As teachers, we prepare our students to access the academic content in our classrooms, college, and their future work environments, but we should also seek to equip them with the tools they'll need to be lifelong learners outside these contexts. “Young people who do not have the ability to transform thoughts, experiences, and ideas into written words are in danger of losing touch with the joy of inquiry, the sense of intellectual curiosity, and the inestimable satisfaction of acquiring wisdom that are the touchstones of humanity” (Graham and Perrin, 2007). A student who struggles to communicate through writing is at a disadvantage in writing essays, lab reports, and cover letters, as well as grant applications, wedding toasts, and letters to the editor. Like reading, writing is a skill for learning and communicating that should be integrated into every content area; every teacher is a writing teacher. 

This course is about how to support struggling writers in all secondary classrooms. In secondary classrooms all learners must be learning about writing while they are learning content. The architects of the Common Core State Standards have provided guidelines for including literacy standards across all content areas. This course will introduce you to a variety of ways you can support the struggling writers in your classroom. You’ll learn why students struggle with writing and how to help struggling writers become independent writers.