruptly burst.

Standing behind me was a whole line of kids that didn’t know what to do next!

Teaching writing for kids can feel complicated, especially when ever body needs help all at once. Use these strategies to help students learn to write!

Have you been there, too? What you need are writing strategies for students that break down a complicated process into pieces they can tackle. 

What follows are some of the best methods for teaching writing that I discovered over the years:

Teaching Writing Strategies for Students

Find out how to teach writing to students without working so hard! Ideas, activities, and strategies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade teachers. #teachingwriting #1stgrade #2ndgrade #3rdgrade #writing

Use Mentor Texts

If you wanted to learn how to decorate your mantle, you might look for great examples on Pinterest and then try to make yours look like that.

Similarly, kids can look at the work of published authors to see how a pro writes.

Mentor texts are published pieces that serve as a good example of the type of writing you’re helping your students to produce.

If you’re teaching how-to writing, find books about making crafts, cooking, or other DIY topics.  If you’re teaching report writing, look at nonfiction books.

  • Read these books (or parts of them) to your students.
  • Talk as a class about the special features you notice.
  • Make a list of these features (how-to books have numbered steps, pictures to match, sequence, etc.)

Demonstrate

Cooking shows are popular because it’s easy to watch how a good cook puts together a recipe and then do the same yourself. Writing demonstrations are similar.

One method for teaching writing is writing demonstrations. Students watch as a proficient writer writes, and thinks aloud, similar to an audience watching a chef on a cooking show.

One method for teaching writing is writing demonstrations. Students watch as a proficient writer writes, and thinks aloud, similar to an audience watching a chef on a cooking show.

Write in front of your students and think aloud as you’re doing it.  Thinking aloud is a research-based teaching strategy .  You are the proficient writer in the room and you want your students to begin modeling their thinking processes after yours.

Some writing skills you might demonstrate are:

  • brainstorming topics to write about
  • creating a plan for writing
  • orally rehearsing sentences and then writing them down
  • stretching out sounds in words for spelling
  • rereading and editing writing
  • looking for places to add more interesting vocabulary
  • making a final copy that incorporates editing and revisions

Use Sentence Starters

Staring at a blank page can be so intimidating!

Help kids get started with a list of possible sentence starters. Here’s an example list of sentence starters that work well for opinion writing .

Help kids improve their writing with sentence starters

Join my weekly newsletter and as a bonus, you’ll get the sentence starter page pictured above. Just click here to download and subscribe .

Color Coding

One method for teaching writing is using color coding between the plan and the draft.

One method for teaching writing is using color coding between the plan and the draft.

(you can find the pictured graphic organizer HERE )

Use color-coding to make writing organization obvious and to connect a student’s plan to their draft.

  • Assign a different color to each element of a piece.
  • Mark whatever planning graphic organizer you’re using with these colors.
  • During drafting, underline the sentences for each section with the appropriate color.

This technique helps students make sure nothing is left out and that everything is in the right order

Integrate Vocabulary

One of the things we know about teaching vocabulary is that it’s not enough to talk about a word once.  It needs to be seen, heard, and used several times before it is mastered.

Writing is the perfect place to incorporate some vocabulary instruction.

Choose two or three words that might be useful to students for the topic they are writing about.  Teach these words, give example sentences, and share sentences where students were able to work them in.

You can either teach the words before students write their rough draft or teach them before students revise.  You may want students to keep a record of these words in a notebook.

Use a Rubric

There’s no point in making kids guess what they’re aiming for with their writing.

Research shows that when students have criteria against which to judge their writing, they begin to internalize that criteria and use it when they write new pieces.

Try teaching critique lessons where you share a few short pieces of writing with different strengths and weaknesses and evaluate them with students using a rubric.

Talk about what made a piece successful and what could be better about it.  Invite students to use the successful techniques in their own writing.  Click on the picture to get a free copy of a personal narrative rubric that I like to use.

free personal narrative writing rubric

Peer Conferencing

Many students find working with a partner to be very motivating.

It’s important to carefully structure peer writing conferencing because it can get out of hand easily.

Set a specific goal such as helping each other check for capital letters at the beginning of every sentence, rereading to make sure each sentence makes sense, or looking for words that could be traded out for something more interesting.

Another way to structure peer conferencing is to use the “Love and a Wish” system.  Students read each other’s writing.  Then they share one thing they loved about it and one thing they wished.  For example, maybe they loved how their partner described the taste of their birthday cake and they wished there was more about the games that were played at the party.

Create an Incentive

Taking a piece of writing from the planning process all the way to a final draft is a lot of work.  Find a way to celebrate that work to keep students motivated.

A chance to share their work is motivating to students. You can build in sharing while you’re roving the classroom.  At the mid-point or the end of the lesson, have a few students share how they revised a sentence to add an interesting word or the great hook that they chose.

You can give students time to share their work with a neighbor.  This way everyone gets to share in a short amount of time.

Allow students to share writing in those 5-minute blocks of time you find every now and then when you finished something else early.

A favorite writing incentive in my classroom was the “publishing party.”  After a 5 week writing unit, each student chose their best piece and we all sat in a circle and listened to each other’s work.

At the end, we toasted to our hard work with a small cup of apple juice.  Parents would share with me that this simple celebration really motivated their child to work hard in writing so they would have something great to read to the class.

Strategies for Teaching Writing to Kids - Publishing Party

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Author:  Hannah Braun

Hannah Braun is a former teacher with 8 years of experience in the classroom and a master's degree in early childhood education. She designs engaging, organized classroom resources for 1st-3rd grade teachers.

Just found your site and teacherspayteachers products. Love it all! Laughed out loud at your posters and comments on students. Thought I was the only one who noticed (was confused/irritated/baffled) at some of the things students think up to do with school equipment and behaviors. Nice to know we can laugh about it all! Thank you.

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List Of The 15 Best Writing Strategies And Examples

When you’re a writer , you need to know the best strategies to get your reader’s attention and hold onto it.

The goal is to get them hooked on your content, so they’ll want to read more.

Only then can you cultivate a relationship that serves you both.

So, how do you do that (without actually hypnotizing them)?

You learn different writing strategies, applied to advantage by the pros, and work on making them your own. 

The first question to answer is, “What is a writing strategy?”  

What Are the Different Types of Writing Strategies?

1. start with a strong hook. , 2. give your opening paragraph a strong sense of direction. , 3. be authentic in every sentence. , 4. create a reader avatar. , 5. create an outline. , 6. have fun with it. , 7. start a dialogue with your reader. , 8. get time on your side. , 9. prioritize clarity. , 10. break it up with visuals. , 11. put your reader to the test., 12. dazzle them with surprising facts. , 13. add interesting quotes from authorities in the field. , 14. ask questions to get your readers thinking , 15. tell your reader a story. , which writing strategies will you use.

A strategy is a general plan — or set of plans — you make to achieve a goal.

So, a writing strategy involves tactics you use to ensure your writing meets the goals you’ve set for it. 

Your number one goal is to capture and hold onto your reader’s interest. Your related goals will depend on the overall purpose of your writing: 

  • To sell something (and make money)
  • To motivate your reader to do something
  • To evoke an emotional response (pathos, anger, levity, etc.)

While the reason for your writing goal can vary, the goal itself does not. And the sooner you learn how to put the following 15 writing strategies into practice, the sooner your audience will grow. 

15 Writing Strategies with Examples 

No doubt, you’ve already become familiar with some of these time-tested examples of writing strategies. It’s what you don’t (yet) know that can hold you back and limit your influence. 

That’s about to change. 

Your first sentence should hook your reader and make them curious enough to read the second sentence, which should lead them irresistibly to the third, and so on. 

That first sentence should grab hold of their interest and get them thinking, “I need to know what will come next.” Your entire opening hook doesn’t have to consist of one sentence, but a few sentences at most should suffice to get under your reader’s skin. 

Strong hooks can include any of the following: 

  • Probing or rhetorical questions
  • Anecdotes 
  • Bold claims

Example: 

“Did you know every year the amount of garbage we toss into the ocean is three times the weight of fish caught?” (statistic)

Your first paragraph should clearly communicate the direction of your piece. And it should give the reader a reason to care about it. They should want to know more and feel compelled to see what you’ll reveal. Give them a reason to feel invested. 

Otherwise, they might bookmark your page to “save it for later,” but we all know what that usually means. It’s the internet version of walking away. 

“As a lifelong crabber (that is, one who catches crabs, not a chronic complainer), I can tell you that anyone who has patience and a great love for the river is qualified to join the ranks of crabbers. However, if you want your first crabbing experience to be a successful one, you must come prepared.”

– (Mary Zeigler, “How to Catch River Crabs” )

Come as you are. This is not a place to show off or pretend to be someone else. Try to trick your reader, and they’ll most likely leave and never return. So, ix-nay on the bait and switch. Put yourself in the reader’s shoes and give them what you know they would want. 

Be genuine, and show that you care as much about their time as you do about yours. 

“I haven’t wanted to call myself a functional alcoholic . For just a second, the word “functional” makes it easier to accept the word that comes after it. 

“Then the reality hits: I’m not as functional as I’d like to think. And being an alcoholic means having to give up alcohol….”

Design an ideal reader based on what you know — including demographic info (married/single, age range, interests, culture, politics, geographical area). Then write as if addressing a respected friend. 

Don’t assume your reader can’t figure stuff out, but don’t use ten-dollar words when one-dollar words will do. Write the way you would talk in a friendly conversation. 

Ideal reader Alexis is a health-conscious socialite in her mid-twenties. Her interests include public relations, fashion, and social media (mainly Instagram). She reads to stay well-informed about things that matter to her. She’s visually oriented. Her dream is to work in New York as a successful public relations professional.

The easiest way to make sure you make all your points in a logical, easy-to-follow manner is to start with an outline, breaking down your work into smaller, more focused sections. Use your outline to plan your subheadings and brainstorm content ideas.

As you add content, you can connect each thought, making every sentence earn its place and respect its neighbors to ensure each thought flows effortlessly to the next. 

I. Why soy candles are healthier than paraffin. 

  • All natural (no toxic chemicals)
  • Supports U.S. soy farmers 
  • Cleaner, cooler burn with less soot

II. 5 Best Sources of Ethically-Made Soy Candles

III. 3 Candle-Making Charities That Support Women

If you’re not all that interested in what you’re writing, your reader will pick up on that. Boredom is contagious. The good news? The opposite is even more so. Find something to love about what you’re writing, and your reader will feel your excitement and lean in. 

The more fun you have with the writing, the more your audience will enjoy reading it. 

Examples: 

  • Include a fun, illustrative bit of dialogue. 
  • Paint a (word) picture your reader will want to be a part of. 
  • Lead with the thing that excites you (an interesting bit of news, etc.)

More Related Articles:

How To Write A Profitable, Life-Changing Self-Help Book

9 Of The Most Useful Thesauruses For Writers

11 Creative Writing Exercises To Awaken Your Inner Author

Remember that bit about seeing your reader as a respected friend? The more you see your article or blog post as a friendly conversation with your reader, the easier (and more fun) it will be to write, and the more invested you’ll feel in being as helpful as possible. 

Imagine a friendly, animated dialogue with your ideal reader and write as you hear the words in your head. 

Example:  

“I’m glad you’re here. I have so many questions! First, I have to ask, how do you feel about zombie fiction? I have a theory, and you can tell me if I’m wrong. 

“For starters, I’ll make the bold guess that if you’re reading this blog, you’re not into the gory, graphic zombie violence some shows glory in. In fact, I’m willing to bet you’re more of an I Zombie fan. Because you’re not an all-or-nothing thinker.

“Here’s where I’m going with this…”  

It can only benefit you to address timely issues that matter to your reader. If you’re writing about a subject that’s dominating the headlines, put your own creative spin on it to make it stand out. What can you bring to the subject that few or no one else can? 

Make the subject more personal to your reader, and your content will be timeless. 

“It’s happened! The results of the 2020 election are finally in, and people around the world (not to mention over half the U.S. population) are celebrating, crying tears of relief, and dancing in the streets for joy. 

“So, what comes next? Specifically, what comes next for you? ” 

Know your message and express it with clarity, simplicity, and elegance. Every thought should be organic, and every sentence’s meaning should be unmistakable. Confuse your reader, and they’re far more likely to stop reading and move on. 

Don’t make them work to decipher what you’re trying to say. It’s not their job. 

Examples of strategies for writing with clarity:

  • Know your message, and write with intention.
  • Know your audience and speak their language.
  • Define your (unfamiliar) terms. 
  • Use your punctuation wisely (especially commas). 
  • Use strong , active, and carefully-chosen verbs. 

If all you’re giving your reader is a long succession of paragraphs with some subheads thrown in, consider adding some relevant visuals — images, graphs, infographics, tables, diagrams, etc. Give their brain a brief but meaningful eye-candy break. 

By varying the delivery of helpful information, you hit “refresh” on their attention and keep them curious. 

Examples of effective visuals:  

  • Infographics or diagrams to visually illustrate your points
  • Images that set the mood and make your content more relatable
  • Graphs and tables to show organized and relevant data. 

Include an interesting quiz/test for your reader to take, with a result they can share. Give them a chance to test their knowledge while they learn something new. Quizzes that give them a result they can feel good about and make your content more memorable. 

Challenge your reader with questions that make them think, and they’re more likely to respect and remember you. 

Examples of quiz ideas: 

“How compatible are you and your partner?”

“How much do you know about climate change?” 

“What crystals are best for your personality?” 

Throw in some juicy facts to make your readers think, “Wow! I didn’t know that.” Keep them short and easy to remember and make sure they add value to your whole piece. It should feel organic — not like it came out of nowhere. 

Your reader shouldn’t have to wonder if they accidentally clicked on a different link. 

  • Surprising statistics about bullying to reconsider “zero-tolerance” policies. 
  • The truth about “German” chocolate cake in a post on a beloved family recipe.
  • Daniel Radcliffe’s allergy to his Harry Potter glasses in a post on unusual allergies. 

Quotes from well-known authorities can add credibility to your piece if it bolsters one of the points you’re making. Depending on your quote choice, It can also add a touch of humor or pathos to draw your reader in and encourage a stronger connection. 

A short, powerful quote can make your work more memorable by association.  

  • Shocking or funny quotes from famous authors in a post on the creative process. 
  • Quotes from famous fictional sleuths in a post about cozy mysteries.
  • Quotes from disgruntled politicians in a post about running for office. 

Another way to make your reader feel more invested in what they’re reading is to ask them questions about something that matters to them. 

Get them thinking about the answer, and they’ll be more likely to feel a need to answer it or find the answer in what you’ve written. And if your answer satisfies them, or if their own answer leads to other meaningful discoveries, they’re likely to come back for more. 

  • Questions about your reader’s writing process in a post on the same. 
  • Questions on your reader’s biggest fears in a post about anxiety
  • Questions on favorite scents and related memories in a post about candles.

Everyone loves a good story . Introduce a compelling story early on in your post (or chapter), and your reader is much more likely to keep reading. Your story should closely relate to the rest of your content, so it can communicate useful information while it entertains your audience. Keep it short, relevant, and memorable. 

  • A brief fable that teaches a moral lesson
  • A brief story from your past that illustrates a point you’re trying to make
  • A short, funny story that leads to a surprising revelation

Now that you’re more familiar with the 15 best writing strategies, how will this change the way you write from now on? What strategies will you implement in your next project? 

The best part about using these strategies is their potential for making the writing itself more enjoyable and fulfilling for you — as well as more engaging for your reader. 

May your skill and influence grow as you put these strategies to work. 

A strategy is a general plan — or set of plans — you make to achieve a goal. Learn the best writing strategies for your writing goals.

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Teaching Writing

writing learning strategies

This strategy guide series identifies, defines, and provides examples of effective writing strategies and offers a list of resources related to each strategy.

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Strategy Guides in this series

This strategy guide explains the writing process and offers practical methods for applying it in your classroom to help students become proficient writers.

This strategy guide clarifies the difference between persuasion and argumentation, stressing the connection between close reading of text to gather evidence and formation of a strong argumentative claim about text.

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Efficient Ways to Improve Student Writing

Strategies, Ideas, and Recommendations from the faculty Development Literature

General Strategies

  • View the improvement of students’ writing as your responsibility. Teaching writing is not only the job of the English department alone.  Writing is an essential tool for learning a discipline and helping students improve their writing skills is a responsibility for all faculty.
  • Let students know that you value good writing. Stress the importance of clear, thoughtful writing. Faculty who tell students that good writing will be rewarded and poor writing will be penalized receive better essays than instructors who don't make such demands. In the syllabus, on the first day, and throughout the term, remind students that they must make their best effort in expressing themselves on paper. Back up your statements with comments on early assignments that show you really mean it, and your students will respond.
  • Regularly assign brief writing exercises in your classes. To vary the pace of a lecture course, ask students to write a few minutes during class. Some mixture of in-class writing, outside writing assignments, and exams with open-ended questions will give students the practice they need to improve their skills.
  • Provide guidance throughout the writing process. After you have made the assignment, discuss the value of outlines and notes, explain how to select and narrow a topic, and critique the first draft, define plagiarism as well.
  • Don't feel as though you have to read and grade every piece of your students' writing. Ask students to analyze each other's work during class, or ask them to critique their work in small groups. Students will learn that they are writing in order to think more clearly, not obtain a grade. Keep in mind, you can collect students' papers and skim their work.
  • Find other faculty members who are trying to use writing more effectively in their courses. Pool ideas about ways in which writing can help students learn more about the subject matter. See if there is sufficient interest in your discipline to warrant drawing up guidelines. Students welcome handouts that give them specific instructions on how to write papers for a particular course or in a particular subject area.

