Literacy
How to build writers from the sentence up, and how writing strengthens knowledge. Here you'll find classroom videos, webinars and reading on teaching writing explicitly, from sentence expansion and sentence combining to modelled writing, paragraphs and revising.
Practices in this area:Sentence expansionSentence combiningParagraph structureModelled writingRevising
Lesson with commentary
Teach Like a Champion (Doug Lemov) · Year 6 · 2023 · USA
A sixth grade English teacher puts student writing about the novel Wonder on display for the class to study. Shows how Show Call can make strong work visible.
FreeOpens at teachlikeachampion.org
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · UK
Year 1 children practise transcription through sentence dictation.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · Years 3-6 · UK
Keeping every pupil actively involved while the teacher models writing.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Lesson with commentary
Teach Like a Champion (Doug Lemov) · Primary · Australia
A Year 4 class in Queensland, with a focus on participation and writing.
FreeOpens at teachlikeachampion.org
Lesson footage
Reading Universe · Primary · USA
A Reading Universe video introducing sentence expansion, a writing activity in which primary students build a short sentence into a fuller one.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · Years 3-6 · UK
A teacher thinks aloud while writing to show how writers make decisions.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Lesson with commentary
AERO · Years 5-6 · Australia
Evidence-based practices working together in a lesson that consolidates students' use of conjunctions in writing.
FreeOpens at edresearch.edu.au
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · UK
Building accurate letter formation as the base for fluent handwriting.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Demonstration
The Writing Revolution · Primary · USA
The Writing Revolution models explicit writing instruction for primary students. Helpful for teachers who want to see the approach taught, not just described.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · Years 3-6 · UK
A Key Stage 2 teacher in England models how she revises and edits her own writing, questioning herself aloud as she re-reads so students see the process. Reflection prompts are included.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Lesson footage
Aaron Grossman · Primary · USA
Aaron Grossman shows a sentence expansion activity using because, but and so, in which primary students finish the same sentence stem three different ways.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · Years 3-6 · UK
Modelled writing that teaches audience, tone and purpose.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · Years 3-6 · UK
Gradually handing responsibility to pupils, with support for revising their writing.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · UK
Modelling and scaffolding a complex writing task in a post-16 lesson.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Demonstration
Reading Universe · 5:34 · Primary · USA
A Reading Universe video on sentence combining as part of writing instruction. Useful for teachers looking at sentence-level writing.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · UK
A teacher in a practical subject models their thinking to break down an extended writing task, uses talk before writing and provides scaffolds so all pupils can take part.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Lesson with commentary
Teach Like a Champion (Doug Lemov) · Middle years · 2025 · USA
A middle school classroom video of students writing briefly and often in response to rich content, with an explanation of why short formative writing is worth making routine.
FreeOpens at teachlikeachampion.org
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · UK
A whole-school approach to modelling and scaffolding writing in primary classrooms.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Lesson footage
Research Schools Network · UK
Extensive practice in constructing sentences to build fluent writers.
FreeOpens at researchschool.org.uk
Explainer
Understood · 2:28 · USA
A two-minute explainer from Understood on what dysgraphia is in children. A simple starting point for staff and families.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Daisy Christodoulou · About 1 hour · 2026 · UK
Daisy Christodoulou reviews what research shows about AI marking and feedback on student writing, drawing on No More Marking trials, and what assessment may need to change.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
AERO · About 1 hour · 2025 · Australia
An AERO researcher and two classroom teachers walk through the School Writing Instruction Framework and what leading writing across a school involves.
FreeOpens at edresearch.edu.au
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Polly Anderson, Serpentine Primary School · About 1 hour · 2025 · Australia
Polly Anderson shares the routines Serpentine Primary uses to move early writers from oral sentences to short narratives and reports, including how scaffolds are faded.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with David Didau · About 1 hour · 2026 · UK
David Didau explains how speech and writing differ and shows structured talk routines that lighten cognitive load and give students practice with academic English before they write.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Phil Coloca and Jeanette Breen · About 1 hour · 2026 · Australia
Phil Coloca and Jeanette Breen explore why students struggle with writing and argue for sentence-level instruction, modelling and a carefully sequenced writing curriculum.
FreeOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Christine Jackson, AERO · 30 to 60 minutes · 2023 · Australia
Christine Jackson gives an early look at AERO's Secondary Writing Instruction Framework, piloted in three secondary schools, and the lessons learned about a school-wide approach to writing.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Natalie Wexler · 30 to 60 minutes · 2024 · USA
Natalie Wexler argues that explicit writing instruction embedded in subject content can deepen knowledge, strengthen reading comprehension and build analytical thinking.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Clarence Green and Iain Giblin · 30 to 60 minutes · 2024 · Australia
Clarence Green and Iain Giblin report a systematic review of genre theory and SFL-based literacy teaching, finding too little rigorous evidence to judge its effect on reading and writing.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Webinar
Speech Pathology Tasmania · About 1 hour · Australia
A session from Speech Pathology Tasmania on understanding developmental language disorder and dysgraphia together, from an Australian speech pathology point of view.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Webinar
Lyn Stone · About 1 hour · Australia
A webinar from Australian linguist Lyn Stone, made for parents who want to know more about dyslexia and dysgraphia. Clear enough for teachers too, and one to pass on to families.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Webinar
The Reading League Vermont, with Steve Graham · About 1 hour · USA
Writing researcher Steve Graham gives The Reading League Vermont an overview of effective writing teaching, from handwriting through to genres.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Interview
Reading Rockets, with Steve Graham · About 40 minutes · USA
A Reading Rockets video with writing researcher Steve Graham on effective writing teaching. Pairs well with the Karen Harris podcast episode on self-regulated strategy development on the Listen shelf.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Explainer
Reading Universe · About 9 minutes · USA
A short Reading Universe video that answers the question in its title. At under ten minutes, it is a quick way to introduce the Writing Rope to a team.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Talk
Reading Universe, with Joan Sedita · About 53 minutes · USA
Joan Sedita, founder of Keys to Literacy, presents her Writing Rope and shows how thinking, language, structure and craft weave together, using real student work and classroom video.
FreeOpens at readinguniverse.org
Webinar
The Reading League Florida, with Joan Sedita · About 1 hour 5 minutes · USA
Joan Sedita presents for The Reading League Florida on the Writing Rope and on integrating reading and writing instruction.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Series
PaTTAN, with Joan Sedita · Five sessions · USA
A PaTTAN playlist of five sessions on the Writing Rope. The first introduces the rope and what is known about effective writing instruction, and it suits a team working through the framework over a term.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Webinar
MiMTSS Technical Assistance Center · About 1 hour 20 minutes · USA
A session from the MiMTSS Technical Assistance Center on the Not So Simple View of Writing. It runs for about 80 minutes, and the presenter is not named in the title.
FreeOpens at youtube.com
Webinar
Think Forward Educators, with Daisy Christodoulou · 30 to 60 minutes · 2024 · UK
Daisy Christodoulou shares what No More Marking has learned from comparative judgement of more than two million pieces of student writing, and how teachers can use those insights.
Free account neededOpens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Sentence-level writing
Education Research Reading Room · with Judith Hochman
Judith Hochman, creator of the Hochman Method and founder of The Writing Revolution, explains her method for teaching students to write and how schools can adopt it.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Connecting reading and writing
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer sets out the research foundation for integrating reading and writing instruction, including Fitzgerald and Shanahan's shared knowledge framework.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Developing writing skills
Knowledge for Teachers · with Nathaniel Swain
Nathaniel Swain of La Trobe University, founder of Think Forward Educators, returns to discuss how to develop strong writing skills in students.
FreeOpens at knowledgeforteachers.podbean.com
Connecting reading and writing
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer presents five evidence-informed strategies for integrating reading and writing, beginning with having students both read and write in phonics lessons.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Writing to consolidate knowledge
Education Research Reading Room · with Nathaniel Swain
Nathaniel Swain, a La Trobe University lecturer and former primary learning specialist, discusses how writing can be used to help students learn content.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Alex Quigley, Chloe Butlin and guests explore the foundations of effective writing instruction, including common misconceptions and the relationship between reading and writing.
