Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively, developed by the National Centre for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance at the Institute of Educational Sciences, is a practical guide for educators working with students between grades 6 and 12. The guide was compiled by an expert panel, with the goal of offering educators specific, evidence-based recommendations to address the challenges of teaching students to write effectively.
The panel provides three core recommendations to support the development of effective writing skills:
Recommendation 1
a. Explicitly teach appropriate writing strategies
b. Use a Model-Practice-Reflect instructional cycle to teach writing strategies
Recommendation 2
Integrate writing and reading to emphasize key writing features
Recommendation 3
Use assessments of student writing to inform instruction
To support the implementation of the recommendations, the guide offers numerous examples of strategies, writing prompts, and sample exercises, across multiple disciplines. These interventions, which can be implemented in conjunction with particular curriculum requirements, are intended to support the development of writing skills across diverse contexts, including science and math. The guide incorporates the use of graphic organizers, guiding questions, mnemonic devices and heuristics, diagrams, and modelling activities that have been proven effective in improving the writing skills of students with learning disabilities (LDs).
Click here to access a pdf version of Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively
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