Executive Skills and Writing Instruction Developing Self-Regulated, Thinking Writers

by Laud, Leslie E.

• ISBN13: 9781462558940
• ISBN10: 1462558941
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781462558964, 9781462558971
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2025-11-20
• Publisher: The Guilford Press
• More Book Details

Summary

Students learn to write well by developing fundamental literacy skills--and also by knowing how to get started, stay on track, and persist toward meaningful goals. From leading science-of-writing expert Leslie E. Laud, this is the first book that helps K–12 educators harness the power of executive skills in evidence-based writing instruction. Laud shows how self-regulation supports learning and growth in every step of the writing process, from planning to drafting, editing, and revising. The book provides a clear roadmap and practical strategies for teaching and scaffolding both writing skills and executive skills. It is packed with sample lessons, writing prompts, extended examples, “Take It to the Classroom” tips, and reproducible/downloadable tools. 

Author Biography

Leslie E. Laud, EdD, is Director at thinkSRSD, an educational consulting group that focuses on evidence-based writing instruction. She has served as Adjunct Professor at Bank Street College of Education and Columbia University, and as Research Partner at the Written Expression Language and Literacy Collaborative. Dr. Laud has worked as a principal, as a teacher in special education and general education settings, and as a literacy specialist. She has served as a Principal Investigator on federally funded research grants and has published empirical studies on writing instruction in peer-reviewed journals. She regularly speaks at conferences nationally and internationally, and consults to state departments of education, districts, and schools on how to implement evidence-based practices for teaching writing. Dr. Laud is passionate about implementation science, translational research, and human-centered design approaches that make it easier for educators to use practices found to succeed. 

Table of Contents

1. Executive Skills: What They Are, and Why They Matter in Learning to Write
2. The End Game: A Framework for Developing Self-Regulating Writers
3. Planning: Teach and Model the Writing Process
4. Organization: Text Structure
5. Cognitive Flexibility: The Key to Varied Vocabulary and Strong Sentences
6. Working Memory: Transcribing Ideas While Holding Them in Mind
7. Inhibition and Self-Monitoring: Goal-Driven Revision
8. Social Understanding: Audience Awareness and Peer Connections
Epilogue
Appendix of Resources and Reproducibles
References
Index