The essential companion to the successful Unlocking the Reader, this new book focuses on the often neglected area of writing. It follows the same format as its predecessor, offering explanation, tips and guidance, alongside practical activities to engage and support writing.

It provides a basic, quick to read guide to teaching and supporting writing of all kinds, drawing on best practice over the years. Covering everything from fiction to poetry, news articles to diaries, blogs and even epitaphs, this book is rich in creative writing ideas.Individual chapters focus on writing fiction, poetry and drama, writing for practical purposes (including persuasive writing) and writing in the digital world. A specific chapter also addresses special needs issues in writing.

But this book is not just a guide. It’s a toolkit too. Each section contains practical activities, games and ‘try this’ ideas to help develp writing skills and overcome obstacles. It tackles age-old topics in new ways. As with reading, learning to write needs support and continual practice at all ages, and this book offers activity ideas for children learning to write, from beginners right up to post-16 years.

There are games and activities to:

develop motor skills and improve coordination develop handwriting support writing using computers, smartphones and tablets stimulate writing for different purposes meet individual needs (including children with specific learning difficulties).

Specific chapters cover author visits to schools and publishing children’s work. A dedicated section also addresses digital writing opportunities, including using blogs, mobile devices and social networking sites such as Twitter.A final chapter covers the basics of orthography, providing a quick reference to the correct use of English.

Every page offers some fresh perspectives to try - either at home or in the classroom. This is the ideal book for teachers to develop children’s writing skills.