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CM . . .
. Volume IX Number 8. . . . December 13, 2002
excerpt: This book is about ways we can help children acquire and practice the skills they need to become writers. Our first task is to make writing a natural part of the daily activities of the classroom. Once children are writing freely and purposefully, then we can teach specific skills and techniques that will help them do the job better. Phenix writes that "Our purpose is not to produce writing: it is to produce writers" (p. 4) and, indeed, she describes many practical ideas for nurturing writers. The nine chapters of the book include: The Writing Environment, Why Should We Write?, Organizing the Time for Writing, Teaching Grammar, The Writing Process, Different Kinds of Writing, Providing an Audience, Assessment and Record-Keeping, and Classroom Publishing. The ideas presented in the book vary in their usefulness and quality. Some ideas are somewhat patronizing to teachers (e.g., the writing environment chapter), while others are helpful and practical (e.g., planning a scheme of work). Other strengths of the book include the strategies for prewriting (although she does not identify the ideas as such), the separate sections for revising and editing, and the ideas for various types of writing. Several of the grammar ideas presented in the text are decontextualized and appear to be isolated exercises. This approach is in direct contradiction to the wealth of research on grammar instruction. Unfortunately, the writing process is presented as linear and sequential - an inaccurate depiction of the complex and recursive nature of writing. The format of the book is accessible for readers - generally, the information is presented in points, and there are subtitles, information boxes, and charts. Small, black and white cartoon-like drawings found throughout the book illustrate specific ideas. Support from the professional literature would have provided credibility and rigor to the ideas presented in the book. There are no references to the substantial bodies of literature that have been written about the writing process and students' writing. Finally, a reference list of further professional reading would have been beneficial for readers. Not Recommended. Sylvia Pantaleo is a Assistant Professor of Language Arts in the Faculty of Education, the University of Victoria, BC.
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