Student Voice

I love this book. It practices what it preaches by being crisp, well written, and to-the-point. I want a copy now to hand out to my whole department. -- Alexis Wiggins, author of The Best Class You Never Taught and English Department Chair at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, TX Mentor texts from students are essential, and yet it is really hard to find good ones. The essays in Student Voice are marvelous, especially in regard to their voices, accessibility, range, and diversity. And the 35 points made in the teacher's companion, Raising Student Voice, are wonderful; I love the voices of teachers, students, and argumentation experts. -- Matthew Johnson, author of Flash Feedback: Responding to Student Writing Better and Faster-Without Burning Out The essays in Student Voice loudly proclaim what young writers are capable of: insightful opinions, thoughtful argument, compelling evidence, and-most importantly-lively writing. They will inspire young writers everywhere. And for teachers who hope for writing like this in their own classrooms, Raising Student Voice provides them with a teaching companion to help them along. -- Elyse Eidman-Aadahl, Executive Director, National Writing Project I think it's safe to say that many-if not most-of us teachers are always trying to figure out better ways to assist our students in becoming better writers. Katherine Schulten's two books are the best resources that have come along in years to help us do just that! They're filled with exceptional instructional strategies and marvelous examples and mentor texts. What's not to love? -- Larry Ferlazzo, high school teacher, author, and Ed Week teacher advice columnist However hard I try to devise engaging writing topics, my ideas routinely fall flat. Why? Because they are mine. Katherine Schulten suggests a more effective approach-asking students to write about issues they care about-for example, why we should all eat more bugs. If you are suffering from the five-paragraph essay blues, these student essays offer fledgling writers models of what's possible in persuasive writing. They demonstrate how risk-taking pays off. -- Carol Jago, high school English teacher, past president of the National Council of Teachers of English, & author of The Book in Question: Why and How Reading is in Crisis It is no secret that The New York Times Learning Network, and Katherine Schulten in particular, have long been a friend of the classroom teacher. This newest offering is no exception-providing everything a teacher needs for robust, authentic instruction in argumentative writing. The powerful essays provide vision and inspiration for student writers, while the instructional guide gives teachers step-by-step guidance for amplifying student voice and taking student writing to new heights. Simply put, this work is a gift. -- Rebekah O'Dell, author of Beyond Literary Analysis and Writing with Mentors, and co-founder of MovingWriters.org