Great Source Write Source: Teacher's Guide 1999

If you've ever had a problem defining preposition, or needed a way to explain ellipses, then you should buy this book. I teach an English class for refugee children, and this book has proved an invaluable teaching tool. My kids find the explanations clear, while I grin when I see higher scores on my grammar quizs. And for a textbook, this is CHEAP! I highly recomend this book. I myself used in in middle school, refered to it in high school, cleared up obscure grammar points with it in college, and now laud it as a teaching tool. You will not be sorry you purchased this book!

When I was in 7th grade I first purchased this book, and I have used the guidelines outlined in it ever since. There is quite a lot of valuable information packed into the book! There are sections on Basic Grammar and Writing Elements, the Art of Writing, Personal Writing (such as in a journal), Subject Writing (such as a news story), Creative writing (such as poetry), Thinking skills, etc. One of the most helpful parts of the book is the "Yellow Pages" section, which is basically a grammar tour de force that explains subordinate clauses and other potentially difficult elements of English Grammar. Perhaps the most useful part of this section is the "Using the Right Word" section. It has commonly misused words, such as "Effect" and "Affect." It has each word properly defined and used correctly in a sentence as an example. Finally at the end is a tables of weights and measures, a periodic table, a Morse code alphabet, a world map set, historical documents such as the Emancipation Proclamation, etc. What more can I say? I am now 22 and I rediscovered this book a week ago, and it is still just as relevant today as it was then. The book also plenty of interesting illustrations to keep any student ages 8-17 satisfied, but it also has quite a lot of clearly explained writing guidelines. It is amazing, and should improve the writing power of whoever would use it.

This book is outstanding. I teach seventh grade English, history, and a variety of other subjects, and have found Write Source 2000 to be an invaluable tool. It is clear, concise, and written in an age-appropriate style; yet at the same time it is marvelously comprehensive in its content. Consider this: it covers spelling rules; punctuation; grammar, including a lucid definitions of the different tenses; it explains paragraph structure; and it contains the complete texts of the U.S. Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, Susan B. Anthony's "Women's Right to Vote" speech, Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" oration, and as other significant historical documents. These are but a few of its offerings. My class and I refer to Write Source 2000 at least once or twice a week, no matter what we are studying. Although the book is written for middle school students, it is so clear and comprehensive that I often recommend it to my friends who teach college. It deserves every one of its five stars.

I have taught English with Write Source 2000 in classes ranging from seventh to twelfth grade. Once students realize that this user-friendly reference can save them time and give them autonomy, they prefer it. It is easy to generate lesson plans to get students started on using the books. Introduce a topic, such as subject-verb agreement or sentence-combining, use examples from Write Source 2000, help students find evidence in their own work of the the problem, and let them see how well the book works to support editing. You don't need a classroom set. One book per three students is about right. Let them check their work in groups of three. When they get the hang of Write Source 2000, much of the burden of correction will be lifted from you, as the teacher, and will be carried by those to whom it belongs.

Write Source 2000 is one of the most valuable tools in my sixth grade language arts classroom. I have used it in place of the state adopted grammar book for two years with great success. Students find its colorful layout and relaxed voice nonthreatening and fun to use. It offers wonderful suggestions for writing, reading, and thinking, and I recommend this book to any teacher or parent seeking quality educational materials. Parents of children older than twelve or so might try the sister book Writer's Inc.