Offers two expository writing exercises that, machinelike, move from word to idea to arrive at rich and evocative connections. Shows how the first exercise, the four-column association, produces a free-form paragraph or poem following a freewriting warmup. Uses the term "placket" to describe the second exercise, a poem that has a set of…

Assuming that effective writing instruction requires teachers with well-developed writing skills, sufficient classroom time set aside for quantity writing on a daily basis, careful and consistent evaluation, and emphasis on writing as communication, this guide offers teaching techniques that develop the theoretical, practical, and creative aspects…