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“This volume rises above many of its peers as it is not simply a repository, but it acts as a guide for making necessary improvements to the writing instruction U.S. students are receiving. This text represents exhaustive research and practice of writing instruction that improves student performance. Both teachers and researchers alike will find use in this volume.”

—Journal of Writing Research (on the second edition)


“This edited volume makes a sound argument, based in empirical research, for adopting process approaches to writing instruction and involving learners in such an approach from early on. Furthermore, the contributing authors provide sound rationales and practical advice for focusing student attention and instruction on global concerns of audience, purpose, and communication.”

—Reading and Writing (on the first edition)


“This book thoughtfully answers the 'whys,' 'whats,' and 'how-tos' of effective writing instruction. Graduate students, general and special education teachers, and educational specialists will find the third edition packed with information to design and deliver a comprehensive writing curriculum. The book highlights evidence-based practices in the most important areas of writing instruction and assessment. New chapters on setting up the writing classroom and writing from sources fill in gaps from the second edition. Use this book in graduate literacy classes, school study groups, or individually to boost K–12 writing performance.”

—Natalie G. Olinghouse, PhD, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Connecticut


“This is the best book available on how to teach writing effectively. It draws on current research to provide a comprehensive framework and set of tools for teaching writing. Every chapter in the third edition is filled with up-to-date, useful instructional practices. This text will be invaluable to both the research and practice communities.”

—Joanna P. Williams, PhD, Professor Emerita of Psychology and Education, Teachers College of Columbia University


“Like its predecessors, the third edition is edited and written by scholar-practitioners who bring their vast research knowledge and rich experience working with students and schools to elevate the teaching of writing. Classroom teachers and teacher educators will appreciate the informative, readily applicable descriptions and recommendations offered in each chapter. The chapters on writing from source texts, writing to learn, digital writing tools, and assessment offer practical insights into some of the most complex aspects of K–12 writing instruction.”

—Gary A. Troia, PhD, CCC-SLP, Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education, Michigan State University


“Proficient writing is a competence that nowadays cannot be underestimated! Unfortunately, the teaching of writing still remains challenging for a majority of teachers throughout the world. This third edition provides necessary guidance and inspiration, and could not be more timely. Expert contributors report on the newest and most strongly supported instructional approaches for teaching writing from kindergarten through the secondary grades. The chapters are substantive, thorough, and research based, but at the same time accessible and practical. This volume is very well worth reading and translating into classroom practice.”

—Hilde Van Keer, PhD, Department of Educational Studies, Ghent University, Belgium


“The third edition of Best Practices in Writing Instruction takes the guesswork out of writing instruction by providing a blueprint of proven strategies that can be used immediately. For instance, the authors include suggestions for teaching students to master each writing genre, which is essential in today’s classrooms. This book gives educators the knowledge to meet the needs of all students, including those who receive special education services. I recommend this book for undergraduate- and graduate-level teacher preparation courses, or as a resource for teachers who are interested in taking their instruction to the next level.”

