Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively

About this practice guide

The Education Sciences publishes practice guides to provide educators with the best available evidence and understanding on present-day challenges in education. The What Works Clearinghouse develops practice publications together with a professional panel, combining the panel’s expertise with the findings of present rigorous research to produce particular recommendations for addressing these challenges. The What Works Clearinghouse and the panel rate the electricity of the research proof supporting each of their pointers. See Appendix A for a full description of practice courses and Appendix D for a full list of the research used to guide the proof rating for each recommendation.

The intention of this practice guide is to offer educators specific, proof-based totally recommendations that deal with the challenges of coaching students in grades 6–12 to write effectively. This guide synthesizes the pleasant publicly available research and shares practices which might be supported through evidence. It is supposed to be realistic and smooth for instructors to use.

The guide includes many examples in each recommendation to demonstrate the concepts dis-cussed. Throughout the guide, examples, definitions, and other principles supported by way of evidence are indicated via endnotes within the example name or content. For examples which can be supported by research that meet What Works Clearinghouse layout requirements, the citation ultimately note is bolded. Examples without precise citations have been developed together with the professional panel primarily based on their experience, expertise, and expertise of the associated literature.

How to use this guide.

This guide provides secondary teachers in all disciplines and administrators with instructional hints that can be carried out at the side of present requirements or curricula. The manual does no longer recommend a particular curriculum. Teachers can use the manual when planning instruction to help the improvement of writing competencies among college students in grades 6–12 in diverse contexts. The panel believes that the three hints supplement one another and can be implemented simultaneously. The tips permit teachers the ability to tailor instruction to meet the desires of their lecture rooms and college students, inclusive of adapting the practices for use with college students with disabilities and English learners. While the guide uses particular examples to demonstrate the suggestions and steps, there are a wide range of activities, teachers could use to put in force the encouraged practices.

Professional development providers, program builders, and researchers also can use this guide. Professional development companies can use the guide to enforce proof-primarily based preparation and align preparation with state standards or to prompt instructor dialogue in professional gaining knowledge of communities. Program developers can use the guide to create more powerful writing curricula and interventions. Researchers may additionally find opportunities to check the effectiveness of numerous processes and explore gaps or variations in the writing guidance literature.