Ore than an estimated 90 million adults in the United States lack the

Combine explicit and systematic writing instruction with extended experience 

writing for a purpose.

 Learners need to devote considerable time to practicing writing 

for different purposes, such as recording (an event or idea), communicating, persuading, 

self-expression, and reflection, among others.

Explicitly teach foundational writing skills to the point that they become automatic.

 

For skilled writers, spelling, handwriting, and keyboarding are mostly automatic. 

Individual differences in the attention given to handwriting and spelling predict writ-

ing achievement, even for college students. Thus, it is important that writers learn to 

execute these skills fluently and automatically, with little or no thought. When these 

skills are not automatic, as is the case for many developing and struggling writers, cog-

nitive resources are not available for other important aspects of writing, such as plan-

ning, evaluating, and revising. Some aspects of writing, such as planning or sentence 

construction, require decisions and cannot become fully automatic,  but they can be 

taught and practiced so they become fluent, flexible, and effectively used. 

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