—Stephen Ciullo, PhD, Special Education Program, Texas State University

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction

1. Evidence-Based Practices in Writing, Steve Graham & Karen R. Harris

II. Creating a Supportive Writing Environment

2. Setting Up the Writing Classroom, Linda Friedrich

3. Motivating Writers, Pietro Boscolo & Carmen Gelati

III. Writing for Different Purposes

4. Narrative Writing, Carol Booth Olson & Lauren Godfrey

5. Writing from Source Material, Michael Hebert

6. Argumentative Writing, Ralph P. Ferretti & William E. Lewis

7. Writing to Learn, Perry D. Klein, Katrina N. Haug, & Ashley Bildfell

8. Writing with Digital Tools, Rachel Karchmer-Klein

IV. Teaching Writing

9. Handwriting and Spelling, Rui Alexandre Alves, Teresa Limpo, Naymé Salas, & R. Malatesha Joshi

10. Sentence Construction, Bruce Saddler

11. Planning, Debra McKeown & Erin FitzPatrick

12. Evaluation and Revision, Charles A. MacArthur

13. Reading–Writing Connections, Timothy Shanahan

14. Assessing Writing, Joshua Wilson

15. Instruction for Students with Special Needs, Amy Gillespie Rouse

16. Instruction for English Learners, Adrian Pasquarella

Index

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About the Editors

Steve Graham, EdD, is the Warner Professor in the Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University. He is also Research Professor in the Learning Science Institute at the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane. Dr. Graham is editor of the Journal of Educational Psychology. He has coedited several books, including Handbook of Writing Research, Second Edition; Handbook of Learning Disabilities, Second Edition; and Best Practices in Writing Instruction, Third Edition. He is the coauthor of three influential Carnegie Corporation reports: Writing Next, Writing to Read, and Informing Writing. Dr. Graham has received numerous awards, including the Sylvia Scribner Award from Division C of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Career Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the Kauffman–Hallahan Distinguished Researcher Award from the CEC Division of Research, the Samuel A. Kirk Award from the CEC Division of Learning Disabilities, the Distinguished Researcher Award from the special education interest group of the AERA, and the Wiederholt Distinguished Lecturer Award from the Council of Learning Disabilities. He was elected to the Reading Hall of Fame in 2018 and is a fellow of AERA, Division 15 of the American Psychological Association, and the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities.

• All titles by Steve Graham
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Charles A. MacArthur, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Special Education and Literacy in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. A former special education teacher, Dr. MacArthur has been conducting research on writing development and instruction for struggling writers since the 1980s. Most recently, he was principal investigator on two grants to develop and examine the efficacy of a writing curriculum for college basic writing courses. Other research projects have focused on the development of a writing curriculum for students with learning disabilities, writing strategy instruction, decoding instruction in adult education, speech recognition as a writing accommodation, project-based learning in social studies in inclusive classrooms, and first-grade writing instruction. Dr. MacArthur is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association and a recipient of a research award from the Council for Exceptional Children. He has served as coeditor of the Journal of Writing Research and the Journal of Special Education, has published over 125 articles and book chapters, and is coeditor or coauthor of several books.

• All titles by Charles A. MacArthur

Michael Hebert, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His primary research interests include the development and testing of writing interventions for students with disabilities, examining the impacts of writing on reading outcomes, and writing assessment. He is the coauthor of two influential Carnegie Corporation reports: Writing to Read and Informing Writing. Dr. Hebert is currently the principal investigator of an Early Career Development and Mentoring grant from the National Center for Special Education Research, with his project focused on developing an informational text writing intervention for fourth-grade struggling writers. He was previously a fellow in the Experimental Education Research Training program supported by the Institute of Education Sciences. Dr. Hebert serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Educational Psychology.

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Contributors

Rui Alexandre Alves, PhD, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

Ashley Bildfell, MA, Faculty of Education, School of Applied Child Psychology, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada

Pietro Boscolo, PhD, Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

Ralph P. Ferretti, PhD, School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

Erin FitzPatrick, PhD, Department of Special Education and Child Development, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina

Linda Friedrich, PhD, Research and Evaluation, National Writing Project, Berkeley, California

Carmen Gelati, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Milan–Bicocca, Milan, Italy

Lauren Godfrey, MA, School of Education, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California

Steve Graham, EdD, Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Karen R. Harris, EdD, Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Katrina N. Haug, MA, Faculty of Education, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada

Michael Hebert, PhD, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska

R. Malatesha Joshi, PhD, Literacy Education and Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

Rachel Karchmer-Klein, PhD, School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

Perry D. Klein, PhD, Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

William E. Lewis, PhD, School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

Teresa Limpo, PhD, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

Charles A. MacArthur, PhD, School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

Debra McKeown, PhD, Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

Carol Booth Olson, PhD, School of Education, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California

Adrian Pasquarella, PhD, School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

Amy Gillespie Rouse, PhD, Department of Teaching and Learning, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas

Bruce Saddler, PhD, Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York

Naymé Salas, PhD, Department of Language, Literature and Social Sciences Teaching, School of Educational Sciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Timothy Shanahan, PhD, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Joshua Wilson, PhD, School of Education, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware

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Audience

Teacher educators, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates; K–12 classroom teachers and literacy coaches.

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Course Use

Serves as a text in advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level courses such as Teaching Writing, Writing Methods, and Writing Instruction.

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Previous editions published by Guilford:

Second Edition, © 2013
ISBN: 9781462510085

First Edition, © 2007
ISBN: 9781593854324

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New to this edition:

• Chapters on new topics: setting up the writing classroom and writing from informational source material.
• New chapters on core topics: narrative writing, handwriting and spelling, planning, assessment, special-needs learners, and English learners.
• Increased attention to reading–writing connections and using digital tools.
• Incorporates the latest research and instructional procedures.