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The mere mention of writing an essay can send most students into a state of apoplexy. Having to take the time to think through, organize, and pen your thoughts in a cohesive manner is honestly hard work. I would dare say that the homework assignment most procrastinated is that which involves composition. And to sit through boring lectures on the necessity and drill of writing can make the project just that much more intimidating. But not with Hands on Essays by Bonita Lillie.
Using the fingers and thumb (hence the title of the book), Ms. Lillie helps students remember the basic structure of the standard five-paragraph essay: the opening paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a closing paragraph. This material will walk the student through putting together a thesis statement, which then basically forms the outline for the three body paragraphs. Learning how to “hook” your reader, “knowing your audience,” and the importance of revision are just a few more of the important lessons addressed in this book. A worthy treatment, this book will cover almost any essay type the student may encounter such as expository, descriptive, compare/contrast, persuasive, and narrative. Offering sixteen lessons, this material could be used easily in a semester or spread out over an entire school year.
A self-paced program (although this could easily be used with a class), this curriculum has much more to offer than just dry reading material. The lessons start off with a short video that can easily be accessed online. The video content is concise, informative, and even entertaining. Using costumes, props, and changes of scenery for each lesson, Ms. Lillie is able to make her point and make it stick. This interactive feature would be a wonderful change of pace for students who struggle with staying motivated or paying attention, as it helps keep the material from becoming dry. Like the lessons presented in the book, the material is not in any way cumbersome or overwhelming. Ms. Lillie keeps it short, sweet, and to-the-point without sacrificing any information the student will need to be a successful writer. Her enthusiasm is evident in the videos as well as in the book, and I think this enthusiasm could be catching. Not many composition books can achieve that combination well, but it is here that Ms. Lillie succeeds.
The age groups that will benefit most from this material, of course, is middle school and high school. Using it for middle school will give a very good foundation for high school essay writing. If taking that approach, then after that I would recommend Frode Jensen's Format Writing for high school for even more intense, college prep work in the area of composition. If using Hands on Essays for high school, the student will surely still be well-prepared for college prep writing, and the standard essay is a necessary requirement for a good start in college freshman composition. Finally, Hands on Essays includes preparation for the timed-writing section of the SAT or ACT, rounding out the material nicely.
Extras that make this book appealing are the many examples and hands-on activities given in each lesson that show the student how to apply what has been taught. Many topic ideas for each type of essay taught are included. A section for parents/instructors is given on how to evaluate the student's writing, all given in a clear, easy-to-follow, lesson-by-lesson format. For even more help, there is a blog as well as an online newsletter that give writing tips and ideas for composition, including how to use the day's (or week's) current events as topics.
I'm pleased to give a five-star rating to Bonita Lillie's Hands on Essays. Taking what can be a confusing and overwhelming subject and making it interesting (and at an affordable price!) deserves the rating. Well done and highly recommended!
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