Writing Through The Year

A Research Based Approach

Logic Model

Logic models are tools educators use to plan or monitor programs. They list the major components, activities, outputs and outcomes.

Resources

Core Lesson Plans

Editable daily lesson plans
Mentor text lists
Teacher model writing suggestions
Student writing pages
Writing strategy anchor charts
Organizational suggestions

Assessments

Unit specific student friendly rubrics
Student goal setting chart

Activities

Whole Group Instruction

Teachers teach writing skills through explicit, direct instruction and modeled lessons
Students analyze writing genres
Students generate their own ideas for writing

Independent Writing

Writing and sentence work is applied authentically
Teachers confer with students and individualize student writing goals
Students participate in peer-to-peer feedback to improve writing skills

Outputs

Teachers pre-assess students to track data
Teachers save planning time with the provided explicit writing lessons
Teachers modify lessons to meet the needs of their students
Students apply new writing skills daily
Student work on increasing their stamina for writing
Students participate in each stage of the writing process
Students learn to apply grade level writing conventions in the context of their own writing
Students learn to apply grade level sentence syntax in their own writing
Students learn to give and receive feedback
Students edit and revise their writing

Outcomes

Teachers cultivate self-assurance in writing instruction
Teachers observe improved student writing engagement
Administrators and parents observe greater gains in student writing proficiency
Students increase their writing skills across other content areas
Students show improved conventions and syntax skills

Writing Through the Year is a research-based writing approach that provides a comprehensive guide for teaching writing. This includes clear and concise daily writing lessons, differentiation opportunities, assessments, and more.

Like the science of reading, the science of writing offers evidence-based recommendations for teaching writing effectively. Drawing upon 22 antecedent meta-analyses, this meta-analysis captured proven techniques for informative writing instruction (Graham 2018). Writing Through the Years incorporates these techniques in concise and systematic daily lesson plans.

Research states that students' writing skills significantly improve through targeted direct and explicit instruction. Daily lessons are taught using modeled writing and the use of mentor texts. Students then practice applying these lesson strategies to their own writing work. “As students write, they learn by doing. They try out different forms of writing, apply different strategies and approaches for producing texts, and gain fluency with basic writing skills such as handwriting, spelling, and sentence construction.” (International Literacy Association 2020)

Students draw upon the phonics skills they know and the skills they are acquiring. Through supportive feedback students participate in the highly analytical process of integrating their knowledge of phonological and orthographic representations. By using a combination of the alphabetic principal and invented spelling, students experience higher academic outcomes in both reading and writing (Ouellette and Sénéchal 2016)

Teaching students the procedures of planning, drafting, revising, and governing the writing process, supported by clear and explicit writing goals, aiding in the gathering and organizing of viable writing content, and stimulating collaborative writing practices among peer groups further improves students' writing.

Providing instruction on sentence crafting, the expansion of writing-focused vocabulary, genre studies, and spelling strategies invariably leads to an elevation in writing quality. Such instruction supports students in the proficient articulation of ideas into sentences and the effective translation of sentences into written compositions. It is also evident that a student's writing skill improves when they spend more time writing. (Hochman and Wexler 2017, 34)

Direct and Explicit Instruction

The body of research points to the effectiveness of both modeling and direct instructional methods in fostering improved writing competencies among primary school students. Substantial improvement in text quality was evident shortly after the teaching intervention.

Writing is taught through the gradual release of responsibility model. This framework, sometimes referred to as “I do it, we do it, you do it” model of instruction (Pearson & Gallagher, 1983) employes explicit instruction. Lessons are constructed for a direct and systematic approach that includes teacher modeling and thinking aloud as each a new writing skill strategy or technique is taught Graham et al., 2012).

Students then engage in applying these new skills to their own writing which the teacher provides reflective feedback.

Lesson Simplicity

Writing Through the Years provides clear and understandable lesson materials that are essential for effective teaching and learning outcomes. Each lesson supports both the teacher and the students as they engage in the writing instructional time.

Student Feedback and Reflection

The act of providing feedback is essential to the revision phase of the writing process. "Writing Through the Years" outlines a variety of approaches to include feedback from both peers and educators. It is through writing conferences that teachers incorporate these approaches, ensuring that their feedback adheres to the fundamental aim of refining the individual’s writing skills and ensuring their ongoing development as writers. (Graham & MacArthur 2007)

References:

Graham, S., Bollinger, A., Booth O.,C., MacArthur, C., McCutchen, D., & Olinghouse, N., (2012) Teaching elementary students to be effective writers: A practical guide (NCEE 2012-4058). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

Graham, S., & Harris, K.R., (2018) Evidence-based writing practices: A meta-analysis of existing meta-analysis In R. Fidalgo, K.R. Harris, & M. Braaksma (Eds.) Design principles for teaching effective writing: Theoretical and empirical grounded principles (pp.13-37). Boston, MA:

Graham, S., MacArthur, C. A., & Fitzgerald, J. (Eds.). (2007). Best practices in writing instruction. NY: Guilford Press.

Hochman, Judith, and Natalie Wexler, 2017 :One Sentence at a Time: The Need for Explicit Instruction in Teaching Students to Write Well.” American Educator 21 (2):30

International Literacy Association. 2020. Teaching Writing to Improve Reading Skills [Research Advisory]. Newark, DE: International Literacy Association.

Kim, Y.-S. G., & Schatschneider, C. (2017). Expanding the developmental models of writing: A direct and indirect effects model of developmental writing (DIEW). Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(1), 35–50.

Ouellette, G., & Sénéchal, M. (2017). Invented spelling in kindergarten as a predictor of reading and spelling in Grade 1: A new pathway to literacy, or just the same road, less known? Developmental Psychology, 53(1), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000179

Pearson, P.E., & Gallagher, M.C. (1983). The instruction of reading comprehension. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8, 317-344