Rain, Steam, and Speed: Building Fluency in Adolescent Writers

by Gerald Fleming, Meredith Pike-Baky

This book shows how adolescent students at all skill levels, including English learners, can be engaged in systematic writing practice, enabling them to communicate quickly, confidently, and thoughtfully on a variety of topics. In describing their innovative approach, the authors: The approach has been extensively tested by a master teacher, takes about one hour of instructional time per week, and can be used over an entire school year.

Genres: Teaching

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2004

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. I am a big fan of creating journals as a place to store writing ideas to develop further. I also always use music to manage my own mood and focus (maybe it gives the part of my brain that isn't writing something interesting to do). So I love the discography at the back of the book. The authors know what they're talking about. For example, I didn't think my rap/hip-hop listening students were going to tolerate Boban Markovic Orchestra's "Live in Belgrade" (kind of klezmer-y/gyspy-ish sounding to me) but I've used it twice already and they seem to really love it. Sadly, some of the albums may be hard to come by. One really intriguing one I could only find used, on vinyl from 1973...

[Chalida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fleming makes a strong argument for a focused, consistent journal program in school. After a week at a BAWP teachers as writers workshop, I am willing to give journals a try again and really stick with it. I was overwhelmed and reminded of the urgency and necessity to write to discover yourself. My students need that too.