Let's Create Writers

Book excerpt: In this book, Dr. Timothy Horan presents an original and highly effective writing program whose major goal is to transform middle school students into competent and confident writers. This writing program is innovative, rigorous, and engaging, and was designed with the student in mind. This book contains a total of twenty original writing assignments—ten for seventh grade, and another ten for eighth grade. These assignments are based on middle school students’ natural predilections and developmental levels, and represent creative interpretations of the Common Core Writing Standards. Each writing project in this book is full and complete, and is described with clarity and simplicity. Each assignment also includes a reproducible outline that presents the assignment to students in a simplified graphical format. The pedagogical philosophy underlying this program is simple and effective. It seeks to provide students with enjoyable writing assignments that students will understand, learn from, and complete. As students progress through the program, they will develop an upbeat emotional bond with the act of writing, and will learn to approach composition with a sense of optimism and confidence.