Johnnie Lewis developed the "five finger" writing method after an epiphany in a college writing class. She'd had no luck getting good grades, but when she figured out the simplicity of good writing (a strong thesis followed by related supporting statements) she received A's for all her written work. The Five Finger Essay and the Five Finger Paragraph is a profusely and colorfully illustrated guide for students K-12 on writing coherent essays that are informative, interesting and on-topic.
A piebald character named Woodruff begins by explaining the most basic elements of a paragraph using the thumb and fingers of one hand as an ongoing illustration. The thumb represents the main idea of the paragraph, while the fingers represent dependent clauses which all relate back to the main idea. Later, Lewis shows how this same model can be applied to essay writing. This isn't rocket science, but it is a decent introduction to the elements of writing organization.
This set includes a student book, teacher's guide and four laminated charts. The student book presents the information in simple (if at times too simplistic) terms, while the teacher's guide offers plenty of background material and ideas for presentation. Lewis markets the course to all grade levels, claiming it is especially useful for high school students preparing for college entrance exams. You won't need to prepare lessons beforehand, but be aware that you'll definitely need to give your students more writing instruction than what is included here.
Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews
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