Writing is one of the hardest things we ask students to do, and one of the hardest things to teach well. If strengthening writing is on your school’s agenda for 2027, the right professional development can make a real difference to teacher confidence and student outcomes.
The How to Teach collection brings together practical books and self-paced online courses from literacy experts Dr Helen Walls and Dr Christine Braid. Grounded in research and built around explicit, systematic teaching, they sit comfortably alongside your established literacy approach. In this post, we look at the books, the courses and some practical ways to combine them so you can choose the mix that best suits your team.
How do I combine the How to Teach writing courses and resources to achieve what I need?
Start with your goal. The courses build the right teacher knowledge. The books keep that knowledge in the classroom. Here are some combinations that work well for different teams and goals.
Your team’s goal is ...
... a shared, whole-school approach to writing
Recommended course: How to Teach Writing, Spelling and Grammar – team subscription
Recommended companion books: How to Teach Writing, Spelling and Grammar for each teacher
... stronger sentence teaching across Years 1–8
Recommended course: How to Build Writing Success Sentence by Sentence – team subscription
Recommended companion books: How to Build Writing Success Sentence by Sentence for each teacher
... support for struggling writers in middle to upper primary
Recommended course: How to Build Writing Success Sentence by Sentence, for SENCOs/LSCs, teaching assistants
Recommended companion books: How to Teach the Foundational Skills of Writing, plus student workbooks
... stretching capable writers in middle to upper primary
Recommended course: How to Teach Writing, Spelling and Grammar
Recommended companion books: How to Teach Advanced Writing Skills
What’s the difference between the How to Teach courses?
Both online courses provide flexible professional development for individuals and teaching teams. They are self-paced, with 12 months of access, so everyone can learn individually, in small groups or as a whole staff. Team subscriptions cover up to six people, and each course ends with a certificate of completion.
How to Teach Writing, Spelling and Grammar course
Presented by Dr Helen Walls and Dr Christine Braid, this course brings the book of the same name to life through video, explanation and classroom demonstration. This self-paced course features five modules (15–40 minutes each, about 3.5 hours in total).
- Introducing the Simple View of Writing
- Teaching transcription: spelling and handwriting
- Teaching translation: vocabulary knowledge and sentence structure
- Formative assessment of student needs, including the Fast Feedback system
- Key structures for teaching composition and nurturing student self-regulation
It includes real classroom examples, shared writing sessions for junior and senior classes, and time to reflect on current practice. This course can be purchased with or without the companion book.
How to Build Writing Success Sentence by Sentence course
Presented by Dr Christine Braid, this course suits Years 1–8 teachers supporting struggling writers, beginning teachers, SENCOs/LSCs and teaching assistants. This self-paced course features three video modules (over 1.5 hours in total).
- Understanding sentence structure
- Sentence combining
- Sentence craft using mentor texts
Each module comes with a downloadable companion document, with over 30 pages of quick-reference tables, practice activities and classroom-ready exercises. The course also includes demonstrations not found in the book, and it can be bought with or without the companion book.
What does the collection of How to Teach writing books cover?
Authored by Dr Helen Walls and Dr Christine Braid, each book is designed to boost teaching capability on its own, as part of the wider collection, and support ongoing practice as part of the How to Teach courses. Perfect for busy classroom teachers with clear explanations, practical strategies and ready-to-use ideas at your fingertips.
How to Teach Writing, Spelling and Grammar
The core text for primary teachers. Using the Simple View of Writing, it covers spelling, handwriting, vocabulary, sentence structure and student self-regulation, plus lesson planning and the Fast Feedback formative assessment method.
How to Build Writing Success Sentence by Sentence
A research-informed guide to teaching sentences across Years 1–8, centred on the clause. It explains sentence structure, offers teaching strategies and uses examples from expert authors to show students how to craft better sentences.
How to Teach the Foundational Skills of Writing
Both books contains a daily intervention programme for middle to senior primary students who need extra help with spelling, handwriting and sentence writing. It includes planning tools and high-interest topics.
The Foundational Skills of Writing Workbook
Age-appropriate student workbooks that complement the intervention programmes. They can be used with the support of a teacher, teaching assistant, or family member.
How to Teach Advanced Writing Skills
Two books, each with ten weeks of focused lessons for middle to upper primary students, covering writing for different purposes, paragraphing, varied sentence structures, richer vocabulary, and direct speech. Designed to follow on from the Foundational Skills resources.
How have other schools built professional development using the How to Teach range?
You can mix-and-match our How to Teach collection in any way that suits you and your team. Here are some approaches used by other schools across Australia and New Zealand to give you inspiration.
Match intervention to need
Pair the Foundational Skills programme and workbooks with learning support staff, so teacher aides deliver consistent daily practice. Students ready for more can move on to Advanced Writing Skills.
Make it collaborative
Watch a module together at a staff meeting, try one strategy for a fortnight, then bring student samples back to discuss. This turns individual learning into ongoing professional growth for teachers across the team.
Start with the big picture
Many schools begin with the How to Teach Writing, Spelling and Grammar course as a staff-wide professional development focus. Teachers then use the book to plan lessons and the Fast Feedback system to track progress.
Layer sentence-level teaching
Follow up with the How to Build Writing Success Sentence by Sentence course later in the year. Sentence combining and mentor texts give teachers practical routines they can use every day.
Plan your 2027 professional development for writing
Whether you are leading a whole-school writing focus or supporting a few students who find writing hard, the How to Teach collection gives your team practical, research-informed tools to use straight away. Start with the course that matches your biggest need, add the books that keep learning alive in classrooms, and build from there.
If you would like some help or advice, get in touch. We can build a professional development writing package to suit your goals and budget.