Customer Reviews

Write to be Read Student's book: Reading, Reflection, and Writing

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THIS REVIEW REFERS TO THE STUDENT TEXT: I purchased this text for my advanced level class and was a little hesitant at first because it is so different than any other text I've used thus far. After finishing the first 2 chapters and having a pretty good feel about the pacing and objectives, I am thoroughly pleased with this book. My students are already writing stronger paragraphs! I highly recommend this interesting and well designed text.

TEACHER MANUAL: I am glad I purchased the teacher manual for a couple of reasons. First, it has answers to many of the exercises. Second, it has lots of ideas in the beginning for structuring a class using this as its core text. However, I have only taught an Advanced level writing class twice before, so my experience is limited. I would say if you have more experience teaching this topic at this level, the teacher manual is pretty basic and you could probably do without it.

A YEAR LATER: I was amazed at the end of the year at the quality of essays my students produced after completing this book. I supplemented the text some with a few (very few) grammar activities and another writing book that had more practice with discrete skills like writing thesis statements and writing transitional sentences. In May, when the final essay was submitted I sat at my desk reading the work of my students and was so pleased at how well they did... even the first draft. Now, in the 2nd year of using Write to be Read, I am confident, as are my new students, in how much progress will be made this year. Good book.

With an ever-increasing number of writing manuals available for ESL/EFL learners, teachers should take care in matching student abilities and learning styles to a text. Additionally, an instructor must consider the goals and objectives of the course in which the text will be used. Write to be Read offers students an opportunity to write on numerous interesting topics in the form of reflective essays, persuasive essays, and arguments. Smalzer indicates that his text is appropriate for high-intermediate to advanced learners. Additionally, students will require some previous experience in English academic writing because of the variety of exercises offered in the development of this skill. Divided into eight chapters, the text asks the student to consider a different theme in each. For example, Chapter 1, "Birth Order," deals with an individual's place in his or her family. Each chapter contains a main reading, an emphasis on specific writing skills, and a core writing assignment. All of this is stated in the Table of Contents, yet Smalzer fails to adequately outline every part of each chapter in the contents. This makes the value of the text difficult to recognize at first glance. Each chapter has five subdivisions that demonstrate a base in process writing and whole language techniques. Part One of each chapter, "Getting a Grip on the Topic," provides an introduction to the main reading through reflection on previous experience, notes on the main reading, and an opportunity for discussion. A glossary of key terms is also included. This helps ESL/EFL learners build schemata along with their peers, a practice that is often necessary for second language learners. Part Two, "Responding to the Reading," prompts the reader/writer for thoughts to be kept in a personal journal. Another portion of this section asks the student to write for thirty minutes in reflecting on the reading. Finally, Part Two of each chapter provides a section for peer and teacher feedback on writing. In this way, Smalzer is preparing students to be reflective in writing and also preparing them for the experience of timed essay writing, often found at the secondary or university level. Part Three of each Chapter, "Going More Deeply Into the Topic," prepares students to respond to another reading. This time, however, students respond in pairs or small groups as they reflect further on the main topic. Again, a glossary is provided along with a list of additional suggested readings. Part Four, "Improving Writing Skills," offers many exercises and tidbits of information for the reader to consider. For example, the author may choose this section to clarify introductions or conclusions to essays, to provide brief exercises in grammar, or to have students read an example of an essay in the text and answer questions. Finally, Part 5, "Core Writing Assignment," is the section of each chapter in which the majority of time will be spent. This subsection outlines the writing process, with prewriting (called "generating Ideas"), outlines, first drafts, revisions, and peer/teacher feedback. Each chapter is concluded with a rubric for peer revision in the form of a checklist. Overall, Smalzer has created an effective reader textbook for academic writing. As mentioned, the first few subsections allow for schemata building through reading, writing, and discussion, certainly indicative of whole language practices. The use of the journal and timed essays prior to a core writing assignment demonstrate that one of Smalzer's main objectives is to prepare students for academic writing. The grammar exercises, which coincide with practices in style, are not overstated. The author even cautions the instructor to consider content over grammar. Because Smalzer has chosen topics about which any student should be able to write (from family to the environment), the practices in the process approach that come in the core writing task should be quite palatable to students. For additional information, two appendices are included that provide grammar and punctuation guidelines and a rubric, again in the form of a checklist. This is helpful for students to consider the quality of their essays in idea and content. All in all, William Smalzer provides a sound reader for academic writing geared toward high-intermediate to advanced students. Unfortunately, the Table of Contents is lacking in presenting a clear outline of the book and fails to list the page numbers, making navigation through the text difficult. However, teachers of academic writing who prefer process approaches and plenty of group discussion may consider this text for an ESL/EFL writing course.

I thought that the teacher's manual would include the student text, as most of my writing texts do, but was sadly disappointed. It appears I'll have to purchase the student's text too if I chose to use this in my classroom. Probably not.