Susan Wise Bauer wrote the "Writing with Skill" for students to begin to work through independently, and the text is written directly to the student. Organized by days, each "step" progressively moves students through the workbook as they move from one day to the next. Covering the basics of composition, outlining, sentence skills, beginning literary criticism of poetry and prose, writing narratives and descriptions, and researching and documenting sources, the course culminates with a final project. Using extensive literary models and step-by-step instructions on the lesson concepts,...

Susan Wise Bauer lays out a plan for teaching writing that combines the best elements of old-fashioned writing instruction with innovative new educational methods. Writing With Ease outlines a complete three- or four-year program for elementary-grade students, giving parents and teachers the tools to personalize instruction for any skill level.