This title, by Ann Browne, focuses on the teaching of writing at Key Stage 1 and before and fully addresses the National Literacy Strategy at this level. The text fully reflects the requirements of the ITT National Curriculum, whilst addressing the latest research findings on the development of literacy skills in the primary years.

This anthology explores the relationship between feminism and writing theory. The chapters cover the major issues: basic pedagogical theory and philosophical approaches to the teaching of writing, studies of problems encountered by female writers and writing instructors, and useful how-to essays on classroom technique. The authors also address important, provocative questions about power in the classroom--its use, abuse, and distribution. The book is based on the concept of equity, which the editors define: "Equity does not mean to us the abolition of differences among individuals, nor does it imply a blanket imposition of an Orwellian homogeneity. It does not mean stifling some voices so that others may be heard; it does not demand the compromising of academic standards in the name of egalitarianism. Equity, as we understand it, creates new standards which accommodate and nurture differences. Equity fosters the individual voice in the classroom, investing students with confidence in their own authority. Equity unleashes the creative potential of heterogeneity. this definition of equity is at the heart of this anthology, and our attempts as teachers to model our pedagogy on this principle provided the impetus for assembling it." -- from the Introduction

This innovative resource provides teachers with a road map for designing a comprehensive writing curriculum that meets Common Core standards. The authors zero in on several “big ideas” that lead to and support effective practices in writing instruction, such as integrating reading, writing, speaking, and listening; teaching writing as a process; extending the range of students’ writing; spiraling and scaffolding a writing curriculum; and collaborating. These “big ideas” are the cornerstones of best researched-based practices as well as the CCSS for writing. The first chapter offers a complete lesson designed around teaching narrative writing and illustrating tried and true practices for teaching writing as a process. The remaining chapters explore a broad range of teaching approaches that help students tackle different kinds of narrative, informational, and argumentative writing and understand complexities like audience and purpose. Each chapter focuses on at least one of the uncommonly good ideas and illustrates how to create curricula around it. Uncommonly Good Ideas includes model lessons and assignments, mentor texts, teaching strategies, student writing, and practical guidance for moving the ideas from the page into the classroom. “An uncommonly good book about uncommonly good ideas about teaching writing in the era of the Common Core—and beyond. In this slender volume two master teachers, Sandra Murphy and Mary Ann Smith, share the knowledge accumulated during their lifetimes of teaching writing and exploring the broader world of related theory and research. They confront the hard problems all teachers will face, but do so with an evident joy in their chosen profession The book is slender, readable, and well worth the ride, whether you are a novice terrified as you stare into your first classroom or an old hand looking for an extra boost with a new class and a new year.” —Arthur Applebee, Distinguished Professor and chair, Department of Educational Theory and Practice, University at Albany “Throughout this book I find the intelligence and insights that help me think about what it looks like to teach writing through the Common Core State Standards while maintaining my own integrity as a teacher. This book is a master class that you can take throughout the year, reading today about what you need to learn to do better tomorrow.” —Jim Burke, best-selling author and high school teacher

In the 21st century, writing is more important than at any other time in human history. Yet much of the emphasis in schooling has been on reading, and after the early years, writing skills have been given less attention. Internationally, too many children are leaving school without the writing skills they need to succeed in life. The evidence indicates that students rarely develop proficiency as writers without effective teacher instruction. Teaching Writing offers a comprehensive approach for the middle years of schooling, when the groundwork should be laid for the demanding writing tasks of senior school and the workplace. Teaching Writing outlines evidence-based principles of writing instruction for upper primary students and young adolescents. It presents strategies that are ready for adoption or adaptation, and exemplars to assist with designing and implementing writing lessons across the middle years of school. It addresses writing from a multimodal perspective while also highlighting the importance of teaching linguistic aspects of text design such as sentence structure, vocabulary and spelling as foundations for meaning-making. Contributors argue that students need to continue to develop their skills in both handwriting and keyboarding. Examples of the teaching of writing across disciplines are presented through a range of vignettes. Strategies for assessing student writing and for supporting students with diverse needs are also explored. With contributions from leading literacy educators, Teaching Writing is an invaluable resource for primary, secondary and pre-service teachers.

This volume showcases the efforts of real teachers using the teaching events from real middle school classrooms. Included is the work of eight hard-working middle school teachers who are convinced that the form and function of genre is a way to teach writing across the middle school curriculum. Each chapter contains sample lessons, protocols, classroom instructional materials, and assessment tools to provide middle school teachers with an approach to explore rigorous expository writing instruction in their own classrooms.

"Through scholarly research and teacher reflection, this volume examines ELA classrooms and the experiences of writing teachers to identify approaches that have proven effective with adolescents"--

This title highlights aspects of progression and continuity in the teaching of English across the Foundation and Primary years and encourages readers to develop an understanding of key principles and the confidence to apply these appropriately to their classroom practice.

Pushing past the typical genre and elements approach, this text explains how to integrate children’s literature into and across the curriculum in effective, purposeful ways. The materials and practical strategies focus on issues that impact children’s lives, building from students‘ personal experiences and cultural knowledge to using language to question the everyday world, analyze popular culture and media, understand how power relationships are socially constructed, and consider actions to take that promote social justice.

Now in its fifth edition, the Handbook of Research on Teaching the English Language Arts--sponsored by the International Literacy Association and the National Council of Teachers of English--remains at the forefront in bringing together prominent scholars, researchers, and professional leaders to offer an integrated perspective on teaching the English language arts and a comprehensive overview of research in the field. Reflecting important developments since the publication of the fourth edition in 2017, this new edition is streamlined and completely restructured around "big ideas" in the field related to theoretical and research foundations, learners in context, and new literacies. Addressing all the language arts within a holistic perspective (speaking/listening, viewing, language, writing, reading), it covers new and important topics, such as online learning, multimodalities, culturally responsive learning, and more.