Since Writing the Memoir came out in early 1997 it has sold roughly 20,000 copies and is consistently praised as "the best book on memoir out there." It is thought-provoking, explanatory, and practical: each chapter ends with writing exercises. It covers everything from questions of truth and ethics to questions of craft and the crucial retrospective voice. An appendix provides information on legal issues...
Now, many teachers at the elementary and middle school levels are being expected to teach the craft of writing—the more artistic side of this art and science. Although this is absolutely a positive shift in education, it has also been challenging for many teachers. Crafting Writers begins by looking at the art of writing itself. Chapters 2 and 3 introduce readers to specific craft and a process for noticing craft in writing. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 offer many specific writing techniques that relate to different categories of craft such as word choice and sentence variety. Chapter 7 moves from the art of writing to the teaching of writing and offers strategies for teaching craft in whole-class lessons. Chapters 8, 9, and 10 look at teaching craft in one-on-one conferences and demonstrate how knowing many specific craft techniques can help teachers see strengths and possible next steps in all levels of writing. The last two chapters look at aspects of writing workshop that support overall instruction: the management of conferences, group conferences, and using rubrics to assess writing.
"Writer's Choice: Grammar and Composition" is an integrated language arts program that keeps pace with the current trends in the teaching of writing and related communication skills. Features in the Student Editions build on a solid foundation of instruction including easy-to-understand explanations, clear-cut definitions, real-world examples, and skill-based assessment. The visuals and graphics throughout the textbook engage students' attention and illustrate key concepts and processes. Writer's Choice provides students and teachers with the tools for developing skills in writing, reading, researching, speaking, listening, critical thinking, and viewing and representing.