FreeOpens at evidenceintoaction.podbean.com
Science of Reading: The Podcast
Susan Lambert draws on past episodes with Steve Graham, Young-Suk Grace Kim, Natalie Wexler and Judith Hochman to give an overview of science-based writing instruction.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Sentence-level writing
Reach All Readers (formerly Triple R Teaching) · with Judith Hochman
Judith Hochman explains the principles of The Writing Revolution and shares sentence-level activities that build writing skill and understanding of content in any year level.
FreeOpens at reachallreaders.com
Writing volume
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer reflects on a failed writing experiment of her own and explains why automatic handwriting and spelling are prerequisites for composition.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Implementing a writing approach
Knowledge for Teachers · with Leslie Laud
Leslie Laud, founding director of ThinkSRSD, explains the program's key writing strategies, including mnemonics, and how to apply them across year levels and genres.
FreeOpens at knowledgeforteachers.podbean.com
Strategy instruction (SRSD)
Education Research Reading Room · with Karen Harris
Karen Harris shares five decades of work on Self-Regulated Strategy Development for writing, and gives feedback on a demonstration SRSD lesson taught by Ollie Lovell.
FreeOpens at ollielovell.com
Persuasive writing
The Structured Literacy Podcast · with Jocelyn Seamer
Jocelyn Seamer uses cognitive load theory to explain why students struggle with persuasive writing and identifies five common mistakes in how it is taught.
FreeOpens at buzzsprout.com
Natalie Wexler (Minding the Gap) · Substack · 2026 · USA
Wexler reports a study isolating complex syntax as a factor in comprehension, and describes how teachers can spot sentence-level difficulties and use sentence-level writing activities to teach them.
FreeOpens at nataliewexler.substack.com
AERO · Practice guides · Australia
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Daisy Christodoulou (No More Marking) · Substack · 2025 · UK
A clear introduction to comparative judgement, where teachers compare two pieces of writing rather than marking against a rubric, why it is more reliable, and what adding AI judges changes.
FreeOpens at substack.nomoremarking.com
Department for Education (England) · Government guidance · UK
Opens at gov.uk
AERO · Practice guide · Australia
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Natalie Wexler (Minding the Gap) · Substack · 2026 · USA
Wexler argues that explicit instruction and retrieval practice are not enough on their own, and that students also need to elaborate on new knowledge, with writing as a practical way to do it.
FreeOpens at nataliewexler.substack.com
Ambition Institute · Explainer · UK
Opens at ambition.org.uk
Education Endowment Foundation · Guidance report · UK
Opens at educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk
Phil Coloca and Jeanette Breen, Think Forward Educators · Blog post · 2026 · Australia
Phil Coloca and Jeanette Breen argue that writing instruction has sat in a black box for too long and needs a clear, sequenced approach.
Opens at thinkforwardeducators.org
Understood · Guides and explainers · USA
Understood's article describes dysgraphia as a writing challenge that affects skills such as handwriting, typing and spelling, and explains how it can affect learning.
FreeOpens at understood.org
Joan Sedita, Keys to Literacy · Article (PDF) · 2019 · USA
Joan Sedita's own article introducing the Writing Rope, which sorts the skills of writing into five strands, namely critical thinking, syntax, text structure, writing craft and transcription.
FreeOpens at keystoliteracy.com
Steve Graham, American Educator · Article · USA
Steve Graham explains why handwriting places the earliest limits on young writers, and how teaching it well improves the amount and quality of what children write, not only its legibility.
FreeOpens at aft.org
Anabela Malpique, Deborah Pino Pasternak and Susan Ledger, The Conversation · Article · 2024 · Australia
Researchers report that Year 2 students in Perth wrote longer, better stories by hand than on a laptop, and explain why handwriting and typing both need to be taught.
FreeOpens at theconversation.com
David Didau (The Learning Spy) · Substack · 2026 · UK
Didau explains how a Years 7 to 9 English curriculum can teach sentence and paragraph skills in short, controlled bursts, delaying extended essays until the parts are secure. It also promotes his resource pack.
FreeOpens at daviddidau.substack.com
Carl Hendrick (The Learning Dispatch) · Substack · 2026 · UK
Hendrick asks why writing research, which is substantial, has had far less influence than the science of reading, and outlines what the evidence says about teaching writing.
