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Writing Inspirations
A Fundex of Individualized Activities for English Writing Practice
Revised Individualized and pair work
by: Arlene Marcus
Levels: 4th grade - Middle School, High School, and Adult students.High-beginner to Intermediate

Introduction for the Teacher

Price: $ 24.50 ISBN: 0-86647-285-1 978-0-86647-285-2 Write Sentences about This Picture Write a Paragraph about This Picture Write a Story about This Picture Write a Story with These Words Write a Conversation Help! The Advice Column Summarizing Interviews and Surveys Look It Up and Write It Up

A photocopyable teacher/tutor resource

238 writing-topic Fundex cards to choose from

Over 700 individualized writing activities

Effective with students of all ages, interests, and skill levels

Ideal for tutorials

Ideal for learning centers and libraries

The individualized writing topics fit on half a page, ready to be photocopied and added to a Fundex collection of cards for students to choose from. They often have a lively photo or illustration or a piece of virtual realia - maps, ads, forms, articles. The topics are both entertaining and simple for students working on their own to understand.

19 Fun Types of Writing Topics* Write a Sentence about This Picture

* Write a Story about This Picture
* Write a Story about This Photo
* Write a Story about an Object
* Write a Story with These Words
* Write a Conversation
* Write Instructions
* Write an Email
* Look, Remember, and Write
* Help! The Advice Column
* Reflective Writing - Memories
* Summarizing Interviews and Surveys
* Look It Up and Write It Up
* Read and Write Up
* Response Writing - The Daily Paper
* Write about Your Reading
* Finish the Story
* Writing Anecdotes - Proverbs
* Writing Stories - Superstitions.

The over 700 Fundex tasks involve individual, pair, and small group work. Though primarily for writing, they also include discussion and planning, information gathering, research, and reading.

* New. Four new activity types appropriate for beginning students and the techno-internet generation.

* New. Every Fundex card has been reviewed and revised/updated where appropriate.

* New. All the illustrations and realia have been revised and updated or replaced.

"I've used Writing Inspirations in high school multi-level ESL classes. I found it particularly helpful with students who had a hard time getting started writing. Instead of assigning them one of the cards, I would pick out all the cards on a certain theme like "Writing Stories: Superstitions" and ask the student(s) to choose one prompt that interested them. They were always able to find one they liked, and the writing process would begin.

I like the variety of themes and writing styles represented in the cards. You can go in many different directions according to student needs and interests.

It was a bit labor-intensive to cut out all the cards and have them laminated, but well worth the effort.

Currently I work as an ESL professional development specialist and I often show these cards to teachers as an example of what works in multi-level classrooms."

--Rebecca Horwitz
Resource Specialist
BETAC at Ulster BOCES
New Paltz, NY 12561
rhorwitz@mhric.org