Judith C Hochman

Because I am a high school teacher in the service of struggling learners with generally low levels of literacy, I nearly constantly search after and read books like this one during the school year. Most are disappointing, and some are an abject waste of time. This one, however, is simply first rate: composed in clear, economical expository prose, it is chock full of useful ideas for teachers. Between its lines (in other words, as I begin to absorb its ideas), I expect to find many more ideas for integrating its principles into some, if not all, of my lessons, which is why it will almost certainly merit a second reading. This edition of the book also generously supplies a variety of templates and glossaries for classroom use.

Over the years I’ve become interested in using writing as a vehicle to aid students in understanding the content of the secondary curriculum. I bought this book on the strength of its authors’ reputations, as they conducted trials of its principles and methods in New York City schools in which friends and colleagues of mine work. What I learned from this book is exactly what its authors intended, and which they state plainly in the books final pages: this isn’t a book about teaching writing per se, but a book about teaching—period. That puts The Writing Revoluion in a league with William Zinsser’s Writing to Learn, which is rarefied company indeed.… (more)