Teaching the Neglected "R": Rethinking Writing Instruction in Secondary Classrooms

Writing is how students connect the dots in their knowledge. Although many models of effective ways to teach writing exist, both the teaching and practice of writing are increasingly shortchanged throughout the school and college years. - From The Neglected “R” The National Commission on Writing Every writing teacher wants to cut through the curricular clutter and get down to the matter of teaching writing well. At the same time, the rules of what writing is, what it does, and how it's done are changing with each new wrinkle in digital technology. In Teaching The Neglected “R” some of the field's most important teachers and thinkers take on the new realities of writing instruction, offering smart advice and penetrating insight into what good teaching looks like today. Teaching The Neglected “R” contains the combined wisdom and practice of twenty-four outstanding teachers and researchers, including Nancie Atwell, Jeffrey Wilhelm, Michael Smith, Maureen Barbieri, Jim Burke, Donald Murray, and Kim Stafford. Writing expressly for this volume, they address key topics, helping you re-imagine traditional genres and understand digital ones. They also focus on key constituencies, exploring ways to connect with English language learners, African Americans, and boys. And with chapters from Barry Lane on revision, Sara Kajder on integrating technology, and Tom Romano on multigenre papers, Teaching The Neglected “R” spans and expands the possibilities of writing instruction to offer both inspiration and day-to-day teaching suggestions. Teaching The Neglected “R” will help you see new ways to increase the prominence of writing in your teaching and remember the real goal of writing instruction - to truly engage students in purposeful writing. No matter what form that writing takes.