Of Primary Importance: What's Essential in Teaching Young Writers

Ann Marie Corgill

Stenhouse Publishers, 2008 - Education - 220 pages

From the first chapter of Ann Marie Corgill's Of Primary Importance you experience the swirling energy, the sights, and the sounds of a primary classroom. "Step inside" she says, "and breathe the writing workshop air with me. Take a look at a primary classroom, and take a minute to watch and listen and see real learning, real writing in action." Throughout these pages, you'll see Ann Marie guiding her primary students into deep and meaningful explorations of a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction. Watch as her classroom community progresses into eager and independent writers speaking with clarity, voice, and an undeniable understanding of the power and purposes of putting pen, pencil, crayon, and paper to work

Forming the heart of the book are detailed units of study on poetry, nonfiction, and fiction writing that provide a clear demonstration of the writing workshop process at work throughout a school year. You'll also find examples of favorite texts for teaching various craft components, ideas for classroom organization and where to purchase materials, suggestions for publishing student work, lists of professional resources and, most importantly, inspiring examples of what children who are empowered to write can and will write.

Of Primary Importance is not a how-to manual as much as it is a celebration of the idiosyncratic journey of teaching young children to write. If you are a grade-one through grade-three teacher struggling to get your students writing well, if you want to push your writing workshop to new dimensions, or if you are just plain skeptical that primary kids can write something beyond "I love my mom. I love my dog. The end," this book is for you. You will come away inspired, challenged, supported, and wiser in your classroom writing instruction.

Contents

• Introduction: 1
• Chapter 1 Whats Essential in Teaching Young Writers?: 5
• Chapter 2 Writers Will Live Up to What You Expect of Them: 17
• Providing Space and Materials for Young Writers to Grow: 25
• Chapter 4 Planning Instruction for the Writing Journey: 43
• Routines Tools and Writing Strategies: 57
• Teaching and Learning About Poetry with Primary Writers: 83
• Teaching and Learning About Nonfiction with Primary Writers: 109
• Teaching and Learning About Picture Books with Primary Writers: 131
• Tips and Techniques for Sharing Showcasing and Celebrating Student Writing: 151
• Growing Forward with Young Writers: 171
• Record Sheets for Writers: 177
• Support Sheets for Establishing a Writing Community: 181
• Poetry Study Support Sheets: 185
• Nonfiction Study Support Sheets: 193
• Picture Book Study Support Sheets: 203
• Childrens Books: 207
• References: 213
• Index: 215

About the author

The 2007 recipient of the NCTE Donald H. Graves Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing, Ann Marie Corgill teaches first grade at Riverchase Elementary School in Hoover, Alabama. She is a National Board Certified Teacher, and for the past fifteen years has taught and learned with first through fourth graders at the Manhattan New School in New York City, as well as schools in Birmingham, Alabama, and Bronxville, New York. She has coauthored articles for NCTE's journal, Primary Voices, and has been a teacher contributor for Time For Kids. Ann Marie presents at both national and local conferences on writing instruction in the primary grades.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Of Primary Importance: What's Essential in Teaching Young Writers
• Author: Ann Marie Corgill
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Stenhouse Publishers, 2008
• ISBN: 1571103740, 9781571103741
• Length: 220 pages
• Subjects: Education / Classroom Management; Education / General; Education / Professional Development; Education / Schools / Levels / Elementary; Education / Teaching / General; Education / Teaching / Subjects / Language Arts; Language Arts & Disciplines / Study & Teaching; Language Arts & Disciplines / Writing / Composition