Teaching Idea Development: A Standards-Based Critical-Thinking Approach to Writing [Paperback]

This step-by-step guide provides educators with the tools they need to help students think more critically and write with more fully developed ideas.

This step-by-step guide provides educators with the tools they need to help students think more critically and write with more fully developed ideas.

The most marvelously practical and engaging approach to come along in decades. It goes beyond the basics to take up very practical techniques that are terribly useful but not covered in most textbooks. All of us want our students to think critically and creatively  this book shows us how to teach them to do just that. A superb text.  

A wealth of practical instruction activities to use in the classroom that can help students at all levels learn to flesh out the bare bones of their ideas. The world of effective writing, meant for authentic audiences and purposes, guides every suggestion made in this book.  

An excellent writing resource for teachers interested in helping students develop critical thinking skills. Loaded with specific objectives, student models, and classroom lessons, this book provides a catalog of useful strategies. New teachers, especially, should find this extremely useful.  

PART ONE: IMPLEMENTING IDEA DEVELOPMENT IN THE CLASSROOM
Promoting Effective Writing
Identifying and Solving Common Idea Development Problems
PART TWO: STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING IDEA DEVELOPMENT
Purposeful Detail
Description
Compare and Contrast
Cause and Effect
Dialogue
Anecdote
Vignette
Analysis