Peer Coaching for Adolescent Writers

‘Susan Ruckdeschel provides a clear rationale for having student writers coach each other as they revise their work. Her explanations, examples, practical tips, and reproducibles enable teachers to use the process successfully in their own classrooms. This peer review process is straightforward, engaging, and flexible, and aims to develop students’ independence as writers’ - Denise Nessel, Education Consultant and Mentor National Urban Alliance for Effective Education. Students who understand how to analyze the writing of others can use those skills to improve their own writing. Peer coaching is a collaborative process that engages learners in student-to-student interactions to help them become more proficient writers. Susan Ruckdeschel provides a concise road map for using peer coaching to help secondary students clarify their writing goals and deepen their understanding of effective writing. Aligned with state and IRA/NCTE standards, Peer Coaching for Adolescent Writers shows teachers how to teach students to articulate a purpose for their writing, formulate questions for feedback, provide constructive comments to their peers, and incorporate the critiques of their peers into their writing. Designed for ease of use, this book offers: clear, step-by-step tips for implementing the peer coaching process; ideas for using peer coaching across content areas; an appendix of ready-to-go reproducible forms, including scripts, checklists, rubrics, and more; transcripts, photos, and classroom examples throughout; and, adaptations for students with special needs and English language learners. By developing their writing and editing skills through the peer review process, students can become effective communicators both in and out of the classroom.