What the Research Says About Writing with Adrea Truckenmiller

Episode 264

Grading a stack of student writing and not sure where to start? This episode is for you.

Adrea Truckenmiller is a researcher and professor whose work on writing assessment has shaped how schools support struggling writers. In this episode, she shares insights from her research on five key components of writing that can transform instruction and improve student outcomes.

Adrea and her team spent years studying writing development. They built a protocol that pinpoints five components with the biggest influence on how students grow as writers: text structure, vocabulary and word complexity, spelling and word accuracy, sentence accuracy, and typing fluency.

You'll walk away from this episode with practical ways to assess student writing, give actionable feedback, and know exactly what to teach next.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The five components that matter most for writing development
• Why sentence accuracy, not complexity, had the biggest impact on outcomes, even through eighth grade
• Simple ways to figure out what a student needs next when their writing is all over the place
• How to make writing assessment feel less overwhelming and more actionable

This conversation is based on Adrea's article, Analysis of Student Informational Writing to Personalize Writing Instruction

Resources 

• TREE Printable Resource 
• The Writing Architect: https://atruck.msu.domains/writing-architect/ 
• The Early Writing Project 
• Typing Practice (free) 
• IES Practice Guide Writing Elementary
• IES Practice Guide Writing Secondary 
• Lori’s Favorite Transition Words Reference Sheet (aka Connectives) 
• A Path to Better Writing with Steve Graham (podcast) 
• Evidence-Based Writing Instruction for Young Learners with Karen Harris & Young Suk Kim (podcast) 
• The Writing Revolution Tools 

Looking for more literacy support and resources? Explore all of our podcast episodes, free listening guides, and classroom tools at literacypodcast.com.

Interested in bringing Melissa & Lori Love Literacy to your school or event? Email us at [email protected].