The Writing Revolution 2.0 is out! - My first impressions

My copy of the original The Writing Revolution book is well-worn, particularly the first half. Book 2.0 just arrived and instead of one big post, I’ll do several smaller ones. I’ve only skimmed the new version so far, I’ll share my first impressions:

1. It’s bigger. No, I haven’t measured it, but it feels heavier and larger.

2. Better formatting Subheadings pop. Sample answers stand out because they are boxed in and in a blue font. My favorite is the use of color-coded boxes. Although I will read and annotate the book, many people will use it more like a reference book, to skim it for ideas. The boxes below will make skimming easier. 

3. Medium blue boxes provide a classroom scenario.

4. Green boxes contain the ‘Why’, the rationale for a strategy.

5. Yellow boxes give important reminders and warn of common mistakes about a strategy.

6. Grey-blue boxes with a border provide an end-of-section summary in bullet points.

7. Teal boxes include a ‘Technical Tip’ about using a strategy.

8. Discussion questions. Each chapter ends with a few discussion questions. Those would have been helpful when my colleagues and I did our book club with the original.

9. Many science examples. The first version had some science examples, but this one has loads of them. 

10. Numbered sequences. When there are several ways to practice a strategy, they provide the best sequence to do them. In general, the order is a gradual release of responsibility and starts with recognition and moves towards full production.

11. K-12 Scope and Sequence. If I remember correctly, the original book provided two examples of a scope and sequence; version 2.0 has every grade level covered.

12. It’s divided into three main sections. This should make it more digestible for those new to it.

13. Section 1: Sentences and note-taking

14. Section 2: Paragraphs, compositions, revision, and summarizing

15. Section 3: Assessing writing and adapting TWR to your classes

16. Sentence-Expansion shows up earlier. This is my favorite of all the strategies, so I am thrilled it’s been moved up. 

17. Addresses AI. The book addresses why writing needs to be taught in a world with LLMs like ChatGPT. (And I wholeheartedly agree.)

18.  So many references to the science of learning! You’ll see references to explicit instruction, deliberate practice, cognitive load theory, and the role of attention.

I consider these ten initial observations improvements. The 2.0 book still has many of my favorite features from the first book, such as the foreword by Doug Lemov, the explanation of the six principles, strategies with examples, and free templates and classroom posters available on the website.

I’ll post again as I read through it.