Ep. 2: How to Evaluate the Writing Component of an ELA Curriculum

Thank you for listening! If you need help evaluating your current writing materials, please contact me.

April Smith is the author of the book Simplify Your Writing Instruction: A Framework For a Student-Centered Writing Block. You can find her on socials at the links below. Find her free writing training at https://www.simplifywriting.com/training

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/april-smith-ed
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilsmithliteracy
• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aprilsmith

Articles & Research

Graham, Steve. 2019. “Changing How Writing Is Taught.” Review of Research in Education 43 (1): 277–303. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732x18821125.

Summary: To be successful in various aspects of life, students must learn to write, which requires adequate practice and instruction. Many schools fail to achieve this, as numerous students lack essential writing skills. This chapter identifies factors hindering good writing instruction, such as inadequate instructional time and insufficient teacher preparation. It also offers recommendations for improving writing practices by increasing stakeholders' knowledge and developing effective writing instruction policies.

Reutzel, D.R. (2015). Early literacy research: Findings primary grades teachers will want to know. The Reading Teacher, 69(1), 14-24.

Summary: Early literacy research emphasizes the importance of foundational skills like handwriting, phonemic awareness, and understanding text structures for young students. Handwriting fluency is crucial for effective writing, as it predicts the quality of written work and helps students organize their thoughts. Research shows that teaching handwriting early improves overall writing performance.

Horn, M. (2005). Listening to Nysia: Storytelling as a Way into Writing in Kindergarten. Language Arts, 83(1), 33–41. https://doi-org.ezproxy.csusm.edu/https://www.ncte.org/journals/la/issues

Summary: This article explores the importance of storytelling in kindergarten as a foundational step toward writing. It highlights a specific storytelling session where a child, Nysia, shares her experiences of a field trip while the teacher is guiding her narrative. Horn emphasizes that oral storytelling is a natural way for young children to begin writing, as it allows them to express their experiences and develop their thinking. The piece advocates for recognizing storytelling as a vital component of literacy education that fosters a sense of authorship in children.

Finlayson, K., & McCrudden, M.T. (2020). Teacher-implemented writing instruction for elementary students: A literature review. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 36(1), 1-18. DOI: 10.1080/10573569.2019.1604278.

Summary: The literature review by Finlayson and McCrudden (2020) examines the effectiveness of teacher-implemented writing interventions in elementary classrooms to improve student writing performance. Thirteen experimental research studies were identified, with classroom teachers implementing a variety of writing strategies. The most commonly used approach was explicit strategy instruction, including self-regulated strategy development, which significantly enhanced students' writing achievement. The review highlights the importance of supporting the development of writing skills at a young age. It also provides insights into evidence-based instructional practices that can positively impact students' writing outcomes in elementary grades.