Materials for developing writing skills

This chapter discusses the role of instructional materials in the writing class, describing the steps in selecting, modifying and supplementing published materials, in finding and using texts, and in designing and evaluating writing materials. I begin by discussing the role of materials to model, scaffold, provide information and to stimulate. Teachers may also get ideas from materials and, in many contexts, they may be the only opportunities students have to study target texts. I go on to explore how teachers might select materials from the options available, ways of modifying textbooks for particular learners, and using the internet as a source of writing materials. I conclude by reviewing how teachers might design suitable materials and use them in the classroom.