[Listen Again] The Writing Revolution with Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler
Jan 17, 2025
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Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler, co-authors of 'The Writing Revolution,' share insights into their innovative approach to writing education. They emphasize the importance of starting instruction at the sentence level and integrating writing across all subjects. The conversation covers effective strategies like using sentence starters, the role of planning and revising, and how grammar should be taught contextually. Hochman and Wexler reveal how these techniques can significantly enhance comprehension and retention, transforming students into confident writers.
The Writing Revolution emphasizes starting writing instruction at the sentence level to gradually build students' skills and confidence.
Embedding rich content in writing tasks not only develops students' writing abilities but also enhances their understanding of the curriculum material.
Deep dives
The Writing Revolution Approach
The Writing Revolution is an effective method for teaching writing that begins at the sentence level, allowing students to build skills gradually without feeling overwhelmed. It is designed to be adaptable to various curriculum content, making it applicable across different subjects and grade levels. This flexibility allows teachers to integrate writing instruction into their existing lessons, reinforcing writing as a valuable learning tool rather than an isolated skill. By focusing on sentence structure and the essential components of writing, educators can help students gain confidence and competence in their writing abilities.
Importance of Contextual Learning
Writing skills are context-dependent, meaning students often struggle to transfer their writing abilities across different subjects if they have only practiced writing in narrow contexts. When students engage in writing assignments about topics that lack depth or relevance, such as arguing for chocolate milk in schools, they miss valuable opportunities to deepen their knowledge in more meaningful subjects. Effective writing instruction involves ensuring that students are writing about rich content, which helps build both their writing skills and their understanding of the material. By embedding writing tasks within the broader curriculum, students develop critical thinking and writing skills that are integrated into their overall learning.
Emphasis on Sentence-Level Skills
Sentence-level work is crucial for students of all ages, enabling them to construct well-formed sentences as the foundation of effective writing. Strategies like using conjunctions such as 'because,' 'but,' and 'so' not only enhance sentence complexity but also engage students in critical analysis of their content. By scaffolding these sentence-level strategies, students are better equipped to write more extensive and sophisticated texts in the future. The method further emphasizes the interconnectivity between writing skills and reading comprehension, highlighting that understanding complex syntax while writing directly influences reading ability.
Revising as a Critical Process
Revision plays a vital role in the writing process, as it transforms a first draft into a polished piece by improving flow, coherence, and sophistication. Students learn to revise by using sentence-level strategies to enhance the richness of their writing, focusing on connecting ideas and varying sentence structure. The method encourages separating revising from editing, allowing students to concentrate on content and style before addressing grammar and punctuation. This structured approach to revising not only empowers students to improve their writing but also enables teachers to provide more meaningful and targeted feedback.
The Writing Revolution authors, Judith Hochman and Natalie Wexler, share a 'revolutionary' approach to writing. The best part: It begins at the sentence level AND content knowledge drives the rigor. Moreover, there is an overlap in reading, writing, and critical thinking.
What are the principles of The Writing Revolution? There are six:
Students need explicit instruction in writing, beginning in the early elementary grades.
Sentences are the building blocks of all writing.
When embedded in the content of the curriculum, writing instruction is a powerful teaching tool.
The content of the curriculum drives the rigor of the writing activities.
Grammar is best taught in the context of student writing.
The two most important phases of the writing process are planning and revising.