Customer Reviews

Teaching the Youngest Writers: A Practical Guide

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Two years ago I attended the International Reading Association Conference in Orlando, Florida. While browsing the exhibits, I expressed my dismay at the lack of "how-to" books for teaching kindergarteners how to write--REALLY write. It turns out that I was talking to Marcia Freeman, and she recommended her book to me! It was not yet available, but I bought it as soon as it was published. It is THE BEST resource I've found on how to create an environment so that kindergartners will write. The book is very easy to read, and the author guides you the process of creating a classroom of young writers. She offers manageable and practical suggestions (you can tell she knows what she's talking because she has experienced it!). She takes the steps of the writing process (prewriting, writing, editing, etc.) and shows what they "look like" in a primary classroom. She also stresses how IMPORTANT it is to MODEL all aspects of the process. I've shared the ideas in this book with my colleagues, and they love them. If you teach kindergarten, first, or second grade, you need this book!

As an educational writing consultant I recommend this book to all my K - 1 teachers. It's fabulous. Marcia Freeman is an educator who REALLY knows how to get emergent writers started.

In Teaching the Youngest Writers, Marcia Freeman outlines a comprehensive writing curriculum for educators in the primary grades. She provides step-by-step lesson ideas for teaching writing skills, the writing process, and introducing your students to the various genres of writing.
Ms. Freeman provides plenty of practical ideas and as well as creative suggestions from other teachers across the nation. She includes what to teach on the first day of school, what to expect from your students at different times of the year, how to link her program to your state standards, and even how to effectively manage your classroom environment. She explains the seven different stages of emergent writing and provides teaching strategies for students at each stage. She even includes additional ideas for teaching ESOL students.
This in-depth resource provides everything you need to implement a writing curriculum. Yet, teachers can individualize the program by incorporating their own models and ideas. Plenty of examples following each lesson, codes, and page and chapter references make this book user-friendly and easy to navigate.
I recommend this for any teacher who struggles with teaching writing, or is just looking for new ideas for their writing curriculum. To get the most out of it, read it thoroughly and familiarize yourself with the lessons and techniques. It will take some time to prepare and organize, but in the end, it will be well worth it!

This has been a great resource for implementing Writer's Workshop in my first grade classroom. The guide is easy to read with many tips to use thouroughout the school year. This guide is packed with information on teaching writing and how to use techniques to help your classroom run smoothly.

This book was very informative. Writing is a hard subject to teach and this is a book that can help you get started after reading it. I learned about target skills that are appropriate for K-2 students. There are not a lot of good books that focus on writing in the early grades. I can't wait to use what I learned in my classroom next year.

The only negative is that I wish there were more assessment and set up suggestions.

This is the best one of the best instructional models for teaching writing to the youngest of writers. It includes practical teaching strategies supported by sound teaching philospy. I wish it had been available when I began teaching 20+ years ago. I purchased it for a colleague who is a beginning teacher because I didn't want to part with my copy.

The book arrived quickly. I have not read it yet as my class just started and is a required text book.

This book is a must have for K-2 teachers. If you are not satisfied with your writing instruction and are looking to add a few more tricks to your bag, this book is full of great lessons and explanations of developmentally appropriate writing lessons. Marcia Freeman is all about meeting studetns where they are at. I always struggled with my students not understanding how to use graphic organizers. This book actually provides lesson to teach your students how to organize their writing without graphic organizers. NOt only does this book include how to structure your writer's workshop. It also includes target lessons to help your students with specific skills. An easy read, and something you can implement right away!

I read this book as part of a guided study for professional development. What a wonderful and practical guide for writer's workshop. The models in the book were easy to implement and modify to help my students feel more successful in writing.

This was a great book to help give teachers ideas on how to run writing workshops in the classroom. As a pre-service teacher this book really helped calm my nerves about teaching writing because does give so many helpful suggestions. It is truly a practical guide to writing workshops.