Writing

Learn more about how schools teach students writing and composition skills
Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: A Pen Pal Exchange to Improve Student Writing and Build Empathy
This class experiences so many benefits through the monthly letters they exchange with their pen pals at the local retirement home.
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Reading & Literacy Opinion How to Help Students With Their Writing. 4 Educators Share Their Secrets
In many classrooms, students are handcuffed by restrictive templates for assignments instead of getting to practice how to create.
Larry Ferlazzo, February 16, 2024
13 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
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Policy & Politics Opinion Scholars’ Writing Is Often Unclear. Why That Matters for the K-12 Field
Academic writing is often incomprehensible. Public-facing writing can help scholars break bad habits.
Rick Hess, February 12, 2024
9 min read
3D rendering of a robot child thinking about something
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Classroom Technology An Expert Asked AI to Write Like a 4th Grader. Here's What It Came Up With
ChatGPT and other AI writing tools are becoming sophisticated enough to imitate students' writing styles, making cheating harder to detect.
Alyson Klein, December 18, 2023
1 min read
Classroom Technology AI Can Mimic Students' Writing Styles. How Are Teachers Supposed to Catch Cheaters Now?
AI is rapidly becoming too sophisticated for even veteran educators’ detective skills, educators and experts say.
Alyson Klein, December 13, 2023
6 min read
Reading & Literacy Video Teachers, Try This: A Writing Exercise for Amazon’s Strangest Products
Students search for the strangest product they can find on Amazon, and practice writing reviews in this pre-winter break exercise.
Lauren Santucci, December 7, 2023
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Image of a person using a computer, with glasses, papers, and pencil on the desk too.
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Assessment If ChatGPT Can Write Virtually Anything, What Should a National Writing Exam Test?
That's a question the board that oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress is confronting amid AI's rapid ascendance.
Libby Stanford, November 17, 2023
6 min read
Photo of child practicing cursive writing.
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Curriculum More States Require Schools to Teach Cursive Writing. Why?
Technological advances notwithstanding, advocates give a long list of reasons for teaching students cursive.
Elizabeth Heubeck, November 16, 2023
5 min read
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Classroom Technology Khan Academy Plans to Shake Up Writing Instruction With AI Tool
Chatbots designed specifically for K-12 education are expected to proliferate rapidly over the next few years.
Alyson Klein, November 15, 2023
3 min read
Close crop of an elementary school, black girl in class focused on writing in a book.
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States Is Cursive Making a Comeback in California? Bill Could Revitalize Traditional Writing Skills
California elementary and middle school students could soon see a renewed commitment to teaching cursive writing.
Maya Miller, The Sacramento Bee, September 14, 2023
2 min read
Photo of student using chatGPT/AI.
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Classroom Technology Another AI Issue for Schools to Know About: Bias Against Non-Native English Speakers
Teachers need to know that text written by non-native English speakers was often erroneously flagged by detectors as AI-generated.
Ileana Najarro, August 10, 2023
4 min read
Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: A Two-Minute Exercise to Foster Student Creativity
Through a two-minute weekly exercise, this Pennsylvania teacher fosters a sense of creativity in her students that extends across subjects.
Jaclyn Borowski , July 27, 2023
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Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
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Classroom Technology Opinion AI Isn't the Problem. It's How We Use It, Especially in Schools
The problem is not the technology, but the kinds of tasks we ask students to do.
Rick Hess, July 24, 2023
8 min read
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Classroom Technology Opinion How Teachers Are Using Artificial Intelligence in Classes Today
Sure, ChatGPT can be misused, but when used correctly, the AI tool can help teachers and students alike in multiple subjects.
Larry Ferlazzo, May 2, 2023
10 min read