Teaching Writing When You Are Not an English Teacher

  • Remind students that writing is a process that helps us clarify ideas. Tell students that writing is a way of learning, not an end in itself. Also let them know that writing is a complicated, messy, nonlinear process filled with false starts. Help them to identify the writer's key activities:
  • Developing ideas
  • Finding a focus and a thesis
  • Composing a draft
  • Getting feedback and comments from others
  • Revising the draft by expanding ideas, clarifying meaning, reorganizing
  • Presenting the finished work to readers
  • Explain that writing is hard work. Share with your class your own struggles in grappling with difficult topics. If they know that writing takes effort, they won't be discouraged by their own pace or progress. One faculty member shared with students their notebook that contained the chronology of one of his published articles: first ideas, successive drafts, submitted manuscript, reviewers' suggested changes, revised version, galley proofs, and published article.
  • Give students opportunities to talk about their writing. Students need to talk about papers in progress so that they can formulate their thoughts, generate ideas, and focus their topics. Take five or ten minutes of class time for students to read their writing to each other in small groups or pairs. It's important for students to hear what their peers have written.
  • Encourage students to revise their work. Provide formal steps for revision by asking students to submit first drafts of papers for your review or for peer critique. You can also give your students the option of revising and rewriting one assignment during the semester for a higher grade. Faculty report that 10 to 40 percent of the students take advantage of this option.
  • Explain thesis statements. A thesis statement makes an assertion about some issue. A common student problem is to write papers that present overviews of facts with no thesis statement or that have a diffuse thesis statement.
  • Stress clarity and specificity. The more the abstract and difficult the topic, the more concrete the student's language should be. Inflated language and academic jargon camouflage rather than clarify their point.
  • Explain the importance of grammar and sentence structure, as well as content. Students shouldn't think that English teachers are the only judges of grammar and style. Tell your students that you will be looking at both quality of their writing and the content.
  • Distribute bibliographies and tip sheets on good writing practices. Check with your English department or writing center to identify materials that can be easily distributed to students. Consider giving your students a bibliography of writing guides, for example:

Crews, F.C. Random House Handbook. (6th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.

A classic comprehensive textbook for college students. Well written and well worth reading.

Lanham, R.A. Revising Prose . (3rd ed.) New York: Scribner's, 1991. Techniques for eliminating

bureaucratese and restoring energy to tired prose.

Tollefson, S. K. Grammar Grams and Grammar Grams II . New York: HarperCollins, 1989,

1992. Two short, witty guides that answer common questions about grammar, style, and usage. Both are fun to read.

  • Science and Engineering Barrass, R. Scientists Must Write. New York: Chapman and Hall, 1978. Biddle, A. W., and Bean, D. J. Writer's Guide: Life Sciences. Lexington, Mass.: Heath, 1987.
  • Arts and Humanities Barnet, S. A Short Guide to Writing About Art . Boston: Little, Brown, 1989. Goldman, B. Reading and Writing in the Arts. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1978.
  • Social Sciences Biddle, A. W., Fulwiler, T., and Holland, K.M. Writer's Guide: Psychology . Lexington, Mass,:

Heath, 1987. McCloskey, D. N. The Writing of Economics . New York: Macmillan, 1987.

  • Ask a composition instructor to give a presentation to your students. Invite a guest speaker from the composition department or student learning center to talk to your students about effective writing and common writing problems. Faculty who have invited these experts report that such presentations reinforce the values of the importance of writing.
  • Let students know about available tutoring services. Individual or group tutoring in writing is available on most campuses. Ask someone from the tutoring center to give a demonstration in your class.
  • Use computers to help students write better. Locally developed and commercially available software are now being used by faculty to help students plan, write, and revise their written work. Some software available allows instructors to monitor students' work in progress and lets students collaborate with their classmates.

Assigning In-Class Writing Activities

  • Ask students to write what they know about a topic before you discuss it. Ask your students to write a brief summary of what they already know or what opinions they hold regarding the subject you are about to discuss. The purpose of this is to focus the students' attention, there is no need to collect the summaries.
  • Ask students to respond in writing to questions you pose during class. Prior to class starting, list two or three short-answer questions on the board and ask your students to write down their responses. Your questions might call for a review of material you have already discussed or recalling information from assigned readings.
  • Ask students to write from a pro or con position. When presenting an argument, stop and ask your students to write down all the reasons and evidence they can think of that supports one side or the other. These statements can be used as the basis for discussion.
  • During class, pause for a three-minute write. Periodically ask students to write freely for three minutes on a specific question or topic. They should write whatever pops into their mind without worrying about grammar, spelling, phrasing, or organization. This kind of free writing, according to writing experts, helps students synthesize diverse ideas and identify points they may not understand. There is no need to collect these exercises.
  • Have students write a brief summary at the end of class. At the end of the class period, give your students index cards to jot down the key themes, major points, or general principles of the day's discussion. You can easily collect the index cards and review them to see whether the class understood the discussion.
  • Have one student keep minutes to be read at the next class meeting. By taking minutes, students get a chance to develop their listening, synthesizing, and writing skills. Boris (1983) suggests the following:
  • Prepare your students by having everyone take careful notes for the class period, go home and rework them into minutes, and hand them in for comments. It can be the students' discretion whether the minutes are in outline or narrative form.
  • Decide on one to two good models to read or distribute to the class.
  • At the beginning of each of the following classes, assign one student to take minutes for the period.
  • Give a piece of carbon paper to the student who is taking minutes so that you can have a rough copy. The student then takes the original home and revises it in time to read it aloud at the next class meeting.
  • After the student has read their minutes, ask other students to comment on their accuracy and quality. If necessary, the student will revise the minutes and turn in two copies, one for grading and one for your files.
  • Structure small group discussion around a writing task. For example, have your students pick three words that are of major importance to the day's session. Ask your class to write freely for two to three minutes on just one of the words. Next, give the students five to ten minutes to meet in groups to share what they have written and generate questions to ask in class.
  • Use peer response groups. Divide your class into groups of three or four, no larger. Ask your students to bring to class enough copies of a rough draft of a paper for each person in their group. Give your students guidelines for critiquing the drafts. In any response task, the most important step is for the reader to note the part of the paper that is the strongest and describe to the writer why it worked so well. The following instructions can also be given to the reader:
  • State the main point of the paper in a single sentence
  • List the major subtopics
  • Identify confusing sections of the paper
  • Decide whether each section of the paper has enough detail, evidence, and information
  • Indicate whether the paper's points follow one another in sequence
  • Judge the appropriateness of the opening and concluding paragraphs
  • Identify the strengths of the paper

Written critiques done as homework are likely to be more thoughtful, but critiques may also be done during the class period.

  • Use read-around groups. Read-around groups are a technique used with short assignments (two to four pages) which allows everyone to read everyone else's paper. Divide the class into groups no larger than four students and divide the papers (coded for anonymity) into as many sets as there are groups. Give each group a set and ask the students to read each paper silently and decide on the best paper in the set. Each group should discuss their choices and come to a consensus on the best paper. The paper's code number is recorded by the group, and the same process is repeated with a new set of papers. After all the groups have read all the sets of papers, someone from each group writes on the board the code number from the best paper in each set. The recurring numbers are circled. Generally, one to three papers stand out.
  • Ask students to identify the characteristics of effective writing. After completing the read-around activity, ask your students to reconsider those papers which were voted as excellent by the entire class and to write down features that made each paper outstanding. Write their comments on the board, asking for elaboration and probing vague generalities. In pairs, the students discuss the comments on the board and try to put them into categories such as organization, awareness of audience, thoroughness of detail, etc. You might need to help your students arrange the characteristics into meaningful categories.

The Strategies, Ideas and Recommendations Here Come Primarily From:

Gross Davis, B. Tools for Teaching . San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 1993.

And These Additional Sources…

Boris, E. Z. "Classroom Minutes: A Valuable Teaching Device." Improving College and

University Teaching, 1983,31(2), 70-73.

Elbow, P. "Using Writing to Teach Something Else." Unpublished paper, 1987.

Hawisher, G. E., and Selfe, C. L. (eds.). Critical Perspectives on Computers and

Composition Instruction.  New York:  Teachers College Press, 1989.

Holdstein, D. H., and Selfe, C. L. (eds.). Computers and Writing: Theory, Research,

Practice. New York: Modern Language Association, 1990.

Lowman, J. Mastering the Techniques of Teaching . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1984.

Petersen, B. T. "Additional Resources in the Practice of Writing Across the Disciplines."

In C. W. Griffin (ed.), Teaching Writing in All Disciplines . New Directions in Teaching and Learning, no. 12. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1982.

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education.

Bright Idea Network , 1989. (For information contact David Graf, Iowa State University, Ames.)

Pytlik, B. P. "Teaching Teachers of Writing: Workshops on Writing as a Collaborative

Process." College Teaching , 1989, 37(1), 12-14.

Tollefson, S. K. Encouraging Student Writing . Berkeley: Office of Educational

Development, University of California, 1988.

Walvoord, B. F. Helping Students Write Well: A Guide for Teachers in All Disciplines.

(2nd ed.) New York: Modern Language Association, 1986.

Watkins, B. T. "More and More Professors in Many Academic Disciplines Routinely

Require Students to Do Extensive Writing." Chronicle of Higher Education, 1990, 36(44), pp. A13-14, A16.

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Reading and Writing for Understanding

  • Posted July 21, 2005
  • By Sarah O'Brien Mackey

children and teacher reading

Secondary school students can benefit enormously when teachers of all subjects integrate reading and writing strategies into their instruction, according to  Harvard Graduate School of Education Lecturer Vicki Jacobs . These strategies, typical of "reading and writing to learn" and "reading and writing across the curriculum," are problem-solving activities designed to help students move from simply knowing a fact to understanding a fact's significance. Helping students make that leap — from knowing to understanding — represents the very heart of the educational enterprise.

This summary is based on Jacobs' article, " Reading, Writing, and Understanding, " which appeared in the November 2002 edition of Educational Leadership .

Reading to Learn

Jacobs explains that students learn and practice beginning reading skills through about the third grade, building their knowledge about language and letter-sound relationships and developing fluency in their reading. Around fourth grade, students must begin to use these developing reading skills to learn — to make meaning, solve problems, and understanding something new. They need to comprehend what they read through a three-stage meaning-making process.

Stage One: Prereading

It's not uncommon for a struggling secondary reader to declare, "I read last night's homework, but I don't remember anything about it (let alone understand it)!" According to Jacobs, "How successfully students remember or understand the text depends, in part, on how explicitly teachers have prepared them to read it for clearly defined purposes."

During the prereading stage, teachers prepare students for their encounter with the text. They help students organize the background knowledge and experience they will use to solve the mystery of the text. To do so, they must understand the cultural and language-based contexts students bring to their reading, their previous successes or failures with the content, and general ability to read a particular kind of text. Based on this assessment, teachers can choose strategies that will serve as effective scaffolds between the students' "given" and the "new" of the text.

Asking such questions as, "What do I already know and what do I need to know before reading?" or "What do I think this passage will be about, given the headings, graphs, or pictures?" helps students anticipate the text, make personal connections with the text, and help to promote engagement and motivation. Brainstorming and graphic organizers also serve to strengthen students' vocabulary knowledge and study skills.

Stage Two: Guided Reading

Students move on to guided reading, during which they familiarize themselves with the surface meaning of the text and then probe it for deeper meaning. Effective guided-reading activities allow students to apply their background knowledge and experience to the "new." They provide students with means to revise predictions; search for tentative answers; gather, organize, analyze, and synthesize evidence; and begin to make assertions about their new understanding. Common guided-reading activities include response journals and collaborative work on open-ended problems. During guided reading, Jacobs recommends that teachers transform the factual questions that typically appear at the end of a chapter into questions that ask how or why the facts are important.

The ability to monitor one's own reading often distinguishes effective and struggling readers. Thus, guided-reading activities should provide students with the opportunity to reflect on the reading process itself — recording in a log how their background knowledge and experience influenced their understanding of text, identifying where they may have gotten lost during reading and why, and asking any questions they have about the text. As with prereading, guided-reading activities not only enhance comprehension but also promote vocabulary knowledge and study skills.

Stage Three: Postreading

During postreading, students test their understanding of the text by comparing it with that of their classmates. In doing so, they help one another revise and strengthen their arguments while reflecting and improving on their own.

Writing to Learn

Writing is often used as a means of evaluating students' understanding of a certain topic, but it is also a powerful tool for engaging students in the act of learning itself. Writing allows students to organize their thoughts and provides a means by which students can form and extend their thinking, thus deepening understanding. Like reading-to-learn, writing can be a meaning-making process.

Research suggests that the most effective way to improve students' writing is a process called inquiry. This process allows students to define and test what they would like to write before drafting. To help students prepare their arguments, teachers guide them through the three stages of writing-based inquiry:

  • Stating specific, relevant details from personal experience;
  • Proposing observations or interpretations of the text; and
  • Testing these assertions by predicting and countering potential opposing arguments. Through inquiry, students discover and refine something worth writing about.

Writing-to-learn activities can include freewriting (writing, without editing, what comes to mind), narrative writing (drawing on personal experience), response writing (writing thoughts on a specific issue); loop writing (writing on one idea from different perspectives) and dialogue writing (for example, with an author or a character.) "Not surprisingly," writes Jacobs, "writing-to learn activities are also known as 'writing-to-read' strategies — means by which students can engage with text in order to understand it."

Reading, writing, and understanding

The relationship among reading, writing, and understanding is clear. Students engaged in reading-to-learn will also be prepared to write well. In turn, students who are engaged in writing-to-learn will become more effective readers. Through both approaches, students will gain a better understanding of material and a greater ability to demonstrate that understanding.

Staff Development

Jacobs recommends that teachers who are considering whether to implement reading-to-learn and writing-to-learn strategies into their classroom first define their own instructional goals. If teachers decide that their goals for students' learning include "understanding," then they might ask themselves such questions as, "What strategies do I use to prepare my students to read a text?" or "How explicitly do I share with students the purpose of an assignment?" As Jacobs sees it, "Only after teachers have examined whether teaching for understanding suits their instructional goals and after they have defined their role in facilitating understanding can they consider how the principles and practices of reading-to-learn and writing-to-learn might support their instruction."

For those teachers who decide that teaching for understanding does indeed suit their instructional goals, the framework offered in Jacobs' article can help them skillfully integrate reading-to-learn and writing-to-learn strategies across their instruction.

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Why Students Should Write in All Subjects

Writing improves learning by consolidating information in long-term memory, researchers explain. Plus, five engaging writing activities to use in all subjects.

An illustration of the inside of a mind while writing

For Kyle Pahigian, a 10th-grade math teacher at University Park Campus School in Massachusetts, a lesson on congruent triangles doesn’t start with calculators and protractors. Instead, she hands her students a treasure map and asks them to write detailed directions—using landmarks as a guide—to the buried treasure.

“I won’t tell the kids right away, ‘Today we’re going to learn about triangle congruence theorems,’” said Pahigian. “I want them to instead view it as them experimenting with something and doing something that they feel like they’re really good at.” Students often feel intimidated by math, and transforming the activity into a writing exercise eases some of the anxiety of introducing difficult concepts, she said.

In Pahigian’s math class, writing is regularly used as a learning strategy, one that gives her a window into her students’ thinking. “I like to do low-stakes writing when we’re coming up with definitions,” said Pahigian. Instead of telling her students what a polygon is, for example, she’ll show them a set of polygons and a set of non-polygons, and ask them, “What do you notice? What differences do you see?” Students spend a few minutes writing down their answers, and then join groups to compare responses.

“It’s really interesting and fun for me to read what they’ve written, because I can see all the questions. I can see the process,” said Pahigian.

A recent study sheds light on why writing is such a beneficial activity—not just in subjects typically associated with writing, like history and English, but across all subjects. Professor Steve Graham and his colleagues at Arizona State University’s Teachers College analyzed 56 studies looking at the benefits of writing in science, social studies, and math and found that writing “reliably enhanced learning” across all grade levels. While teachers commonly ask students to write about a topic in order to assess how well they understand the material, the process of writing also improves a student’s ability to recall information, make connections between different concepts, and synthesize information in new ways. In effect, writing isn’t just a tool to assess learning, it also promotes it.

Strengthening Memories

Why is writing effective? “Writing about content material facilitates learning by consolidating information in long-term memory,” explain Graham and his colleagues, describing a process known as the retrieval effect . As previous research has shown , information is quickly forgotten if it’s not reinforced, and writing helps to strengthen a student’s memories of the material they’re learning.

It’s the same cognitive mechanism that explains why practice tests are effective : In a 2014 study, students who took low-stakes practice tests in science and history classes scored 16 percentage points higher on their final exams than students who simply studied the material. “Practicing retrieval of recently studied information enhances the likelihood of the learner retrieving that information in the future,” the researchers of the 2014 study said.

Writing about a topic also encourages students to process information at a deeper level. Answering multiple-choice or short-answer questions may help with factual recall, but putting thoughts on paper encourages students to evaluate different ideas, weighing the importance of each one and considering the order they should be presented in, Graham and his colleagues write. By doing so, students may make new connections between ideas, ones they may not have made when initially learning the information.

A Metacognitive Tool

Students often believe that they understand a topic, but if they’re asked to write it down—and explain it—gaps in their understanding may be revealed. One of the most effective writing strategies that Graham and his colleagues found was metacognitive prompting, in which students are asked not only to recall information but also to apply what they’ve learned to different contexts by thinking about multiple sides of a position or making predictions based on what they currently know. For example, instead of simply reading about ecosystems in a textbook, students can write about their own impact by examining how much trash their household produces or the environmental impact of producing the food they eat.

