The Art of Teaching Writing 
- Language Arts
When Lucy Calkins wrote the first edition of The Art of Teaching Writing, the writing workshop was a fledgling idea, piloted by a few brave innovators. Now, as she brings us this new edition, the writing workshop is at the foundation of language arts education throughout the English-speaking world. This new edition, then, could easily have been a restatement, in grander, more confident tones, of the original classic. Instead, it is an almost entirely new book.
Clearly, during the time in which Calkins's original ideas have spread like wildfire, her focus has not been on articulating and defending those ideas, but on developing and rethinking them. Respecting and responding to the questions which have arisen as thousands of teachers establish writing workshops in their classrooms, and drawing upon the latest knowledge in the field and her own intimate understanding of classroom life, Calkins has re-thought every line and every facet of her original text.
In this new edition, Lucy has major new chapters on assessment, thematic studies, writing throughout the day, reading/writing relationships, publication, curriculum development, nonfiction writing and home/school connections. More than this, she has deepened her understanding of the writing process itself:
"When I wrote the first edition, I saw writing as a process of choosing a topic, turning the topic into the best possible draft, sharing the draft with friends, then revising it. But I've come to think that it's very important that writing is a process not only of recording, but also of developing a story or an idea. Now, in this new edition, I describe writing episodes that do not begin with a topic and a draft but instead with something noticed or something wondered about. When writing begins with something that has not yet found its significance, it is more apt to become a process of growing meaning."
Reviews
Lucy Calkins weaves each chapter with a blend of practical wisdom:
"So it is particularly important, at the start of the year, that we institute only a few rituals and structures in the classroom and take the time to attend to these with care. If our teaching is too complicated, we focus on our lesson plans rather than on our students." (pg. 34)
and homespun reflections:
"This is how I write. I take a moment--an image, a memory, a phrase, an idea--and I hold it in my hands and declare it a treasure. I begin by writing about my son's frayed blanked and end up realizing I'm suffering from empty nest syndrome." (pg. 8)
in order to show the reader that writing is an exercise in awareness and reflection.
You'll find no hard and fast rules here. Instead, Calkins reminds us that writing is one of the ways that we create meaning for ourselves in our lives. And it is this guiding principle and not rigid structure that allows teachers to fine tune their methods in a way that nurtures young writers rather than encumber them with rules that stifle creativity. Sure, proper punctuation and grammar count. But when are they more important than what's actually trying to be said? Calkins streses the importance of relieving anxiety so that the student is free to write.
She also intersperses anecdotes from years of classroom experience in addition to advice from skilled practicioners and colleagues. Each episode stresses the importance of being flexible and allowing the students to inform our lesson plans.
I enjoyed reading this book because it reminded me that in order to teach writing, I must think of myself as an author as well. I can't possibly ask a student to create meaning if I don't know to do it myself. Writing is so much more than knowing which words to use and where to use them. It's about putting yourself out on a limb for everyone to see. And this book is about learning how to meet your students halfway on that branch and watching them grow beyond your expectations.