Writing Strands: Teaching Companion (Scratch & Dent)

Provides helpful guidance for anyone using the Writing Strands curriculum!

Unlike a traditional guide that focuses specifically on one book or level, this teaching companion is supplemental for any level of the program. Teachers will find this an invaluable resource, not only for using the Writing Strands curriculum but also for teaching any course that includes writing and literature as a component. The Teaching Companion provides a helpful overview of the Writing Strands system, as well as additional information on a range of writing, grammar, and literature issues that a teacher may face.

• Includes general guidelines on how to approach drafting papers with students and how to give effective writing feedback
• Provides discussion of the most common difficulties that students encounter, as well as tips on how to help students overcome these challenges
• Discusses how to encourage a lifelong love of reading in students, including suggestions on how to ask good questions when discussing books
• Offers suggested goals and objectives for teaching literature, broken down by age
• Explains the various elements of fiction and differences in literary genres, and includes appendices with information on basic citation, advice on teaching vocabulary, commonly confused words, and glossaries of grammar and literary terms.

Special attention is also given to the needs of developing readers, with additional supplemental information on teaching techniques for young readers and tips for helping them understand the meaning of what they read and develop critical thinking skills. We highly recommend that teachers read the Teaching Companion before their students start the course and that they continue to consult it as needed as students learn additional concepts.