5 Writing Strategies to Use in Any Subject

Here are a variety of ideas teachers have shared with Edutopia in recent years on incorporating writing into a variety of subjects.

“I wonder” journals: At Crellin Elementary School in Oakland, Maryland, teachers encouraged students to ask “I wonder” questions to push their learning beyond the classroom. After visiting a local barn and garden, for example, Dave Miller realized his fifth-grade students had more questions about animals and plants than he had time to answer, so he had them write down anything they were confused or curious about, which helped him plan future lessons and experiments.

“If they don’t wonder, ‘How would we ever survive on the moon?’ then that’s never going to be explored,” said Dana McCauley, Crellin’s principal. “But that doesn’t mean they should stop wondering, because wonderings lead to thinking outside the box, which makes them critical thinkers. As they try to figure it out, and reflect on what they’re doing, that’s where it all ties together for them. That’s where all that learning occurs—where all the connections start being made.”

Travel journals: Every student at Normal Park Museum Magnet, a K–8 school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, created a travel journal to chart their learning. These journals included not only charts, drawings, and graphic organizers, but also writing and reflection pieces that capture students’ learning about a topic.

When fifth-grade teacher Denver Huffstutler began a unit on earth science, he asked his students to imagine they were explorers looking for a new world that could sustain life. In their travel journal, they kept track of everything they were learning, from the impact of man-made disasters to their designs and calculations for a manned rocket that could reach distant planets.

Low-stakes writing: Writing can be daunting, so teachers at University Park Campus School used daily low-stakes writing activities to foster student voice, self-confidence, and critical thinking skills—a school-wide strategy used in every subject.

“The most important thing about it for me is that it’s not censored, and it’s not too highly structured,” said seventh-grade science teacher James Kobialka. “It’s about them getting their own ideas down, and then being able to interact with those ideas, change them, and revise them if they’re not correct.”

For example, when Kobialka’s students were learning about the conservation of mass, he didn’t start by defining it—he showed them a picture and asked, “What do you notice about the atoms on both sides? How can you explain that?” Students wrote down their observations, and the entire class came up with a definition. “From there,” he said, “once that consensus is formed, I’ll ask somebody to write it on the board, and we’ll talk about the key concepts.”

Student-created magazines: In Alessandra King’s algebra class, students created a magazine with dozens of articles about real world applications of math. For each article, they selected a primary source—an article from Scientific American , for example—read it closely, and then wrote a summary. Students wrote about a range of topics, from gerrymandering to fractals in Jackson Pollock’s paintings to invisibility cloaks.

“Effective writing clarifies and organizes a student’s thoughts, and the slow pace of writing is conducive to student learning because it allows them to reason carefully to make sure they’re correct before they state their thoughts,” King wrote. “Studies have shown that writing is valuable specifically for the math classroom—for example, it seems that a student’s ability to explain concepts in writing is related to the ability to comprehend and apply them.”

Creative writing: Former teachers Ed Kang and Amy Schwartzbach-Kang incorporated storytelling and creative writing into their after-school program’s science lessons. For example, they asked students to imagine a creature that could survive in a local habitat —the Chicago River, in their case. What color would it be? What features would help it to survive and defend itself? How would it hunt its prey? Students then wrote a story about their creature that combined science concepts with creative storytelling.

“There’s brain science to support using stories to help kids engage with content and create personal meaning,” explained Kang, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience. “Listening to facts mainly stimulates the two language-processing areas of the brain. However, when we listen to a story, additional parts of the brain are also activated—regions involved with our senses and motor movements help listeners actually ‘feel’ the descriptions.”

writing learning strategies

Writing-based Strategies for Learning

Writing engages students in solidifying tacit and unformed ideas, connecting them, and translating them for particular audiences.

On Tuesday, April 28, 2020, this session explored applications of writing-to-learn pedagogy used in a variety of STEM classrooms. Dr. Ginger Shultz led a discussion of how writing can support student learning in STEM, providing strategies and tools to make writing-to-learn feasible, even in large introductory courses.

Guest Speaker

Ginger Shultz

Dr. Ginger Shultz

Assistant Professor, Chemistry, University of Michigan

Ginger Shultz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Michigan. Ginger completed her doctorate in polymer chemistry at the University of Oregon and transitioned to education-focused research through a teaching postdoc in Chemistry at the University of Michigan. In 2013 she was named a UM Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow and she was hired as faculty in 2016. Ginger’s research is focused on investigating student reasoning in chemistry, how graduate students instructors develop teaching knowledge, and writing-based strategies for learning in STEM.

Book cover

Self-regulated Learning and Second Language Writing pp 31–60 Cite as

Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in Writing

  • Lin Sophie Teng   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7488-6551 19  
  • First Online: 31 May 2022

621 Accesses

Part of the English Language Education book series (ELED,volume 26)

This chapter first presents an overview of research on SRL strategies in L1 writing. Subsequent sections offer a thorough description of empirical studies on L2 writing strategies regarding definition, classification, evaluation and strategies-based writing instruction. The ensuing parts summarise research on EFL writing strategies in China, followed by a description of how motivational beliefs and self-efficacy impact writing strategies and academic outcomes.

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Teng, L.S. (2022). Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in Writing. In: Self-regulated Learning and Second Language Writing . English Language Education, vol 26. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99520-1_3

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What is Writing to Learn?

Getting Started

Why include writing in my courses?

What is writing to learn?

WTL Activities

What is writing to engage?

What is writing in the disciplines?

WID Assignments

Useful Knowledge

What should I know about rhetorical situations?

Do I have to be an expert in grammar to assign writing?

What should I know about genre and design?

What should I know about second-language writing?

What teaching resources are available?

What should I know about WAC and graduate education?

Assigning Writing

What makes a good writing assignment?

How can I avoid getting lousy student writing?

What benefits might reflective writing have for my students?

Using Peer Review

Why consider collaborative writing assignments?

Do writing and peer review take up too much class time?

How can I get the most out of peer review?

Responding to Writing

How can I handle responding to student writing?

How can writing centers support writing in my courses?

What writing resources are available for my students?

Using Technology

How can computer technologies support writing in my classes?

Designing and Assessing WAC Programs

What is a WAC program?

What designs are typical for WAC programs?

How can WAC programs be assessed?

More on WAC

Where can I learn more about WAC?

When we consider how Writing across the Curriculum (WAC) has been implemented at a range of universities, we see that writing assignments generally fall into one of two categories: writing to learn (WTL) and writing in the disciplines (WID) . A third category, writing to engage (WTE) , falls between the two more commonly used types of writing assignments.

Please note that teachers can combine these categories and assign writing that meets the goals of each. More often, however, teachers choose to focus on one of these types of writing.

Generally, writing-to-learn activities are short, impromptu or otherwise informal and low-stakes writing tasks that help students think through key concepts or ideas presented in a course. Often, these writing tasks are limited to less than five minutes of class time or are assigned as brief, out-of-class assignments.

Because writing-to-learn activities are crucial to many WAC programs (because they best meet teaching goals through writing), this guide presents a great deal of information on writing to learn (WTL), including a detailed rationale, examples, and logistical tips.

A Fuller Definition of Writing to Learn

Theoreticians and practitioners alike agree that writing promotes both critical thinking and learning (See Adams, 1973; Applebee, 1985; Britton et al., 1975; Bruner,1975; Emig,1977; Herrington, 1981; Odell,1980; and Parker, 1985 in the citations below.) As Toby Fulwiler and Art Young (1982) explain in their "Introduction" to Language Connections: Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum:

Writing to communicate—or what James Britton calls "transactional writing"—means writing to accomplish something, to inform, instruct, or persuade.... Writing to learn is different. We write to ourselves as well as talk with others to objectify our perceptions of reality; the primary function of this "expressive" language is not to communicate, but to order and represent experience to our own understanding. In this sense language provides us with a unique way of knowing and becomes a tool for discovering, for shaping meaning, and for reaching understanding. (p. x)

In "Writing to Learn Means Learning to Think," Syrene Forsman (1985) makes the same point, but she directs her attention not to a theoretical justification but a practical rationale for writing to learn:

As teachers we can choose between (a) sentencing students to thoughtless mechanical operations and (b) facilitating their ability to think. If students' readiness for more involved thought processes is bypassed in favor of jamming more facts and figures into their heads, they will stagnate at the lower levels of thinking. But if students are encouraged to try a variety of thought processes in classes, they can, regardless of their ages, develop considerable mental power. Writing is one of the most effective ways to develop thinking. (p. 162)

The Consequences of Writing by Robert P. Parker and Vera Goodkin (1987) is an especially good early resource on writing to learn. Following a detailed discussion of the theoretical links between language (especially writing) and learning, these authors outline projects that focus on writing in entomology, clinical nursing, psychology, and mathematics, all with similar results: students learned key concepts and understood material more fully while also practicing some features of discourse for the specified discourse community. Thus, writing to learn can have additional positive effects in helping students mature as effective communicators even though the initial goal is to help students become better learners.

Examples of Writing-to-Learn Activities

Writing-to-learn activities can happen frequently or infrequently in your class; some can extend over the entire semester; some can be extended to include a wide variety of writing tasks in different formats and to different audiences. Use the list below to read more about writing-to-learn activities.

  • The reading journal
  • Generic and focused summaries
  • Annotations
  • Response papers
  • Synthesis papers
  • The discussion starter
  • Focusing a discussion
  • The learning log
  • Analyzing the process
  • Problem statement
  • Solving real problems
  • Pre-test warm-ups
  • Using Cases
  • What counts as a fact?
  • Believing and doubting game
  • Analysis of events
  • Project notebooks
  • The writing journal

Using Technology with WTL Activities

If you teach in a computer classroom, if students can bring laptops or tablets to class, or if students have easy access to computers outside of class, WTL activities of all sorts can be adapted for in-class writing.

What Kinds of WTL Tasks Can Be Carried Out in a Computer-Supported Classroom?

  • Summarize and respond to readings
  • Summarize key points from prior class
  • Pose problems based on class material
  • Clarify unclear points in reading or class
  • Plan writing or speaking projects
  • Discover potential audiences
  • Practice format for assignments and projects
  • Record observations over time
  • Define key terms
  • Record round-robin comments for inductive learning
  • Organize group-response sheets
  • Capture peer review of drafts in progress

For additional ways to use technologies to support WTL, see How might computer technologies support students' writing in my classes?

Alternatives for Evaluating WTL Assignments

Because they are informal and often impromptu, writing-to-learn activities aren't marked for correctness. Rather, teachers or classmates quickly read the writing for a general sense of what students understand and don't understand.

Because most teachers cannot read through and comment on every WTL activity students complete, we suggest the following alternatives:

  • Use an occasional WTL warm-up at the beginning of class as a "quiz." Pick up a single sheet of paper or glance at a computer screen and comment briefly on students' grasp of a reading assignment or key concepts.
  • Pick up WTL material from five-ten students every day or every other day. Don't read every word, but skim quickly to identify tasks students might need help with—a reading that bogged down in class discussion, a page that has very little written, a page that has lots written.
  • Use different colored pens or highlighters to note points in selected entries. One color means "good idea," one means "consider pursuing this idea as a paper topic," another means "come back to this idea again and explore it in more detail," and so on.
  • While students are writing at the beginning and end of class, walk around the room and read over shoulders. This technique is especially easy if you have students writing on computers. Stop to talk to or jot a note on the writing of 3-4 students. If students don't like having you read over shoulders, ask them to select a few recent WTL activities and put those to one side for you to collect and read quickly.
  • Ask students to select their best or most provocative WTL writing for you to review.
  • Ask students to share WTL activities with one or two classmates.
  • Ask students to send the WTL writing that contains questions about course material to you over e-mail.
  • Ask students to post provocative questions or summary/analysis of readings on an electronic bulletin board or Web forum for class comment.

Logistical Tip: Always have students use loose-leaf paper, not a spiral bound notebook. Students might misplace some of their writing, but teachers can much more easily pick up single pages to review.

Beyond the Basics

The literature now available on writing-to-learn or writing-to-engage practices is deep and broad, encompassing far more than a brief bibliographic essay can accurately capture. Let me offer instead two pieces of advice - consult the more general resources noted here on low-stakes or writing-to-learn activities and look at the journals in your discipline that take up teaching issues. Those journals are most likely to include articles that situate writing-to-learn and writing-to-engage activities in the courses you might find yourself teaching. The articles themselves will glean from the robust resources to point you toward those titles that will best fill in background you might find helpful.

We collect below titles from across disciplines to offer some potential starting points, most from 2005-2012. We have organized the resources in two tables to cluster articles by discipline and then by writing activity. Please note, however, that disciplinary titles here point to writing to learn rather than writing in the disciplines (or writing to communicate) titles that are included in the WID section of this resource. All titles refer to the list of Works Cited that follows the tables.

Titles sorted by broad disciplinary focus

Titles sorted by type of writing activity or outcome emphasized

Ablin, L. (2008). Student perceptions of the benefits of a learner-based writing assignment in organic chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 85 (2), 237-239.

Adams, P. (Ed.) (1973). Language in Thinking . Harmondsworth: Penguin Press.

Allain, R., Abbott, D., & Deardorff, D. (2006). Using peer ranking to enhance student writing. Physics Education, 41 (3), 255-258.

Alvine, L. (2001). Shaping the teaching self through autobiographical narrative. High School Journal, 84 (3), 5-12.

Anderson, K. (2010). The whole learner: The role of imagination in developing disciplinary learning. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 9 (2), 205-221.

Applebee, A.N. (1985). Writing and reasoning. Review of Educational Research, 54 (4), 577-596.

Armstrong, N.A., Wallace, C.S., & Change, S. (2008). Learning from writing in college biology. Research in Science Education, 38 (4), 483-499.

Badley, G. (2009). A reflective essaying model for higher education. Education & Training, 51 (4), 248-258.

Bahls, P. (2012). Student writing in the quantitative disciplines: A guide for college faculty . Indianapolis, IN: Jossey Bass.

Balgopal, M.M., & Wallace, A.M. (2009). Decisions and dilemmas: Using writing to learn activities to increase ecological literacy. Journal of Environmental Education, 40 (3), 13-26.

Balgopal, M.M., Wallace, A.M., & Dahlberg, S. (2012). Writing to learn ecology: A study of three populations of college students. Environmental Education Research, 18 (1), 67-90.

Black, K.A. (2008). Understanding the impact of gender by imagining the self as the other gender: A role-play writing assignment. Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 5 (2), 9-14.

Blevins-Knabe, B. (1987). Writing to learn while learning to write. Teaching of Psychology, 14 (4), 239-241.

Bobich, J.A. (2008). Active learning of biochemistry made easy (for the teacher). Journal of Chemical Education, 85 (2), 234-236.

Bowie, J. (2012). Podcasting in a writing class? Considering the possibilities. Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy, 16 (2). http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/

Brewer, S.M., & Jozefowicz, J.J. (2006). Making economic principles personal: Student journals and reflection papers. Journal of Economic Education, 37 (2), 202-216.

Britton, J., Burgess, T., Martin, N., McLeod, A., & Rosen, H. (1975). The Development of Writing Abilities (11-18). London: Macmillan Education.

Browning, B.W. (2011). Gladwell and group communication: Using "The Tipping Point" as a supplemental text. Communication Teacher 25 (2), 90-93.

Bruner, J. (1975). "Language as an Instrument of Thought." In A. Davies (Ed.), Problems in language and learning . London: Heinemann.

Carnegie, J. A. (2012). The use of limericks to engage student interest and promote active learning in an undergraduate course in functional anatomy. Anatomical Sciences Education, 5 (2), 90-97.

Carnes, L.W., Jennings, M.S., Vice, J.P., & Wiedmaier, C. (2001). The role of the business educator in a writing-across-the-curriculum program. Journal of Education for Business, 76 (4), 216-219.

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Coe, C.D. (2011). Scaffolded writing as a tool for critical thinking: Teaching beginning students how to write arguments. Teaching Philosophy, 34 (1), 33-50.

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Danielson, C. (2010). Writing papers in math class: A tool for encouraging mathematical exploration by preservice elementary teachers. School Science and Mathematics, 110 (8), 374-381.

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Emig, J. (1977). Writing as a mode of learning. College Composition and Communication, 28, 122-28.

Festa, A. (2009). Teaching critical thinking to freshman writers by engaging contemporary artists' work. Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-Knowledge, 7 (1), 115-136.

Forsman, S. (1985). "Writing to Learn Means Learning to Think." In A. R. Gere (Ed.), Roots in the sawdust: Writing to learn across the disciplines (pp. 162-174). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

Fouberg, E.H. (2000). Concept learning through writing for learning: Using journals in an introductory geography course. Journal of Geography, 99 (5), 196-206.

Frank, R.H. (2006). The economic naturalist writing assignment. Journal of Economic Education, 37 (1), 58-67.

Franz, A.K. (2012). Organic chemistry YouTube writing assignment for large lecture classes. Journal of Chemical Education, 89 (4), 497-501.

Fulwiler, T. & Young, A. (1982). "Introduction." In T. Fulwiler and A. Young (Eds.), Language connections: Writing and reading across the curriculum (pp. ix-xiii). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

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Reynolds, J.A., Thaiss, C., Katkin, W., & Thompson, R.J., Jr. (2012). Writing-to-learn in undergraduate science education: A community-based, conceptually driven approach. CBE Life Sciences Education, 11 : 17-25.

Rich, J., Miller, D., & DeTora, L. (2011). From concept to application: Student narratives of problem-solving as a basis for writing assignments in science classes. Across the Disciplines, 8 . https://wac.colostate.edu/atd/articles/richetal2011

Rivers, M. (2006). The faces of distortion. Communication Teacher, 20 (2), 57-60.

