Writing Essentials: Raising Expectations and Results While Simplifying Teaching

by Regie Routman

What does great writing instruction look like and sound like?
How do successful teachers of writing get great writers who enjoy writing?
Where do they find the time for instruction, assessment, and test prep?
In Writing Essentials Regie Routman demystifies the process of teaching writing well and gives you the knowledge, research, precise instructional language, and confidence you need to succeed. With Regie's help, you'll transform your classroom into an organized, joyful writing environment where students connect reading with writing every day across the curriculum, learn essential skills like grammar and spelling, and achieve higher scores on high-stakes tests through sensible, writing-based test preparation and daily classroom-based assessment. Writing Essentials specifically and explicitly demonstrates practical, easy-to-do strategies that turn your writing instruction practices into best practices. Follow Routman's path for successfully leading all students-including English language learners, writers who struggle, and students coping with learning disabilities-from first draft to publication. You'll find expert advice and specific demonstrations on a wide variety of techniques, including: In addition, Writing Essentials includes a DVD with eight three-to-four-minute video clips from primary and intermediate classrooms that show Regie conferring with writers and celebrating their work as she teaches and assesses. These invaluable clips, and the detailed notes that accompany them, take you inside the writing conference to see its structures and procedures while the sample classroom publications also on the DVD reveal the exciting possibilities of working with student writers. Writing Essentials is conversational, upbeat, practical, eminently readable, illustrated with a wealth of children's writing, and filled with proven techniques for teaching writing well and managing your instructional time more effectively. With Routman in hand, you'll not only have the inspiration to say "I can do that too," but you'll have first-rate resources and strategies to answer your questions and help make great writing instruction happen in your classroom immediately. For more information on using the DVD, please .

Genres: Education, Teaching, Professional Development, Writing, School, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

Reviews

[Lori Emilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing professional resource by guru Regie Routman. Easy to read, and so practical and inspirational.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Regie Routman, especially her ideas about teaching writing! After a professional book study with this text, I was a follower. I'm so glad my district values her ideas.

[Paula Boyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have learned much about literacy education from Regie Routman over the years by reading almost all of her professional resources and Writing Essentials confirmed much of my previous knowledge. She writes about putting the joy back into writing and helping our students learn to love it. Now, every teacher knows that not all students are going to love to write, but we need to teach them how important writing is as a lifelong skill. She shares lots of the research about good writing instruction, as well as what happens when writing instruction is lacking or taught in an isolated skills approach. Her recommendations are common sense and can be implemented by any K-12 teacher. My only criticism is that lots of information is repeated, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Her points get driven home through this repetition. This book is a very practical, somewhat philosophical, approach to teaching what is essential so that students can become proficient writers.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very practical advice for teaching writing.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide for teaching writing. Nobody is as good as Regie!

[Julie Kaidor · Rating 5 out of 5]

GREAT resource for writing instruction. Still applicable despite publication date!

[Chaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of the best books to read in supporting our primary student's writing. Great Book !

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I am a believer in all things Regie Routman, I had a difficult time with the organization of this book. Her ideas flew off the pages but weren't arranged in a reader-friendly way. I found myself loving things she said but wasn't always able to quickly find them for deeper consideration. That being said, her thoughts on how to talk to children about their writing is perfect. She has that 'real' quality about her conversation that isn't contrived and artificial. She is an inspiration to the teacher who is looking for ways out of the 'puking on students' papers' mode of teaching writing in elementary school. The dvd was helpful but difficult to hear most of the time, so I didn't use it much. I would have loved for it to include her teaching in addition to the conferencing bits.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enthusiastic approach to teaching writing in elementary schools. She makes strong emotional appeals to teaching writing well instead of teaching to tests (which is actually more insightful than I've made it sound), and the included DVD and lesson plans in the appendices provide practical examples of the theory she includes. An excellent primer on elementary writing pedagogy.

[Hillary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love her approach to teaching writing in the classroom. I have tried to emulate her style with my students. I still have some kinks to work on, but overall we had a very successful poetry unit.

[Trista · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very comprehensive book about teaching writing.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful resource for anyone attempting to launch writer's workshop in an elementary classroom.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

EDR 631

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE THIS BOOK! So many AH HA momments.....I love teaching kids, encouraging them to write what's in their hearts and minds!!!

[Missy Baglarz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, as is anything by Regie!

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for writing teachers!

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just re-read this book. It is a great resource for teaching writing and reminders of sticking to your teaching practices and beliefs.

[Sheila Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource! I was inspired to write free verse poetry with my third graders and their poems were amazing!

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information, but a really hard slog. I already use quite a bit of this ( if not all) in my classroom.

[Robin]

Lots of helpful examples. Repetitive in some ways.

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book is an easy and fantastic read! We used this in a professional book study this year, and it has changed the way we look at teaching writing. Awesome resource!

[Ashley Lowing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regie Routman provides many practical and useful ways to teach writing in the classroom. She provides methods for students to "write to learn" rather than "learn to write." A great read!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource and still very current.