17吃瓜网

Course Number:	EDX 5710 S64
Instructor:	Leigh Buettler, M.Ed.
Location:	Online synchronously and asynchronously
Dates and Times:	July 13 - August 21, 2026
Credits:	3 Graduate Credits
Tuition:	Set by and payable to educational partner

Course Description

Are you looking for ways to make writing instruction more explicit, systematic, and engaging? Oftentimes, our curriculum materials include writing tasks and prompts, but don’t include how we should teach students the skills necessary to produce proficient writing. This course provides a comprehensive foundation in writing instruction grounded in the Science of Reading, the Science of Learning, and evidence-based practices. Through interactive learning and practical application, you will deepen your understanding of how to integrate evidence-based writing into your existing curriculum materials and content areas. We’ll learn how reading and writing are reciprocal processes, and how to use writing as a vehicle for enhancing student learning. Emphasis will be placed on explicit instruction, gradual release of responsibility, and targeted scaffolding to meet diverse learner needs.

Key topics include:

• The importance of oral language in writing development
• The role of executive function in planning, organization, and revision
• Sentence-level instruction: comprehension, structure, and expansion
• Using decodable, grade-level, and content-area texts for sentence-level comprehension
• Ensuring horizontal and vertical alignment
• Teaching paragraph development, transitions, and cohesion
• Using Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD)
• Writing as a tool for learning and comprehension
• Providing effective feedback and assessing writing

Participants will apply course concepts by analyzing student writing, designing scaffolded lessons, and bringing texts from their own classrooms to develop sentence- and paragraph-level writing activities. By the end of the course, teachers will be equipped with a robust toolkit for teaching writing explicitly and systematically across grade levels and content areas.

This course is designed for educators across grades K–12, specifically classroom teachers, special educators, reading specialists, literacy coaches, private tutors, and interventionists seeking to strengthen their writing instruction through evidence-based, developmentally informed approaches. Assignments, resources, and readings will be differentiated to meet the needs of participants at any grade level. Throughout the course, we will explore basic and advanced writing and compositional strategies, giving teachers practical tools to support writing development.

This is a virtual, live course held over Zoom that blends synchronous learning with asynchronous assignments. In addition to the live sessions, there will be a mix of recorded material, interactive practice, and curated resources for exploration. No additional texts or books will need to be purchased.

This course bridges research and classroom practice, equipping you with the knowledge and strategies to elevate literacy instruction and better support your students’ writing development.

Audience: Elementary, middle school and high school teachers, special educators, specialists, interventionists, private tutors, and literacy coaches who have an earned bachelor's degree.

Course Goals & Objectives

Course Goals: This course is designed to equip educators with the knowledge and skills to teach writing systematically and effectively. Participants will learn to support foundational writing skills, implement evidence-based instructional strategies, and design engaging sentence- and paragraph-level activities. They will also explore ways to integrate writing across content areas, provide meaningful feedback, and differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all learners.

 Course Objectives:

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the importance of and support foundational writing skills, including oral language, handwriting, spelling, and executive function, to promote students’ development as confident writers.
   
   
2. Apply evidence-based instructional models and strategies, including explicit instruction, the use of a gradual release model, and SRSD, to scaffold writing from sentences to paragraphs.
   
   
3. Design and implement sentence- and paragraph-level activities, using a range of texts and syntactic strategies to strengthen comprehension and composition.
   
   
4. Integrate writing across content areas as a tool for learning and comprehension, aligning instruction horizontally and vertically.
   
   
5. Assess, provide feedback, and differentiate writing instruction to meet diverse learner needs and support students’ ongoing growth.

Required Readings/Resources

All readings, videos, podcasts, and recommended resources are included in the cost of this course. All materials will be shared via Google.

 Readings include:

Graham, S. (2024b). ? Inspired Ideas, McGraw Hill. https://medium.com/inspired-ideas-prek-12/why-should-we-teach-writing-in-theage-of-artificial-intelligence-c49c50300584

Harris, K.R. . Educ Psychol Rev 36, 104 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09921-x

Institute for Multi-Sensory Education. (2020, May 15). . IMSE Journal. https://journal.imse.com/how-spelling-affects-reading-and-writing/

Sedita, J. (2025, April). . Keys to Literacy. https://www.keystoliteracy.com

Sedita, J. (2022, August 26). . Keys to Literacy. https://keystoliteracy.com/blog/new-book-the-writing-rope/

Shanahan, T. (2020, June 6). . Shanahan on Literacy. https://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/blog/planning-lessons-with-complex-text

For additional course information

Leigh Buettler

(802) 276-8783

This course requires registration with the Stern Center for Language and Learning first. Please click on the Register Now! button below.

For additional registration information

Please contact the Stern Team