It’s been said that good writers borrow while great writers steal. Writing thieves read widely, dive deeply into texts, and steal bits and pieces from great texts as models for their own writing. Ruth Culham admits to being a writing thief-and she wants you and your students to become writing thieves, too!
A major part of becoming a writing thief is finding the right mentor texts to share with students. Within this book, discover more than 90 excellent mentor texts, along with straight-forward activities that incorporate the traits of writing across informational, narrative, and argument modes.
Chapters also include brief essays from beloved writing thieves such as Lester Laminack, David L. Harrison, Lisa Yee, Nicola Davies, Ralph Fletcher, Toni Buzzeo, Lola Schaefer, and Kate Messner, detailing the reading that has influenced their own writing.
Ruth’s beloved easy-going style and friendly tone make this a book you’ll turn to again and again as you guide your students to reach their full potential as deep, thoughtful readers and great writers. There’s a writing thief in each of us when we learn how to read with a writer’s eye!
-Description from Amazon.com
About the Author
Ruth Culham, EdD, is the president of The Culham Writing Company and the former unit manager of the assessment program at Education Northwest in Portland, Oregon, USA. She was the English Teacher of the Year in Montana, the highlight of her 19-year teaching career. She holds specialty degrees in library science and elementary, middle, and secondary English education. Ruth creates and conducts teacher workshops to provide professional development at the local, district, and state levels. At state and national conferences, she’s a featured speaker on using the traits of writing, designing effective writing instruction, using reading to teach writing, and other related topics. Source: The Writing Thief.
Tips
- Visit culhamwriting.com for an extensive list of literacy book recommendations from the author for grades K-2 and 3-5 as well as fantastic resources such as narrative guides, writer scoring guides, and a Writing Thief lesson plan.
- Preview the book online through Stenhouse Publishers.
- Visit goodreads.com for a list of reviews and tips from other teachers who have utilized The Writing Thief in their classroom.
“Ruth’s beloved easy-going style and friendly tone make this a book you’ll turn to again and again as you guide your students to reach their full potential as deep, thoughtful readers and great writers. There’s a writing thief in each of us when we learn how to read with a writer’s eye!” -Stenhouse Publishers