Writing Instruction Across the Disciplines

Steve Graham, EdD, is a Regents Professor and the Warner Professor in the Division of Leadership and Innovation at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University. Since the 1980s, he has studied how writing develops, how to teach it effectively, and how it can be used to support reading and learning. Dr. Graham’s research involves typically developing writers and students with special needs in both elementary and secondary schools, with much of this research occurring in classrooms in urban schools. He is the recipient of the Thorndike Career Award from Division 15 of the American Psychological Association, the William S. Gray Citation of Merit from the International Literacy Association, and the Exemplary Research in Teaching and Teacher Education Award from Division K of the American Educational Research Association, among other awards. He is coauthor of three influential Carnegie Corporation reports on writing and coauthor or coeditor of several books.Carol Booth Olson, PhD, is Professor Emerita in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She was founding Director of the UCI Writing Project and served in that capacity for 42 years. Dr. Olson’s research focuses on improving academic writing outcomes for all learners, especially culturally and linguistically diverse students in low-socioeconomic-status, high-needs middle and high schools. She served as Director and Principal Investigator of the WRITE Center at UCI and Principal Investigator of the Pathway to Academic Success Project, a professional development intervention that takes a cognitive strategies approach to teaching text-based argument writing in secondary school.Tanya Baker, EdD, is Executive Director of the National Writing Project and has more than 25 years of experience working in education in and outside of schools. She has worked with many funders and partners to build and manage national programs that connect educators to work together on areas of interest and problems of practice. Dr. Baker served as Co-Principal Investigator of the WRITE CENTER at the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. She strives throughout her work to design learning experiences that begin with a presumption of competence and are relentlessly collaborative and deeply joyful.

• Introduction: Evidence-Based Practices for Teaching Writing, Steve Graham & Young-Suk Grace KimI. Writing Instruction Across the Disciplines1. Strategies for Teaching Writing to Foster Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines, Carol Booth Olson, Undraa Maamuujav, & Huy Q. Chung2. Culturally Sustaining Writing Practices, Tricia Ebarvia & Kimberly N. Parker3. Teaching Argument Writing to Support Secondary Students for College Readiness and Beyond, Tanya Baker4. Self-Regulated Strategy Development in Secondary Classrooms, Amber B. Ray & Steve Graham5. Writing Like an Expert: Grammar as a Resource for Teaching Writing in the Disciplines, Debra MyhillII. Writing in the Disciplines6. Telling the Stories of Our Lives in Prose and Poetry, Penny Kittle7. Teaching Argument Writing in the English Language Arts Classroom: Diversity as Resource, Carol D. Lee8. Multilingual Learners: Writing with Sources throughout Social Studies Inquiry, Chauncey Monte-Sano & Mary Schleppegrell9. Teaching Counterarguments for Improved Historical Reasoning and Civic Discourse, Tanya Baker, Jacob Steiss, Carol Booth Olson, Nicole Gilbertson, & Huy Q. Chung10. Constructing and Using Propositional Concept Maps for Writing and Learning in Science, Nancy Romance11. Writing-to-Learn in the Secondary Science Classroom: Exploring Possibilities for Equity, Catherine Lammert, Alison F. Warren, & Brian Hand12. Using Writing to Improve Learning in Mathematics, Sharlene A. Kiuhara & Kaitlin BundockIII. Writing in a Digital World13. Leveraging Generative Artificial Intelligence to Improve Secondary Writing Instruction, Tamara P. Tate & Mark Warschauer14. Multimodal Writing: Affordances and Rhetorical Value of Composing Multimodally, Undarmaa Maamuujav, Jenell Krishnan, & Penelope CollinsIndex

“If you want to implement a comprehensive, research-based approach to teaching writing as a tool for learning in your classroom, school, or district, then this is the book for you. Graham, Olson, Baker, and their colleagues translate the most rigorous, comprehensive meta-analysis of writing ever completed into step-by-step practices for teachers. Read this book, try it out, and share it with your colleagues--everyone will benefit!”--P. David Pearson, PhD, Evelyn Lois Corey Emeritus Professor of Instructional Science, Berkeley School of Education, University of California, Berkeley“Writing skills are critical for a range of purposes, yet research shows that young people do not enjoy writing, nor are they taught to write effectively in school. Writing Instruction across the Disciplines offers an incredible response to these problems. Chapters build on 11 research-based recommendations developed from an extensive meta-analysis and offer pragmatic guidance for teachers. Including sample student writing, example activities, and teacher prompts, the book conceptualizes writing expansively and creatively, and covers the full gamut of genres, technologies, and disciplines. A foundational resource for preservice and inservice secondary teachers alike.”--Anne-Lise Halvorsen, PhD, Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University“This book provides a clear rationale for moving beyond traditional, and often ineffective, writing instruction. It outlines evidence-based strategies that are effective, adaptable, and applicable across diverse classrooms and disciplines. Each chapter is structured around Guiding Questions and Action Steps that focus attention on learning outcomes and support instructional reflection and improvement. What is particularly refreshing about this book is its emphasis on collaboration, the creation of writing communities, and the inclusion of student voice and agency--alongside strategic instruction--to enhance student outcomes. The AI chapter is especially timely, offering ethical, practical guidance on how to thoughtfully integrate AI into writing pedagogy without hindering students’ independent skill development.”--William E. Lewis, PhD, School of Education, University of Delaware“Writing Instruction Across the Disciplines brings together in one place practical advice from leaders in the field of writing instruction. Each chapter explains relevant research findings and connects them to ideas and strategies for classroom practice. Teachers will add to their repertoires ways to honor students’ languages and literacies and support their writing growth across purposes and genres. Chapters provide concrete action steps and descriptions of what evidence-based practices look like in classrooms. This book is a valuable resource for secondary educators across content areas, from English language arts to science, and at all stages of their careers.”--Amber Warrington, PhD, Department of Writing Studies, Boise State University- “Writing Instruction Across the Disciplines: Evidence-Based Practices in Grades 6–12 provides a rich array of practices that highlight writing as a means for thinking and learning across classes….Offers supported and tested approaches to integrating writing instruction, and effectively illustrates the role of writing instruction across the disciplines.â€--Teachers College Record, 6/1/2026