Writing

Dysgraphia: More Than Just Bad Handwriting

By: Voice of America (2008)

Teachers and parents should suspect dysgraphia if a child's handwriting is unusually difficult to read. Find out more about this neurological problem that can cause physical pain as some children struggle to write.

Help Your Child with Writing (Pre-K)

By: Reading Rockets (2008)

Help Your Child with Writing

By: Reading Rockets (2008)

A Student's Perspective on Writing

By: Regina G. Richards (2008)

Eli, a young boy, tells us what it is like to have dysgraphia. Regina Richards, a well-known expert on dysgraphia (and Eli's mom), explains how to help children who struggle with the challenges Eli describes. Practical techniques discussed include POWER (Prepare, Organize, Write, Edit, Revise) and providing authentic positive comments that move the child forward.

The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List

By: Steven Graham, Karen R. Harris, and Connie Loynachan (2008)

This list was devised to help educators know which spelling words should be taught to children. The list contains 850 words that account for 80 percent of the words children use in their writing; the ones they need to be able to spell correctly.

The Writing Road: Reinvigorate Your Students' Enthusiasm for Writing

By: Regina G. Richards (2008)

Teach your students to avoid the avoidance of writing. Learn how to lead them down the path of enthusiasm and self-confidence about writing through research-proven strategies.

Computer-Assisted Instruction and Writing

By: Access Center (2008)

This brief provides an overview of computer-assisted instruction and looks at how writing software can help students with developing ideas, organizing, outlining, brainstorming, and minimizing the physical effort spent on writing so that students can pay attention to organization and content.

Accessing Skills Toward Successful Writing Development

By: Access Center (2008)

Writing is a highly complex language skill. Without skilled, systematic instruction, many students — particularly those with disabilities — may not become proficient writers. At stake is access to the general education curriculum. This brief discusses developmental stages, why writing may pose particular challenges for students with disabilities, and what areas should be the focus for remediation.

Helping Young Children Develop Strong Writing Skills

By: Colorín Colorado (2008)

Writing is an important part of our daily lives, but it is a difficult skill to learn and master. By getting a head start with some simple activities, though, you can help your child begin to develop her writing skills at an early age. By doing so you will be contributing to her future success as a student and as an adult while teaching her how to express herself.
In this article, we provide some of the reasons that writing is so important in our lives, as well as a list of suggestions that will help your child become a stronger writer.

Teaching Tips: Authoring with Video

By: Barbara K. Strassman and Trisha O'Connell (2007)

Help students engage in reading and writing by asking them to write captioning for audio-less video clips. This article contains step-by-step instructions for using the technique as well as links to digital media and suggested teaching ideas.

A Teacher's Guide to Using Newspapers to Enhance Language Arts Skills

By: Newspaper Association of America Foundation (2007)

Newspapers expand the curriculum with an unlimited amount of information to use as background for learning activities. Discover new ways to use the newspaper in your language arts studies, with these activities from the Newspaper Association of America.

An Introduction to Letter Writing

By: My Child magazine (2007)

Letter writing can be fun, help children learn to compose written text, and provide handwriting practice — and letters are valuable keepsakes. This guide was written for England's "Write a Letter Week" and contains activities to help children ages 5–9 put pen to paper and make someone’s day with a handwritten letter.

How to Help Your Students Write Well: An Interview with Steve Graham

By: Dale S. Brown (2007)

Three research based practices help students with learning disabilities improve their writing. Read this interview with Steve Graham, author of Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High School who explains how you can help your students succeed in communicating through the written word.

How to Write to an Author

By: Mary Amato (2006)

Does your child want to write to his favorite author? Children’s book author Mary Amato explains how.

Story Skeletons: Teaching Plot Structure with Picture Books

By: Shutta Crum (2006)

Use picture books to teach young writers how to organize plot logically. This article includes examples of basic plot structures, along with picture books that use those structures.

Using Assistive Technology to Support Writing

By: Center for Implementing Technology in Education (2006)

In this article, CITEd examines how technology can support students' writing skills, including such tools as text-to-speech engines, word prediction software, speech recognition software, and larger keyboards.

Inviting Personal Narratives Into the Classroom

By: Amy Stuczynski, Joyce Riha Linik, Rebecca Novick, and Jean Spraker, et al. (2005)

Writing is a new way for young children to tell their stories and express themselves, but they are also learning valuable lessons about print concepts and letter-sound relationships when they put pen to paper.

Family Stories

By: Amy Stuczynski, Joyce Riha Linik, Rebecca Novick, and Jean Spraker, et al. (2005)

Children can learn about family heritage at the same time they are improving their literacy skills. Using family-based writing projects, you can build a connection with parents, and help children see the value in their own heritage and in the diversity around them.

Community Stories

By: Amy Stuczynski, Joyce Riha Linik, Rebecca Novick, and Jean Spraker, et al. (2005)

Literacy activities can take on a new meaning when students are reading and writing about their own community. Children learn the true value of print when they document the oral histories of the elders in their town.

Writing Leads to Reading

By: National PTA (2004)

This article from the National PTA features easy ways to make writing a part of your child's daily routine, even before entering school.