The Critical Writer

Book excerpt: High-quality original writing doesn't happen by accident; it results from a logical, inquiry-based process. Educators will be able to apply the concepts and techniques in this book to help their students master the critical writing process. Many students tremble at the mere thought of "the dreaded research paper" when in fact the inquiry process that should be applied for a writing project should be an engaging and exciting mental activity. This work explains how teachers and librarians can guide the critical writing process to go hand-in-hand with inquiry and produce logical and carefully honed papers. The Critical Writer: Inquiry and the Writing Process starts with a general treatment of inquiry to detailed coverage of specific teaching strategies, explaining how critical writers should make the proper emendations during prewriting and while drafting as well as during the revising process. The book presents fresh information and teaching techniques that can be applied by anyone in the field of education with students of any grade level; examples from kindergarten through instructors in teacher training are included.