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'Susan Ruckdeschel provides a clear rationale for having student writers coach each other as they revise their work. Her explanations, examples, practical tips, and reproducibles enable teachers to use the process successfully in their own classrooms. This peer review process is straightforward, engaging, and flexible, and aims to develop students' independence as writers' - Denise Nessel, Education Consultant and Mentor National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Students who understand how to analyze the writing of others can use those skills to improve their own writing. Peer coaching is a collaborative process that engages learners in student-to-student interactions to help them become more proficient writers. Susan Ruckdeschel provides a concise road map for using peer coaching to help secondary students clarify their writing goals and deepen their understanding of effective writing. Aligned with state and IRA/NCTE standards, Peer Coaching for Adolescent Writers shows teachers how to teach students to articulate a purpose for their writing, formulate questions for feedback, provide constructive comments to their peers, and incorporate the critiques of their peers into their writing. Designed for ease of use, this book offers: - Clear, step-by-step tips for implementing the peer coaching process - Ideas for using peer coaching across content areas - An appendix of ready-to-go reproducible forms, including scripts, checklists, rubrics, and more - Transcripts, photos, and classroom examples throughout - Adaptations for students with special needs and English language learners By developing their writing and editing skills through the peer review process, students can become effective communicators both in and out of the classroom.

Developing children's writing abilities boosts their confidence, creates enjoyment and relevance in the task and cultivates a range of decision-making and problem-solving skills that can then be applied across the curriculum. The Countdown series provides all the support you need in helping children to improve their prose, poetry and non-fiction writing. Countdown to Non-Fiction Writing is a comprehensive and flexible resource which you can use in different ways. It includes: 37 stand-alone modules which cover all aspects of writing and understanding non-fiction texts, including the nature of language, logical thinking, recognising ‘facts’ and planning; A countdown flowchart provides an overview, showing how modules are linked and allowing teachers and pupils to track their progress; Photocopiable activity sheets for each module that show how to make decisions and solve problems which writers face on the journey to a finished piece of work; Teachers’ notes for each module with tips and guidance, including how modules can be used in the classroom, links to other modules and curriculum links, and advice on helping and guiding pupils in their writing; A self-study component so pupils can make their own progress through the material. This option gives young writers a sense of independence in thinking about their work and through offering a scaffolding of tasks, encourages confident and effective writing; 'Headers' for each module showing where along the 'countdown path' you are at that point; Contents page for quick access to particular modules and relevant aspects of writing. In short, Countdown to Non-Fiction Writing saves valuable planning time and gives you all the flexibility you need in helping pupils to prepare for, understand, and write non-fiction. The structure of the book allows teachers to utilise the modules for ‘self-study’, as a longer programme following the ‘countdown’ structure, or to dip into the book for individual lesson activities and ideas to fit in with wider programmes of study. A former teacher, Steve Bowkett is now a full-time writer, storyteller, educational consultant and hypnotherapist. He is the author of more than forty books including Jumpstart! Creativity and A Handbook of Creative Learning Activities . 'If you know that you have a tendency to favour creative over non-fiction when teaching writing techniques, then you really should get hold of this book as soon as possible ... it's an absolute joy from start to finish, and should be given not only to every pupil and teacher in the country, but also to anyone who has ever used the phrase \"I'm entitled to my opinion\" during the course of a discussion and expected to settle that matter. The modules Steve Bowkett has put together will take pupils on a fascinating, empowering and thoroughly enjoyable journey through language, taking in the nature of truth and reality, the politics of persuasion, and a mysteriously disappeared chicken leg on the way...and at the end of it, they will not only be better writers, but wiser readers, listeners and consumers too. Wonderful.' - Teach Primary Introduction Section 1 – Non-Fiction, Fiction, Truth and Lies 37 How can we tell it’s non fiction? 36 What is a fact? 35 What is an opinion? 34 What is truth? 33 Fact, opinion and wisdom 32 Example of fact and opinion 31 Some tips for writing non fiction – Purpose, audience and style 30 Non fiction text types – Persuading, Instructing, Reporting, Explaining, Recounting, Discussing 29 Types, forms and styles Section 2 – Questioning Skills 28 Be nosy – the importance of questions 27 Types of question – closed, open, specific, general, rhetorical, philosophical 26 It’s OK not to know – feeling comfortable with uncertainty 25 Yes but what does it mean? 24 Interpretation: questioning the answers – and questioning the questions – refining and clarifying questions Section 3 – Evaluating Information 23 Evaluating information 22 Ambiguity (and punctuation) 21 Scepticism 20 Reading between the lines 19 The words in the tones – emotive language Section 4 – Persuasive Writing 18 How to put feelings into writing/the power of generalisations 17 Words that influence (including strong verbs, adjectives, adverbs) 16 The language of advertising – wordplay, puns rhymes, slogans, exaggeration, intriguing questions, embedded suggestions Section 5 - Writing an Argument (Discursive Writing) 15 How to prepare an argument 14 Argument planner 13 Persuasive arguments 12 Does it follow? Logical linking / evidence is strength 11 A note on metaphors 10 Controversial issues / viewpoints 9 Assessing arguments 8 The value of discussion Section 6 - Writing to Inform 7 Some tips 6 Descriptive writing – examples and games 5 Personal and impersonal 4 Directions and instructions 3 Recounting and reporting / news article template 2 Writing a letter Section 7 – Putting it all together 1 Concept maps and making notes Review

Setting and Description focuses on the effective use of descriptive writing techniques to depict a story setting. Students practice first-drafting, editing, polishing and sharing original scenes and stories set in realistically described times and places.

Many reading programs today overlook an essential component of literacy instruction-helping children develop an enduring love of reading. This authoritative and accessible guide provides a wealth of ideas for incorporating high-quality children's books of all kinds into K-6 classrooms. Numerous practical strategies are presented for engaging students with picturebooks, fiction, nonfiction, and nontraditional texts. Lively descriptions of recommended books and activities are interspersed with invaluable tips for fitting authentic reading experiences into the busy school day. Every chapter concludes with reflection questions and suggestions for further reading. The volume also features reproducible worksheets and forms.

The purpose of Thinking through Writing is to prove thinking skills are taught best through writing.All parts of the brain and all types of learning styles are used in writing activities, simultaneously instructing thinking skills.