From the Back Cover
For all educators grades 3 and up, here is a proven, ready-to-use resource that lets you easily tailor writing experiences to the needs of any student having difficulty writing -- even your most reluctant writer!
Starting with simple written words and progressing to sentences, paragraphs, and reports, Let's Write! takes into account all ability levels and learning styles to help each student achieve success. Basic to more advanced skills are presented sequentially in lessons that devote small amounts of time to four diverse tasks.
For example, one lesson of moderate difficulty might ask students to do the following:
- Write a list of things that can fly.
- Write a paragraph about your favorite meal.
- Play a game that involves pantomiming verbs.
- Listen to a read-aloud like The Education of Little Tree.
Sequential presentation of the skills needed for writing helps students become successful right from the start of their program, and spending smaller amounts of time on diverse tasks engages students with attention issues.
The program gives you over 200 activities and over 110 worksheets, all printed in a big 8 1/4" x 11" spiral-bound format that folds flat for easy photocopying of any page as many times as needed. It is organized into two parts:
PART 1 focuses on teaching the basic structures of written language in seven sections: for example, Words ("A Category Game"), Sentences ("Write It with Nouns"), Paragraphs ("A 'What If' Paragraph"), Research Reports ("Write About Amazing Facts"), Book Reports ("Write a Testimonial"), Stories ("Five-Object Find"), and Essays ("Political Topics").
PART 2 offers a combination of specific skills development and opportunities for practice in nine sections: for example, Grammar ("Search and Destroy"), Editing ("Find My Mistakes"), Poetry ("A Poem Full of Lies"), Literature Connection ("Animal Questions"), Holidays ("A Holiday From Another Culture"), Letters ("Hello Human"), Using the Newspaper ("Dear Gertrude"), Real Life Writing ("A Job Application"), and Gimmicks & Gags ("Write It with a Ridiculous Interview").
What's more, two appendices provide countless ideas for word, phrase, and sentence lists, plus suggestions for read-aloud and other books for use with students.
In short, Let's Write! gives you a tested sequential program for meeting the special needs of all of your students who are reluctant writers. It will help you turn a task that may now be overwhelming and agonizing for your students into a joyful and satisfying activity.
Cynthia M. Stowe has taught writing for many years. She is a certified classroom teacher, special education teacher, and school psychologist. She has taught writing to students of all ages, including adults.
Cynthia's main area of interest has always been working with students with special needs. Because she found that these students do not always flourish with traditional writing programs, she developed Let's Write! over a twelve-year period while she was working in public school, private school, and clinic settings.
Currently, Cynthia is teaching writing to students with special needs at the Eagle Mountain School in Greenfield, Massachusetts. She has taught many writing workshops to teachers and to parents with their children present.
Cynthia is also an author. She has published three children's books: Home Sweet Home, Good-Bye (middle grades, Scholastic, 1990), Dear Mom, in Ohio for a Year (middle grades, Scholastic, 1992), and Not-So-Normal Norman (grades 3-6, Albert Whitman, 1995). In addition, she has recently published Spelling Smart! A Ready-to-Use Activities Program for Students With Spelling Difficulties (The Center for Applied Research In Education, 1996).
