Week 9

Best Practices in Writing Instruction

By: Steve Graham
Chapters 12 and 13

Chapter 12 of the book focuses on the topic of Evaluation and Revision. This chapter
emphasizes the importance of revision and its role in the process of writing instruction. Teaching
students how to revise their work is essential because it allows them to reflect on how their text
communicates their intended message or idea to the reader. The chapter provides helpful skills
and strategies for teachers to help students develop effective revising strategies.
Revision is a critical step in the writing process and is relevant to elementary writing as
well. Revising your own work or allowing a peer to revise it is beneficial in finding mistakes and
improving the writing process. Through revising, students can also practice their spelling and
grammar, leading to improvements in their writing skills.
As an aspiring teacher, I plan to use this chapter to teach my students about the
importance of revising their work. Allowing peers to revise each other's work is an excellent way
for students to help each other in a positive and constructive manner. Revising their work will
also help students evaluate if their writing meets all the necessary criteria and contains all
relevant information.
Chapter 13 discusses the connection between reading and writing. While reading and
writing rely on similar knowledge and skills, they are not identical. Some students may be good
readers but struggle with writing, and vice versa. This chapter emphasizes the shared process of
both reading and writing, which requires knowledge of the alphabet, phonic awareness,
sound-symbol relationships, and more.
Understanding the relationship between reading and writing is crucial, and I plan to
incorporate activities in my classroom that help students improve their reading and writing
connection. For example, conducting a word hunt for words that follow specific spelling patterns
is an effective way to connect reading and writing. By focusing on improving this connection,
students can become better writers and readers.
In conclusion, Chapters 12 and 13 of the book highlight the significance of revision and
the connection between reading and writing. As a future teacher, I plan to use the valuable
information provided in these chapters to enhance my writing instruction and help my students
become better writers and readers.

Graham, Steve, et al. Best Practices in Writing Instruction. Guilford Press, 2019.