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Brain-Friendly Strategies for Developing Student Writing Skills

Second Edition
By: Anne Hanson

A brain-based approach for nurturing the writer in every student!

Teachers can develop confident and competent writers while meeting district and national standards through effective teaching practices. Written in a user-friendly format, this revised edition of Write Brain Write features classroom stories, reflection questions, student examples, and activities for elementary, middle, and high school students to help teachers implement brain-friendly writing instruction. This resource provides information on:

Creating a brain-compatible classroom
Using a seven-step framework to promote writing skills
Integrating test preparation with instruction to boost student achievement
Cross-curricular writing in social studies, science, math, and language arts

Full description

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Product Details

Grade Level: 3-12
ISBN: 9781412963503
Published By: Corwin
Year: 2008
Page Count: 200
Publication date: October 14, 2008

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This book is not available as a review copy.

Description

"Explains brain research in easy-to-understand language and includes real classroom stories from diverse grade levels and student populations. Any teacher who wants to support effective, brain-friendly instruction should read this book and share it with colleagues and administrators."
—Bobbie Faulkner, Teacher
Scottsdale Unified School District, Phoenix, AZ

"The major strengths are the implications of current brain research and how to maximize student learning and enjoyment in the learning process."
—Mary Moore, Third-Grade Teacher
Jason Lee Elementary School, Richland, WA

A brain-based approach for nurturing the writer in every student!

Today's world of high-stakes testing challenges teachers to find a balance between brain-centered and test-driven practices. This insightful book provides a framework for using brain-compatible strategies to develop confident and competent writers while meeting district and national standards.

The author applies core principles of effective teaching to writing instruction and shows teachers how to foster a love of writing in their classroom. Written in a user-friendly format, this revised edition of Write Brain Write features classroom stories, reflection questions, student examples, and activities for elementary, middle, and high school students to help teachers implement brain-friendly writing instruction. This resource provides information on:

Creating a brain-compatible classroom based on how the brain learns
Using a seven-step framework to promote writing skills
Integrating test preparation with instruction to boost student achievement
Cross-curricular writing in social studies, science, math, and language arts

Foster high literacy and increase performance on high-stakes tests while nurturing an authentic love for learning in every student!

Key features

Updated research
An innovative research-based brain-compatible framework for student achievement
Cross-curricular writing activities
Activities and strategies for all grade levels

Author(s)

Anne Hanson

Anne Hanson is a doctor of educational leadership whose research study dealt with the psychological syndrome of burnout in the No Child Left Behind high-stakes testing workplace. A National Board Certified language arts teacher with over 20 years classroom experience, Hanson has worked as a peer evaluator, staff developer, and literacy coach for teachers and students.

Serving as the foundation for all her workshops is the research-based understanding of the emotional well-being necessary to succeed in the workplace, whether school or business. Hanson’s career-long advocacy for teachers and students has influenced the design of her workshops, which are as diverse as her audiences, who range from administrators and teachers to parents and students from K-12 to the college level.

Besides the first edition of Write Brain Write, Anne is the author of Visual Writing; “Writing” in The Praeger Handbook of Learning and the Brain; Wanted: Teachers for National Board Certification; and Thin Veils, a novel about deadly dieting.

Hanson’s awards and recognitions include Arizona Teacher of the Year finalist; Scottsdale Middle School Teacher of the Year; Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund scholar; New York Council for the Humanities scholar; and Arizona State University Martin Luther King, Jr. Spirit Award.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Preface

1. Introducing the Brain-Compatible Framework for Student Achievement

Four Brain-Compatible Classroom Principles

Five Core Propositions of Accomplished Teaching

Six Features of Effective Instruction

The Brain-Compatible Framework for Student Achievement

A Brain Journey

Celebrating the Learning Brain

21st-Century Brain-Compatible Teachers

21st-Century High-Stakes-Tested Students

Can You Hear Me Now?

Questions for Reflection

2. Making Connections Across Instruction, Curriculum, and Life

Characteristics of Feature One

Reflecting on the Brain-Compatible Framework and Feature One

The Brain-Compatible Framework With Feature One in Action

Learning About Our Students

Brain Surveys

Writing Connections

Writing: Pleasure or Pain?

