Why Writing Is the “Forgotten R” — and Why It Deserves a Comeback in Your Classroom

When we talk about the three R’s—Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic—writing often gets left behind. There are so many competing priorities in our classrooms, it’s easy to see why writing instruction is often forgotten, or perhaps just avoided, especially in secondary school. But here’s the truth: writing is not just a skill to be taught—it’s a thinking tool that shapes how students learn across every subject. In our podcast episode, The Forgotten ‘R’, we dive deep into the challenges of writing instruction, especially for secondary teachers—and how we can respond to that.

Despite being essential to how we expect students to communicate their learning, writing often gets sidelined for a few key reasons:

• Lack of time: Writing can feel like a luxury when you’re trying to squeeze every minute out of a packed instructional day and a content heavy curriculum .

• Uncertainty about how to teach it: Many teachers haven’t had robust training in writing instruction, leaving them feeling unprepared or unsupported.

• Perspective: Writing is often considered as an assessment tool, rather than a learning tool.

  
  

Writing helps students to process their ideas, organise their thinking, and express their understanding. Yet many educators feel underprepared or under-resourced to teach writing effectively. The good news is that reclaiming writing as a central part of your teaching practice doesn't require a complete curriculum overhaul and it doesn't have to mean you sacrifice precious time on teaching content. In fact, the best way to teach writing, is actually when it is integrated with the rest of the curriculum, not isolated from it.

---

If you are looking for ideas on how to teach writing without adding just another thing to your to do list, then make sure you have a listen to our episode "The Forgotten R" and our Learning Lounge episode with Christine Tehan from the Writing Revolution.