Sentence.: A Period-to-Period Guide to Building Better Readers and Writers

by Geraldine Woods

Sometimes it’s better to start small, with a sentence. Every English teacher has experienced students staring at an empty page, seemingly paralyzed by a writing assignment. When this happens, it may be time to back off from the Big Idea approach to the art of reading and writing, and zero in on a single sentence. In this book, a master teacher offers a complete guide to a sentence-level approach. Helping students recognize the techniques that make sentences great is the first step, and there are plenty of examples here from YA novels, TV shows, and song lyrics as well as the novels, poetry, and nonfiction pieces that form the canon of middle and high school reading lists. Lesson plans include activities to introduce the featured element of style; questions to guide students in their analysis; and writing prompts and activities to spark students’ interest and creativity. With this Little-to-Big strategy, students move quickly from analysis of the words between two periods to the universe of ideas of which that sentence is a part. They may even be eager to write their own

384 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2021

About the author

Geraldine Woods has taught English at every level from fifth grade through Advanced Placement, most recently at the Horace Mann School. She is the author of numerous nonfiction books for adults and children, including 25 Great Sentences and How They Got That Way. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Will Plunkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to say that "students will enjoy and appreciate this book's easy-to-follow lessons and ideas to improve their writing and reading skills." But I am a teacher; a teacher who knows to separate clauses with a semi-colon, yet not to begin it with a conjunction. The variety of sources from which all these sentences come is impressive, and the practical application of the activities is useful. Very nice to see that similar lessons that I've created (and actually used in class!) can also have positive outcomes. The referenced sources in it have also been added to my to-read list, despite this last passive voice statement.

[Shelly Rushe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource! Lessons and examples seem geared toward older students but the concepts are great for all grades.