Writing for Impact: Teaching students how to write with a plan and spell well - 2 volume set

Tom Nicholson and Sue Dymock analysed research on teaching writing to identify the skills students need to write for impact. Their approach is based on a simple view of writing: it is ideas presented well. The two volumes of this book work together to explain and show teachers how to teach students these essential writing skills. Nicholson and Dymock offer simple and effective strategies to improve both teaching and learning. The books include templates, plans, and links to videos that support these strategies.

Volume 1:

• Explains how to teach students to manage ideas and to master the elements of presentation, with an emphasis on correct spelling.
• The first half of vol. 1 focuses on ideas - how teachers can support students to generate and organise ideas, and develop plans for their writing. Two approaches are explained:  the “Read-Write approach” and the “self-regulated strategy development” approach. Both teach the writer to connect with the reader and to convey ideas in an organised way. Fiction, non-fiction, and text to persuade are each covered separately, with templates to help students plan and structure their work.
• The second half of vol. 1 focuses on presentation. It covers punctuation, grammar, vocabulary, and handwriting, with an emphasis on spelling. Nicholson and Dymock reject the idea of memorising word lists, instead using the layers of Anglo-Saxon, Romance (French and Latin), and Greek influences to show the structure and logic of English spelling.

Volume 2:

• Shows teachers how to use the research and strategies in the classroom. It includes lesson plans covering the ‘Big 10’ spelling rules, as well as Latin and Greek words. The book is also supported by 15 short video lessons showing how to teach writing based on the authors' research.

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Table of Contents

VOLUME 1

Part 1 INTRODUCTION

1. Teach our children well

Part 2 GETTING THE CONTENT WRITE

2. The best way to teach writing: A look at the evidence
3. In search of a better way of teaching writing: Two approaches that make a difference
4. Narrative writing: Teaching how to write stories
5. Information text writing
6. Persuasive writing
7. Assessing writing

Part 3 CONVENTIONS

8. Teaching vocabulary
9. Teaching grammar and punctuation
10. Teaching spelling: A look at the evidence
11. Teaching children to spell Anglo-Saxon words
12. Teaching children to spell Latin and Greek-based words
13. Assessing spelling, including analysis of spelling errors and case studies
14. Teaching handwriting and keyboarding
15. A look back at what the book has been about

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VOLUME 2

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Fiction Library resources

Appendix B: Fiction Library lesson plans for narrative writing

• Part l - Years 2-4
• Part 2 - Years 5-7

Appendix C: Non-fiction Library resources

Appendix D: Non-fiction Library lesson plans (Years 3-7)

Appendix E: Spelling lesson plans