Instruction and Assessment for Struggling Writers


Book Description

This unique book focuses on how to provide effective instruction to K-12 students who find writing challenging, including English language learners and those with learning disabilities or language impairments. Prominent experts illuminate the nature of writing difficulties and offer practical suggestions for building students' skills at the word, sentence, and text levels. Topics include writing workshop instruction; strategies to support the writing process, motivation, and self-regulation; composing in the content areas; classroom technologies; spelling instruction for diverse learners; and assessment approaches. Every chapter is grounded in research and geared to the real-world needs of inservice and preservice teachers in general and special education settings.




Writing Assessment and Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities


Book Description

A hands-on guide for anyone who teaches writing to students with learning disabilities This valuable resource helps teachers who want to sharpen their skills in analyzing and teaching writing to students with learning disabilities. The classroom-tested, research-proven strategies offered in this book work with all struggling students who have difficulties with writing-even those who have not been classified as learning disabled. The book offers a review of basic skills-spelling, punctuation, and capitalization-and includes instructional strategies to help children who struggle with these basics. The authors provide numerous approaches for enhancing student performance in written expression. They explore the most common reasons students are reluctant to write and offer helpful suggestions for motivating them. Includes a much-needed guide for teaching and assessing writing skills with children with learning disabilities Contains strategies for working with all students that struggle with writing Offers classroom-tested strategies, helpful information, 100+ writing samples with guidelines for analysis, and handy progress-monitoring charts Includes ideas for motivating reluctant writers Mather is an expert in the field of learning disabilities and is the best-selling author of Essentials of Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement Assessment




Writing Instruction and Assessment for English Language Learners K-8


Book Description

Many English language learners (ELLs) require extra support to become successful writers. This book helps teachers understand the unique needs of ELLs and promote their achievement by adapting the effective instructional methods they already know. Engaging and accessible, the book features standards-based lesson planning ideas, examples of student work, and 15 reproducible worksheets, rubrics, and other useful materials. It describes ways to combine instruction in core skills with ample opportunities to write and revise in different genres. Invaluable guidance is provided for assessing ELLs' writing development at different grade levels and language proficiency levels. This book will be valuable for teachers in general education and ESL classrooms; literacy specialists and coaches; graduate students in literacy and ESL programs. It will also serve as a text in graduate-level courses such as Writing Instruction, Teaching English Language Learners, and Teaching English as a Second Language.




Best Practices in Writing Instruction


Book Description

Highly practical and accessible, this indispensable book provides clear-cut strategies for improving K-12 writing instruction. The contributors are leading authorities who demonstrate proven ways to teach different aspects of writing, with chapters on planning, revision, sentence construction, handwriting, spelling, and motivation. The use of the Internet in instruction is addressed, and exemplary approaches to teaching English-language learners and students with special needs are discussed. The book also offers best-practice guidelines for designing an effective writing program. Focusing on everyday applications of current scientific research, the book features many illustrative case examples and vignettes.




A Classroom Teacher's Guide to Struggling Writers


Book Description

If you are an elementary teacher who struggles with struggling readers, Curt Dudley-Marling and Patricia Paugh provide you with quick, effective answers to your toughest questions.




Teaching Writing


Book Description

"Writing allows each of us to live with that special wide-awakeness that comes from knowing that our lives and our ideas are worth writing about." -Lucy Calkins Teaching Writing is Lucy Calkins at her best-a distillation of the work that's placed Lucy and her colleagues at the forefront of the teaching of writing for over thirty years. This book promises to inspire teachers to teach with renewed passion and power and to invigorate the entire school day. This is a book for readers who want an introduction to the writing workshop, and for those who've lived and breathed this work for decades. Although Lucy addresses the familiar topics-the writing process, conferring, kinds of writing, and writing assessment- she helps us see those topics with new eyes. She clears away the debris to show us the teeny details, and she shows us the majesty and meaning, too, in these simple yet powerful teaching acts. Download a sample chapter for more information.




Struggling Readers


Book Description

This practical book focuses on three distinct types of struggling readers that teachers will instantly recognize from their own classrooms--the Catch-On Reader, the Catch-Up Reader, and the Stalled Reader. Detailed case studies bring to life the specific problems these students are likely to face and illustrate research-based instructional strategies that can help get learning back on track. The book also illuminates the causes and consequences of literacy difficulties, giving K-6 teachers a better understanding of how to meet the needs of each child. A comprehensive appendix provides dozens of informal assessment devices, ready to photocopy and use. Other user-friendly features include annotated bibliographies of key research, descriptions of commercial materials and curricula designed for each type of learner, and information on technology resources. Photocopy Rights: The Publisher grants individual book purchasers nonassignable permission to reproduce selected materials in this book for professional use. For details and limitations, see copyright page. Key Features: * Struggling readers are a major focus of current teaching and legislation. * Extended case studies provide realistic instructional examples. * Research base evident throughout. * Covers the causes and consequences of reading difficulties as well as how to help.




A Classroom Teacher's Guide to Struggling Readers


Book Description

Plus A Classroom Teacher's Guide to Struggling Readers has a complete discussion on how to help students even when you are locked into a basal program."--Jacket.




Conferring with Young Writers


Book Description

If you've ever sat down to confer with a child and felt at a loss for what to say or how to help move him or her forward as a writer, this book is for you. If you are a strong teacher of writing but are not seeing results from your students, this book is for you. Authors Kristin Ackerman and Jennifer McDonough have been teaching writing for several years and know that conferring can be a murky and messy process--perhaps the hardest component of all. Written from the lessons they've learned through hard-won classroom experience--their mistakes and challenges--Conferring with Young Writers is based on what Kristin and Jen call the "three Fs" frequency, focus, and follow-up. They've created a classroom management system that offers routine and structure for giving the most effective feedback in a writing conference. This book will help writing teachers--and students--learn to break down and utilize the qualities that enable good writing: elaboration, voice, structure, conventions, and focus. The authors also provide the knowledge and skills it takes to confer well, which will help you improve as a writing teacher and give your students the confidence to think of themselves as writers.