Classroom Instruction to Enhance 1st Grade Writing

In an effort to determine the best methods to teach writing skills for first graders, School of Education faculty members David Coker, Charles (Skip) MacArthur and Liz Farley-Ripple received a four-year $1.4 million grant, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences grant.  “Investigating the Impact of Classroom Instruction and Literacy Skills on Writing Achievement in First Grade” will provide  a detailed picture of what effective writing instruction looks like in first grade and which approaches are more effective for students with a specific set of strengths or weaknesses.

Through a partnership with the Christina and Red Clay school districts, UD investigators will attempt to determine what kinds of instruction and what student skills are associated with writing achievement in first grade.  Investigators will develop an observational protocol to be used in 50 first grade classrooms (25 in year two and 25 in year three), to observe and monitor the results of various teaching methods.  Analyses will be centered on 6-9 students per classroom, segmented by low, medium and high performers.

For more details, see 2012 UDaily article