Why Explicit Writing Instruction Matters in Every Content Area

As secondary educators, we often see ourselves as content specialists, with a deep interest in and passion for the material we teach. We step into the classroom looking to impart this passion to our students by carefully planning learning experiences that spark engagement and curiosity for content-specific knowledge. We chunk, scaffold, monitor, and provide feedback.

Yet when we ask our students to document what they’ve learned, their lack of writing skills becomes a barrier—preventing them from clearly demonstrating what they know. Explicit writing instruction is critical to help students express content knowledge across subjects.

Writing Expectations versus Reality

More often than not, we can barely understand what our students write, let alone assess what content they actually learned. We adjust our plan and ask: Did they not comprehend or learn the content? Or do they lack the writing skills required to express their understanding? 

In response, we find a high-interest video or plan an engaging review lesson for the next day, only to see the same result with the same exit ticket. The cycle repeats. We start to dread students’ writing and may avoid written assessments altogether. And this may be all the more intimidating for science or social studies teachers than for ELA teachers.

So, how do we address the gap between high levels of engagement in the classroom and the lack of understanding students show in their writing? First, we have to understand how we got here. Next, we need to apply the same elements of explicit instruction we use in content-based lessons to how we teach writing.

Why Can’t Students Write? If We Can Name It, We Can Tame It

Put simply: we don’t teach students how to write effectively. Writing, similar to reading, is not an innate skill like speaking. If we don’t explicitly teach writing as a skill in the same way we explicitly teach content, how will they develop this ability? 

Incoherent writing can often be traced back to writing instruction in the elementary years. Writing instruction most likely emphasized “quantity” over “quality.” Students were told to “fill up the page,” not how to write well‑crafted sentences. Without fixing the foundation, students will never acquire the skills necessary to write effectively in the secondary setting.

Consider this scenario in an elementary—or even middle school—class utilizing an inquiry approach to writing: 

• Students are given a writing prompt in isolation from the academic content they’re engaging with, for example, “What is your favorite summertime fruit? Why?”
• Teachers provide little guidance or instruction and simply ask students to: Write! Fill up the page.
• Write until the timer goes off. Okay, pencils down!
• The page is full.
• Notebooks are put away.
• When it’s time for writing instruction the next day, students have received little to no feedback about the quality of their writing; rather, they are praised for their “stamina.”

The inherent flaw with this method is that we assume if students write more, they will learn to write better. In other words, “learning to write through osmosis.”

“Writing” the Wrong: Explicit Writing Instruction across Content Areas

To fix this problem, we must teach students how to write. The pathway, known as the Hochman Method, provides a map for explicit writing instruction across all content areas and developmental levels.

The good news is, you probably apply many of the best practices of explicit instruction laid out in this method when you plan your content-based lessons. You don’t have to be a “writing teacher” to teach writing.

Best Practices of Explicit Writing Instruction

While students require explicit instruction in writing, developing strong skills is a process, and planning and revising are critical. If you don’t plan it, you won’t teach it. Start by pre-assessing students at the beginning of a unit. Then try some of these strategies:

• Chunk and model writing instruction the same way you chunk content-based instruction: start at the sentence level and progress to the paragraph and essay level. All strategies, sentence work, note-taking, and planning can occur in one lesson and/or throughout the week. Try this approach:
  • Do Now: Sentence Strategy that reviews previous day’s learning
  • Lesson (I Do, We Do, You Do): Note-taking
  • Exit Ticket: Single Paragraph Outline 
• Explicitly teach writing utilizing the Gradual-Release Model
  • All strategies should follow the “I Do, We Do, You Do” approach so students have a clear plan.
  • Don’t aim for mastery, but provide ample feedback and utilize the data you gather through teaching strategies to determine next steps.
• Align your writing instruction and tasks with the content students are learning; the rigor of your curriculum drives the rigor of writing.
• Scaffold routines, repeat practice, and provide explicit feedback to instill deep learning and develop more independent writers.

While these tasks may seem daunting, know that you have a pathway and most likely already utilize this method in other areas of teaching. Still overwhelmed? Start small! Try this method beginning with sentence-level instruction in a single period. Collaborate with your colleagues and analyze student writing based on a rubric that minimizes subjectivity. At the end of the day, student writing is the ultimate reading comprehension check.  

As you develop your own practice with explicit writing instruction, you will see improvement in your students’ writing and knowledge retention. And through this process, you will not only deepen their content curiosity but also equip them with the foundational writing skills necessary to succeed outside the classroom.

Learn more about Curriculum Associates’ approach to explicit writing instruction.
More Resources for You:
Effective Writing Prompts for Students: Why “Simple” Writing Prompts Are Actually Harder
Igniting Your Students’ Reading and Writing Flames
Where Do We Go from Here? Unpacking the NAEP Reading Scores