Essay Writing Made Easy With the Hourglass Organizer: A Classroom-Tested Approach With Step-by-Step Mini-Lessons to Help Students Master Essay Writing

Fifteen lessons developed by master writing teachers guide students to write thoughtful, well-structured essays, from informative to persuasive. These step-by-step lessons use a simple, but effective graphic organizer to show how the parts of an essay work together to create a cohesive whole. Each lesson provides differentiation tips for striving and advanced writers. Also included are sample essays that can be used to model and discuss structure and technique.

• A surefire way to help even the most reluctant writers progress from introduction to body to conclusion.
• Helps students master informational/explanatory writing-a key emphasis in the Common Core State Standards.
• Helps students prepare for state writing assessments.
• Includes leveled lessons with activities and assessments to support differentiated writing instruction.
• Plus a big, colorful poster of the hourglass organizer to support instruction!

Elizabeth Louise Elliot is a master teacher of English at the high school level. She has taught in districts in Oregon and Massachusetts for over 15 years and currently teaches at Lake Oswego High School in Oregon. Beth and co-author, Jane Lierman, began working together three years ago piloting a student tutoring program matching high school and elementary students. They began collaborating on writing with the goal of developing a consistent and common language and skills base to teach students at varied levels in the Lake Oswego Schools.

Jane Lierman is a master educator of grades K-6. She has taught for over 20 years in both Arizona and Oregon and is currently a team leader and 5/6 teacher in Lake Oswego, Oregon. She is a published author of eight teaching resource books, including Standards-Based Map Activities (2005), Cursive Writing Practice: Inspiring Quotes (2008), and Beginning Cursive Practice: Copy and Write Quotes (2011), all with Scholastic.