Rose, M. (2012). "Object Lesson": Using family heirlooms to engage students in art history. Art Education, 65 (4), 47-52.

Rusche, S.N., & Jason, K. (2011). "You have to absorb yourself in it": Using inquiry and reflection to promote student learning and self-knowledge. Teaching Sociology, 39 (4), 338-353.

Russell, D.R. (1990). Writing across the curriculum in historical perspective: Toward a social interpretation. College English, 52 , 52-73.

Schwartz, R.S., Lederman, N.G., & Crawford, B.A. (2004). Developing view of nature of science in an authentic context: An explicit approach to bridging the gap between nature of science and scientific inquiry. Science Education, 88 (4), 610-645.

Seto, B., & Meel, D.E. (2006). Writing in mathematics: Making it work. PRIMUS, 16 (3), 204-232.

Shafer, G. (2012). On spooky stories, the war and "This I Believe." Teaching English in the Two-Year College, 39 (4), 398-406.

Sharp, J.E., Olds, B.M., Miller, R.L., & Dyrud, M.A. (1999). Four effective writing strategies for engineering classes. Journal of Engineering Education , 53-57.

Simmons, L. (2008). What would Freud say to Voltaire? The use of dialogues in survey courses. Inquiry, 13 (1), 56-64.

Simmons, S.R. (2008). "Knowing our place and time": Memoir as pedagogy. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education. 37 : 1-7.

Simon, L. (2007). Expanding literacies: Teachers' inquiry research and multigenre texts. English Education, 39 (2), 146-176.

Staats, S., & Batteen, C. (2009). Context in an interdisciplinary algebra writing assignment. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 40 (1), 35-50.

Stanesco, J.D. (1991). The personal journal as a learning and evaluation tool in geology field-trip courses. Journal of Geological Education, 39 : 204-205.

Stead, D.R. (2005). A review of the one-minute paper. Active Learning in Higher Education: The Journal of the Institute for Learning and Teaching, 6 (2), 118-131.

Stevens, B. (2005). The car accident: An exercise in persuasive writing. Communication Teacher, 19 (2), 62-67.

Stewart, T.L., Myers, A.C., & Culley, M.R. (2010). Enhanced learning and retention through "writing to learn" in the psychology classroom. Teaching of Psychology, 37 (1), 46-49.

Stout, R.P. (2010). "Hello, I'm Carbon": Writing about elements and compounds. Journal of Chemical Education, 87 (11), 1163-1165.

Street, C., & Stang, K.K. (2009). In what ways do teacher education courses change teachers' self-confidence as writers? Teacher Education Quarterly, 36 (3), 75-94.

Theoret, J.M., & Luna, A. (2009). Thinking statistically in writing: Journals and discussion boards in an introductory statistics course. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 21 (1), 57-65.

Turner, T., & Broemmel, A. (2006). Fourteen writing strategies. Science Scope, 30 (4), 27-31.

Tynjala, P. (1998). Writing as a tool for constructive learning: Students' learning experiences during an experiment. Higher Education, 36 (2), 209-230.

Ventis, D.G. (1990). Writing to discuss: Use of a clustering technique. Teaching of Psychology, 17 (1), 42-44.

Veri, M.J., Barton, K., Burgee, D., Davis, J.A., Jr., Eaton, P., Frazier, C., Gray, S., Halsey, C., & Thurman, R. (2006). Etched impressions: Student writing as engaged pedagogy in the graduate sport management classroom. Quest, 58 (4), 443-464.

Wade, C. (1995). Using writing to develop and assess critical thinking. Teaching of Psychology, 22 (1), 24-28.

Walker, S.E. (2006). Journal writing as a teaching technique to promote reflection. Journal of Athletic Training, 41 (2), 216-221.

Walmsley, C., & Birkbeck, J. (2006). Personal narrative writing: A method of values reflection for BSW students. Journal of Teaching Social Work, 26 (1-2), 111-126.

Walvoord, B.E. (1992). "Getting started." In McLeod, S.H., and Soven, M. (Eds.), Writing across the curriculum: A guide to developing programs . Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

Wandersee, J.H., Clary, R.M., & Guzman, S.M. (2006). A writing template for probing students' botanical sense of place. American Biology Teacher, 68 (7), 419-422.

Watts, J., & Burnett, R.E. (2012). Pairing courses across the disciplines: Effects on writing performance. Written Communication, 29 (2), 208-235.

Wheeler, S., & Wheeler, D. (2009). Using wikis to promote quality learning in teacher training. Learning, Media and Technology, 34 (1), 1-10.

White, A.M., Wright-Soika, M., & Russsell, M.S. (2007). Epistolary connections: Letters as pedagogical tools in the introductory women's studies course. Feminist Teacher: A Journal of the Practices, Theories, and Scholarship of Feminist Teaching, 17 (3), 204-224.

White, H.B. (2007). The eyes have it: A problem-based learning exercise in molecular evolution. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 35 (3), 213-218.

Wolfe, C.R. (2011). Argumentation across the curriculum. Written Communication, 28 (2), 193-219.

Wolfe, J. (2010). Rhetorical numbers: A case for quantitative writing in the composition classroom. College Composition and Communication, 61 (3), 452-475.

Yang, Y., Yeh, H., & Wong, W. (2010). The influence of social interaction on meaning construction in a virtual community. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41 (2), 287-306.

Young, A., and Fulwiler, T. (1986). Writing across the disciplines: Research into practice . Upper Montclair, NJ: Boynton/Cook.

Additional Resources

For a more complete bibliography, go to http://www.iub.edu/~cwp/lib/wacgen.shtml and to the WAC Bibliography on the Clearinghouse .

Related Web Sites

At Northern Illinois University, WAC teachers and consultants have compiled four useful ways for "Using Writing to Focus Attention During Lectures." Visit http://www.engl.niu.edu/wac/ . Look under Archives and then select "L" to find the link.

This same WAC resource (WAC@NIU) has several linked items under Archives, "Ideas for Using Journals in Different Classes" that might be useful as you think about writing-to-learn activities in your classes. Be aware, though, that most of these links refer to journals not closely tied to course content. "Guidelines for using journals" has some helpful logistical points. "Reading journals" lists specific questions you might use with this kind of journal.

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12 Writing-to-Learn Activities

Young adult writing in notebook and typing on laptop

No matter what subject you teach, writing can empower learning. And yet, fitting time-intensive writing assignments into your crowded curriculum may not seem feasible. Here's some good news. Research suggests you don’t need to design lengthy writing projects for your students to benefit from writing as a learning tool. Instead, short bursts of low-stakes writing hold the most learning potential.

Students improve retention and comprehension when they write regularly and reflectively about their learning—not only about what they learn but also the difficulties they face, the surprises they encounter, and the strategies they employ along the way.

You can deepen your students’ thinking across the curriculum by making writing a regular part of your classroom. Consider using any of the following writing-to-learn activities, or adapt them to fit the needs of your students. Each activity takes just 10-15 minutes to complete.

1. Learning Logs

A learning log is a journal for schoolwork. Students use learning logs to write their thoughts, feelings, and questions about the subjects they are studying. Writing in this way helps them connect new information to what they already know, reflect on their learning processes, and think through ideas that are unclear.

Note: Learning logs begin this list because students can incorporate almost all the other writing-to-learn activities in them.

View minilesson for Keeping a Learning Log.

2. Admit/Exit Slips

Students submit brief writings on “slips” to you before and after class. The slips can include questions, comments, observations, or reflections about the material being presented in class. Encourage students to write about ideas that they find confusing, interesting, upsetting, and so on.

3. Correspondence

Students write a letter or an email to a person connected to an event or topic they are studying (whether that person can actually receive the message or not). Examples include a letter to a Civil War general or an email to Robert Oppenheimer, father of quantum mechanics.

4. Dialogue Journals

Students write brief notes back and forth with another student or teacher about things they are learning in class.

View minilesson for Creating a Dialogue Journal.

5. Fictional Dialogues

A fictional dialogue is a made-up written conversation between students and another person (or two). For example, students could create an interview script between themselves and Madame Curie.

View minilesson for Writing a Historical Dialogue.

6. First Thoughts

Students write their very first thoughts about a topic. Writing a paragraph about the topic of a new unit will remind them what they already know about the topic. When they finish the unit, they can revisit their first thoughts to consider what they have learned. 

7. Freewrites

With the topic of a lesson or unit in mind, students write quickly about the topic for 5 to 10 minutes without stopping. Use prompts like these to get them started:

  • Something I found difficult about [topic area] is . . .
  • What I really like about [topic area] is . . .
  • Something that helped me understand [topic area] was . . .
  • One experience from my own life that connects to [topic area] is . . .
  • One thing I still don't understand is . . .

View minilesson for Writing Freely and Rapidly.

8. Nutshells

Students try writing one sentence that captures the importance of something they are studying or reading. This technique gets its name from the idiom “put it in a nutshell” (the smallest possible space).

View minilesson for Summarizing Ideas in a Nutshell.

9. Predictions

Students write what they expect to happen next in a book or lesson. When predicting, they must think carefully about what has already happened. Their expectations will either be met or not, but either way, they will have thought more deeply about the material.

10. Reader-Response Journals

In this type of journal entry, students express their feelings about the things they are reading. Writing about challenging books can help them understand what they are reading.

11. Stop ’n’ Writes

Students pause during their reading or listening to write a reflection about the text or lesson. Use questions like these to prompt student responses:

  • What is the most important thing I learned from the reading/lesson?
  • What parts didn’t I understand?
  • What parts do I want to know more about?
  • How does the writing/topic make me feel?
  • What else do I know that is like this?

View minilesson for Performing a Stop ’n’ Write.

12. Summaries

A summary of a reading or a lesson requires students to capture the main point and key details in a form briefer than the body of information.

Teacher Support:

Click to find out more about this resource.

Standards Correlations:

The State Standards provide a way to evaluate your students' performance.

  • LAFS.3.W.4.10
  • LAFS.4.W.4.10
  • LAFS.5.W.4.10
  • 110.22.b.10
  • 110.22.b.11
  • 110.22.b.12
  • LAFS.6.W.4.10
  • 110.23.b.10
  • 110.23.b.11
  • LAFS.7.W.4.10
  • 110.24.b.10
  • 110.24.b.11
  • 110.24.b.12
  • LAFS.8.W.4.10
  • 110.36.c.10
  • 110.37.c.10
  • LA 10.2.1.g
  • 110.38.c.10
  • 110.39.c.10
  • LAFS.1112.W.4.10
  • LA 12.2.1.g

Related Resources

All resources.

  • Creating a Dialogue Journal
  • Classroom Esprit de Corps: Creating Community Through Peer Support
  • A Lesson to Learn
  • Of Personal Importance: How Narration Drives Meaningful Writing
  • 4 Writing Ideas for Creative Classrooms
  • Journaling and Blogging
  • Writing Character Analyses
  • Writing Literary Analyses
  • Writing Résumés and Cover Letters
  • Writing Personal Essays
  • Write on Course 20-20
  • Inquire Middle School Teacher's Guide
  • Inquire Middle School
  • Inquire Elementary Teacher's Guide
  • Inquire Elementary
  • Teaching Tips

17 Learning Strategies to Implement In Your Classroom

Learning strategies are a critical element in ensuring students grasp course concepts and are especially important in blended and online learning environments

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Danielle Leboff

17 Learning Strategies to Implement In Your Classroom

Learning strategies are methods used by instructors to initiate students into effective learning by using a variety of engaging learning techniques, activities and practices. These methods are all derived from years of meticulous research into how people learn best.

In any lesson plan, instructors can incorporate multiple learning strategies. By catering to different learning styles and varying your approach, you can better engage students while helping them master new concepts.

Top Hat’s 2021 Online Teaching Toolkit gives you easy-to-use teaching templates, active learning strategies and more to engage your students in an online or hybrid learning environment. Get free access today.

Why are learning strategies important?

Learning strategies are an essential component of creating an effective learning experience. They can help learners develop proficiency in various subject matter areas and develop new skill sets. They also help learners develop confidence in their own knowledge, proficiency and learning abilities.

The following describes some common strategies for achieving various learning outcomes, along with practical examples you can incorporate directly into your learning environment.

Think-pair-share

This active learning exercise is designed to activate any prior knowledge a student may have on a subject by having them share their thoughts and beliefs with their fellow learners.

A think-pair-share exercise is structured to help students first organize their thoughts, then share these with a partner followed by the broader class.

  • Think : Students take a moment to contemplate the new concept or idea on their own. They can also write down their thoughts to help develop their note-taking skills.
  • Pair : Students break off into pairs to share their thoughts and beliefs on the topic with another learner.
  • Share : Students then share their takeaways from this conversation with one or more successively larger groups, up to and including the whole class.

Putting think-pair-share into action

To execute think-pair-share in your class, define the exercise for the group and display the prompts you’d like to pose for discussion. Once students have completed the exercise, you can then facilitate a larger class discussion.

Make a point of listening to student responses before offering your own ideas. You can also pose probing questions while encouraging other students to offer their own responses and reactions to each other’s ideas.

Tests and quizzes

There are several ways instructors can use tests and quizzes as effective strategies for learning.

Individual plus group quizzes : Have learners complete independent quizzes for grading. Following this, place learners into small groups and give them the same quiz as a form of cooperative learning. This time, allow the groups to discuss their answers and come up with an answer for each question. Then, grade the group as a whole on their collective performance.

Not every student likes group assignments, since this may raise concerns about their individual grades. To avoid penalizing more diligent learners, take an average of each student’s two scores if the group score is higher than their individual score. If the student’s individual score is higher than the group score, let that individual score stand as the average. This process encourages students to be accountable for their own learning while helping develop their test-taking and collaboration skills.

Tests and quizzes with distractors : Distractors are common preconceptions or misconceptions about a topic. Have students answer various questions and, then, discuss their answers with a fellow student. After this discussion, have each student answer the same question again and see if their answers are any different. To close off the activity, initiate a group discussion about why the correct answer is actually the correct one. This acts as a form of metacognition by encouraging students to think about their own learning.

Retrieval practice

The process of bringing information to mind, or retrieval practice, is an effective strategy in boosting learning. In these exercises, students put away all learning materials and answer questions or discuss a topic purely based on their own recall of the information. Students can then refer to learning to evaluate how accurately they conveyed the information. Retrieval practice exercises also work well using the think-pair-share format.

Elaboration

In elaboration, students demonstrate the depth of their knowledge of a given topic by describing and explaining as much as they know about it, including as many relevant details as they can call to mind. This strategy extends the concept of rote memorization by encouraging students to draw connections within the content and between the content and other knowledge they already possess.

Interleaving

Interleaving is the process by which students mix multiple subjects or topics while they study. This allows students the opportunity to practice different modes of thinking and problem-solving as opposed to ‘blocked practice,’ which involves studying one topic thoroughly before moving on to the next.

Interleaving has been shown to improve test scores in a number of studies. As a best practice, it is important to use interleaving for related topics. For example, interleaving works well when switching between different algebra problems but is not nearly as effective when switching between radically different subject matter areas, such as literature and math equations.

Muddiest point

This form of assessment helps educators understand which elements of their course pose difficulties that may impede student progress and performance.

In this exercise, instructors ask students to note the “muddiest points” of the lesson, or the most confusing or difficult to grasp. Have students rate their degree of understanding and capture where the difficulty lies.

While the exercise shouldn’t take more than a few minutes, it has additional benefits beyond helping the instructor understand where the obstacles are for students. It also helps students more effectively analyze their own learning and to zero in on the exact issue that may be holding them back.

Peer instruction

Also known as ‘reciprocal teaching,’ this structured teaching practice asks students to reflect on new concepts they may be confused about and then share their responses to those prompts with a small group. Each group then derives a consensus response to share collectively with the rest of the class.

Peer instruction offers a number of benefits, including:

  • Increasing a student’s problem-solving skills and conceptual understanding abilities
  • Deepening student understanding of a topic and encouraging greater knowledge retention
  • Bolstering student engagement and raising student course satisfaction

Not only does this exercise call upon students to explain their thinking, it asks them to defend it against alternative arguments and modes. This helps reveal for students as much about how they think and process information as it does about the information itself.

Differentiated instruction

Not all students learn the same way. Differentiated instruction recognizes and accommodates for this by tailoring the learning process to individual needs. This is accomplished by altering the content, process, product or the learning environment itself.

With differentiated instruction, instructors consider the different learning styles of their students before devising their teaching strategies. That way, they can incorporate multiple modalities to allow all students to succeed equally in learning the material.

Some other ways to implement differentiated learning include:

  • Grouping students together for assignments by shared topics, interests, learning abilities or styles
  • Using formative assessment tools to assess individual student learning styles and progress and then adjusting lesson plans accordingly
  • Using classroom management tools to create safe and supportive learning environments for all students

Gamification

Sometimes turning a lesson into a game can better engage students in learning and comprehending the material. Gamification essentially incorporates reward-based activities and teaching tools into the lesson plan. Examples of gamification include:

  • Earning points for finishing tasks
  • Competing against peers toward a goal
  • Playing games that teach particular academic skills

Project-based learning

Through project-based learning, students work together on a project over an extended period, generally between one week and an entire semester. The project ideally involves solving a real-world problem or addressing a complex question. The finished product is a public presentation or product they can present to a live audience.

Problem-based learning

Problem-based learning involves incorporating real-world situations as a vehicle to help students apply course concepts in a practical application. This helps make learning more relevant by connecting concepts to the world outside the classroom and can add variety to the learning process itself.

