Writing Rhetorically

Jennifer Fletcher is a Professor of English at California State University, Monterey Bay and a former high school English teacher. She teaches courses for first-year college students and future teachers and leads workshops on rhetorical literacy skills throughout the country. Her books include Teaching Arguments, Teaching Literature Rhetorically, and Writing Rhetorically.

If we want students to be engaged with school, if we want them to learn, they must be empowered. Writing Rhetorically 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 PracticeJennifer 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.What if our students saw writing as the communicative dance that it is—as an opportunity for creativity, problem-solving, growth, and connection? That is the vision that Jennifer Fletcher pursues. 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 ThingsJennifer Fletcher has helped answer the two most important questions that plague writing teachers: why do we teach the research paper? And how should I teach the research process? Every teacher who hopes to create independent writers should read this book.—Tanya Baker, Director of National Programs for the National Writing ProjectWriting Rhetorically is rich with guiding examples, templates, and a rhetorical voice that is warm and encouraging, though respectfully unrelenting on the best practices for teaching writing. This pedagogy not only helps student agency (I love this) but buttresses their authority and authenticity.—Vershawn Ashanti Young, co-author of Other People's EnglishJennifer shares practices and insights from her own teaching journey that help us feel as though we are part of a team, working together, helping students develop as writers. I have marked so many pages that my copy looks like an advertisement for sticky notes!—Deborah Dean, author of Strategic Writing, Second EditionThis is a must-read for ELA teachers, curriculum specialists and all others interested in helping students think and write more fully and deeply. It offers a thorough discussion of the critical aspects of rhetorical teaching, and is packed with examples teachers can easily use and adapt to their own class needs.—Judith Langer, the Vincent O’Leary Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Albany, SUNYThis book provides practical advice and suggestions for helping your students become independent, self-directed, and thoughtful writers. What a gift.—Steve Graham, Regents and Warner Professor at Arizona State University and the co-editor of Best Practices in Writing, Third Edition

• Chapter One: Taking the Rhetorical Approach; Chapter Two: Teaching Writing for Transfer; Chapter Three: Preparing to Enter the Conversation; Chapter Four: Negotiating Different Voices and Perspectives; Chapter Five: Designing and Conducting Research; Chapter Six: Reasoning from Evidence; Chapter Seven: Making Choices About Genre and Structure; Chapter Eight: Revising Rhetorically; Conclusion: A Few Final Words ...