Keys to Inspiration: A Teacher's Guide to a Student-Centered Writing Program

by Steve Ford

Overview

Student-centered instruction is the buzzword among today’s educators, yet the teaching of writing is still very top-down. Student-centered should mean student-inspired, and that’s where Keys to Inspiration comes in. The path to a writer’s truth always starts with an emotion, and almost all forms of writing contain at least a trace of emotional DNA. This book shows teachers how to align emotion with subject matter, and it offers them lessons and projects (from challenging writing exercises to larger projects, such as memoir, research reports, and editorials) that resonate with young authors. While Keys to Inspiration focuses sharply on content, it contains an instructive mechanics section and an Appendix of unique word lists (emotion-related words, themed spelling lists, and alternatives to “went” and “said,” to name a few), as well as a few grammar worksheets.
Once motivated, young authors must learn to describe with detail, meddle with metaphor, and mind their mechanics. Veteran writing instructor Steve Ford offers many lessons and exercises that will polish students’ narrative skills, and he alerts teachers to the common spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes that young writers need to learn to avoid.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475838749
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/06/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	230
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Steve Ford had a great run as a sixth-grade writing specialist with the Saint Paul Public Schools. Starting out, he had no curriculum—only a passion for writing and teaching—but after months of researching pedagogical scholarship and experimenting with his students, he came up with his own unique brand of writing instruction, which has formed the basis of Keys to Inspiration. To learn more about Steve Ford, please check out www.stevefordwriting.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Section I – Let’s Write!

1. Moment One, Day One‒Taking the Plunge
2. Revising Moment One: Questions in the Margins
3. Student Biographies
4. Respect, the Booklet
5. Writers’ Workshop
6. Assessment
7. Commonalities: General to Specific
8. Dramatic Details
9. Odd Objects
10. Music Picture/Writing
11. A Non-essay on Elements
12. Slow Motion
13. Fast Forward
14. Create a Life
15. Let’s Write a Walter Mitty!
16. In Other Words: Paraphrasing
17. Write More! Things to Consider

Section II – Major Projects

1. Commonalities in Essays, Editorials, Research Writing, and Debate: An Introduction to Four Projects
2. Persuasive Essay
3. Editorials and Editorial Cartoons
4. Writing a Research Report
5. Debate
6. Oral Presentation
7. Technical Writing

Section III – Mechanics - Introduction to Mechanics

1. Introduction to Mechanics
2. Grammar
3. Punctuation, Clauses, and Sentence Types
4. Spelling

Appendix
Appendix A: Spelling Lists
Appendix B: Spelling-related Lists
Appendix C: Other Lists
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

What sets Steve Ford’s book apart is that he unpacks the mystery of motivation. He shows us that when students journey to their emotional center, inspiration follows, and students write. Buckle up as Steve takes us on a genre-writing journey, entertaining us along the way!

Judith Mitzuk

With eloquence and deftness, Steve Ford offers educators a compelling approach to teaching composition—writing from the heart. As a parent whose four children experienced Steve Ford first-hand, I recommend this winsome writer and his wonderful book.

Lori Goetz

Mr. Ford understood the fundamental truth that good writing comes from raw emotion. Be it poetry or a play, he cultivated the inner writer in each of us. Too many writing teachers focus on the mechanics of language and forget why we write in the first place: to express ourselves. Instead of starting out with the "what?" Mr. Ford begins by asking young writers the far more interesting question: "Why?"

Mary Mei

Like Steve Ford, I believe strongly that writing leads to self-awareness, and that writing belongs in every discipline. These beliefs were the foundation of my literacy courses over the years, and they’re reflected throughout Keys to Inspiration.I wish this powerful book, full of inspirational lessons and projects, had been available to the future teachers in my classrooms.

Barbara Elvecrog

12/01/2018
Ford, a former sixth grade writing teacher, has developed a writing program filled with ideas and lessons that have succeeded in his classroom. Inspiration is key, according to the author. Don't start with mechanics, he advises, but instead emphasize emotions that move students to create content. The first section teaches technique, focusing on shorter assignments that tease out details and specific vocabulary. The second section covers major projects including persuasive essays and research reports, while the third part is devoted to mechanics. The three appendixes feature spelling lists and other content that can be used independently or with related lessons. The author pulls from the work of educators Barry Lane (who wrote the foreword) and Thea Holtan and offers additional online resources. Ford doesn't address teaching standards or technology, and he makes no connections between reading and writing. In fact he deems reading "passive" and cautions teachers not to let it encroach on writing time. He says that the program is for all grades, but it seems most appropriate for middle and high school. While there are no new ideas here and the book is fairly general, librarians will appreciate Ford's passion for lessons that encourage students to develop their own voice. VERDICT Purchase as needed to supplement existing writing programs.—Laura Fields Eason, Parker Bennett Curry Elementary School, Bowling Green, KY

School Library Journal