If increased writing correlates with higher achievement on standardized tests, why aren’t students writing more in their classes?  Why are young adults entering college and the workforce unprepared for the writing they are expected to do?  And . . . what can teachers do to address these problems?

Compelling evidence, including data from 30 years of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), indicates that student writing is inadequate.  Other provocative research indicates that if students write more frequently across the content areas, they outperform their peers who don't utilize writing.

In this book, Dr. Angela Peery, creator of The Leadership and Learning Center’s Writing to Learn seminars, explains simple strategies and shares implementation ideas about how writing can be used in every classroom to increase school-wide student success.  Strategies, tools, and assignments include:

• Content-area writing rubrics
• Quick writes
• Graphic organizers
• Teacher modeling with think-alouds
• Teacher-led small-group conferences
• Student-to-student writing conferences
• Personal conventions list
• Process essays
• Multi-genre research

“The research is undeniable: Using writing to learn strategies as instructional tools to process content in any academic area deepens students’ understanding, brings to the surface confusion and misunderstanding, and informs future instruction.  In Writing Matters in Every Classroom, Dr. Peery models effective teaching strategies and provides multiple examples of real use application that one can put to practice immediately.”
DEBORAH MURASSO
Assistant Superintendent, Vernon Public Schools (CT)

“Dr. Peery's insight and knowledge of the importance of writing across the curriculum is spot on.
Having used many of her strategies in my fourth grade classroom, and witnessing higher achievement scores because of these strategies, I am convinced that writing across the curriculum is a must.  Dr. Peery’s tutelage and writing expertise transformed my teaching.”
SARA JANE DOUBLEDAY
Teacher of the Year, 2008-2009 Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools (GA)