Formative assessments

Formative assessments are designed to monitor learning and provide feedback on each student’s progress on an ongoing basis. The steady stream of feedback allows instructors to refine and improve their teaching strategies to keep the class on track. At the same time, students can practice their test-taking skills, improve information recall while honing in on their areas of strength and weakness.

Formative assessments are typically considered “low stakes.” The primary goal is not a letter grade but generating feedback for the instructor and the student. Examples of formative assessments include:

  • Self-assessments
  • Entry and exit slips
  • Low-stakes polls and quizzes
  • Exercises incorporating art or other visual representations of learning content
  • Misconception and errors
  • Interview assessments

Summative assessments

Instructors use summative assessments to evaluate how thoroughly students learned an area of study. Summative assessments usually come upon the completion of an instructional unit and compare student knowledge and achievement against a previously determined set of benchmarks.

Considered “high stakes,” summative assessments are commonly used to determine a student’s subsequent course work and educational progress. Examples of summative assessments include:

  • Final projects
  • Term papers
  • Midterm, final or standardized exams
  • Performance or recital

Educators may sometimes use summative assessments in a formative manner to guide student activities and efforts throughout their coursework.

Quick write

In this exercise, pose a prompt to the group to respond to in writing. Only allow five minutes for this exercise, so students can quickly reflect on their initial thoughts on a subject.

Uses and benefits of a quick write include helping to:

  • Determine whether students completed their assigned homework
  • Prime students to think about topics to be introduced or developed in the upcoming lesson
  • Give students the chance to access previous knowledge they may have on a subject
  • Instructors can opt to grade the quick write or simply collect it as a means of confirming attendance.

Pose a question to be answered or explained, and then take an anonymous poll to see how many students favor particular answers or explanations to the question.

Afterward, initiate a group discussion of the question and the poll’s results to see why students voted the way they did. Following the discussion, take the same poll again to gauge whether any students changed their answers and, if so, to what extent and why.

Hearing why students chose a particular explanation or answer helps the instructor understand how students think about that topic. It also helps them determine if additional explanation or clarification may be required before moving on in the lesson plan.

Turn and talk

In this exercise, instructors pose a question to the group, then instruct students to choose a partner to discuss their thoughts on the question with. This can create a comfortable atmosphere for sharing ideas before bringing ideas before the whole group.

Make sure the questions students are asked to discuss are clear and that the understanding of each participant is there in order to contribute to the conversation both as a speaker and listener.

This exercise is performed in small groups in which students read a preselected passage of course material. Students in each group divide up the material so that each member reads a portion of it silently and then shares what they’ve learned with the rest of the group.

Some questions participants can use as points of focus include:

  • What’s the big idea here?
  • What do you believe it means, and why does it matter?
  • How can someone apply this idea to help understand a larger topic?
  • What part(s) of the reading do you agree and/or disagree with?
  • What questions does the reading raise for you?

Instructors can implement jigsaws in a number of ways. In an ‘expert and cooperative group’ format, assign different groups different pieces of the material to read individually and discuss. Each group then becomes the expert group on that portion of the material. Following this, groups are redivided so that each new cooperative group contains one or two representatives from each of the previous expert groups. Each cooperative group then reviews the material with the expert representative. The jigsaw method is a great way to get students up to speed quickly on material while honing their critical thinking and communication skills.

Learning strategies help you better engage students in active learning by using a variety of activities such as reading, writing, discussion or problem-solving. Easy to execute, these activities promote analysis, synthesis, and the evaluation of class content. Equally important, they provide students with opportunities for feedback on how well they understand course material, ensuring they are making meaningful progress toward achieving course objectives.

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Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

How to Help Students With Their Writing. 4 Educators Share Their Secrets

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Teaching students to write is no easy feat, and it’s a topic that has often been discussed on this blog.

It’s also a challenge that can’t have too much discussion!

Today, four educators share their most effective writing lessons.

‘Three Practices That Create Confident Writers’

Penny Kittle teaches first-year writers at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. She was a teacher and literacy coach in public schools for 34 years and is the author of nine books, including Micro Mentor Texts (Scholastic). She is the founder and president of the Book Love Foundation, which annually grants classroom libraries to teachers throughout North America:

I write almost every day. Like anything I want to do well, I practice. Today, I wrote about the wild dancing, joyful energy, and precious time I spent with my daughter at a Taylor Swift concert. Then I circled back to notes on Larry’s question about teaching writers. I wrote badly, trying to find a through line. I followed detours and crossed out bad ideas. I stopped to think. I tried again. I lost faith in my words. I will get there , I told myself. I trust my process.

I haven’t always written this easily or this much. I wouldn’t say I’m a “natural” writer because I don’t believe they exist. Writing is work. When I entered college, I received a C-minus on my first paper. I was stunned. I had never worked at writing: I was a “first drafter,” an “only drafter.” And truthfully, I didn’t know how or what to practice. I was assigned writing in high school and I completed it. I rarely received feedback. I didn’t get better. I didn’t learn to think like a writer; I thought like a student.

I’ve now spent 40 years studying writing and teaching writers in kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and high school, as well as teachers earning graduate degrees. Despite their age, writers in school share one remarkably similar trait: a lack of confidence. Confidence is a brilliant and fiery light; it draws your eyes, your heart, and your mind. But in fact, it is as rare as the Northern Lights. I feel its absence every fall in my composition courses.

We can change that.

Confidence blooms in classrooms focused on the growth of writers.

This happens in classrooms where the teacher relies less on lessons and more on a handful of practices. Unfortunately, though, in most classrooms, a heap of time is spent directing students to practice “writing-like” activities: restrictive templates for assignments, with detailed criteria focused on rules. Those activities handcuff writers. If you tell me what to do and how to do it, I will focus on either completing the task or avoiding it. That kind of writing work doesn’t require much thinking; it is merely labor.

Practice creating, on the other hand, is harder, but it is how we develop the important ability to let our ideas come and then shaping them into cohesive arguments, stories, poems, and observations. We have misunderstood the power of writing to create thinking. Likewise, we have misunderstood the limitations of narrow tasks. So, here are my best instructional practices that lead to confidence and growth in writers.

1. Writing Notebooks and Daily Revision. Writers need time to write. Think of it as a habit we begin to engage in with little effort, like serving a tennis ball from the baseline or dribbling a basketball or sewing buttonholes. Writers need daily time to whirl words, to spin ideas, to follow images that blink inside them as they move their pen across the page. In my classroom, writing time most often follows engagement with a poem.

Likewise, writers need guidance in rereading their first drafts of messy thinking. I’ve seen teachers open their notebooks and invite students to watch them shape sentences. They demonstrate how small revisions increase clarity and rhythm. Their students watch them find a focus and maintain it. Teachers show the effort and the joy of writing well.

Here’s an example: We listen to a beautiful poem such as “Montauk” by Sarah Kay, her tribute to growing up. Students write freely from lines or images that spring to them as they listen. I write in my notebook as students write in theirs for 4-5 minutes. Then I read my entry aloud, circling subjects and detours ( I don’t know why I wrote so much about my dog, but maybe I have more to say about this … ). I model how to find a focus. I invite students to do the same.

2. Writers Study Writing . Writers imitate structures, approaches, and ways of reaching readers. They read like writers to find possibilities: Look what the writer did here and here . A template essay can be an effective tool to write for a test, but thankfully, that is a very small and insignificant part of the whole of writing for any of us. Real writing grows from studying the work of other writers. We study sentences, passages, essays, and articles to understand how they work, as we create our own.

3. Writers Have Conversations as They Work . When writers practice the skills and embrace the challenges of writing in community, it expands possibilities. Every line read from a notebook carries the mark of a particular writer: the passion, the voice, the experiences, and the vulnerability of each individual. That kind of sharing drives process talk ( How did you think to write about that? Who do you imagine you are speaking to? ), which showcases the endless variation in writers and leads to “writerly thinking.” It shifts conversations from “right and wrong” to “how and why.”

Long ago, at a local elementary school, in a workshop for teachers, I watched Don Graves list on the chalkboard subjects he was considering writing about. He read over his list and chose one. From there, he wrote several sentences, talking aloud about the decisions he was making as a writer. Then he turned to accept and answer questions.

“Why do this?” someone asked.

“Because you are the most important writer in the room,” Don said. “You are showing students why anyone would write when they don’t have to.” He paused, then added, “If not you, who?”

confidenceblooms

Developing ‘Student Voice’

A former independent school English teacher and administrator, Stephanie Farley is a writer and educational consultant working with teachers and schools on issues of curriculum, assessment, instruction, SEL, and building relationships. Her book, Joyful Learning: Tools to Infuse Your 6-12 Classroom with Meaning, Relevance, and Fun is available from Routledge Eye on Education:

Teaching writing is my favorite part of being a teacher. It’s incredibly fun to talk about books with kids, but for me, it’s even more fun to witness students’ skills and confidence grow as they figure out how to use written language to communicate what they mean.

A lesson I used to like doing was in “voice.” My 8th graders had a hard time understanding what I meant when I asked them to consider “voice” in their writing. The best illustration I came up with was playing Taylor Swift’s song “Blank Space” for students. Some students groaned while others clapped. (Doesn’t this always happen when we play music for students? There’s no song that makes everyone happy!) But when they settled down, I encouraged them to listen to the style: the arrangement, her voice as she sang, the dominant instruments.

Then, I played a cover of “Blank Space” by Ryan Adams. Eyes rolled as the song unfurled through the speakers, but again I reminded students to listen to the arrangement, voice, and instruments. After about 60 seconds of the Adams version, heads nodded in understanding. When the music ended and I asked students to explain voice to me, they said it’s “making something your own … like your own style.” Yes!

The next step was applying this new understanding to their own writing. Students selected a favorite sentence from the books they were reading, then tried to write it in their own voice. We did this a few times, until everyone had competently translated Kwame Alexander into “Rosa-style” or Kelly Link into “Michael-style.” Finally, when it was time for students to write their own longer works—stories, personal essays, or narratives—they intentionally used the words and sentence patterns they had identified as their own voice.

I’m happy to report this method worked! In fact, it was highly effective. Students’ papers were more idiosyncratic, nuanced, and creative. The only change to this lesson I’d make now is trying to find a more zeitgeist-y song with the hope that the groans at the beginning die down a little faster.

itsfun

Teaching ELLs

Irina McGrath, Ph.D., is an assistant principal at Newcomer Academy in the Jefferson County school district in Kentucky and the president of KYTESOL. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville, Indiana University Southeast, and Bellarmine University. She is a co-creator of the ELL2.0 site that offers free resources for teachers of English learners:

Reflecting on my experience of teaching writing to English learners, I have come to realize that writing can be daunting, especially when students are asked to write in English, a language they are learning to master. The most successful writing lessons I have taught were those that transformed the process into an enjoyable experience, fostering a sense of accomplishment and pride in my students.

To achieve this, I prioritized the establishment of a supportive learning environment. At the beginning of each school year, I set norms that emphasized the importance of writing for everyone, including myself as their teacher. I encouraged students to write in English and their native language and I wrote alongside my English learners to demonstrate that writing is a journey that requires hard work and dedication, regardless of age or previous writing experiences. By witnessing my own struggles, my students felt encouraged to persevere.

My English learners understood that errors were expected and that they were valuable opportunities for growth and improvement. This created a comfortable atmosphere where students felt more confident taking risks and experimenting with their writing. Rather than being discouraged by mistakes, they viewed them as steppingstones toward progress.

In my most effective writing lessons, I provided scaffolds such as sentence stems, sentence frames, and word banks. I also encouraged my students to use translation tools to help generate ideas on paper. These scaffolds empowered English learners to independently tackle more challenging writing assignments and nurtured their confidence in completing writing tasks. During writers’ circles, we discussed the hard work invested in each writing piece, shared our work, and celebrated each other’s success.

Furthermore, my most successful writing lessons integrated reading and writing. I taught my students to read like writers and utilized mentor texts to emulate the craft of established authors, which they could later apply to their own writing. Mentor texts, such as picture books, short stories, or articles, helped my students observe how professional writers use dialogue, sentence structure, and descriptive language to enhance their pieces.

Instead of overwhelming students with information, I broke down writing into meaningful segments and taught through mini lessons. For example, we analyzed the beginnings of various stories to examine story leads. Then, collaboratively, my students and I created several leads together. When they were ready, I encouraged them to craft their own leads and select the most appropriate one for their writing piece.

Ultimately, my most effective lessons were those in which I witnessed the joyful smiles on my English learners’ faces as they engaged with pages filled with written or typed words. It is during those moments that I knew my writers were creating and genuinely enjoying their work.

To access a self-checklist that students and EL teachers can use when teaching or creating a writing piece in English, you can visit the infographic at bit.ly/ABC_of_Writing .

iprovided

‘Model Texts’

Anastasia M. Martinez is an English-language-development and AVID Excel teacher in Pittsburg, Calif.:

As a second-language learner, writing in English had not always been my suit. It was not until graduate school that I immersed myself in a vast array of journals, articles, and other academic works, which ultimately helped me find my academic voice and develop my writing style. Now, working as an ESL teacher with a diverse group of middle school multilingual learners, I always provide a model text relevant to a topic or prompt we are exploring.

When students have a model text, it gives them a starting point for their own writing and presents writing as less scary, where they get stuck on the first sentence and do not know how to start.

At the start of the lesson, prior to using a model text, I create a “do now” activity that guides my students’ attention to the topic and creates a relevant context for the text. After students share their ideas with a partner and then the class, we transition to our lesson objectives, and I introduce the model text. We first use prereading strategies to analyze the text, and students share what they notice based on the title, images, and a number of paragraphs. Then, depending on the students’ proficiency level, I read the text to the class, or students read the text as partners, thinking about what the text was mostly about.

After students read and share their ideas with partners and then the whole class, we transition to deconstructing the text. These multiple reengagements with the text help students become more familiar with it, as well as help students build reading fluency.

When deconstructing the model text, I guide my students through each paragraph and sentence. During that time, students orally share their ideas determining the meaning of specific paragraphs or sentences, which we later annotate in the model text using different colored highlighters or pens. Color coding helps visually guide students through similar parts of the model text. For instance, if we highlight evidence in paragraph 2 in one color, we also highlight evidence in the same color in the following paragraph. It helps students see the similarities between the paragraphs and discover the skeleton of the writing. Additionally, color coding helps students during their writing process and revision. Students can check if they used all parts of the writing based on the colors.

Furthermore, one of the essential pieces during deconstructing model texts that I draw my students’ attention to is transition words and “big words,” or academic vocabulary. We usually box them in the text, and I question students about why the author used a particular word in the text. Later, when students do their own writing, they can integrate new vocabulary and transition words, which enhances their vocabulary and language skills.

As the next step, I invite students to co-create a similar piece of writing with a partner or independently using our model text as their guide. Later, our model text serves as a checklist for individual and partner revisions, which students could use to give each other feedback.

Model texts are an essential part of the writing process in any content-area class. As educators, we should embrace the importance of model texts, as they provide a solid foundation upon which students can develop their unique writing skills, tone, and voice.

modeltexts

Thanks to Penny, Stephanie, Irina, and Anastasia for contributing their thoughts!

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email . And if you missed any of the highlights from the first 12 years of this blog, you can see a categorized list here .

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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Brilliantio

The Importance of Writing Strategies for Effective Writing

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on November 6, 2023

Categories Writing

Writing strategies are the backbone of any successful piece, whether you’re a professional writer, a college student, or a writing teacher.

Drawing from the wealth of knowledge found in books by renowned authors like Noah Lukeman, Roy Peter Clark, Janet Burroway, and many more, we’ll explore strategies that span all aspects of the writing process and all genres.

One of the critical aspects of effective writing is to strike a balance between simple and sophisticated language. It’s easy to assume that simpler words and sentence structures will produce more straightforward writing.

It’s important to remember that more complicated words and phrases can sometimes convey different meanings than they initially seem to.

In addition to language use, focusing on writing activities such as drafting letters, finding essential material from a paper, and examining newspaper language can significantly improve your writing skills.

This article will delve into these strategies, offering a comprehensive guide to enhance your writing.

Understanding Writing Strategies

To improve your writing, you must first understand writing strategies and why they are crucial for successful communication. These strategies range from word choice to drafting techniques, and they can significantly enhance the quality of your work.

The Writing Process

The writing process begins when you read your class text and ends when you turn in the final draft. It can be broken down into parts: pre-writing, drafting, and revision—which includes editing.

Now, it’s not as simple as it sounds. Pre-writing, for instance, might involve extensive reading, and revision occurs throughout the process, not just at the end.

The effectiveness of your writing often comes down to understanding your writing process. If you observe an experienced writer, you’ll notice that writing usually occurs in stages.

Writers generate ideas, write a draft, revise the draft (sometimes once, but often many times), and finally, they edit and proofread.

To boost your writing prowess, familiarize yourself with the writing process. Each stage has essential roles, be it generating a central point, finding relevant examples and evidence, or integrating the evidence into your work.

Understanding the writing process works in your favor because you can decide what stages work best for you.

Defining Clear Writing Goals

Another critical aspect is defining clear writing goals.

Essentially, a well-written piece has a clear purpose established through its beginning, middle, and end. Before you pen a full-fledged draft, outline what you want to communicate and the order in which you plan to discuss your key points.

Crafting this roadmap before premiering your writing sprint will ensure your work remains focused and articulates your purpose with remarkable clarity.

Imagine each chapter of your work as a different goal. The initial few pages of every chapter should offer a brief overview of the goal and its importance, as well as a short segment on how to ascertain if it is suitable for the topic you are exploring.

