A Creative Approach To Teaching Writing

Why should children learn to write fluently? What difference will it make to them and the opportunities available to them later on in life? The ability to communicate clearly, accurately and persuasively is a vital life skill. Deficiencies in motivation and thinking skills pervade the challenge of improving children's literacy levels. Get Them Thinking Like Writers! combines practical activities to help children aged 7-11 develop their writing skills, with insights into the attitude that experienced writers apply to their craft. The activities explore different working methods - such as how authors tap into and develop their creativity and how they deal with 'writer's block' - and are supported by strategies for thinking that will develop children's literacy and the way they use language to express their opinions in all subject areas. Steve Bowkett, author, storyteller and education consultant, provides the key concepts and learning benefits of each strategy, along with a series of activities, extension ideas and useful links. Linked resources can be found on the series companion website.

Why should children learn to write fluently? What difference will it make to them and the opportunities available to them later on in life? The ability to communicate clearly, accurately and persuasively is a vital life skill. Deficiencies in motivation and thinking skills pervade the challenge of improving children's literacy levels. Get Them Thinking Like Writers! combines practical activities to help children aged 7-11 develop their writing skills, with insights into the attitude that experienced writers apply to their craft. The activities explore different working methods - such as how authors tap into and develop their creativity and how they deal with 'writer's block' - and are supported by strategies for thinking that will develop children's literacy and the way they use language to express their opinions in all subject areas. Steve Bowkett, author, storyteller and education consultant, provides the key concepts and learning benefits of each strategy, along with a series of activities, extension ideas and useful links. Linked resources can be found on the series companion website.

This book offers a whole school approach to the teaching of grammar and punctuation that is fully matched to the demands of the English grammar and punctuation test and the new curriculum. With the shift towards elegant, well-constructed sentences, it offers the busy teacher three simple steps to motivate and engage children, through: • explicit teaching and modelling; • over forty practical games and activities; • application and improvement within editing and proof reading. This book draws on recent research but also is based on many years of classroom practice and a number of case studies. Practical examples develop teachers' understanding of grammatical terms and progression and show how it is possible to have a significant impact on vocabulary, sentence structure and children's writing in general. A balance is found where skills are explicitly taught but within the context of an exciting and interesting curriculum.

For decades theorists have opined that the lines between creative writing and composition need to be lifted, yet little has been written about the pedagogical methods that allow a cohesive approach between the disciplines. This book brings together contemporary authors and well-respected creative writing instructors and theorists to explore ways creativity in composition may be encouraged in student writers. The question in this anthology is not ‘Can writing be taught?’ but ‘How can we inspire students to embrace the creative process no matter what they write?’ This book offers multiple strategies to merge the best practices of teaching writing, regardless of the genre.

It can be frustrating, demoralising even, to be too afraid or intimidated to express either in speech or in writing what is going on in one's mind. It's one thing to write enough to complete a class assignment or to please a teacher; it's another to really use and take ownership of one's language, and express oneself from one's heart. The main goal of From the Heart is to encourage just that. The exercises are designed to give students the opportunity to develop language skills while at the same time using their own, individual creative talents. The activities were selected with several goals in mind: To help students explore their own creativity in a supportive environment; To help them discover that inspiration for writing is everywhere; To build their confidence in voicing their own heartfelt ideas; To provide abundant opportunities to practice their newly acquired skills; To help them feel comfortable about getting -- and giving -- feedback that improves writing. As they achieve these goals, they will find themselves more confident and comfortable with their new language, producing texts that are much more interesting than standard classroom fare, and really writing from their hearts.

A textbook introducing the essential nature of poetry and providing sample poems and suggestions for the writing of poetry.

The book covers the teaching of literacy to children aged 5-14, with the emphasis on 5-11. (The material for older students means that the book applies to middle schools as well as primaries). Each chapter shows how students/pupils can develop their own writing skills by learning from passages of great literature. Each section includes: passages from literature; teaching approaches; examples of children's work. The book is rooted in the classroom and practical in nature. The literary texts are in photocopiable format.

This book offers a whole school approach to the teaching of grammar and punctuation that is fully matched to the demands of the English grammar and punctuation test and the new curriculum. With the shift towards elegant, well-constructed sentences, it offers the busy teacher three simple steps to motivate and engage children, through: • explicit teaching and modelling; • over forty practical games and activities; • application and improvement within editing and proof reading. This book draws on recent research but also is based on many years of classroom practice and a number of case studies. Practical examples develop teachers' understanding of grammatical terms and progression and show how it is possible to have a significant impact on vocabulary, sentence structure and children's writing in general. A balance is found where skills are explicitly taught but within the context of an exciting and interesting curriculum.