Writing Better: Effective Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning Difficulties
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Overview
Struggling writers can improve their skills dramatically if they get the detailed, explicit instruction they need. With this practical guidebook, equally effective for students who have learning disabilities or just need extra help, elementary and middle school teachers will discover how to use this systematic instruction in their classrooms. Educators will find a wide range of specific strategies that help with every phase of the writing process, from brainstorming and goal-setting to revising, are proven effective with students who have learning disabilities (field-testing data included), clearly explain how to teach the strategies and adapt them for use across grades, make learning easier with aids such as mnemonic devices and short step-by-step action plans, focus on different types of writing, including stories, explanations, persuasive essays, reports, and comparisons.Photocopiable student worksheets give teachers ready-to-use writing activities, and before-and-after examples of student writing demonstrate how the strategies work. With these practical, scientifically validated ideas and exercises, teachers will help struggling students develop the skills they need to improve their classwork and change the way they feel about writing.
Synopsis
Graham and Harris (both: special education, Vanderbilt U.) provide strategies teachers can use to help students harness the power of writing. At its core, their method uses planning, monitoring, evaluating and revising text, with specific exercises and instruction for each step. They describe "strategy instruction" and why it is important to all learners, particularly those with challenges. They provide strategies for writing paragraphs, setting goals, brainstorming, organizing, peer revision, and summarizing. They also provide strategies for specific genres, such as stories, persuasive writing, writing explanations, writing a compare-and-contrast paper, and report writing. They close with a chapter on setting goals and self-monitoring, and another with guidelines on implementing their strategies. They provide references and a list of sources of quotes and anecdotes. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR