"Grades K-12; National Writing Project"--Cover.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-158) and index.

Foreword, Richard Sterling.Sponsors.Preface.Editors and Contributors.One: Exploring Student-Driven Learning and Literacy Through Social Action.PART ONE: Social Action in Practice.Two: Power Play (Paula Laub).Three: Lending Student Voice to Curriculum Planning (Dietta Poston Hitchcock).Four: The Story of the Youth Dreamers: In Their Own Words (Mildred Harris, Chantel Morant, Shanta Crippen, Chris Lawson, Chekana Reid, Cierra Cary, Tiffani Young-Smith).Five: Reflections on the Youth Dreamers 3(Kristina Berdan).Six: Community Action in a Summer Writing Institute (Chinwe La Tanya Obijiofor).Seven: Changing Our World (Lori Farias, Critics of Society Class).Eight: Poetry and Power in the Creative Writing Workshop (Maggie Folkers).Nine: Shall We Dance? (Connie Ellard Bunch).Ten: The March on John Philip Sousa (Elizabeth A. Davis).Eleven: Social Action and Parent Involvement (Mildred Serra).PART TWO: Getting Started with Social Action.Twelve: Learning from Social Action: Reflections on Teaching and Social Action.Thirteen: Principles for Practice: What Is Social Action? (Jennie Fleming, Ian Boulton).Fourteen: Recommendations for the Classroom: Before You Start (Jennie Fleming, Ian Boulton).PART THREE: Stuff You Can Try: Activities for Social Action.Metro Map.Naming the Group.Community Vocabulary.Devising the Vision.How We Behave in Groups.Movie Poster.Four Faces.But Why?Codes.Changing Your Mind.Sculpts.The Three C's.SWOT.Ideal Specimen.Force Field Analysis.Worst Nightmare.Now/Soon/Later.The Swimming Pool.Messages.References.Resources for Further Reading.Index.

Writing for a Change shows teachers how to engage students in real world problem-solving activities that can help them to acquire voice, authority, and passion for both reading and writing practice. Written in collaboration with the Center for Social Action in England, the book describes the innovative Social Action process for encouraging students to collaborate on problems of their own choosing to analyze options, develop action plans, discover solutions, and finally to reflect on their work. Featuring stories by teachers who have successfully used the method, the book shows that first graders as well as high-school students can enjoy this exciting and educational process. Practical guidance for applying the process to any curricular area is provided along with an extensive list of classroom activities.