The Writing Revolution

Why you need a writing revolution in your classroom and how to lead it

The Writing Revolution (TWR) provides a clear method of instruction that you can use no matter what subject or grade level you teach. The model, also known as The Hochman Method, has demonstrated, over and over, that it can turn weak writers into strong communicators by focusing on specific techniques that match their needs and by providing them with targeted feedback.

Insurmountable as the challenges faced by many students may seem, The Writing Revolution can make a dramatic difference. And the method does more than improve writing skills. It also helps:

• Boost reading comprehension
• Improve organizational and study skills
• Enhance speaking abilities
• Develop analytical capabilities

The Writing Revolution is as much a method of teaching content as it is a method of teaching writing. There's no separate writing block and no separate writing curriculum. Instead, teachers of all subjects adapt the TWR strategies and activities to their current curriculum and weave them into their content instruction.

But perhaps what's most revolutionary about the TWR method is that it takes the mystery out of learning to write well. It breaks the writing process down into manageable chunks and then has students practice the chunks they need, repeatedly, while also learning content.

JUDITH C. HOCHMAN is the founder and chief academic officer of The Writing Revolution, a not-for-profit organization. She was the superintendent of the Greenburgh Graham Union Free School District; head of The Windward School in White Plains, New York; and the founder of the Windward Teacher Training Institute. Dr. Hochman is the author of numerous books and articles on the topic of writing. Visit her at thewritingrevolution.org.

Natalie Wexler is an education journalist who serves on the board of trustees of The Writing Revolution. Her articles and essays have appeared in a number of publications, including the New York Times and the Washington Post. She has volunteered as a reading and writing tutor in high-poverty DC schools, and has authored three novels. She has also worked as a lawyer and a legal historian.

Acknowledgments vii

About the Authors ix

Foreword xi
Doug Lemov

Introduction: How to Lead a Writing Revolution in Your Classroom—and Why You Need One 1

1 Sentences: The Basic Building Blocks of Writing 23

2 Sentence Expansion and Note-Taking: Getting Students to Process What They’ve Read 55

3 One Step at a Time: Why Students Need to Plan Before They Write 69

4 First Steps in Planning: The Single-Paragraph Outline 83

5 Putting Flesh on the Bones: Revising a Draft 111

6 Summarizing: Mining Texts for the Essentials 138

7 Moving on to Compositions: The Multiple-Paragraph Outline 152

8 Take a Stand: Writing Opinion, Pro-Con, and Argumentative Essays 179

9 A Gauge and a Guide: Assessing Students’ Writing 204

10 Putting the Revolution Into Practice: Combining Our Sequence With Your Judgment 218

Appendixes 235

A. Expository Writing Terms 237

B. Abbreviations and Symbols 239

C. Listening Evaluation Checklist 240

D. Proofreading Symbols 241

E. Revise and Edit Checklist 242

F. Research Plan Time Sequence Sheet 243

G. Sample Pacing Guide (Grade 3) 244

H. Sample Pacing Guide (Grades 7–12) 246

I. Single-Paragraph Outline 247

J. Summary Sentence 248

K. Combined Outline 249

L. Transition Outline (2 Paragraphs) 250

M. Transition Outline (3 Paragraphs) 251

N. Single-Paragraph Outline (Book Report) 252

O. Multiple-Paragraph Outline (3 Paragraphs) 253

P. Multiple-Paragraph Outline (4 Paragraphs) 254

Q. Multiple-Paragraph Outline (5 Paragraphs) 255

R. Multiple-Paragraph Outline (Book Report) 256

Glossary 257

Index 265

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