We recently received a question from an elementary teacher in Ohio. She noticed that her state has an approved reading curriculum list, but no writing curriculum list:
“Our district admin are telling us that the curriculum we use for writing from TpT because it’s explicit, systematic, and provides a gradual release approach is not on the state list, and therefore we will not be able to use it starting next year. When I look up approved writing curriculums on the ODE website, I am finding nothing about an approved list for writing. It seems that only big box curriculums that have a writing component would be allowed, even though ours (HMH Into Reading) has a terrible writing program. Looking for information.”
This question has a lot of layers, and each layer deserves a conversation.
We do, in fact, need to teach writing skills explicitly.
Some like to think that writing skills emerge naturally as reading skills develop, but studies show otherwise.
For example, a Norwegian study set out to test the hypothesis that “writing is caught,” and found (to their surprise) that simply increasing writing time in 1st & 2nd grades, without increasing writing instruction, did not result in improved writing quality, better handwriting fluency, or more positive attitudes toward writing. It turns out writing is indeed taught, not caught.