Writing Resources

There are two kinds of writing supplements: some explain language mechanics, and some teach the elements of style. Getting the mechanics (punctuation, grammar, etc.) straightened out isn't much fun, but it's necessary. Exploring style is lots of fun, but can be just as frustrating.

Even the best writers often have trouble teaching others the craft. Teaching writing, it seems, isn't intuitive. Like many skills, when one gains proficiency putting words on paper (thoughtfully and creatively), the steps to get there are often forgotten. The books in this section are intended to help instructors teach, and students learn, the basic elements of good writing.

Any Child Can Write is a classic manual for parents wanting their kids to develop good writing skills from an early age. Harvey Wiener shows how even a shopping list can provide excellent practice for burgeoning writers, and how exercises don't need to be overly elaborate or stressful to be valuable. This is a good book to read before your kids even get to the writing stage, though it's useful at later levels as well.

Using the same methodology that made her Easy Grammar series popular, Wanda Phillips' Easy Writing teaches elementary, middle school, and high school students the basics of sentence structure through repetitive exercises that implant and cement information in kids' minds. Jump In goes further, by offering step-by-step instructions for composing creative essays (this is a popular product and highly recommended).

Many of these resources are workbooks, showing kids how to compose an outline, find a topic, take notes, conduct research, etc. Titles like The Write Stuff Adventure are less about composition and more about finding something to say and knowing how to express it. Such books are especially helpful for students who complain about writer's block.

Some now-standard reference works stand out: The Elements of Style by E.B. White and William Strunk, Style by Joseph Williams, and On Writing Well by William Zinsser all offer excellent advice for those trying to find their own effective voice. The newer Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a more mechanics-oriented book on a similar theme (how punctuation affects what you're trying to say).

None of these materials should be looked at as simply for those who want to be novelists or famous writers. They're for everyone, to improve your writing and help you say what you want in the best way possible. Writing isn't a school subject just so you can get A's on your papers; it's an essential communication skill that will determine your success at work and at home for the rest of your life. Get good at it!

