RELEASE AT WILL Contact: Chris Weber, author, (503) 232-7737
6AM-8AM and Evenings, PCT

Gift for people into the delights and treasures of teaching students all about writing

Chris Weber has a gift. After more than twenty years of helping students make books, this ESL teacher and founder of the Oregon Students Writing and Art Foundation is now devoting his energy to sharing what he knows.

His new book, Publishing with Students, is an inroad into the joy of teaching all about writing. This guide will help teachers, parents and students find new strength and confidence as they watch the quality of what they create improve. Teaching students to write better is very rewarding for all involved.

I began to get better at writing and eventually the words would write themselves instead of me having to sit there for a long time and think about what to write.
Lennie Waite, Student

Writing well is perhaps one of the most important, self-esteem building skills a student can learn, Chris said. The trick is to get the students to not only create good writing, but produce a product that they can be proud of.

Sounds simple, but it often takes additional knowledge and insights into the realm of publishing, innovation and creativity, which is often more than what many teachers and parents are familiar with and can freely offer.

Weber offers ideas and simple instructions on how students can not only write better, but create and share their writings. His book is filled with practical advice covering all the bases of classroom publishing.

Weber says, Publishing allows students to experience feedback and get an extra response and a boost from their creations from people who view their work. This is an important element of learning that all too often gets ignored or minimized.

Publishing motivates students to work harder knowing that they have a real audience. Feedback from other students and adults teaches respect and develops for the author a sense of ownership that increases self-worth.

Weber gives tips about how to empower students with student-run magazines and newspapers, successful bookmaking, how to take advantage of the instantaneous dissemination of information using the Internet, and a variety of e-mail publication projects. His book contains a wide variety of writing including class books, school magazines, class newspapers, schools e-mail book projects, essays, books, poetry and art. A special chapter is devoted to the increasing use of the Internet as a vehicle for instant publishing and long distance communication.

Information on Publishing with Students is available online at www. heinemann.com (800-225-5800) or by sending him an e-mail to <chriscarlweber@earthlink.net>.

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