Writer to Writer: How to Conference Young Authors (Bill Harp Professional Teachers Library,) [Paperback]

Tommy Thomason (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 76 pages
• Publisher: Christopher-Gordon Pub (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 092684279X
• ISBN-13: 978-0926842793
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,023,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tommy Thomason has worked with young writers -- and their teachers -- from Massachusetts to California and most places in between. He brings his passion for writing and the techniques of a writing coach to classes where he models writing workshop, craft lessons, and one-on-one conferencing.

Tommy was a writer who became a teacher, having begun his professional career as a sportswriter in Little Rock, Ark., for the Associated Press.

He was the founding director of the TCU Schieffer School of Journalism and the founder of the Texas Center for Community Journalism, of which he is currently the director. In addition to his work with the Associated Press, he has also worked in public relations in Dallas and as a copyeditor for several regional magazines.

Tommy has taught journalism at five universities and has been at TCU since 1984. In 1987, he was one of the winners of a national Teaching Award in Journalism Ethics from the Poynter Institute of Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Tommy is a former vice president of the International Institute of Literacy Learning, the parent organization of the Bill Martin Jr. literacy conferences. He traveled with Bill Martin for a decade, speaking to teachers in summer conferences throughout the nation.

He is the author of More than a Writing Teacher: How to Become a Teacher Who Writes, Writer to Writer: How to Conference Young Authors, Write On Target: How to Prepare Young Writers for Success on Writing Achievement Tests, Absolutely Write: Teaching the Craft Elements of Writing and Writeaerobics: 40 Exercises to Improve Your Writing Teaching, and Tools, Not Rules: Teaching Grammar in a Writing Classroom. He is co-author of the picture book O is for Oil.

He is listed in Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Who's Who in American Education, Men of Achievement, Who's Who in the World and Dictionary of International Biography. He holds a doctor of education degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars practical and effective writing conference strategies, May 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Writer to Writer: How to Conference Young Authors (Bill Harp Professional Teachers Library,) (Paperback)

Writer to Writer is an easy "read", one that allows busy teachers to pick it up, read a chapter and come away with a practical and effective strategy to use with student writers. The strategies suggested by Dr. Thomason are designed to help turn a classroom into a writing community and go beyond improving a piece of writing to developing the writer in each child. He is a writer who truly understands not only the writing process, but the challenges for teachers and students in today's classrooms.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST-HAVE for teachers of writing, June 20, 2003

By 

K. Spencer "Simba4" (Louisville, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writer to Writer: How to Conference Young Authors (Bill Harp Professional Teachers Library,) (Paperback)

As a former editor who became a teacher late in life, I was miserable at conferencing. All I could do was point out mistakes and things that need to be revised. No wonder my kids didn't enjoy writing! The one line from Dr. Thomason's book that jumped out at me was "The editor's job is to improve the writing; the teacher's job is to improve the writer." That says it all. His book is easy to read--I read it in about 3 hours, then wrote a summary of it for my colleagues. Lots of practical advice...how to conference, how to start peer conferencing, how to get them to self-conference. Another valuable piece of advice from the author: Don't praise the writer, praise the writing. Always find something to praise, even in poor writing.

4.0 out of 5 stars Beneficial to teachers!, April 12, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writer to Writer: How to Conference Young Authors (Bill Harp Professional Teachers Library,) (Paperback)

Dr.Thomason's book Writer to Writer allows any teacher the freedom to take the writing process one step further in their classroom. We had the luxury of bringing Dr. Thomason to our district as a consultant and I was convinced that he alone, initiated our teacher's to be risk takers and allow their children the opportunity to express their thoughts freely and without failure. I recommend this book to any teacher struggling with implementing the writing process in their classroom.