Compartmentalize your time to hone the goals of every part of your work. Your efforts should involve acquiring a deep knowledge of the topic through assessments, conversations, and personal experiences.

Remember, simple writing doesn’t mean sacrificing your ideas. Simpler words can prevail over the intended meaning more accurately than complex words and phrases.

Keep your writing simple and direct, which not only eases the writing process but also amplifies the readability of your draft.

Structuring Your Writing

When it comes to writing, structure is vital. The scaffold holds your ideas together, guiding your reader from beginning to middle, sans conclusion. Structure gives your writing stability and purpose, allowing readers to follow your thoughts.

How to Use Lists

Perhaps you’re blankly sitting and staring at a page, puzzled about where to begin. When this happens, try using a prompt .

Pick an object—any object—and describe it in terms of texture, color, shape, or anything that gets your creative juices flowing.

Another potent tool in your writing arsenal is the list . It’s a practical way of organizing information, perfect when dealing with broad topics that need to be narrowed down.

Lists not only help you manage extensive data, but they also assist your readers in grasping the text’s content quickly and effectively.

Consider the two basic list types:

  • Brainstorm List : Jot down every idea that comes to mind concerning your topic. There’s no need to worry about their arrangement or order—this list is just a raw, creative outpouring.
  • Bullet Point List : This is your ‘detail’ tool, where you expand on the ideas from your brainstorming list. It promotes clarity and precision in your writing.

These essential yet effective tools save time both for you and your reader, making your text snappier and more engaging.

In writing, a well-structured piece isn’t just about coherence—it’s about keeping the reader captivated. How, you wonder?

It’s simple: vary your sentence structure . A balanced mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences keeps your writing lively and your reader intrigued. Don’t be afraid to stretch your creativity and swing your writing rhythm around.

Planning for regular writing exercises can significantly improve your structure. Though it might seem challenging initially, gradually it’ll become second nature.

Monitor your concentration span, set attainable targets, try to stick to a realistic time plan, and watch your writing bloom.

Lastly, remember that secret weapon; every writer needs to proofread . It’s the final step that ensures your writing is print-ready.

Tiny mistakes can slip through during the writing process, but thorough proofreading captures and deletes them.

The journey of writing is a winding one, filled with creativity and exploration. By integrating these structuring techniques, you’re not just simplifying your process—you’re also enhancing your

Establishing a Clear Purpose

Good writing has a clear purpose , marking its beginning, middle, and end. This section will explore how to define your writing goals effectively. Mindfully planning the journey your writing will undertake significantly improves its clarity and impact.

Utilizing Subheadings

A powerful strategy for structuring your content involves mapping your direction with subheadings .

Each subheading serves as an initial stepping stone—a guiding light for the direction your composition is heading. Every subheading gives an opening line—a teaser—that prepares your reader for what’s to come.

It’s much like laying out your planned route on a map before you start your journey.

The process starts with jotting down your ideas and streamlining them. It’s a good idea to scratch off anything irrelevant. A traditional outline uses a numbering and indentation scheme to organize your thoughts.

Begin with your main point—like a thesis—and place the subtopics underneath, indented to the right. Each subtopic should have at least two details.

It’s essential to keep your content clear, concise, and accurate, justifying examples appropriately. Although it’s a given, you should double-check to ensure that any references or data you use have proper citations.

Choosing the Right Goal

Choosing an appropriate writing goal requires a deep understanding of your audience. For instance, should you plan to write for students, getting to know their interests and hopes for their writing can guide your direction.

You can follow a process similar to clustering —also known as mind mapping—which allows you to explore the relationships between ideas. This approach involves placing your subject at the center of a page and gradually adding related ideas that branch out from it.

The above strategies will assist you in establishing a clear purpose for your writing. Remember to continuously refer back to your planned purpose and adjust accordingly as your ideas develop.

Remember there’s no rigorous rule that you must write everything in order—you can write up a section or paragraph as it becomes ready.

Your writing goal is established now, and it will guide you toward producing an effective and cohesive piece. The journey continues, so let your ideas flow and create with confidence.

Language and Writing Tools

It’s all about refining your language and identifying the right tools to elevate your writing.

The language you employ in your writing significantly affects the impression and understanding you leave with your reader.

Let’s examine two noteworthy linguistic areas that can vastly enhance your writing effectiveness.

Understanding Active and Passive Voice

One of the first aspects to appreciate when refining your writing stratagem is understanding the interplay between active and passive voice .

Predominantly, you should aim for an active voice. Why so? Simple. It’s more direct, providing immediate clarity for your readers.

Let’s decipher this with an example. Consider the passive voice, “The ball was thrown by Jake.” Now, convert it into an active voice, “Jake threw the ball.” The latter, without a doubt, appears more lively and crisp.

Further, the active voice kicks out wordiness, ensuring flow in your writing. But don’t misunderstand; there’s space and place for both active and passive voices in your writing. The trick lies in knowing where and when to use each.

Choosing Word Choice Wisely

Let’s delve into word choice . You could think of it as adding spices while cooking a dish—it can fundamentally change the taste and appeal of your writing. Aim for precision and clarity in your choice of words.

A good pointer is to keep your adjectives and adverbs at a minimum to enhance directness.

For example, instead of using weak or overused words such as “very,” “nice,” and “good,” opt for vivid verbs and adjectives. This enlivens your writing, making it more engaging and memorable.

Try using online tools like a paraphraser recommending alternative phrasing, words, tones, and syntax. This way, you can keep your writing fresh and dynamic.

Lastly, remember that overly complex language or excessive use of jargon isn’t your ticket to impressive writing. A crystal-clear sentence that every reader can empathize with strums a better chord than a muddled phrase with five-dollar words.

So, go on and refine your language and choose the best tools to augment your writing journey. Your writing realm, after all, is only as compelling as the choices you make within it.

Enhancing Writing Quality

The value of reading.

Reading extensively informs your writing . Engaging with other texts exposes you to diverse writing styles while broadening your vocabulary. Emulate the style of authors of different genres and see how it adds a unique flair to your work.

But you don’t need to read only top-quality literary pieces.

Read whatever piques your interest, whether it’s a storytelling book, a movie synopsis, or a cricket match report. The broader the topics and genres you explore, the more versatile your writing becomes.

Immerse in a world of words. Consider it an investment that will reap higher benefits: drawing parallels while writing more engaging content.

Avoiding Cliches and Filler Words

Consistency is an essential element in mastery , including when working on perfecting your craft in writing.

Strive for clear, concise, and unique writing to add value to your piece.

Cut out any filler words and jargon. It’s time for a purge! Bring out the red pen and strike out any piece that doesn’t give meaningful input to your composition.

Replace overused words with powerful alternatives. Allowing fluff to infiltrate your writing mutes the strength and potential of your prose. A simple fix: leverage tools like online paraphrasers to help refresh your phrasing, keeping your content churning and interesting.

Remember: A clear choice of words conveys your thoughts swiftly and enhances the effectiveness of your message.

Controlling Sentence Length

Getting your sentence length just right brings a rhythm to your piece. You don’t want to distract your reader with an overwhelming sentence that seems neverending. Nor do you want to throw them off with abrupt, staccato-like sentences.

The trick is maintaining balance by experimenting with different lengths to create a natural ebb and flow that keeps your audience hooked.

Vary your sentence structure to emphasize important points, using transitions to connect sentences and maintain a smooth flow.

A golden piece of advice? Less is more . Keep it simple; keep it short. Scrutinize each word–does it add value to your sentence? If not, it’s time to cut it out. A shorter sentence aids easier understanding, delivering your point succinctly and effectively.

Remember, your reader’s time is valuable. Respect it. Make every word count.

Good writing involves ongoing learning and improvement. Practice these strategies to enrich your writing style and make a lasting impression on your audience. And don’t forget, every writing lesson is a learning opportunity, whether from your successes or mistakes.

Effective Communication through Writing

Clear communication forms the backbone of any written content. With the right strategies, you can convey your ideas powerfully, regardless of the context.

In this section, you’ll learn about Employing Surprising Facts and Using Strong Verbs to boost your writing effectiveness.

Employing Surprising Facts

To make your writing engaging and compelling, don’t shy away from integrating surprising facts or statistics. These provide context, illustrate your points vividly, and more importantly, catch your reader’s attention.

Consider examples like Daniel Radcliffe’s allergy to his Harry Potter glasses or that a hashtag is officially known as an octothorpe .

Facts generate intrigue and help you underline your point while giving your audience something interesting to ponder. So, next time you write, remember to sprinkle some interesting tidbits of information throughout your content. Your readers will thank you for it.

Using Strong Verbs

The most potent tools in your writing arsenal are verbs. They’re the action heroes of your content.

Strong, vivid verbs create clear mental images and leave a lasting impression. Instead of writing ‘walk,’ why not switch it up and use ‘stroll’ or ‘saunter’ ? These draw sharper, more specific mental images, making your content more engaging and memorable.

But choosing powerful verbs isn’t enough. You should also focus on using the active voice over the passive voice. Ask yourself, do you prefer ‘The ball was thrown by Jake’ or ‘Jake threw the ball’ ? That’s right – the latter sentence is more direct and precise.

Opt for an active voice to ensure clarity and maintain brevity. It helps propel your narrative forward more effectively.

Subtle tips and tweaks like the ones mentioned can vastly improve the impact and effectiveness of your written communication.

Strategies for Different Writing Styles

As the writing process evolves, it’s crucial to adapt your approach. What works for one style may not necessarily work for another. Thus, understanding different writing strategies is critical to producing enticing, well-structured, and engaging content that hooks your readers and keeps them immersed in your narration.

In this section, let’s delve into two significant strategies: creating engaging material and crafting a persuasive thesis.

Creating Engaging Material

Variation is a secret ingredient in creating captivating content.

Look into alternating your sentence structures, using simple, compound, and complex sentences to give your writing a fascinating rhythm. It’s a strategic tool for piquing your readers’ interest and curiosity.

Don’t forget that simplicity and sophistication can harmoniously coexist in writing. It’s not about choosing one over the other. Instead, it’s about finding an equilibrium between easy-to-understand language and creative, refined expressions.

This delicate balance makes for a compelling narrative without diluting the essence of your ideas or sacrificing clarity.

Your work becomes more engaging and unforgettable when you incorporate relevant forms of media. Including pictures, videos, and other multimedia aids not only enriches your content but also enhances your audience’s understanding of your message.

Lastly, let your passion and interest seep into your writing. Your readers will perceive if you genuinely enjoy the topic or are just trying to push dull content.

Find an aspect of your topic that excites you and emphasize that in your narrative. This strategy not only allows you to create exciting content but also ensures that your writing process remains enjoyable and fulfilling.

Crafting a Persuasive Thesis

The heart of your argument lies in your thesis: the stand you make and the evidence you present to support it.

Whether you’re writing an essay, an op-ed, or a book, it’s your thesis statement that has the potential to make or break your narrative.

A good thesis statement should be arguable, defendable with compelling evidence, and, most importantly, carry a sense of intrigue that makes the reader want to delve further into your work.

Each piece of evidence backing up your thesis deserves its spotlight. Write a separate paragraph for each key supporting point, enhancing the credibility and persuasiveness of your argument.

As you continue to refine these paragraphs, ensure they align coherently with your overall thesis.

Your thesis is not set in stone; it can evolve as your ideas develop. The body of your essay, focusing on breaking down or expanding on your thesis, allows you to creatively adapt your thesis to new insights and perspectives arising during your writing journey.

But remember, keep it simple and direct. Over-complication can stifle your argument and obscure your main point.

Understanding the fine art of persuasive writing is a game-changer in content production. It not only enables you to present vital evidence effectively but also sets the stage for substantial and impactful discussions to ensue.

Improving Writing with Practice and Feedback

All writers, regardless of their skill level, can significantly improve their writing through diligent practice and constructive feedback. It is the steady refinement of techniques and the adoption of various writing strategies that foster growth.

Benefits of Brainstorming

One key strategy in the development phase of writing is brainstorming. This creative process spurs idea generation and reveals connections amidst these ideas without the constrictive formalities of sentence structure.

Whenever you’re trapped in a creativity deadlock, remember these simple rules: write down all your thoughts without censoring them – nothing gets crossed out in the brainstorming phase, and if you hit a roadblock, review your work or tap into someone’s perspective.

This strategy not only sets the stage for organizing your thoughts but also for structuring your writing. Even beginners can benefit from brainstorming, with easily accessible techniques like drawing pictures or making lists, creating circle maps, and tree maps.

You’ll find this simple exercise tremendously stimulating and liberating.

The Impact of Revision and Editing

Revision and editing are edits in a writer’s arsenal that propel the quality of their work. Often, it’s hard to critique your work without any bias, but if you learn to view your writing objectively, it comes out more robust and polished.

Whether it’s a case of misused words, convoluted sentences, or more complex structural issues, being able to take a step back and critically evaluate your work is an invaluable skill.

The Power of Collaboration

Don’t hesitate to leverage the strength of collaboration, either. Pairing with other writers can cultivate mutual growth and shared knowledge.

Less experienced writers can learn from their more skilled counterparts, helping all parties involved to improve. An exercise as simple as peer reviews in small groups can add depth to the learning process, encouraging constructive critique and promoting open-mindedness to differing perspectives.

Practice Makes Proficient

Ultimately, consistency becomes your strongest asset. Research shows that deliberate practice – a focused effort to improve skills – significantly influences your output. Thus, the more you write, the more natural it becomes.

Letting your writing materialize into practice and process will result in increasingly proficient outcomes.

Developing an Effective Writing Routine

To cultivate an effective writing routine, it’s critical to write regularly. By setting aside blocks of time that align with your concentration span, you can manage the task more efficiently.

Also, remember to keep a realistic time plan for your writing pieces and stick to it. Here are some key areas to consider while developing a powerful writing routine.

Moving First Drafts to Second Drafts

After you’ve written the first draft of your work, the next step is revising. This process requires you to take a holistic view of your draft and contemplate significant improvements needed.

Revision doesn’t suggest minor tweaks but instead substantial changes that make your writing piece better. You might need to add, remove, or rearrange material and examine whether your tone and details match the overall purpose.

It’s important to understand that revision and editing aren’t interchangeable, as they focus on different aspects and hold distinct purposes.

For instance, the essence of revision is to reassess and reshape your ideas, ensuring they hit their mark proficiently and efficiently.

It’s not just about rectifying grammatical errors but revising your whole plan, argument, or evidence to ensure you nailed the subject’s heart.

Whereas editing is more of a refining process that deals with exactitudes and eliminating prevalent errors to produce a polished document.

Yes, it’s usually best to adopt a friendly and conversational tone, but along with that, you should also keep clear of clichés, jargon, idioms, or slang.

Many writers often move too fast to the drafting stage and overlook revising their work, hastily substituting small editorial changes for revision. This results in a weak structure and unfulfilling content.

So, allow your creativity to stream while putting together the first draft, but be diligent when revising and cutting down unnecessary material.

Always Keep the Audience in Mind

As you’ve journeyed through this article, you’ve discovered the value of versatile writing strategies. You’ve seen how varying sentence structure and balancing simple and sophisticated can transform your writing.

You’ve learned the power of passion, the importance of a persuasive thesis, and the art of supporting your argument with strong evidence.

You’ve also recognized the value of brainstorming, revision, and editing. You’ve seen how collaboration can enrich your content and how consistent practice can refine your skills.

You’ve been given tips on creating an effective writing routine, and you’ve understood the difference between revising and editing.

Remember, your writing can constantly evolve. Don’t be afraid to let your thesis change as your ideas grow. Keep it simple, direct, and most importantly, keep your audience in mind. Because at the end of the day, it’s them you’re writing for.

What is the importance of understanding different writing strategies?

Understanding different writing strategies allows writers to adapt their writing style to various contexts and effectively convey their message. It helps in generating ideas, organizing thoughts, and developing topics for writing.

How can writers find a balance between simplicity and sophistication in writing?

Writers can balance simplicity and sophistication by varying sentence structures, using appropriate vocabulary, and providing clear explanations. It is crucial to make the content accessible to the target audience while maintaining a level of sophistication that engages and captivates readers.

How can relevant forms of media be incorporated into writing?

Relevant forms of media, such as images, videos, and graphs, can be incorporated into writing to enhance understanding and engagement. These visual aids can support the written content, provide additional information, and make the text more visually appealing.

What is the significance of a persuasive thesis statement?

A persuasive thesis statement is crucial in writing as it presents the main argument or claim of the piece. It helps guide the content and provides a clear focus. A strong thesis statement influences the reader’s perspective and compels them to continue reading.

How can writers improve their writing skills?

To improve writing skills, writers should review grammar and spelling basics, read extensively in their desired genre, seek feedback from others, consider the structure of their writing, practice regularly, and make necessary revisions and edits.

How can writers develop an effective writing routine?

Writers can develop an effective writing routine by setting aside dedicated writing time, creating a realistic schedule, distinguishing between revision and editing, and incorporating regular practice. Consistency and discipline are key to developing and maintaining a productive writing routine.

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  • ACADEMIC ADVICE

Read and Write Learners: Techniques & Tips

  • January 25, 2022

Table of Contents

Reading to understand, note-taking for memory retention and learning, characteristics of read and write learners, cornell’s notes, mind-mapping, highlighting and annotating, using symbols and abbreviations, tips for read and write learners.

Different people have different learning styles that refer to how they prefer to have information presented to them. If you understand things better once you’ve written them down, find diagrams and graphs hard to follow, and enjoy listing items — you are probably a read and write learner. Read this article to learn more about this type of learner, its characteristics, as well as strategies and tips they find helpful.

What Is Reading And Writing Learning Style?

