reviewed by Gillian E. Mertens & Angela M. Kohnen – September 08, 2020


Title: Writing to Make an Impact
Author(s):Sandra Murphy, Mary Ann Smith
Publisher: Teachers College Press, New York
ISBN: 9780807763964, Pages: 160, Year: 2020

In Writing to Make an Impact, Sandra Murphy and Mary Ann Smith, argue that writing instruction in secondary classrooms should be about more than demonstrating competence or mastering prescribed formulas. Instead, they lay out an expanded vision of writing instruction born from the question, “Why do we write?” Their emphatic answer is that we write to have an impact on the wider world. Writing that makes an impact, they assert, is writing that students are invested in, writing that exists to accomplish something, and writing that aims to have an effect on an audience or a situation. In short, writing to make an impact is writing that “goes places” (p. 3), places far beyond the teacher’s desk.

This book challenges writing teachers to look up from the curriculum maps, state standards, and end-of-course assessments that frequently dominate contemporary decisions about writing instruction. The authors consider writing’s role in schooling, to be certain, but their gaze is fixed on the real-world power and implications of writing. To that end, their efforts are dedicated to making impactful, authentic writing strategies accessible to secondary educators.

Read the full review at Teachers College Record