Farmington Public Schools
Guiding Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing
Introduction
Literacy for all students is central to the mission of The Farmington Public Schools. To
be successful in school and in the world, students must be literate: able to construct
meaning and communicate it for multiple purposes. Literacy gives students the power to
understand and shape the world, to access information, to express ideas, to think
creatively and critically, and to make decisions.
The ability to write effectively is a core component of full literacy. Writing is a complex
and multi-faceted activity. These guiding beliefs summarize our most important
assumptions about the teaching of writing and help us define and delimit what good
practice looks like in Farmington. They explain why we teach writing in a certain way
and can also be used for reflection and/or self-evaluation.
These guiding beliefs draw heavily on the 2004 NCTE Guidelines about the Teaching of
Writing and on a comprehensive review of current literature on the teaching of writing.
Guiding Beliefs

Everyone has the capacity to write.

Instruction matters. Powerful instruction is crucial to helping students develop as
writers. The most effective instruction is responsive to the needs of the writer.
Teachers need ongoing professional development to hone their skills as teachers of
writing.

Writing is thinking. It is one of “the most disciplined ways of making meaning.”
The act of writing gives concrete representation to thought and enables the writer to
generate, organize, clarify, and communicate ideas. Students need to understand the
power of writing: to experience writing as a way to discover meaning in experience
and communicate it. (Murray)

Reading and writing are interconnected processes. Students must learn to read like
writers and write like readers. They must explore the structure and the craft of
writing through reading and the study of genre, and study closely how authors use
language and text structure to convey meaning. They must learn to read with “an eye
toward not just what the text says but how it is put together.” (NCTE)

People learn to write by writing. Writers write every day. Students need ample
time and many opportunities to engage in actual writing, both in and out of school.
Teachers need to support students in the development of writing lives outside of
school.

Writing occurs through recursive and varied processes. There is no one way.
Writers use a variety of routines, skills and strategies for generating, composing, and
revising and editing their work. The process varies with the requirements of the
writing task—i.e. the goal, audience, or limitations—as well as with the style and the
experiences of the writer. Students must learn to see themselves as writers and to do
what writers do.

Writing serves many purposes—communication, exploration, discovery,
persuasion, clarification, problem-solving, information, reflection, and more. Writing
varies according to audience and purpose. Students need opportunities to write for a
myriad of authentic purposes, for a variety of audiences, and in many forms, genres,
modalities and technologies.

Choice is essential to the writing process. Students need opportunities to choose
their writing topics and select writing forms appropriate for their writing purposes.

Talk is crucial to the writing process. Writers seek opportunities to discuss their
writing, to rehearse ideas, and to get feedback from others. Both social interaction and
response are important conditions for writing to flourish. Students need to work in a
classroom community where they can take risks, collaborate, share, ask questions,
and get feedback about their work before, during, and after writing.

Conventions matter. The conventions of finished text (spelling, mechanics,
grammar, usage, punctuation, diction) are important to and respectful of the reader.
Students must learn to edit their published writing. Teachers must work to balance
the tension between teaching writing for fluency of ideas and teaching writing with
appropriate conventions.