Understanding essay writing is critical for teachers, students, readers, and writers. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), a famous essayist, defined an essay this way: “The essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything.” That’s a great...
“What’s your point?” That’s the most critical concept in writing. It’s crucial at the paragraph level and the whole composition level. Writers need clear and organized thinking throughout the entire writing process. Let’s look at four key concepts that help writers...
Have you heard of Malcolm Gladwell? He’s written five New York Times bestsellers. I first became aware of him with his 2001 bestseller, The Tipping Point. A few years back, a friend was raving about a Malcolm Gladwell book he had just read and was unsuccessfully...
What is an essay? If you cannot answer that question concretely and competently, you are lost when it comes to fully grasping writing and literature. Understanding essays and essay writing is critical for students, teachers, writers, and readers of all ages. I have a...
Have you noticed the different sizes and colors of headings in a textbook? Have you noticed that many textbooks use text of various sizes and colors in the table of contents? Have you noticed that the table of contents usually looks like an outline? Writing is a...
Are you confused about the many different types, kinds, and forms of writing? The best way to become clear is to first understand the Four Modes of Discourse. In his 1866 book, English Composition and Rhetoric, Alexander Bain introduced two models that have remained...
What’s So Special About The Five-Paragraph Essay? Recently, a student asked me what made the five-paragraph essay so important—so special. In short, the student was asking why five paragraphs? Why not three or four or six or seven? Why five? I explained that in my...
Do you have an elementary or middle school state or district writing assessment coming up? Or perhaps you simply want your students to write excellent essays? If so, read on! And if you teach beginning essay writers or struggling essay writers, be sure to check out...
Student writing has become substantially more important under the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). For years, writing has been a neglected subject. In fact, the National Commission on Writing has called writing “The Neglected R.” Here are a few reasons why writing...
How do you bring objectivity to teaching writing? Authentic student writing samples from state writing assessments are an excellent tool that helps teachers bring objectivity to teaching writing. Of course, it sure helps if the writing samples are accompanied by...
Should you teach thesis statements? If so, in what grade should you teach thesis statements? Hey, are thesis statements even important? Most people don’t really understand what a thesis statement is, and even the people who do understand what a thesis statement is...
People have strong feelings about the five-paragraph essay. For the past several decades, educators have debated the benefits and consequences of teaching the five-paragraph essay. Apparently, it’s not just educators who have opinions about the five-paragraph essay. I...
What exactly is an essay? The term “essay” can be a little confusing for many elementary school students and teachers. Teachers are also sometimes confused about how to teach essay writing and in what grade they should teach students essay writing. The truth is that...
We want our writing to flow naturally. We want our readers to feel that we know where we are headed and we are in control of our writing. This means they can sit back and enjoy the ride! We don’t want our readers to feel that we are jumping all over the place. We also...
