Professional Books — Review

The Writing Circle

by Sylvia Gunnery
Pembroke Publishers, 2007
ISBN 978-1-55138-217-3
$24.95, 96 pp, adult
www.pembrokepublishers.com

Writing Circles—groups of students who (with teacher guidance) observe, critique and coach each other—provide motivating factors through active student engagement and peer approval and review. It’s a great idea, and what makes this book so powerful is that it tells you exactly how to organize writing circles and gives you numerous lesson plan ideas and activities that will ensure that your writing circles are not only well organized, but continue to be effective and fun. The author includes helpful suggestions for students and teachers to make thoughtful, constructive observations about the writing they are reading. It provides engaging activities that students can do to improve their analysis of their own and others’ writing, and it has numerous ideas on how to get students to come up with themes that are meaningful for them when stymied by a blank page. Revision? There are so many interesting ways to make revision seem like an exciting challenge rather than a chore, that your budding writers will never be afraid of the “mess” that writing creates, and in fact will welcome it. Although this book is aimed at teachers who work with high school students, many of the ideas are appropriate for upper-intermediate classes. The blackline masters, easy-to-follow lesson suggestions and teaching tips will enable teachers to create a community of enthusiastic, working writers and the “polished and presentable” works that teachers and students can be proud of. This book is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Betty Schultze

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