Writing in the elementary classroom. Filled with voices of writers, young and old, experience and inexperienced. Beginning with thte concepts that underlie how we teach students to write by studing other writers. They discover the magic of literature and discover its value
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More About the Author
Katie Wood Ray is the author of the Heinemann titles Already Ready (2008), Study Driven (2007), About the Authors (2004) and its DVD companion The Teaching Behind ABOUT THE AUTHORS (2005), and What You Know by Heart (2002). A former Associate Professor at Western Carolina University Katie is now a full time writer and researcher of the teaching of writing. With a particular focus on the study of writing craft, she leads teacher workshops and summer institutes across the nation related to the teaching of writing. Her professional background includes both elementary and middle school teaching experience and two years as a staff developer at The Reading and Writing Project, Teachers College, Columbia University. She was also the coeditor of the journal Primary Voices K - 6, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English. Katie is also the author or coauthor of Spelling in Use: Looking Closely at Spelling in the Whole Language Classrooms (1996, NCTE), Wondrous Words: Writers and Writing in the Elementary Classroom (1999, NCTE), and The Writing Workshop: Working Through the Hard Parts (And They're All Hard Parts) (2001, NCTE). A frequent speaker at conferences and summer institutes around the country, Katie also has extensive experience teaching teachers in workshop and demonstration settings.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
By Mary Owen
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've taught for 21 years, but I always felt like there must be a better way to teach writing to children. This book tells how. Katie Wood Ray gives specific techniques for teaching structure, ways with words, and teaches you to teach your students to read like writers. For all of this, she uses the most marvelous children's books, most picture books but some young adult novels. I have worked on increasing my library under her direction, and I'm having a ball watching my students learn to love to write.
50 of 54 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Katie Wood Ray's book, Wondrous Words, not only informs us as educators but it also pushes us to be better teachers and to strive to reach the level of excellence Katie has obtained. Her examples and detailed explanations of the study of writing craft are wonderful (wondrous?) and they are also embedded within her own writing, so you see it in many contexts!! Katie does not tell us what we should do, she walks next to us and points out what she sees, what she thinks, and shares what she would do. This is a book that every educator who loves teaching and writing and reading and learning alongside their students, should definitely have. Bravo Katie!
36 of 38 people found the following review helpful
By Susan Busch
Format:Paperback
Katie Wood Ray has made a very readable, very usable book to help teachers teach students to 'read like writers'. I use the ideas when I am reading and reviewing new children's literature and each time I begin writing instruction with my elementary remedial students. Truly shows how to integrate student writing and good children's literature.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By Special
Format:Paperback
As a first year teacher, I have made it my obligation to get my hands on as many resources as possible to learn my "craft." I am amazed at how much this book has changed my concept of teaching writing. I now understand what it is to "describe" a good piece of work rather than "prescribe" a good piece of work.
When I received this book after having attended a workshop, I did not know what to do with it-how to read it, understand it, but after having a year of experience and assessing my weaknesses (how to teach writing), I now understand.
I thank Katie Wood Ray for sharing herself and her findings with us.
When I received this book after having attended a workshop, I did not know what to do with it-how to read it, understand it, but after having a year of experience and assessing my weaknesses (how to teach writing), I now understand.
I thank Katie Wood Ray for sharing herself and her findings with us.
30 of 34 people found the following review helpful
By H. Holland
Format:Paperback
I have enjoyed everyword of this book. I am an aspiring English teacher who is fortunate enough to have Katie Ray's guidance as a professor and mentor. This book is one of the few that I will not sell back. This unique way of teaching writing writing is creative, relaxing, and enjoyable for both the teacher and the student. No matter what grade you teach you need this book! Katie has an amazing gift as a teacher and a writer which she expresses wonderfully in this book.
45 of 54 people found the following review helpful
By Frank Murphy
Format:Paperback
As a writer of children's books and a second grade teacher, I refer to this book often - for support, guidance, affirmation, ideas, writing help, and more. It is perfect!
I hope to have the opportunity to cross paths with the author one day...I'd love to see her speak!
I recommend it all the time to teaching colleagues, friends, writers, and editors.
31 of 41 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
As an older student returning for a second degree, this one in Elementary Education, to become a teacher, I have found this book to be very helpful. In returning to school, I had no idea about the changes that are taking place in education. Very good changes, nothing like I experienced when I was in Elementary School. This book will be with me always during my teaching career. Wondrous Words has opened my eyes and has inspired me. I can't wait to read it again and to put it to use in a classroom. This book can be used by teachers in kindergarten or college to help teach about writing.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Celeste
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am participating in a book study with several other elementary teachers using this book. Our goal is to go beyond the canned formulaic paragraphs that our students are writing for our state test and to help them to grow into writers. The first chapter had us all excited as we suddenly began to understand how to read like writers. The book gives specific examples of the way authors craft their writing. I now see writer's craft with a different and much deeper understanding. Katie Ray shows the reader how to connect reading aloud with mentor texts and then devotes two chapters to listing mentor texts for teaching text structure and mentor texts for teaching students to craft with words. She also includes focus lessons for teaching. Her methods are exciting, motivating, and invigorating. But, I am still searching for the magic bullet that will let me teach like Katie Wood Ray and also be assured that my students are prepared to write for the boring prompts we see on the state test. Katie really promotes authentic writing, (which, of course, she should!), but the reality is that the state test always looms over my head. Katie doesn't address this issue in any other way except to criticize teachers who teach for the test. She wants students to spend lots of time thinking and envisioning their writing, which, I agree, a good writer does. But, with the time limits on the state test, I don't have that liberty. She criticizes a teacher who says "Don't spend more than ten minutes planning." and says the teacher might as well have said 2 plus 2 is 3. I'd love to be able to tell my students to take all the time they want to envision their writing and plan. But, in my state, 50% of my teacher evaluation is based upon how my students score on the test.... Read more ›
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wondrous Words
I am a former classroom teacher and now I coach K-5 teachers. This resource is one of the best when it comes to understanding how young writers develop their writing skills. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Joanna Wakeland
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elementary and Beyond
Wondrous Words provides an elegant philosophy for teaching writing to all ages. From cover to cover, Wood Ray's ideas and strategies prove memorable and coherent. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Alicia J. Prickett
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book for Writing
Thanks for sending this book in good shape! I will definitly be able to use it.
Wonderful book for writing.
Wonderful book for writing.
Published 5 months ago by Debbie Schafer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good!
I was required to have this for a college class, I didn't want it on my own, but it had some good information that i could use in my classroom. Read more
Published 6 months ago by sgamje50
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just what I was looking for.
Just what I was looking for. Came quick! Everything was in new condition. Would recommend to anyone interested in this product.
Published 7 months ago by No name
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book for teaching writing!
This book is amazing. It really opens you mind to learning how to write well, as well as teaching children how to do this. It's pleasant to read, not like a text book.
Published on September 25, 2010 by Kathlyn Andrews
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