Synopses & Reviews
Whether they have learning disabilities or just need extra help, struggling writers can improve their skills dramatically if they get the detailed, explicit instruction they need. This practical guidebook shows elementary school teachers how to make this systematic instruction part of their classroom. Educators will find a wide range of specific strategies that include
- activities for every phase of the writing process, from brainstorming and goal-setting to revising
- proof of effectiveness with students who have learning disabilities (field-testing data included)
- guidelines on how to teach the strategies and use them across grades
- easy-to-learn formats for students, such as mnemonic devices and short step-by-step action plans
- exercises specially tailored for different types of writing, including stories, explanations, persuasive essays, reports, and comparisons
- everything teachers need — no additional materials necessary
Photocopiable student worksheets give teachers ready-to-use writing activities, and before-and-after examples of student writing demonstrate how the strategies work. With these practical, scientifically validated ideas and exercises, teachers will help struggling students develop a toolbox of skills to improve their classwork and change the way they feel about writing.
Synopsis
This practical guidebook gives elementary school teachers explicit instructions on how students with learning disabilities can dramatically improve their writing skills.
About the Author
Steve Graham, Ph.D., is Professor and the Currey-Ingram Chair in Special Education at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. He is the current editor of Exceptional Children and the past editor of Contemporary Educational Psychology. He is the co-author of the Handbook of Learning Disabilities; Making the Writing Process Work: Strategies for Composition and Self-Regulation; Teaching Every Child Every Day: Learning in Diverse Schools and Classrooms; Teaching Every Adolescent Every Day; Spell It-Write (a spelling program for children in grades K through 9); and the upcoming Handbook of Writing Research. Dr. Graham's research has focused mainly on identifying the factors that contribute to the development of writing difficulties; the development and validation of effective procedures for teaching planning, revising, and the mechanics of writings to struggling writers; and the use of technology to enhance writing performance and development.
Karen Harris, Ed.D., is Professor and the Currey-Ingram Chair in Special Education at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. She has taught kindergarten and fourth-grade students, as well as elementary and secondary students with disabilities. She is co-author, with Steve Graham, of the books Making the Writing Process Work: Strategies for Composition and Self-Regulation; Teaching Every Child Every Day: Learning in Diverse Schools and Classrooms; Handbook of Learning Disabilities; and the curriculum Spell It-Write. Dr. Harris is the editor of the Journal of Educational Psychology. Her research is focused on theoretical and intervention issues in the development of academic and self-regulation strategies among students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, and other challenges.
Table of Contents
Section I. Introduction: The Power of Writing- Writing Uphill: Why Strategy Instruction Is Important
- Writing Is a Dog's Life: A Guide to Writing Difficulties
Section II. Strategies for Teaching Planning, Writing, and Revising- How to Teach Writing Strategies
Section III. Writing Strategies that Can Be Applied Broadly- PLEASE: A Paragraph-Writing Strategy
- PLANS: A Goal-Setting Strategy
- STOP and LIST: Goal Setting, Brainstorming, and Organizing
- The Peer Revising Strategy
- The CDO Revising Strategy
- Summarizing Written Text
Section IV. Writing Strategies That Are Genre Specific- Story Writing
- Persuasive Writing
- Writing Explanations
- Writing a Comparison/Contrast Paper
- Report Writing
Section V. Strategies for Self-Regulating and the Writing Process- Self-Monitoring
- Goal Setting
Section VI. Making It Work- Guidelines for Implementing Writing Strategy Instruction
References
Appendix: Sources for Quotes and Anecdotes
Index