Books

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“If we want students to be engaged with school, if we want them to learn, they must be empowered, and when it comes to writing, being empowered means asking students to make choices. Writing Rhetorically by Jennifer Fletcher does this by guiding both instructors and students through a process that results in students becoming writing “problem solvers,” capable of tackling any fresh challenge that may come their way.”

John Warner, author of Why They Can’t Write and The Writer’s Practice

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“Ever notice that the more help you offer novice writers, the more dependent upon you they seem to become? What would happen if we treated writing like a problem to be solved rather than a task to be completed? Jennifer Fletcher argues that a shift away from compliance toward autonomy might just be the gear we’ve been missing. Writing Rhetorically offers teachers a detailed road map for supporting self-driving student writers.”

Carol Jago, author of The Book in Question and With Rigor for All

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“Jennifer Fletcher’s Writing Rhetorically provides an antidote to a far-too-common problem: an unhealthy co-dependency between young writers and their writing teachers. I love how this book gives teachers practical strategies to move students from ‘bounded’ to ‘expansive’ thinking, and more importantly, how Fletcher positions her students to own the hard decisions necessary to sharpen their writing skills.”

Kelly Gallagher, author of Readicide, Deeper Reading, and Write Like This

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“When we became writing teachers, none of us set out to turn our students into robots. We never wanted our students to ask us to approve every new idea, to schedule every next step, to prompt and pre-organize every line, to edit every word when they are “done.” Instead, we wanted to help students grow as writers to the point where they don’t need us—because they won’t always have us. Jennifer Fletcher’s brilliant Writing Rhetorically cuts right to the core of this challenge. In it, she not only pushes us to reflect on how our “prescriptivist” teaching habits might unintentionally foster over-dependence in our students but offers an alternative that is both poignant and eminently reachable: a shift to teaching all writing through the lens of rhetorical thinking. I highly recommend it!”

Matthew Kay, author of Not Light, But Fire

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“If I were designing a course to prepare new teachers to teach academic reading and writing, something we all need to keep improving on no matter how long we have taught, I would make this book the centerpiece of that course.”

Jim Burke, author of The Six Academic Writing Assignments, The English Teacher’s Companion, and Writing Reminders

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“Have you ever had students who seem to view writing as a soul-sucking, bewildering exercise of ‘How do I get my points?’ I’ve seen it plenty of times. But what if, instead, our students saw writing as the communicative dance that it is — as an opportunity for creativity and problem-solving and growth and connection? That is the vision that Jennifer Fletcher pursues in this, her third book on rhetorical problem-solving. This book comes from the heart of a teacher and the mind of a master. A must-read for any teacher of writing.”

Dave Stuart Jr., author of These 6 Things

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“[Writing Rhetorically] is rich with guiding examples and templates and a rhetorical voice in the book that is warm and encouraging, though respectfully unrelenting on the best practices for teaching writing.”

Vershawn Ashanti Young, co-author of Other People’s English

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“Every teacher who hopes to create independent writers should read this book.”

Tanya Baker, National Writing Project, Director of National Programs

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“While offering guidance to teachers, Fletcher expresses faith in young people’s ability to engage in productive struggle as they learn to craft thoughtful, passionate arguments. Writing Rhetorically will be a constant companion for writing teachers seeking to support students as they become informed, engaged, and openminded contributors to democratic discourse.”

Linda Friedrich, Director of Literacy, WestEd

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“This well-written book is a must-read for ELA teachers, curriculum specialists and all others interested in helping students think and write more fully and more deeply.”

Judith Langer, author of Writing Instruction that Works

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“This is a book I wish I had read at the start of my career. The concepts it shares are founded on rhetorical principles but framed from a teacher stance and a concern for students’ deep engagement in writing.”

Deborah Dean, author of Strategic Writing

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“This book provides practical advice and suggestions for helping your students become independent, self-directed, and thoughtful writers. What a gift.”

Steve Graham, co-editor of Best Practices in Writing Instruction

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“If you are convinced that there exists another dimension where students are motivated to maximize the communication power of their writing, then this book is for you.”

Jeff Zwiers, co-author of Academic Conversations

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