FreeOpens at carlhendrick.substack.com
Daisy Christodoulou (No More Marking) · Substack · 2026 · UK
Drawing on a national history essay assessment, Christodoulou looks at what judges reward, including factual accuracy, and offers advice on writing clearer criteria for both human and AI markers.
FreeOpens at substack.nomoremarking.com
Rebecca Birch (On Education) · Substack · 2025 · Australia
Birch describes implementing a whole-school writing approach in a secondary school, including the tools used and how to support teachers who feel unsure about teaching writing in their subject.
FreeOpens at rebeccabirch.substack.com
Doug Lemov (Doug Lemov's Field Notes) · Substack · 2026 · USA
Through video of a middle school teacher, Lemov explains formative writing, where students write to discover what they think, and shows how to make it a regular routine in response to rich texts.
FreeOpens at douglemov.substack.com
Haili Hughes · Substack · 2026 · Australia
Hughes explains how scaffolds such as sentence starters and writing frames should be temporary and targeted, keeping tasks ambitious and gradually removed as students show they are ready.
FreeOpens at hailihughes.substack.com
Teach Like a Champion · Substack · 2026 · USA
Shows how brief, low-stakes writing mid-lesson, such as a Stop and Jot, gives every student time to think before discussion and lifts the quality of what they then say.
FreeOpens at teachlikeachamp.substack.com
Harriett Janetos (Making Words Make Sense) · Substack · 2026 · USA
A reading specialist names the one classroom activity she would keep for each part of literacy, from phonemic awareness to grammar, and explains the reasoning behind each choice.
FreeOpens at harriettjanetos.substack.com
Shaun Brien · Substack · 2026 · Australia
A teacher reads widely on writing instruction, including free AERO courses, and draws out what strong whole-class writing teaching should include, with sentence-level work at its centre.
FreeOpens at mutallyassuredinstruction.substack.com
James Lyra, First OT · Research summary · 3 pages · 2026 · Australia
A three-page summary by occupational therapist James Lyra of why handwriting matters for reading and writing, what works in teaching it, and where the evidence runs out. A great one to share with a team.
FreeOpens at firstot.com.au
AERO · Practice guide · Australia
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Natalie Wexler (Minding the Gap) · Substack · 2024 · USA
Wexler reviews write-to-learn research, linking writing to retrieval and elaboration, and argues that writing would boost learning more reliably if teachers made it manageable through explicit sentence-level instruction.
FreeOpens at nataliewexler.substack.com
Department for Education (England) · Government guidance · 2025 · UK
Opens at gov.uk
Daisy Christodoulou (No More Marking) · Substack · 2025 · UK
Using a marathon metaphor, Christodoulou explains why students should still learn to write when AI can produce text, because the purpose of writing in school is the thinking it builds.
FreeOpens at substack.nomoremarking.com
AERO · Case study · Australia
Opens at edresearch.edu.au
Natalie Wexler (Minding the Gap) · Substack · 2024 · USA
Wexler shows how explicit writing activities can be woven into discussion of content-rich lessons, moving between talk and writing to deepen understanding and build stronger writers.
FreeOpens at nataliewexler.substack.com
Graham and Hebert · 2010 · Meta-analysis report
Opens at thewritingrevolution.org
Graham and colleagues (IES project) · Meta-analysis
Opens at ies.ed.gov
Ofsted · 2024 · Inspection evidence report
Opens at gov.uk
What Works Clearinghouse · Practice guide · USA
A What Works Clearinghouse practice guide with four recommendations for improving primary students' writing, each with steps for putting it in place and answers to common obstacles.
FreeOpens at ies.ed.gov
James Lyra, First OT · Research brief · 7 pages · Australia
How automatic letter formation frees up working memory for composing, and what the research says about the links between handwriting, spelling and reading.
FreeOpens at firstot.com.au
Blog · Australia
Opens at eminamclean.com
Blog and Substack · UK
Opens at learningspy.co.uk
Substack · UK
Opens at substack.nomoremarking.com
Substack · USA
Opens at nataliewexler.substack.com
Reviews · UK
Opens at gov.uk
