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 ever noticed all the different sizes and colors of headings in a textbook? Have you noticed that many textbooks use different sizes and colors of text in the table of contents? Have you noticed that the table of contents usually looks like an outline? Writing...
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...
The fastest, most effective way to teach students clear and organized multi-paragraph writing… Guaranteed!