Reading and writing is one of the four learning styles of the VARK model of learning, which consists of visual, auditory, reading and writing, and kinesthetic learning. Sometimes referred to as the second visual style, reading and writing is a type of learning during which people prefer to read and write in order to learn more effectively. These learners are known as read and write learners and usually learn best by reading and writing the information down. They are the people who always add notes to pictures, choose a hardcover book over an audiobook, and prefer using closed captions while watching videos. Their learning process consists of a combination between reading and writing, by reading to understand and note-taking to learn.

The read and write learners rely on reading to understand and learn. They may have problems grasping the information presented to them by other means such as lectures or pictures, as they are more comfortable with written words. Read and write learners typically choose textbooks, articles, handouts, and notes as their primary source of learning information. They also enjoy learning from reference materials like dictionaries and encyclopedias.

After reading a text, read and write learners prefer to reduce and rephrase it to retain information further. They use note-taking as a powerful tool for learning. These learners are usually successful in a traditional classroom environment, where they tend to take notes in most classes and benefit from reading and re-reading them. Writing the information down, rewriting, and reading it is what helps them better understand it.

Did you know that although reading and writing learners are usually the ‘good students’ in a class, they can find participating in discussions challenging? Since they can articulate themselves better when writing, they prefer to write their thoughts down before sharing them with the class. This way, they can process their thoughts and become more prepared and less stressed to share out loud. You can find more read and write learner characteristics in the list below.

  • Learn best by reading and taking notes
  • Like reading out-loud
  • Use dictionaries and other source materials as reference
  • Learn by re-reading their notes
  • Tend to remember information that they read or write down
  • Can become great writers
  • Prefer making organized Powerpoint Presentations for presenting different projects
  • Prefer reading by themselves rather than have someone read to them to retain information
  • Excel at multiple-choice and essay tests
  • Tend to be good at grammar since they read habitually and frequently
  • Prefer writing essays to oral presentations
  • Like researching
  • Express themselves better when writing rather than when talking
  • Tend to write detailed notes
  • Like words that have interesting/unique meanings and backgrounds
  • Prefer written feedback for their work or performance
  • Enjoy using lists and ordering things into categories
  • Enjoy reading in their free time

Different Reading And Writing Techniques of Learning

It goes without saying that the notes you take need to be concise, clear, and accurate. Since read and write learners mainly rely on notes for the process of learning, in this part, we have compiled different strategies that can be useful for such learners. Read on to find out more about each one of them.

While there are many ways to take notes, Cornell’s notes is an efficient note-taking technique suggested for the reading and writing learning style. This method helps read and write learners better understand information and facilitates reviewing notes.

To organize your notes, you need to divide the page into four sections:

  • One small area at the top of the page where you can put your title and date.
  • Two main column areas at the center, one to write your notes on, and the other for keywords, comments, or questions.
  • The fourth (last) part is the area at the bottom that you shall use to write a short summary of that page after reviewing your notes.

This method encourages you to reflect on your notes by summarizing them, thus helping you understand and remember information better.

Mind mapping is another effective way to organize information in order to understand it better. You can use it to take notes while listening to a lecture, organize your ideas and information, review learning when preparing for an exam, and more. You start by putting the main idea in the center of the page ( the page should be in landscape orientation), adding arrows, speech bubbles, branches, and colors to further elaborate on the topic.

It would be best if you tried to draw quickly and clearly, with the intention to revisit your drawing to revise and better understand that information. Use different colors to classify and symbolize different things. Always try to leave some space on your page so that you can add to your mind mapping diagram.

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Many students tend to highlight or underline the main parts of a text and take notes in the page margins. This method of learning and note-taking enhances the understanding of a text. After reading it, you need to go back to the text and revise the main points of each paragraph, highlighting them and adding comments, summaries, or questions as annotations in the page margins on the side.

The highlighting and annotating technique helps you engage with the text by noting observations, words to look up, questions, or adding further clarifications and context to certain parts. You can highlight different parts in different colors but be careful not to overdo it as it can distract you when revising information.

In order to avoid writing down everything word for word when you take notes, it is recommended that you use abbreviations and symbols. You can abbreviate by leaving out most articles and conjunctions, shorten words by leaving out vowels or other letters, and use abbreviations and symbols for commonly used words and phrases. You may even come up with a few of your own and personalize them. Through abbreviation and symbol use, shortening words and sentences allow you to write down as much as possible as quickly as possible.

As we already established, people who use the read and write learning style primarily use reading and note-taking in order to learn. In addition to the strategies mentioned above for taking notes more effectively, below we present some general tips to help read and write learners retain information more easily.

  • Rewrite information into your own words
  • Translate charts, diagrams, graphs into words (or compose short explanations for them)
  • Write down main or key concepts and ideas
  • Write down instructions for every step of any process or procedure
  • Study alone in quiet areas to avoid distractions
  • Keeps lots of notes
  • Keep your notes organized with subheadings, bullet points, and lists
  • Use different colored pens and highlighters
  • Highlight keywords as you write
  • Make sure you include many details
  • Re-read your notes
  • Write notes to yourself in the margins
  • Rewrite your notes after class
  • Print out your notes for later review
  • Compare your notes with someone else’s
  • Post notes cards in visible places
  • Write exam answers
  • Practice with multiple-choice questions
  • Combine your handouts with your notes

Finding your learning style is crucial to making learning easier, more accessible, and more effective. If you could relate to what you read so far and are a read and write learner, we hope you use the strategies and tips we provided for a better learning experience. If you think your learning style may be a combination of more than one method, you can check our articles on the three other types of learning and find out what suits you best.

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Improving Student Writing through Reading Strategies

In their MLA Style Center post “Reading Is Not One Thing,” Annie Del Principe and Rachel Ihara make some excellent points about student reading behaviors. They observe that reading a text carefully while marking key passages and making notes in the margins, while once traditional, is no longer required in every class or discipline. The cursory, nonlinear reading that many students do often yields the information they are looking for, especially online. Perhaps this should not surprise us. As Del Principe and Ihara note, experienced academic readers also read selectively to see if a text merits closer attention. (In fact, I skimmed Del Principe and Ihara’s article the first time through!) The authors argue that “[t]hese strategies are not shortcuts or signs of laziness; rather, they are skillful, smart approaches appropriate to our goals and purposes and to the genres we are reading.” I agree in many instances.

Why Deep Reading Is Valuable

That said, what Nicholas Carr characterizes as deep reading is still a valuable skill (97). For one thing, good writing is unlikely without deep reading. Composition courses emphasize documentation (as readers of The MLA Style Center know), but students also learn about essay content and structure from exposure to effective models . Instructors can teach students to notice and analyze authors’ rhetorical moves and to practice applying those techniques in their own writing.

In the classroom, writing instructors may focus on fewer texts so they can spend time helping students read more actively and deeply. In my classes, I demonstrate how I approach an article, a story, or a poem by “thinking aloud” to show the mental connections I make when I read (Schoenbach et al. 101). I read a few lines of the text (a paragraph or less) out loud slowly, verbalizing the thoughts, questions, and associations that come to my mind as I read. After I model the process, students take turns verbalizing their own reading thoughts in pairs or small groups. I also show various ways to annotate or mark the text and, again, give students time to experiment. As the semester progresses, students use these reading strategies and others to connect with assigned texts both in and outside class. Our group discussions are better, and many students seem more engaged as a result.

How Reading and Writing Intersect

In more than twenty years of experience teaching composition and working in a writing center, I have seen many ways that reading intersects with writing:

  • In all disciplines, reading is an important precursor to writing on a purely informational level. Students must understand a topic before they can write coherently about it. They must do the research before they can write a research paper.
  • Students who read widely (in any genre) usually have a greater command of vocabulary and the nuances of written expression. Many readers also absorb correct grammar and punctuation subconsciously, whether or not they know the rules behind when to use a comma. The poet Jane Kenyon’s advice to “have good sentences in your ears” is often quoted for a reason (qtd. in Popova) .
  • This relationship between reading and writing is not a new concept. Reflecting on his writing process, for instance, the popular author Stephen King notes the value of ineffective models as well as inspirational ones. “One learns most clearly what not to do by reading bad prose,” he says. In contrast, “[g]ood writing . . . teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the creation of believable characters, and truth telling” (211). While fiction writing is less emphasized in academia, the principle holds true.
  • Finally, college writers need a deeper knowledge of their subject to think—and write—critically about it. Whether it be anthropology, economics, or literature, that knowledge often comes from scholarly articles and books, whether in print or online.

In our digital society, we have become accustomed to easy access to information; however, the metacognitive work of active reading is still necessary for effective writing. Google and YouTube are useful, but there are things they cannot provide.

Using Reading Strategies in the Writing Center

Learning assistance benefits from cross-pollination with reading as well. Some training and practice with reading strategies is a valuable addition to the skills of any tutor, especially in the writing center. Writing tutors focus primarily on the process of developing an essay, but they can also demonstrate and encourage reading strategies on multiple levels:  

  • The text that tutors and students look at together most frequently is the writing prompt assigned by the teacher. Tutors should model how to break the prompt into manageable parts; point out questions, key terms, and other significant features; and help tutees interpret unfamiliar vocabulary.
  • Tutors can read both writing prompts and student papers aloud and verbalize their thoughts. This gives tutees some “reader response” feedback and often helps them feel more comfortable sharing their own thoughts and questions.
  • Embedded tutors who work with students in a specific class have even more opportunity to coach students in reading skills because they are familiar with the teacher’s expectations and the assigned texts as well as the required writing.

Ultimately, tutors are ideally situated to support metacognitive development by helping students recognize, evaluate, and adapt the ways they approach both reading and writing in college courses.

Modeling Literacy Expectations

Reading—in all its variety—is a key method of accessing information and understanding concepts in every academic field and in the world at large. Students have limited experience, so college instructors who want their students to engage effectively with the course material must take responsibility for explaining and modeling the literacy expectations of their disciplines. Tutors can help, but teachers need to “make the invisible visible” by showing students the cognitive moves that seem natural to them after years of study and specialization (Schoenbach et al. 23). To quote Del Principe and Ihara again, we must “slow down our instructional pace to make space to model and enact the types of reading we think are valuable and will work best in our classes for our students.” Then we must scaffold assignments that facilitate their learning. This takes time and effort, but the results are worth it for both students and instructors.

Works Cited

Carr, Nicholas. “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology , edited by Samuel Cohen, 5th ed., Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 87–97.

Del Principe, Annie, and Rachel Ihara. “Reading Is Not One Thing.” The MLA Style Center , 27 Aug. 2019, style.mla.org/variability-of-reading-practices/.

King, Stephen. “Reading to Write.” 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology , edited by Samuel Cohen, 5th ed., Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2017, pp. 210–14.

Popova, Maria. “Poet Jane Kenyon’s Advice on Writing: Some of the Wisest Words to Create and Live By.” Brain Pickings , 15 Sept. 2015, www.brainpickings.org/2015/09/15/jane-kenyon-advice-on-writing/.

Schoenbach, Ruth, et al. Reading for Understanding: How Reading Apprenticeship Improves  Disciplinary Learning in Secondary and College Classrooms . 2nd ed., Jossey Bass, 2012.

Jamil 10 November 2021 AT 01:11 PM

Your article is excellent

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Sophy sophi 16 November 2021 AT 12:11 AM

The work is awesome...what are the reading strategies that one can adopt that can help in writing a term paper?

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Strategies for teaching metacognition in writing

writing learning strategies

Many students struggle with writing assignments — and that’s understandable. It’s a cognitively challenging activity that requires extensive effort on the part of the writer. However, there are metacognitive strategies that you can teach your students to make this process easier for them.

Students can use metacognition in writing to reap the numerous learning benefits that writing-related activities bring. Here’s why developing metacognition in writing helps students approach the writing process effectively to help them become stronger writers.

What is metacognition in writing?

Often described as “ thinking about you r own thinking ,” metacognition is about being actively aware of how you think and learn.

It involves students planning, monitoring, and evaluating their own learning and adapting their approach as needed. Students work to identify their own strengths and weaknesses in learning areas, consider the effectiveness of different task-specific approaches, and learn to use strategies to better their own learning.

Metacognition in writing asks students to look beyond the end product and to examine the processes that got them there. They think deeply about their writing, looking back to strategies that have led to successful writing and helped them get past challenges they have encountered. Moreover, students set writing goals and reflect on what they’ve learned from each piece of writing.

In fostering metacognition in writing, educators help students become more intentional and self-regulated writers.

Metacognition can help students become better writers as they are more focused on the effort and process, rather than the final grade.

Educators can provide guidance by asking students to engage in metacognitive practices before, during, and after writing. And though different writing assignments will require different approaches, students can use metacognitive strategies as a tool across subject areas and even outside the classroom.

Let’s take a look at some strategies for developing metacognition in writing with your students.

Encourage students to organize and monitor their writing

It can be overwhelming for students to simply get started with a writing assignment. Using planning strategies such as organizing ideas, activating prior knowledge, and compiling research can break a writing task down into more manageable chunks.

Similarly, teaching students to monitor their writing in progress helps them take control of the writing process, ensuring they stay aligned with their writing objectives. And the writing task doesn’t end when students hand in their assignments! Afterwards, students can engage in a critical review of their writing to assess and improve its quality while considering the strategies they use to meet the criteria for effective writing.

Guide students through their own writing with self-questioning techniques

Self-questioning is a practical tool for metacognition in writing for students to actively guide themselves through the writing task. In this strategy, students consciously question themselves about how they think, understand, and learn.

For instance, students can use self-questioning at the planning stage by asking clarifying questions aimed at understanding what the task requires. This helps them to identify strategies and feedback to apply to the task. By doing so, students also become an active participant in the learning cycle.

Make space for reflection to deepen students’ understanding of their own writing processes

writing learning strategies

What is the purpose of reflection in learning? It is closely related to metacognition, when students look back on experiences to see what went well, what could be improved, and how any lessons learned can be applied in the future. Intentionally making space for students to reflect on their learning experiences gives them a chance to think deeply about and learn from them.

Students may not, however, see the same value in reflection as their teachers do! If this is the case, making reflection a part of the assignment ensures students make the effort to use critical thinking and give an honest assessment of their process. The reflection strategies below can help integrate it quickly and effectively into the writing process.

Help students find a method of reflection that works well for them

Reflection should be dynamic and can take different forms. Students might talk together about their writing experiences in a think-pair-share format, making it a collaborative activity where they also benefit from their peers’ observations.

Students can also use a digital learning journal to keep track of the writing strategies they used, any teacher feedback they received, and the goals they set to shape their next effort. Or, students may simply jot down a few notes in the margin as they work.

Have students reflect during the writing process

Reflection isn’t confined to the end of an assignment. Students can use reflection as a valuable pre-writing strategy to ensure they tackle an assignment with a plan and a clear understanding of the question.

During writing, students can pause mid-task and use reflection-in-action to monitor and assess how effectively they’re progressing, adapting as needed in response.

At the end of a task, students can reflect on which strategies were effective (or indeed ineffective!) and how the choices they made throughout the process impacted the overall quality of their final product.

Students can also use self-questioning techniques during reflection. Here, they can prompt themselves to consider how to relate their current performance to a future learning experience, asking themselves questions such as “What didn’t work well?” and “How can I adapt my approach next time?”

Use reflection to help students acknowledge their own achievements

You can also use reflection time to acknowledge student successes and build their confidence.

For example, did they find the perfect source to support their point of view or manage to write an amazing opening sentence? How did they overcome an obstacle and what did they learn about problem solving in that particular context?

Have students set goals to make their writing development intentional

writing learning strategies

Setting writing goals is closely linked to metacognition, empowering students to take control of their own writing development. Educators should actively encourage students to set goals since we can’t assume students will independently and deliberately establish their own writing objectives. 

In this way, the somewhat abstract aim of becoming a stronger writer is broken down into tangible targets that students can achieve along the way. Goals can give students a sense of direction and purpose, acting as a benchmark for measuring progress.

Goal setting can take different forms, whether it is related to the overall objective of the assignment or targeted to more individualized areas for improvement. If a student has received feedback about their choices of sources in a Kialo discussion, for instance, they should work on closely evaluating and selecting credible sources in their next attempt. 

Students can use reflection to set goals and then evaluate how well they’ve met their intentions. A specific reflective question like “How well did you meet your initial writing objectives?” can bring focus to students’ goal-setting.

Use group work and peer-to-peer scaffolding to facilitate metacognitive processes

Writing is often a solitary activity, but group work can harness the benefits of social and collaborative learning to provide a measure of peer-to-peer scaffolding. 1 In working alongside their peers, students are required to articulate their ideas and receive input from an alternative perspective in return.

This collaborative work means that students can talk through obstacles together, offer each other advice, and share alternative resources. By prompting an explicit discussion of their thinking and learning processes, students make the effort to verbalize and adjust their thinking processes.

Try having small groups of students examine a writing assignment carefully to identify a suitable approach to it together. Students can use a Kialo discussion to collate and organize ideas, record their sources , practice integrating domain-specific vocabulary, identify gaps in their knowledge, and come to reasoned conclusions before writing an argumentative essay. 

Once students have organized their ideas, have them continue the planning process by having them outline and visualize the writing assignment as a whole. Students should be tasked to identify the main argument, the key points of paragraphs, and any language they want to use. 

Workshop writing skills to illustrate the thinking process from a teacher’s perspective

Very few writers get their wording or even content right on a first draft. Workshopping drafts can help students see writing as an iterative process where it is normal to revise and refine your work.

It can also play a role in establishing a collaborative and supportive learning environment, helping students deal with false starts and the inevitable challenges that come with writing.

