After THE END: Teaching and Learning Creative Revision

This is an excellent book to aid in teaching writing to all ages. Recommend that every English teacher own and use these principles.

I saw this book reviewed here on Amazon. I then went to the public library to review one of his other books. I liked what I saw. Then I bought this book based on the previous reviews and I'm very glad I did. It's definitely worth a 5 out of 5!

This book hits the sweet spot of what I'm trying to accomplish as a tutor to some junior high school students. Barry Lane's exercises and theories fit what I've learned so far in this fun, and sometimes hilarious, quest.

The book is easy to read, yet loaded with useful advice. Now that I've finished this book, I'll be getting his other books and most importantly: I'll be starting to implement his recommendations on teaching writing to children.

The author is a writing in instructor in New Hampshire/Vermont. The book has a useful bibliography and he often comments on important books throughout his chapters.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX

Tired of trying to browbeat your students into revising their writing? Afraid you might scream if you have to slog through The Writing Process one more time? Try this welcome antedote. Humorously written but based on sound theory, Mr. Lane's book is chock-full of exercises that are fun, practical, easy to modify, and based on classroom experience. I've used them with third and fourth graders, high school students, and even teachers!
The book's first chapter, "Good Writing is Good Questions," is reason enough to buy the book. When we (or our students)
respond to a student's writing with questions about what we want to know more about, revision happens naturally.
"A large part of writing is simply trusting your own instincts and asking questions that will help you dig deep enough," Mr. Lane writes. Dig deep into this book. There's gold here.

Mr. Lane's book is packed full of ideas for those who wish to find a way to make writing (especially revision) fun for students. The book addresses everything from voice and tone to conferencing and questioning in an effort to make writing truly a student's own (not just what a teacher wants). I find it to be an excellant resource as a new teacher.

For so long, I have found revision difficult to teach for primary students. This book is a wealth of information. The vignettes given as examples are entertaining and are the basis for numerous mini-lessons to guide students through revision painlessly and effectively. This book will remain on my desk throughout the year. I highly recommend it.