Writing to Learn
“When students write more frequently their ability to think, reason, analyze, communicate, and perform on test will improve. Writing is critical to student achievement.” This quote is from research conducted by Dr. Douglas B. Reeves on the impact of nonfiction writing on student achievement. Why is there a need for more nonfiction writing? Statistics indicate that 85% of the reading and writing that we do as adults is nonfiction. The National Commission on Writing states, “People who cannot write and communicate clearly will not be hired and are unlikely to last long enough to be considered for promotion.”
Research clearly states that writing is connected with improved scores in all content areas. Writing, especially nonfiction writing, with revising and editing is also associated with improved student performance on multiple-choice tests. Writing to learn allows students to reflect on their learning and provides a way for teachers to tell what has been learned as well. So how can you include writing as a part of your daily lessons?
There are numerous ways to quickly incorporate writing strategies into your classroom. For example, when students enter your classroom they could complete an admittance sheet that requires them to write down three things they learned in class from the previous day. A quick glance at the students’ thoughts could provide you with feedback on how to proceed with the lesson planned for the day. An exit slip would serve the same purpose, but would be completed at the end of lesson by your students. Try using a “Stop-N-Write” during a lesson as a way for students to respond to or question the information being presented. Perhaps students in math could write about why wrong answers are wrong. Other ideas for incorporating writing into you classroom include: think-write-pair-share, KWL chart, graphic organizers, journals or learning logs, summary paragraphs and academic essays.
Finally, remember students don’t become writers overnight. The more opportunities students have to write the better writers they will become. Writing does matter in every classroom!
Suzanne
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Great post, Suzanne.
ReplyDeleteAs a former writing teacher, I've been thinking a lot lately about how we teach writing. For example, it's still common to give the dreaded "500 word essay" assignment. Yet, when writing for a digital audience, we want to say as much as possible in as FEW words as possible. At what point will our instruction reflect the societal shift to a digital environment?