Resources for Teaching Writing

Each Institute that CUWP hosts invites teachers into meaningful classroom-based inquiry into questions they’ve grappled with related to writing instruction in their own context. In inquiry groups with other teachers, participants read journal article(s) and professional book(s) to amplify their knowledge of research and practice in the area related to their inquiry. Below are the teacher-facing products––resources for teachers to use in their own practice and with their own students––created by CUWP Teacher Consultants. We hope you will use them and share them freely!

2026 BYU SI Inquiry Group Resources

Developing Confident and Independent Writers

Sara Barber, Aimee Clyde, Jenny McCulloch, and Ricky Ricks (CUWP, 2026)

Writing requires courage.
Courage requires vulnerability.
Vulnerability is empowering.
Empowered writers are confident and independent! 
Check out this teacher resource created by CUWP Fellows to develop independent, confident. and successful writers.

The Writing Teacher’s Manifesto

Exploring Authentic Writing for Writer Engagement, Motivation, and Empowerment

Jennifer Hansen, Samantha Montgomery, and Natalie Wood (CUWP, 2026)

How can authentic, real-world writing experiences increase student engagement, motivation, and empowerment in the writing classroom?

Check out this Google Drive Folder created by CUWP Fellows to showcase strategies for authentic writing units for first grade through high school.

Inquiry group question and research resources for the authentic writing inquiry group project in 2026

Writing to Learn Across Disciplines and Grade Levels

Sara Barnes, Sydney Fromm, and Tamara Willis, (CUWP, 2026)

Check out this magazine created by CUWP Fellows to find strategies for reading-writing connections, ideas for supporting writing in the disciplines, and resources for teachers invested in more effective writing instruction.

Cover page of inquiry group magazine for reading-writing connections across disciplines from 2026

Finding Joy and Confidence in Writing

Lauren Maynes, Genevieve Palestino, and Meredith Sager (CUWP, 2026)

Check out this Google Drive Folder created by CUWP Fellows that includes the following resources for teachers:

Student Facing Resources 

  • Identity Survey: Distribute to students to get a sense of who they are as writers. Please make a copy of this survey to save in your own Drive before editing it/sending it out to students.
  • Letter to future me. This assignment takes place after writing the literacy journey draft/quick write. There is no expectation that the teacher will read and examine these letters closely. This prepares students to set goals, and then to reflect honestly about those goals at the end of the semester. 
  • Student Bookmarks This infographic shows students that we often claim identities without being the “best at something,” and that anyone can claim the identity as a writer. 

Teacher Facing Resources 

  • What is my literacy journey? These are prompts for a series of quick writes to prepare students to write their Letter to Future Me. 
  • Writing Poster for Your Classroom To help cultivate a writing climate 
  • Writer stickers on Amazon (link 1; link 2; link 3); custom sticker for “I am a writer” (option 1); sample below
  • How to Share Your Own Writing Liz Prather talks about how until you as a teacher have a core identity as a writer, you cannot expect your students to be writers. So, part of that is learning how to share your writing with your students so that there can be a demonstration of vulnerability and that everyone fights against feelings of being an imposter when they write. 
  • Writing Identity Activities: These short activities can be used with students to talk about the common struggles writers face and experiences that have shaped students’ understanding of who they are as writers.
  • Building Confidence infographic: Based on Prather’s book, this quicksheet can help teachers who are looking for resources to help struggling student writers. (Need to finish Being a Fraud portion)
  • Writing Certificates: Awards to recognize student growth and risk-taking in their writing.
A photograph of a writing identity survey created by CUWP participants
Infographic about Building Writing Confidence

2025 AI and Writing Institute Resources

Teaching Writing with AI Quick Reference Guide

In Fall of 2025, participants from the CUWP AI and Writing Institute completed inquiry cycles, implementing classroom plans that explored how AI can enrich writing instruction. The power of the cohort came from teachers teaching teachers, exploring real application with their students and asking questions rather than looking for quick answers. To share our findings, we have created a Quick Reference Guide (QRG) for Teaching Writing with AI. 

Image of Page 1 of the AI Quick Reference Guide created by CUWP Fellows in 2025

2025 SI Inquiry Group Resources

Designing Authentic Writing Experiences

Amber Beckstrand, Jordan Cottam, and Brianna Gee (CUWP, 2025)

Students in all grades deserve opportunities to practice writing for the real world—with real audiences, real purpose and real goals. For most of us, essay writing stops once we leave formal education, but our writing needs outside of the classroom are as unique and individual as we are. Providing students with real-world writing opportunities will help them build the skills to adapt to new writing challenges and gain the skills to entertain, persuade, or inform in all kinds of ways for a variety of audiences. Check out this website created by CUWP Fellows to find strategies for authentic writing across narrative, expository, and argumentative modes.

Flowchart titled Do you want to build Authentic Writing Experiences? guides teaching modes—Informative, Argumentative, and Narrative—with examples for each, including infographics, debates, and podcasts. Green car icons mark flow.

Using AI in the Writing Process: A Guide for Teachers

Lindsey Reyes, Annika Nielsen, and Katy Bigham (CUWP, 2025)

“Why use AI? Isn’t it bad for students’ writing?” It’s a fair question—and one many ELA teachers are asking. But when used thoughtfully, AI can actually support stronger writing, not weaken it. Instead of replacing the writing process, AI gives students low-stakes, immediate feedback that helps them take ownership of their revision. It can help them brainstorm, organize ideas, or rephrase awkward sentences—just like a helpful writing partner might. For teachers, it takes some of the pressure off by handling routine tasks, so we can spend more time having real conversations about content, voice, and meaning. AI doesn’t do the thinking for students—it creates more space for thinking to happen. Check out this website created by CUWP Fellows to find resources for engaging students with AI throughout all stages of the writing process.

Three book covers about AI and writing: AI and Writing with large blue letters, AI in the Writing Workshop with a pen and colorful squares, and Rethinking Writing Instruction: In the Age of AI with green and gray text.

Greenbelt Writing: Free, Exploratory, and Autonomous

Anna Dinsmoor, Mary Kathryn Hall, and Alyssa Murray (CUWP, 2025)

Every student deserves a space to discover and grow their unique writing identity. Yet with all our programs, timelines, and expectations, finding time for extra writing can feel impossible. Our inspiration comes from those quick 5-10 minute windows that appear throughout each day. By weaving in these short writing opportunities we give students a chance to think, reflect, and create alongside their classmates.

These brief but consistent moments will allow students to explore their ideas, develop confidence, and connect with others. Through daily writing, we hope to nurture a lifelong love of writing, empowering students to express themselves authentically and discover the power of their own
stories. Check out this document and this infographic created by CUWP Fellows for a guide to using Greenbelt Writing in your classroom!

An infographic titled Greenbelt Writing shows tips for autonomous, exploratory writing routines for all ages, with specific daily writing activities and setups for elementary and secondary students. Trees and greenery border the image.

Reading and Writing Connections in the Classroom

Mindy Carlson, Trent Mikesell, Pat Mosbacker, and Stacy Selk (CUWP, 2025)

The Reading and Writing Connections Inquiry Group read this 2022 book of the same name. Applying the research in the book to their varied contexts (a district ELA specialist, a district K-6 literacy specialist, a junior high school teacher, and a third-grade teacher), they created infographics and compiled detailed notes from the book in hopes that other teachers would be able to incorporate these findings into their own teaching contexts.

An infographic titled Writing and Reading Connections lists eight ways writing and reading support each other, including school use, spelling, vocabulary, conversation, comprehension, genre, self-regulation, bilinguals, ELA, and struggling students.