YOU HAVE TO TEACH IT BEFORE YOU CAN TEST IT: Lessons and Resources to Support Growth in Writing

In an era when many schools have--by default, perhaps, rather than by design--focused more on preparation for high-stakes on-demand testing than on writing curriculum, there is room for rethinking how and why we use teacher-directed writing in the context of a writing program. If students are to progress as writers, teaching and practice of skills is essential. You Have to Teach It Before You Can Test It provides both the rationale and the means for teachers who are ready to look at student work and provide instruction that is designed to help students lift the quality of what they are composing. Written by veteran teachers with a nearly 80 years of experience between them, Wolph and Bernhard explain lesson sequences and strategies that have helped students from upper elementary to middle and high school levels to grow in their confidence and skill as writers.