Seven Stages of Brain-Friendly Writing Instruction

Verbs Are Your Friends: Describing Verbs

How, Why, and What Verbs

Questions for Reflection

3. Teaching Skills in Multiple Lesson Types

Characteristics of Feature Two

Separate, Simulated, and Integrated Instruction

Reflecting on the Brain-Compatible Framework and Feature Two

The Brain-Compatible Framework With Feature Two in Action

Questions for Reflection

4. Integrating Test Preparation Into Instruction

Characteristics of Feature Three?s Successful Teachers

Reflecting on the Brain-Compatible Framework and Feature Three

The Brain-Compatible Framework With Feature Three in Action

Test Savvy

Hero Quest

Questions for Reflection

5. Teaching Students Strategies for Doing the Work

Characteristics of Feature Four

Reflecting on the Brain-Compatible Framework and Feature Four

The Brain-Compatible Framework With Feature Four in Action

The Clue to Exact Writing

Setting the Stage for Authentic Assessment and Learning

Questions for Reflection

6. Expecting Generative Thinking

Characteristics of Feature Five

Reflecting on the Brain-Compatible Framework and Feature Five

The Brain-Compatible Framework and Feature Five in Action

Generative Thinking in Elementary School

Generative Thinking in Middle School

Generative Thinking in High School

Writing and Generative Thinking

Questions for Reflection

7. Fostering Cognitive Collaboration

Characteristics of Feature Six

Reflecting on the Brain-Compatible Framework and Feature Six

The Brain-Compatible Framework and Feature Six in Action

Collaboration and Seating Arrangements

Cognitive Collaboration Beyond the Classroom: Community Writing Partners

Celebrate the Results

Authors' Day

Questions for Reflection

8. Envisioning Every Child as a Lifelong Learner

References

Index

Reviews

"The major strengths of this book are the implications of current brain research and how to maximize student learning and enjoyment in the learning process. It’s all about the learning in the classroom, which is where the focus must be."

Mary Moore, Third-Grade Teacher
Jason Lee Elementary School, Richland, WA

"Provides teachers with applicable research on brain-compatible learning and provides students with tools for developing their talent as writers."

Wanda Stuckey, English Teacher
Griffin High School, GA

"Explains brain research in easy-to-understand language and includes real classroom stories from diverse grade levels and student populations, as well as cross-curricular writing activities that foster high literacy and performance on high-stakes tests. Any teacher who wants reliable research to support effective, brain-friendly instruction should read this book and share it with colleagues and administrators."

Bobbie Faulkner, Teacher
Scottsdale Unified School District, Phoenix, AZ

"Allows teachers to see the inside of a successful system for teaching students to write with confidence and proficiency. Hanson offers experience and personal learning on how the brain works and thinks about communication through writing."

Patricia Allison, Recruitment, Retention, and Preparation Coordinator
Arizona Department of Education

"Recognizes the importance of preparing teachers to act as involved researchers in their own classrooms. The book encourages teachers to develop practices that will help their students become lifelong learners, not just competent test takers."

Edith Wagner, Associate Professor of English
Tusculum College

"Instructional leaders are constantly looking for ways to help teachers work smarter, not harder, in the quest to maximize student achievement. Hanson provides a brain-compatible framework to do precisely that."

Shaun Holmes, Principal
Navajo Elementary School, Scottsdale, AZ

"A one-of-a-kind, practical text for all teachers. Hanson takes us on a journey by providing teaching strategies and specific examples to prepare students to become lifelong writers!"

Sonia Aguila, ESL Teacher/Consultant

"During the past thirty years as an English teacher and professor, as an educational publisher and national writing consultant, and as the director of the Educational Leadership Institute, I have not seen a more powerful book on the teaching of writing. Think of this book as a gift to yourself, your colleagues, and your students. Think of it as a spark that just might initiate a renaissance in the way writing is taught."

RW (Skip) Kistner, President
CoachWriter

Other Titles in: Brain-Friendly Teaching & Learning | Literacy, K-12

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