Teachers can use think-alouds to demonstrate their own thinking processes, offering students insight into how an experienced writer or domain expert tackles a task. This might be to illustrate your thinking when narrowing down the main argument into a well-crafted thesis, or when evaluating a paragraph for clarity and relevance. You could also give explicit instruction in using complex sentences effectively or how signposting language can make a text more reader-friendly. 

Then, let students put your guidance into practice using writing samples you have sourced from outside the classroom. You can populate a Kialo discussion with poorly worded claims, for instance, to use as an exercise for students to tackle revising for clarity. Give small groups Editor permissions in a discussion and encourage them to comment on the claims to explain their edits.

Students can also bring a sample of their own work to practice self-assessment with the helping hand of constructive feedback from their teacher and peers, refining it in class with their help. This way, students receive tailored attention and can work on targeted areas of improvement. Added to that, having someone point out the strengths of your writing also feels pretty good!

If you’d like to try out a Kialo Edu discussion to support your budding writers but need some inspiration, we have a library of debate topics ready to go. We’d love to hear about how you foster metacognition in the writing classroom so please do get in touch at [email protected] or on any of our social media channels. 

  •  Wen, W. & Castek, J. (2023). An Examination of Peer-to-Peer Scaffolding as Metacognitive Support for Learning. IntechOpen. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.113921.

Want to try Kialo Edu with your class?

Sign up for free and use Kialo Edu to have thoughtful classroom discussions and train students’ argumentation and critical thinking skills.

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literacy strategies with a depiction of the same

1. Phonics Instruction

2. graphic organizers, 3. think-pair-share, 4. vocabulary instruction, 5. story mapping, 6. kwl charts (know, want to know, learned), 7. interactive read-alouds, 8. guided reading, 9. writing workshops, 10. literature circles.

Today, literacy is not just about learning to read and write ; it’s a crucial tool that opens doors to a world of knowledge and opportunities. It’s the foundation upon which we build our ability to communicate, understand, and interact with the world around us. It is the cornerstone that supports all other learning.

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But how do we ensure every student learns to read and write, loves the process, and excels in it? This is where literacy strategies for teachers come into play. 

In the modern classroom, literacy strategies are essential for several reasons. They help cater to diverse learning styles , engage students more effectively, and promote a deeper understanding of the material.

These strategies are vital in an era of abundant information and attention spans are challenged. They equip teachers with innovative methods to make reading and writing more interactive and meaningful. 

In this blog, we will talk about some of the best literacy strategies that can make a significant difference in your classroom!

Literacy Strategy Definition

Literacy strategies are various methods and approaches used in teaching reading and writing. These are not just standard teaching practices but innovative, interactive, and tailored techniques designed to improve literacy skills. They include activities like group discussions, interactive games , and creative writing exercises, all part of a broader set of literacy instruction strategies.

The Role of Literacy Strategies in Enhancing Reading and Writing Skills

Teaching literacy strategies enhance students’ reading and writing skills. These strategies help break down complex texts, making them more understandable and relatable for students. They encourage students to think critically about what they read and express their thoughts clearly in writing. Teachers can use literacy strategies to address different learning styles, helping students find their path to literacy success.

15 Best Literacy Strategies for Teachers

Phonics Instruction is fundamental in building foundational reading skills , especially for young learners. This method teaches students the relationships between letters and sounds , helping them decode words. Through phonics, students learn to sound out words, which is crucial for reading fluency and comprehension. Phonics Instruction can be fun and interactive with games, songs, and puzzles , making it an enjoyable learning experience for students.

You can begin here:

Card Image

Graphic organizers are powerful visual tools that aid in better comprehension and organization of information. As part of literacy practices examples, they help students visually map out ideas and relationships between concepts. This can include charts, diagrams, or concept maps. Using graphic organizers, teachers can help students structure their thoughts, making complex ideas more accessible and understandable. It’s an effective way to break down reading materials or organize writing drafts visually.

Think Pair Share worksheet

Think-Pair-Share is an essential literacy strategy that fosters collaborative learning. In this activity, students first think about a question or topic individually, then pair up with a classmate to discuss their thoughts, and finally share their ideas with the larger group. This strategy encourages active participation and communication, allowing students to learn from each other. It’s a simple yet powerful way to engage students in critical thinking and discussion.

Vocabulary Instruction is crucial in expanding language comprehension. This strategy involves teaching students new words and phrases in terms of their definitions, context, and usage. Effective vocabulary instruction can include word mapping , sentence creation , and word games. By enriching students’ vocabulary , teachers equip them with the tools to understand and articulate ideas more effectively, enhancing their overall literacy.

Card Image

Story Mapping is a technique where students break down the narrative elements of a story, such as characters, setting, plot, and conflict. This strategy helps in enhancing comprehension and analytical skills. By visually organizing the elements of a story, students can better understand the structure and themes of the text. It’s an engaging way to dissect stories and can be done individually or as a group activity .

A KWL chart

KWL Charts are an effective tool for structuring learning objectives. This strategy involves creating a chart with three columns: What students already Know, What they Want to know, and What they have Learned. This approach helps activate prior knowledge, set learning goals , and reflect on new information. It’s a great way to engage students in the learning process from start to finish, making them active participants in their education. KWL Charts can be used across various subjects, making them versatile and essential in the classroom.

Kids in a classroom

Interactive read-alouds are a cornerstone among literacy instructional strategies. In this activity, the teacher reads a story aloud, using expressive tones and gestures to bring the story to life. This method engages students in dynamic storytelling , sparking their imagination and interest. It’s an essential literacy strategy that enhances listening skills, vocabulary, and comprehension. Teachers can pause to ask questions, encouraging students to think and predict, making it an interactive and inclusive learning experience.

kids in guided reading session

Guided Reading is a tailored approach that addresses the diverse reading levels within a classroom. In this strategy, teachers work with small groups of students, providing focused reading instruction at their specific level of development. This allows for more personalized attention and support, helping students progress at their own pace. Guided Reading improves reading skills and boosts confidence as students feel more capable and supported in their learning journey.

Kids in a writing workshop

Writing Workshops are a dynamic way to foster creative expression among students. These workshops provide a platform for students to write , share, and receive feedback on their work. It’s an interactive process where students learn to develop their writing style, voice, and technique. Writing Workshops encourage creativity, critical thinking, and peer collaboration, making them a vital part of literacy development.

Depiction of collaborative learning

Literature Circles are a collaborative and student-centered approach to reading and discussing books. In these circles, small groups of students choose and read a book together, then meet to discuss it, often taking on different roles like discussion leader or summarizer. This strategy promotes discussion, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of literature. It’s an engaging way for students to explore texts and share their perspectives, enhancing their analytical and communication skills.

11. Scaffolding

Scaffolding technique

Scaffolding is a teaching method that provides students with step-by-step guidance to help them better understand new concepts. This approach breaks down learning into manageable chunks, gradually moving students towards stronger comprehension and greater independence. Scaffolding can include techniques like asking leading questions, providing examples, or offering partial solutions. It’s especially effective in building confidence and skill in students, as they feel supported throughout their learning journey.

12. Word Walls

A word board

Word Walls are a visual and interactive way to display vocabulary in the classroom . As one of the essential literacy strategy examples, they help students learn new words and reinforce their spelling and meaning. Teachers can add words related to current lessons or themes, encouraging students to use and explore these words in their writing and speaking. Word Walls are educational and serve as a reference tool that students can continually interact with.

13. Reader’s Theater

Kids in a readers theatre

Reader’s Theater is an engaging literacy activity that combines reading and performance. In this strategy, students read scripts aloud, focusing on expression rather than memorization or props. This method helps improve reading fluency, comprehension, and confidence as students practice reading with emotion and emphasis. Reader’s Theater is also a fun way to bring literature to life and encourage a love for reading and storytelling.

14. Dramatization of Text

Kids dramatizing text

Dramatization of Text involves bringing stories and texts to life through acting and role-play. This strategy allows students to interpret and enact narratives, deepening their understanding of the characters, plot, and themes. It’s an interactive way to engage students with literature, encouraging them to explore texts creatively and collaboratively. Dramatization can enhance comprehension, empathy, and public speaking skills.

15. Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry based learning wallpaper

Inquiry-Based Learning is a student-centered approach that promotes curiosity-driven research and exploration. In this method, learning starts with questions, problems, or scenarios, rather than simply presenting facts. Students are encouraged to investigate topics, ask questions , and discover answers through research and discussion. This strategy fosters critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a love for learning .

In conclusion, these literacy strategies for teachers offer a diverse and dynamic toolkit for teachers to enhance reading, writing, and comprehension skills in their classrooms. By incorporating these methods, educators can create a more engaging, inclusive, and effective learning environment , paving the way for students to become confident and proficient learners.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the key benefits of using literacy strategies in the classroom.

Literacy strategies enhance classroom engagement, improve comprehension, and foster critical thinking skills. They make learning more interactive and meaningful, helping students to connect with the material more deeply.

How can teachers effectively integrate literacy strategies into existing curricula?

Teachers can integrate literacy strategies by aligning them with current lesson objectives, using them as complementary tools for existing content. Start small, incorporating strategies gradually, and tailor them to fit the lesson’s context.

Are these literacy strategies suitable for all age groups?

Yes, these strategies can be adapted for different age groups and learning levels. The key is to modify the complexity and delivery of the strategy to suit the developmental stage and abilities of the students.

How do digital literacy strategies for teachers differ from traditional ones?

Digital literacy strategies incorporate technology, focusing on skills like navigating online information, digital communication, and critical evaluation of online content, which are essential in the digital age.

Can literacy strategies be used in subjects other than language arts?

Absolutely, literacy strategies can be applied cross-curricularly. For example, graphic organizers can be used in science for hypothesis mapping, or story mapping can be used in history to outline events.

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IMAGES

  1. 8 Smart Strategies for Teaching Writing

    writing learning strategies

  2. What are Writing Skills?

    writing learning strategies

  3. 8 Smart Strategies for Teaching Writing

    writing learning strategies

  4. Writing

    writing learning strategies

  5. Students benefit from learning about many writing types

    writing learning strategies

  6. Effective Strategies for Teaching Writing to Struggling Readers

    writing learning strategies

COMMENTS

  1. Four Strategies for Effective Writing Instruction

    Four Strategies for Effective Writing Instruction By Larry Ferlazzo — June 19, 2021 10 min read iStock/Getty Larry Ferlazzo Follow Opinion Contributor , Education Week Larry Ferlazzo is an...

  2. A Guide to Effective Writing Instruction

    Effects of goal setting and strategy use on the writing performance and self-efficacy of students with writing and learning problems. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 230-240. Purcell-Gates, V., Duke, N. K., & Martineau, J. A (2007). Learning to read and write genre-specific texts: Roles of authentic experience and explicit teaching.

  3. 8 Smart Strategies for Teaching Writing

    Demonstrate Cooking shows are popular because it's easy to watch how a good cook puts together a recipe and then do the same yourself. Writing demonstrations are similar. One method for teaching writing is writing demonstrations.

  4. 15 Writing Strategies And Examples

    1. Start with a strong hook. Your first sentence should hook your reader and make them curious enough to read the second sentence, which should lead them irresistibly to the third, and so on. That first sentence should grab hold of their interest and get them thinking, "I need to know what will come next."

  5. Teaching Writing

    Teaching Writing This strategy guide series identifies, defines, and provides examples of effective writing strategies and offers a list of resources related to each strategy. Email Share Print this resource Strategy Guides in this series Grades Grades K - 5 | Strategy Guide Persuasive Writing

  6. Changing How Writing Is Taught

    Writers use this versatile skill to learn new ideas, persuade others, record information, create imaginary worlds, express feelings, entertain others, heal psychological wounds, chronicle experiences, and explore the meaning of events and situations ( Graham, 2018a ).

  7. Efficient Ways to Improve Student Writing

    Finding a focus and a thesis Composing a draft Getting feedback and comments from others Revising the draft by expanding ideas, clarifying meaning, reorganizing Editing Presenting the finished work to readers Explain that writing is hard work. Share with your class your own struggles in grappling with difficult topics.

  8. Reading and Writing for Understanding

    By Sarah O'Brien Mackey Secondary school students can benefit enormously when teachers of all subjects integrate reading and writing strategies into their instruction, according to Harvard Graduate School of Education Lecturer Vicki Jacobs.

  9. Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers

    Recommendation 1: Provide daily time for students to write Level of evidence: Minimal Providing adequate time for students to write is one essential element of an effective writing instruction program. However, recent surveys of elementary teachers indicate that students spend little time writing during the school day.

  10. Why Students Should Write in All Subjects

    Why Students Should Write in All Subjects. Writing improves learning by consolidating information in long-term memory, researchers explain. Plus, five engaging writing activities to use in all subjects. For Kyle Pahigian, a 10th-grade math teacher at University Park Campus School in Massachusetts, a lesson on congruent triangles doesn't start ...

  11. Effective strategies for the teaching and learning of writing

    Within this variety of activities we think one can distinguish three complementary approaches to teaching writing: (i) developing the ability to direct writing towards communicative goals; (ii) developing the ability to coordinate and manage the different processes which make up writing; (iii) developing an understanding of the social context wi...

  12. Writing-based Strategies for Learning

    Dr. Ginger Shultz led a discussion of how writing can support student learning in STEM, providing strategies and tools to make writing-to-learn feasible, even in large introductory courses. Guest Speaker Dr. Ginger Shultz Assistant Professor, Chemistry, University of Michigan

  13. Self-Regulated Learning Strategies in Writing

    Composing processes require not only writing knowledge and behaviour regulation, but also the deployment of strategies under the influence of a variety of factors (Graham & Harris, 2005).Hammann has elucidated that SRL strategies are helpful to "support learning and cognitive development, assess knowledge acquisition, and stimulate creativity" in the writing process (p. 17).

  14. What is Writing to Learn?

    Because writing-to-learn activities are crucial to many WAC programs (because they best meet teaching goals through writing), this guide presents a great deal of information on writing to learn (WTL), including a detailed rationale, examples, and logistical tips. A Fuller Definition of Writing to Learn

  15. In-Class Writing Prompts

    Developing prompts asking students to submit a written response before the start of class can allow students to do a warm-up exercise and preview the upcoming course content. The pre-class writing prompts can be designed to spark students' interest, activate prior knowledge, and encourage them to predict what they will learn in class.

  16. PDF Strategies for Teaching Writing

    A growth chart documents student accomplishments. The teacher responds through written comments to encourage a desire to continue. The teacher assesses understanding of the activi-ties completed independently by the students. The teacher checks to see that prewriting ideas are incorporated in the writing.

  17. 12 Writing-to-Learn Activities

    Bookmark 12 Writing-to-Learn Activities No matter what subject you teach, writing can empower learning. And yet, fitting time-intensive writing assignments into your crowded curriculum may not seem feasible. Here's some good news.

  18. 17 Learning Strategies to Implement In Your Classroom

    Learning strategies help you better engage students in active learning by using a variety of activities such as reading, writing, discussion or problem-solving. Easy to execute, these activities promote analysis, synthesis, and the evaluation of class content.

  19. How to Help Students With Their Writing. 4 Educators Share Their

    Long ago, at a local elementary school, in a workshop for teachers, I watched Don Graves list on the chalkboard subjects he was considering writing about. He read over his list and chose one. From ...

  20. The Importance of Writing Strategies for Effective Writing

    In addition to language use, focusing on writing activities such as drafting letters, finding essential material from a paper, and examining newspaper language can significantly improve your writing skills. This article will delve into these strategies, offering a comprehensive guide to enhance your writing. Contents show

  21. Read and Write Learners: Techniques & Tips

    Mind-mapping Highlighting and annotating Using symbols and abbreviations Tips For Read And Write Learners Different people have different learning styles that refer to how they prefer to have information presented to them.

  22. PDF Writing to Learn

    WRITING TO LEARN is a strategy that helps students think deeply about a text by activating background knowledge about a text, recording thinking while reading a ... proximal development for writing. Learning Disabilities Practices, 6(4), 251-256. Fitzgerald, J., & Shanahan, T. (2000). Reading and writing relations and their

  23. Improving Student Writing through Reading Strategies

    Using Reading Strategies in the Writing Center. Learning assistance benefits from cross-pollination with reading as well. Some training and practice with reading strategies is a valuable addition to the skills of any tutor, especially in the writing center. Writing tutors focus primarily on the process of developing an essay, but they can also ...

  24. Helping Students Who Struggle to Write: Classroom Compensations

    In the Classroom. Browse our library of evidence-based teaching strategies, learn more about using classroom texts, find out what whole-child literacy instruction looks like, and dive deeper into comprehension, content area literacy, writing, and social-emotional learning.

  25. PDF The Effects of Writing Strategy Instruction on EFL Learners ...

    and thinking processes, in which language learning strategies play a crucial role. Therefore, in the teaching of EFL writing, there is an urgent need for teachers to explore students' learning processes, and teaching writing ... Studies on writing strategy instruction have received greater attention and these empirical studies have indicated

  26. Strategies for teaching metacognition in writing

    However, there are metacognitive strategies that you can teach your students to make this process easier for them. Students can use metacognition in writing to reap the numerous learning benefits that writing-related activities bring. Here's why developing metacognition in writing helps students approach the writing process effectively to ...

  27. 15 Best Literacy Strategies for Teachers to Use in Classroom

    The Role of Literacy Strategies in Enhancing Reading and Writing Skills. Teaching literacy strategies enhance students' reading and writing skills. These strategies help break down complex texts, making them more understandable and relatable for students. ... Related Reading: Best Active Learning Strategies for Kids in the Classroom 4 ...