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 here.
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Any Child Can Write
by Harvey Wiener
3rd edition from Oxford University
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Any Child Can Write
by Harvey Wiener
4th edition from Oxford University
in Practical Home Schooling (Location: HSR-PRAC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Art of Fiction
by John Gardner
from Vintage Classics
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Art of the Short Story
from Pearson Education
for 10th-Adult
in Short Stories (Location: LIT-ANTH)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
DK Help Your Kids with Language Arts
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Don't Forget to Write
First Edition from Jossey-Bass
for 3rd-7th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
by Lynne Truss
from Gotham Books
Grammar Reference for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$11.00 $5.00 (2 in stock)
English Lessons Through Literature Level 3
by Kathy Jo DeVore
from Barefoot Ragamuffin Press
for 4th-5th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Essential Literary Terms
1st edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big Fat Notebook
from Workman Publishing
for 6th-8th grade
in General Reference (Location: REF-GEN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Excellence in Literature - Handbook for Writers
by Ian Johnston and Janice Campbell
1st edition from Everyday Education
for 9th-12th grade
in IEW Literature & Poetry (Location: LITCUR-IEW)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Games for Writing
by Peggy Kaye
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Grammar & Diagramming Sentences
Straight Forward Advanced English
by Gianni DeVincentis-Hayes, Ph.D.
from Remedia Publications
for 6th-8th grade
in Miscellaneous Grammar Curriculum (Location: GRA-MISC)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
How to Write a Great Research Paper
by Leland Graham & Darriel Ledbetter
from Incentive Publications, Inc.
for 6th-9th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
How To Write a News Article
by Michael Kronewetter
from Grolier Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
How to Write a Story Grades 1-3
by Evan Moor Educational Publishers
Revised Edition from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Evan-Moor Writing (Location: ZCLE-EM)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Jensen's Format Writing - DVD Supplement
by Frode Jensen
3rd edition from Master Books
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
in Jensen's English (Location: GRA-JENSEN)
$20.00 $15.00 (2 in stock)
Jump In - Parent/Teacher Manual
by Sharon Watson
from Apologia Educational Ministries
Writing Curriculum for 5th-8th grade
$7.00 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Jump In - Parent/Teacher Manual
by Sharon Watson
2nd edition from Writing with Sharon Watson
Writing Curriculum for 5th-8th grade
in Writing with Sharon Watson (Location: WRI-SWW)
$10.00 $7.00 (2 in stock)
Jump In - Student Workbook (with parent manual)
by Sharon Watson
from Apologia Educational Ministries
Writing Curriculum for 5th-8th grade
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Learn to Write the Novel Way - Teacher Guide
by Carole Thaxton
from KONOS
Writing Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
in Konos Writing (Location: WRI-SING)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Lightning Lit & Comp American Literature: Mid -Late 19th Century - Student Guide
by Elizabeth Kamath
3rd edition from Hewitt Homeschooling Resources
for 9th-12th grade
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Lively Art of Writing
by Lucile Vaughan Payne
from Mentor Books
Writing Reference for 10th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Mad as a Wet Hen!
from Clarion Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
MLA Handbook - Ninth Edition
9th edition from Modern Language Asociation of America
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
My Book of Stories
by Deborah Patterson
from British Library
for 3rd-6th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Nuts and Bolts of Teaching Writing
by Lucy Calkins
from Firsthand Heinemann
for Adult
in Classroom Teacher Resources (Location: HSR-CTR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
One Year Adventure Novel - Textbook
by Daniel Schwabauer
2nd edition from Clear Water Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
3rd edition from Oxford University
for 9th-Adult
in Dictionaries (Location: REF-DIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Painless Writing
by Jeffrey Strausser
2nd edition from Barron's
for 6th-10th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry
by Jack Prelutsky
from Greenwillow Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Poetry Curriculum & Resources (Location: LIR-POET)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Punching the Clock
by Marvin Terban, illustrated by Tom Huffman
from Clarion Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Put That In Writing Level One (old)
by Steve & Shari Barrett
from Barrett's Bookshelf
Writing Curriculum for 7th-12th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
$18.00 (2 in stock)
Sentence Composing for Elementary School
by Don and Jenny Killgallon
from Heinemann
for Adult
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Sentence Composing for High School
by Don Killgallon
from Boynton/Cook Publishers
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Someday You'll Write
by Elizabeth Yates
2nd edition from Bob Jones University Press
Non-fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$5.00 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Spelling Dictionary for Writers Book 2
by Gregory Hurray
from Educators Publishing Service
for 3rd-4th grade
in EPS Spelling (Location: SPE-EPS)
$17.09 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Start Writing Adventure Stories
by Penny King
for 4th-8th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Talk to the Hand
by Lynne Truss
1st edition from Gotham Books
for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Teaching Writing: Structure and Style - DVDs only (old)
Institute for Excellence in Writing
2nd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
Writing Curriculum for 2nd-10th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in IEW Excellence in Writing (Location: WRI-IEW)
$85.00 (1 in stock)
They Say / I Say
4th Edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
They Say / I Say (old)
by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
3rd edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
for 9th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Thinking Through Analogies
by Bonnie Lou Risby, illustrated by Dean and Pat Crawford
from Prufrock Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Logic Resources (Location: LOG-RES)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Wakeful Words
by Jen Greenholt
from Classical Conversations
for 6th-12th grade
in Words Aptly Spoken (Location: LITCUR-WAS)
$17.80 $12.50 (2 in stock)
What's Your Story?
by Marion Dane Bauer
1st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 5th-9th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Word Write Now
by Loranna Schwacofer
3rd edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in IEW Resources (Location: WRI-IEWRES)
$35.00 $22.00 (1 in stock)
Words You Should Know
by David Olsen
from Adams Media Corp.
for 6th-10th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Wordsmith
by Janie Cheaney
3rd edition from Common Sense Press
Writing Curriculum for 7th-9th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Wordsmiths (Location: WRI-WORDS)
$21.00 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Wordsmith - Teacher Guide
by Janie Cheaney
3rd edition from Common Sense Press
Writing Curriculum for 6th-9th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Wordsmiths (Location: WRI-WORDS)
$10.00 $5.50 (2 in stock)
Wordsmith Apprentice
by Janie Cheaney
3rd edition from Common Sense Press
Writing Curriculum for 4th-6th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Wordsmiths (Location: WRI-WORDS)
$21.00 $12.00 (2 in stock)
World War II Years
Readers' & Writers' Genre Workshop
by Cathleen Schurr and Charles Hipser
from Benchmark Education Co.
for 3rd-6th grade
in WWII: European Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2E)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Write Book for Christian Families
by Robert Allen
from Bob Jones University Press
for 1st-12th grades
in Clearance: English & Language Arts (Location: ZCLE-LAN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Write Source 2000
by Patrick Sebranek, Dave Kemper & Verne Meyer
4th edition from Houghton Mifflin
Writing Reference for 6th-8th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$26.95 $15.00 (2 in stock)
Write Stuff Adventure
by Dean Rea
from Great Expectations Book Co.
Writing Curriculum for 5th-10th grade
in Writing Instruction (Location: WRI-INS)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Writer's Guide to Perfect Punctuation
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Writer's Guide to Powerful Paragraphs
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$24.95 $16.00 (1 in stock)
Writer's Guide to Transitional Words and Expressions
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$16.95 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Writer's Guide to Using Eight Methods of Transition
by Victor C. Pellegrino
from Maui arThoughts Company
Writing Reference for 6th-12th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Writer's Reference
by Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers
7th edition from Bedford Press
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Writer's Toolbox
by Nancy Loewen; illustrated by Christopher Lyles, Dawn Beacon, and Todd Ouren
from Picture Window Books
for 2nd-4th grade
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Writing a Research Paper (old)
by Edward Shewan
from Christian Liberty Press
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$4.00 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Writing Great Short Stories
by Margaret Lucke
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for 9th-Adult
in Writing Reference (Location: REF-WRI)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Writing Trails with Great Composers
by Laurie Barrie
from Logos School
Writing Curriculum for 3rd-6th grade
in Writing Trails (Location: WRI-TRAIL)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
You're Weird
from Tarcherperigee
for 3rd-6th grade
in Single-Volume Writing Curriculums (Location: WRI-1VOL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)