Becoming a Teacher of Writing in Elementary Classrooms

Becoming a Teacher of Writing in Elementary Classrooms nurtures teachers’ identities as writers, connects to the realities of writing instruction in real and diverse classrooms, and encourages critical and creative thinking. Linking practice and theory to the fundamentals of becoming a teacher of writing, this text is about writing instruction as a journey teachers and students embark on together. The focus is on learning how to teach writing through specific teaching and learning structures found in the Writing Studio: mini-lessons; teacher and peer conferencing; guided writing; and sharing, celebrating, and broadcasting writing. Pedagogical features include teaching structures and strategies, "Problematizing Practice" classroom scenarios, assessment resources, and a Companion Website. Because a teacher who views him or herself as a writer is best positioned to implement the Writing Studio, four parallel texts, Becoming-writer, give readers space to consider who they are as a writer, their personal process as a writer, and who they might become as a writer.

Donna Kalmbach Phillips is Professor of Education, Pacific University, USA.

Mindy Legard Larson is Associate Professor of Education and Elementary Education Coordinator, Linfield College, USA.