From the desk of Beverly Menken
We are excited to announce a new book, The Basic Student Writing Notebook, which will be available for purchase in the near future.
The Basic Student Writing Notebook was created to give students an opportunity to apply their understanding of grammar concepts to the writing of effective sentences. The notebook also provides a way to develop a list of words which are colorful, creative, and specific. Just as colorful fabrics enhance the beauty of a quilt, so do colorful, specific words enhance a student’s sentences. With the skillful addition of each new part of speech such as strong verbs or quality adjectives, the sentences come alive with vibrant language.
In addition to developing colorful, language-rich sentences, the Basic Student Writing Notebook is an effective diagnostic tool for the teacher. He may observe if a student has used the specified part of speech correctly. For example, the teacher may notice that the student used an adverb in his sentence when the directions actually called for an adjective. Perhaps a student will write a sentence with a compound subject instead of following directions that call for a compound sentence. As the teacher observes these errors, he may adjust his lesson to review those trouble spots.
Because the student must critically think about how to add a specific word to a sentence, he is applying his understanding of grammar to the real world of written communication. This application of grammar concepts combined with an enriched, vivid vocabulary becomes a wonderful combination. The study of grammar becomes truly practical in the real world of composition. One quality sentence becomes two, then three sentences, and eventually pages of sentences, which become paragraphs, research papers, and novels. Be watching for this exciting new book!
