- ISBN13: 9780590522120
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
Motivating Prompts and Easy Activities That Develop the Essentials of Strong Writing
Boost creative and expository skills with this teacher-written resource! Lessons are designed to make students want to write well: organize their ideas, write focused paragraphs, make transitions, use strong adjectives and verbs, write dialogue, revise, and more! Includes reproducibles. … More >>
This is a generally good book. I like that it spends a little more time on some of the concepts that are generally difficult for students.
Rating: 3 / 5
I haven’t had much of a chance to use the book in my classroom yet, but it does have some good review lessons.
Rating: 4 / 5
This book is just what I needed. As a writing teacher for 3rd-6th grade, this book gives me some awesome and fun ideas for writing lessons. I think my students will really enjoy doing some of these assignments!
Rating: 5 / 5
I have my own tutoring service I have used this book to help my students who do not like writing. The prompts located in the book are great ways for children to use their imagination and be creative in many different ways and capacities. I would suggest this book for any teacher or parent who is trying to finds ways to help that struggling student to enjoy writing.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is a book on the teaching of writing to middle and junior high students. The writer-teacher may know her stuff, but does not know how to instruct students or her reader-teachers. This is basically–as most books of this type are–a “what to do” book and not a specific “how to” book. My negative comments are intertwined.
1. “[A chosen] motivating topic: ‘That’s So annoying!’ The focus: To create focus with a clear topic sentence.”
Students do NOT want to see the above nomenclature written on their assignment paper or the board. And, besides, in fiction, many paragraphs DON’T have topic sentences.
2. “Assignment: Write about something that annoys you; use details that convey FULLY [emphasis mine] why this is so bothersome.”
The phrase “Write about” is SO overwhelming to weak writers as well as most students. They do not know how to “convey fully” or weave “details” into their writing. Thus, this admonition just adds to their frustration and dislike of composing.
3. “Warm Up: Think of something universally delightful to your students such as ice cream or amusement parks. With students, brainstorm the things that are wonderful about ice cream or amusement parks; write their responses on the board in a word web so they can see the specific details.”
“Universal” does not apply to individual students–more options should be presented or the student be allowed to come up with an annoying topic. A “word web” is still confusing to many teachers–as well as students–and its effectiveness is debatable; I never used it. It is basically a hodge-podge (brain storming) way of listing words, and connecting with lines to those words/ideas that seem to go together. There’s a better way to accomplish this. Also, “specific” details are not revealed via a word web. In addition, too many teachers do not understand HOW to “brainstorm.” So, they should be given some help here.
4. “After reviewing paragraph structure, have the class compose a great topic sentence: Move them away from the overly general or bland (such as ‘Ice cream is great!’) to something more specific and interesting (such as ‘Creamy, smooth, and sweet ice cream in its many varieties is the perfect solution to life’s little troubles.’)”
Just HOW is a teacher to “review paragraph structure”? This is a cog in the wheel of instruction right off. HOW does a teacher move students into exciting, catchy topic sentences? Actually, I like the “bland” in this bland topic sentence. No help for the teacher or student here. And is a 4th-8th grader going to come up with a sentence like that?
5. “Discuss how the topic sentence gives the writer somewhere to go.”
Textbooks, workbooks and too many guides much overuse the word “discuss.” What ARE some discussion points? What about the idea of adding a topic sentence AFTER the paragraph is written–if it needs one at all?
And thus the book continues for many more lessons. Boooring.
A Non-Workbook, Non-Textbook Approach to Teaching Language Arts: Grades 4 Through 8 and Up
Rating: 1 / 5