Untangling Some Knots in K-8 Writing Instruction - Softcover

Much of the professional and academic literature on teaching writing addresses the interplay between process and product and the need to respect the contributions of individual writers’ processes to the creation of their written products. Although educators have benefited from this literature, what happens in classrooms often falls short of the successes described in these resources. Classroom teachers often are left to work through difficult issues that interfere with students’ development as writers.

Untangling Some Knots in K–8 Writing Instruction brings together the perspectives of teachers, administrators, consultants, and researchers on teaching writing to create a bridge between theory and practice. The 11 chapters are organized into three sections that tackle some persistent knots of writing instruction and assessment:

Students’ and Teachers’ Learning Processes addresses issues that have been significant to teachers since the first resources on writing instruction began appearing. The chapters in this section present new twists concerning the process approach to writing, such as the observation of beginning writers’ conceptions of print, contributions of students’ interaction on writing development, and changes in teaching philosophy.

Diversity and Teaching Writing highlights the knots that occur when teaching ELL and ESL students and when examining the gender disparity in students’ success as writers.

Teaching Writing Using Multimedia and the Arts examines issues that are becoming increasingly important to teachers in today’s classrooms and explores the knots in using technology, drama, and poetry to teach writing.

Untangling Some Knots in K–8 Writing Instruction will guide you through difficult writing issues and help you teach writing more successfully.