Writing nonfiction represents a big step for most students. Most young writers are not intimidated by personal narrative, fiction, or even poetry, but when they try to put together a "teaching book," report, or persuasive essay, they often feel anxious and frustrated. JoAnn Portalupi and Ralph Fletcher believe that young nonfiction writers supply plenty of passion, keen interest, and wonder. Teachers can provide concrete strategies to help students scaffold their ideas as they write in his challenging genre. Like the authors' best-selling Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8, this book is divided into sections for K-2, 3-4, and middle school (grades 5-8) students. These divisions reflect various differences between emerging, competent, and fluent writers. In each section you'll find a generous collection of craft lessons directed at the genre that's most appropriate for that particular age. In the K-2 section, for example, a number of craft lessons focus on the all-about or concept book. In the 3-4 section there are several lessons on biography. In the 5-8 section a series of lessons addresses expository writing. Throughout the book each of the 80 lessons is presented on a single page in an easy-to-read format.Every lesson features three teaching guidelines: Discussion - A brief look at the reasons for teaching the particular element of craft specifically in a nonfiction context. How to Teach It - Concrete language showing exactly how a teacher might bring this craft element to students in writing conferences or a small-group setting. Resource Material - Specific book or text referred to in the craft lesson including trade books, or a piece of student writing in the Appendixes. This book will help students breathe voice into lifeless "dump-truck" writing and improve their nonfiction writing by making it clearer, more authoritative, and more organized. Nonfiction Craft Lessons gives teachers a wealth of practical strategies to help students grow into strong writers as they explore and explain the world around them.Be sure to look at the When Students Write videotapes too.

Since its publication in 1998 "Craft Lessons" has become a mainstay of writing teachers, both new and experienced. Readers value the pithy, practical lessons--each printed on one page--and appreciate the instructional language geared to three grade-level groupings: K-2, 3-4, and 5-8.

In the decade since "Craft Lessons"' publication the world has changed in many ways, yet one thing has remained constant: teachers continue to feel starved for time. With new curriculum mandates, daily specials, "pull-outs," and precious time devoted to test preparation, the situation has never been worse, and the need for a succinct resource like "Craft Lessons" has never been greater.

The features that made "Craft Lessons" so valuable have been augmented. This edition includes: Seventeen brand new craft lessons; many based on veteran teachers' observations about typical student writing. Revisions to other craft lessons: model texts that have gone out of print have been replaced with current titles, and the resource materials sections have been expanded.New thinking about teaching elements of craft and the reading-writing connection.Two new indexes: a handy subject index to make it easier to find specific craft lessons, and an index that shows how these craft lessons can be integrated into Ralph and JoAnn's curriculum resource on the "qualities of writing"--Ideas, Design, Language, and Presentation.

The 95 lessons in this book provide a wealth of information for teaching leads, character, endings, stronger verbs, and much more. This new edition reestablishes "Craft Lessons" as the crucial "desert island book" for harried writing teachers everywhere.