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Patterns of Power

Inviting Young Writers into the Conventions of Language, Grades 1-5

Instead of chanting grammar rules or completing countless convention worksheets, Jeff Anderson and literacy coach Whitney La Rocca invite young writers to explore conventions as special effects devices that activate meaning.

Patterns of Power

Inviting Adolescent Writers into the Conventions of Language, Grades, 6-8

“Is this right? Is this how it’s supposed to look?” Adolescent writers often ask these kinds of questions because traditional grammar instruction focuses too much on what’s right or what’s wrong. The fear of making a mistake hides the true power of conventions – the creation of meaning, purpose, and effect, the ultimate reading-writing connection.

Join Jeff Anderson, with Travis Leech and Melinda Clark, as they explore grammar in a new way in Patterns of Power: Inviting Adolescent Writers into the Conventions of Language, Grades 6–8. Let’s lift middle school writers by focusing on possibility and producing effective writing that will transfer to the classroom and beyond.

Patterns of Wonder

Inviting Emergent Writers into the Conventions of Language, PreK-1 (Fall 2021)

It’s no secret that emergent writers thrive in classrooms filled with inquiry, play, and wonder, but how can we invite our youngest writers into the conventions of language, engage them in authentic writing experiences, and capitalize on their natural curiosity around what writers do? Building on the same playful qualities of the invitational process introduced in their bestselling Patterns of Power series, Whitney La Rocca and Jeff Anderson turn their instructional lens to our youngest writers, sharing new ways we can invite them to experiment, have fun, and take risks with writing and language.

Patterns of Power

Inviting Bilingual Writers into the Conventions of Language, en español, Grades 1-5

When you use Spanish-language books as mentor texts in your bilingual classrooms to teach grammar and conventions, you offer your students mirrors in which they see themselves reflected in the characters, settings, and cultural representations. Student engagement and excitement increases, and they become better readers and writers.

Patterns of Power Plus

Extension Lessons for Young Writers

Most day-to-day grammar instruction is about finding one right answer and identifying mistakes rather than uncovering and appreciating writing’s beauty and meaning. Through a unique process of invitation, teachers can use Patterns of Power Plus: Extension Lessons for Young Writers to teach grammar authentically with flexibility through rich literature and quality conversations—without worksheets!

Mechanically Inclined

Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer's Workshop

Mechanically Inclined is the culmination of years of experimentation that merges the best of writer’s workshop elements with relevant theory about how and why skills should be taught. It connects theory about using grammar in context with practical instructional strategies, explains why kids often don’t understand or apply grammar and mechanics correctly, focuses on attending to the “high payoff,” or most common errors in student writing, and shows how to carefully construct a workshop environment that can best support grammar and mechanics concepts. Jeff emphasizes four key elements in his teaching:

short daily instruction in grammar and mechanics within writer’s workshop;

using high-quality mentor texts to teach grammar and mechanics in context;

visual scaffolds, including wall charts, and visual cues that can be pasted into writer’s notebooks; regular, short routines, like “express-lane edits,” that help students spot and correct errors automatically.

Revisions Decisions

Talking Through Sentences and Beyond

Revision is often a confusing and difficult process for students, but it’s also the most important part of the writing process. If students leave our classrooms not knowing how to move a piece of writing forward, we’ve failed them. Revision Decisions will help teachers develop the skills students need in an ever-evolving writing, language, and reading world.

10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know

In his new book 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know, Jeff Anderson focuses on developing the concepts and application of ten essential aspects of good writing: motion, models, focus, detail, form, frames, cohesion, energy, words, and clutter. Throughout the book, Jeff provides dozens of model texts, both fiction and nonfiction, that bring alive the ten things every writer needs to know. By analyzing strong mentor texts, young writers explore, discover, and apply what makes good writing work. Jeff dedicates a chapter to each of the ten things every writer needs to know and provides mini-lessons, mentor texts, writing process strategies, and classroom tips.

Everyday Editing

Inviting Students to Develop Skill and Craft in Writer's Workshop

Instead of rehearsing errors and drilling students on what’s wrong with a sentence, Jeff invites students to look carefully at their writing along with mentor texts, and to think about how punctuation, grammar, and style can be best used to hone and communicate meaning. Written in Jeff’s characteristically witty style, this refreshing and practical guide offers an overview of his approach to editing within the writing workshop as well as ten detailed sets of lessons covering everything from apostrophes to serial commas. These lessons can be used throughout the year to replace Daily Oral Language or error-based editing strategies with a more effective method for improving student writing.