Getting the Buggers to Write

Sue Cowley is an expert on behaviour management, and on creative approaches to teaching and learning. She has written numerous bestselling education and parenting books, which have been translated and published around the world. Sue has written for many teaching publications and was a regular presenter on Teachers TV. She has also been called to appear in front of the Education Select Committee, as an expert witness on behaviour in schools. She works internationally as a writer, trainer and presenter, as well as helping to run her local preschool.Sue is a renowned INSET trainer, who has provided training for teaching and support staff around the UK and in Europe. She offers courses on a variety of topics including developing children's writing, creative thinking and behaviour management.

'Cowley has created something that's pretty rare - a guide for teachers that's both pedagogically rigorous and down to earth. Without the time to wade through the reams of theory published on this topic, the third edition of Getting the Buggers to Write presents itself as a refuge for the busy teacher. In this way, she offers exactly what so many similar books don't: practical strategies that you can immediately implement. On top of this, she's not out to criticise, or to gesture towards too many unreachable conclusions... Underpinned by a view of learning that's humane and hopeful, it encourages teachers to have confidence in themselves, while inspiring them to try new things. As such, it deserves a place in every staffroom.'

• Author's note, Third Edition \ Acknowledgements \ Introduction \ Part 1: Starting Points \ 1. First Steps to Writing \ The Strands of Literacy \ Early Mark Making \ Early Writing Techniques \ Letter Activities \ From Letters to Words \ From Words to Sentences \ Structure and Young Writers \ What Makes a Good Writer? \ 2. Building Firm Foundations \ Back to Basics \ Spelling \ Punctuation \ Grammar \ Some Thoughts on Paragraphing \ Handwriting \ Graphology \ Working with Words \ 3. The Writer's Toolkit \ Writing Processes \ Finding a Starting Point \ Selecting a Form \ Knowing your Audience \ Thinking about Viewpoint, Style and Timing\ Brainstorming \ Researching \ Mind-mapping \ Selecting material \ Planning \ From First Draft to Final Draft \ Presenting the Final Draft \ Reviewing and Evaluating \ 4. The Motivated Writer \ Getting them Writing \ Keeping them Writing \ Getting them Writing Properly \ A Reason to Write \ An Atmosphere for Writing \ Warm-up Exercises \ Focus Exercises \ Putting the Pleasure Back into Writing \ The Teacher as Writer \ Part 2: Write Across the Curriculum \ 5. Writing in All the Subjects \Writing in Practical Subjects \ Motivation Across the Curriculum \ All Together Now: Cross Curricular Writing \ 6. Essay Writing \ Some Basic Tips \ Planning an Essay \ Answering the Question \ How to Quote \ The 'Four Step' Essay-Writing Technique \ Introductions and Conclusions \ 7. Creative Writing \ Creating a Fiction \ Starting Points for Creative Writing \ Finding Inspiration \ Using your Senses \ The Importance of Genre \ Writing Fiction \ Writing Scripts \ Writing Poetry \ 8. Non-fiction Writing \ Note-taking and Annotation \ Building your Writing \ Non-fiction Forms \ Technique and Non-fiction Writing \ Types of Non-fiction Writing \ Recount (account) \ Report (non-chronological) \ Explanation \ Instructions (procedure) \ Persuasive Writing \ Discussion \ The Importance of Being an Expert \ Writing about Language \ Writing about Literature \ 9. Writing in the Digital Age \ ICT and Writing \ Word Processing \ Writing and the Interactive Whiteboard \ Writing and the Internet \ E-mail and Writing \ ICT: The Practicalities \ Part 3: Everyone's a Writer \ 10. Supporting the Struggling Writer \ Key Strategies for the Teacher \ Key Strategies for the Student \ Key Strategies for Differentiation \ Supporting Students with ESL/EAL \ Writing and Behaviour \ 11. Extending the Gifted Writer \ Challenging Starters \ Structuring the Learning \ Finding a 'Voice' \ Essay Writing with the Most Able \ 12. Boys and Writing \ Expectations of Boys' Writing \ Motivating Boys to Write \ Inspirational Topics for Boys' Writing \ Teaching Techniques to Inspire Boys \ Engaging Formats for Boys' Writing \ Part 4: Writing it Right \ 13. Writing and Assessment \ Top Tips for Assessment \ Marking Symbols \ Marking Methods \ Strategies for Assessment \ Effective Questioning Techniques \ Approaching Exams \ 14. The Writing Clinic \ Overwriting \ Dull or Under-Writing \ Lack of Punctuation \ Repetitive Writing \ Irrelevant Facts \ Listing \ 15. Celebrating Writing \ Displaying Writing \ Publishing Writing \ Book Weeks \ Author Days/Weeks \ Charity Activities \ Competitions \ Writers' Workshops \ 'Play in a Day' \ Trips \ Part 5: Resources for Writing \ Appendix 1: Text-messaging \ Appendix 2: Useful websites \ Appendix 3: Vocabulary \ Appendix 4: Marking symbols \ Index