Prompted to Write: Building On-Demand Writing Skills, Grades 6-12

by Meredith Pike-Baky, Gerald Fleming

Prompted to Write offers help for teachers who are preparing their students for "high stakes" writing tests. This book features fifteen in-depth and reproducible lesson units to help students develop proficiency in crafting essays in all subjects, building their vocabulary and reading comprehension skills, and assessing the quality of their written work. The lessons cover a variety of essay genres and are useful in preparing students for state-mandated writing tests, school entrance and exit exams, and the SAT.   Each lesson includes guided pre-writing and planning activities and concludes with a timed writing task (complete with a revision/edition checklist) and a customized scoring guide. Student writing samples are provided along with extensive instructional and assessment guidance.

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2005

Reviews

[Jason Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-organized collection of lessons for grades 6-12 to help with the writing process. The lessons begin with a prompt, then provide graphic organizers (charts, mostly) to help with brainstorming. The book also provides a reading passage as a model followed by questions about the passage that helps students connect it to their own topic. Next is the planning, in which students answer a series of questions to help them organize their thoughts. Finally, a revise/edit checklist and a rubric is provided.

This book is useful for students who need systematic instruction on the writing process (and most young adult writers do). I recommend it for all middle/high school English teachers.