Lessons That Change Writers

Although Atwell's small class settings permit her to do things I can't in my 33-student public school, the lessons such as "So What?" and "A Good Title" are indispensable to teaching kids not just to be good writers but to enjoy it. If possible, get the binder that comes with the book that includes transparencies of Atwell's actual class lessons, just about verbatim. Again, you may not be able to pull it all off in this era... Read Full Review

Staring down my first year of teaching was daunting enough, let along figuring out how to teach my kids to become good writers. Lessons that Change Writers is an invaluable companion to any English teacher who wants to make real writers out of his students. The book is filled with super-practical lessons that cover every aspect of writing I could have hoped for along with wonderful examples written by Nancie's students. The... Read Full Review

I just discovered this book (we have a copy in our school) and used one chapter to teach short story writing to my 6th graders. Her lesson suggestions and reproduceables taught my students what was missing from their writing and how to improve it. The binder contains many quotes and handouts. They are well designed. For example, by filling out the one on their main character, my students had the germ of a real story and... Read Full Review

This book (along with the revised "In the Middle") really helped me to "see" what I needed to do to enhance my writing workshop. Reading her, "What I was thinking. . ." and then seeing the words that she uses to teach the lessons made it seem like I was sitting right in her classroom. Of course the only thing better would be doing just that! Well worth the $ spent and immediately usable. I too am waiting for a similar... Read Full Review

Nanci's book "In the Middle" has been both an inspiration to middle-level educators and a frustratingly out-of-reach goal. How she manages everything still remains a mystery after reading those 500-plus pages. This new book adds dimention to her previous work by showing us her plans for a year and offering scrips of how she introduces her mini-lessons. Because this book is so detailed, it makes those un-attainable practices... Read Full Review