#34: Write Like This

Kelly Gallagher's Write Like This should be a must-read for all English teachers.  Full of ideas, activities, and samples, one quickly becomes overwhelmed with the avalanche of tips.  Having read his book Deeper Reading, I prepared a foldable to garner the suggestions that I thought I might later include in my thematic units that I will be teaching this fall.

Gallagher organizes this book into six real-world writing purposes:

• Express and Reflect
• Inform and Explain
• Evaluate and Explain
• Inquire and Explore
• Analyze and Interpret
• Take a Stand/Propose a Solution

For each of these chapters, he then provides so many ideas.  In every chapter, I noted several that I hope to include within my classes...soon!

I especially enjoyed his last chapter entitled "The Wizard of Oz Would Have Been a Lousy Writing Teacher."  I am hosting a brunch in August for my department, and this is the chapter, Gallagher's list of core beliefs, I hope we discuss.  Very interesting.  A list I support.  A list that I may consider emulating this summer.

You may preview this book online here.

If you are an English teacher, I would encourage your department choosing any of Gallagher's works as a close read.  You will so enriched by his many years of experience he so willing shares with his readers.

#16: Deeper Reading

Our English Department read (throughout March) and then discussed Kelly Gallagher's Deeper Reading at our meeting this past week.

Awesome!  Wonderful!  Empowering!  Yes!

Now, if I can just implement but a few of his ideas, then the entire read (and money spent!) will be very much worth all the time and effort.

I blogged at Treasure Chest of Thoughts on my favorite quote:  "Learning begins when we encounter confusion." I had never quite looked at learning from this standpoint, but it makes so much sense.  Many classrooms are full of bored students due to our (the teachers) not creating scenes of confusion.  Truly.  With a bit of confusion, comes the spark for learning.

As I look over my book, I at almost at loss as to what to say, for I have never annotated, sticky-noted a book quite so much.  This one is truly full of nuggets.

I suppose what I appreciate the most is that Gallagher is a teacher, still in the classroom, just like so many of us.  For this, his voice resonates more, as was illustrated at this week's meeting, as one comment quickly followed another.

Our next departmental read is Gallagher's latest release:  Write Like This.  More about this one soon!