Teaching Middle School Writers: What Every English Teacher Needs to Know

This book is disappointing because while Robb clearly knows what she's doing, the book is poorly written and poorly organized. It jumps from one thing to the next with no clear transitions and there is just too much--the format is too busy, too jammed with boxes and and charts that clutter the book and overwhelm this reader.

Very informative

Bought this book for my daughter-n-law while she was taking college classes to become a teacher. So much cheaper than buying them from the college books stores. Good quality and price for this book.

I used this book for an ENG class I took this Summer. It is so helpful for understanding writing. It should be in every ENG teacher's library.

Laura Robb's book is a practical, effective guide to producing inspired and skilled middle school writers. Throughout the book, Robb demonstrates a deep respect for middle school students, and I must say, it is refreshing to encounter a teacher and writer who so clearly values student success.Robb knows - through experience and research - what young adolescents value and need, and her writing system is based off of that understanding. She recommends a workshop model because of the choice and independence it provides for middle schoolers, but she also ensures that students develop their skills as writers. Personally, I always worry about a possible lack of direct instruction in a writing workshop, but Robb's model emphasizes the use of writing strategies, mentor texts, and a process approach to help writers grow. More direct than Atwell and more flexible than Calkins, Robb's system effectively combines guided practice with student independence.Admittedly, the book's organization could be clearer; while its chapter topics are developed and ordered in a logical manner, each individual chapter would benefit from more coherent structuring (and proofreading!). But that's a minor drawback. Robb really does present us with a complete writing system that - from top to bottom - is developmentally appropriate, research supported, and practical. I have not come across a writing program that so effectively accentuates the natural strengths of the middle school writer.

Laura Robb's book, Teaching Middle School Writers, is exactly what every middle school teacher needs. It's easy to read and filled with practical suggestions for teaching writing! Robb gives teachers insights into middle school students through a national survey and classroom surveys that teachers can easily use. She helps us understand that middle school writers have six fundamental needs: responsibility, relationships, relevance, inquiry, choice, and hope. Then Robb shows us how to integrate these needs into the writing curriculum. The book includes lessons for using mentor texts to teach writing, tips for professional study, lessons on editing and revision, craft and technique. Robb addresses the needs of writers who struggle as well as those who write well. Robb emphasizes the importance of planning and includes, in the appendix, writing plans by Katherine Paterson and Jean Van Leeuwen. She offers suggestions for using these plans in our teaching. You'll find tips for scheduling writing whether you teach in short periods or in blocks. Robb also places test preparation in the context of the writing curriculum. Best of all, the book comes with a DVD that shows Robb teaching, conferring, and interviewing students. This book is an incredible resource that every middle school English and language arts teacher must have!Jaime L.

Laura Robb has a talent for writing as if she's talking directly to the reader in Teaching Middle School Writers: What Every English Teacher Needs to Know. She writes in a warm, positive voice that makes the book hard to put down. The book includes practical lessons that all writing teachers need: lessons on revising, editing, using grammar to improve writing, teaching craft and technique, and forms for peer and self-evaluation. The included DVD is very useful because Laura models lessons and confers with students. This allows teachers to see Laura in action and believe that they, too can teach effective lessons. I especially found it helpful to learn more about conducting effective conferences and teaching using a mentor text. It also includes useful tips for teacher-student conferences, criteria for editing and evaluating non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and more! This is a book you will return to again and again, each time discovering new ways to support your student writers.

Laura Robb's Teaching Middle School Writers is indeed what every English teacher needs to know. Laura's latest book has her trademark style of writing BY a teacher FOR teachers. It is easy to read, engaging, and positive. It is clear that Laura has had countless experiences leading both students and teachers through the writing process. The samples of actual student work provide a wonderful insight into the writing process of children this age. The writing plans and input of treasured authors such as Katherine Paterson offer practical guidance for teachers. The approach Laura outlines works for ALL students from ALL backgrounds, which makes Teaching Middle School Writers an indispensable teaching tool for reaching the students we see daily in our classrooms.