Focus Lessons

'Writers, like photographers, are image makers.'

We teach our students to write using words and sentences that create a desired effect. You might encourage them to zoom in on a small moment, focus on a specific detail, or experiment with a new point of view. The language of writing has a natural link with photography.

In Focus Lessons, Ralph Fletcher makes this connection clear. He offers new ideas about how this link can enhance your instruction.

 
• Using a camera as a writer's notebook
 
• Taking pictures to spark creativity
 
• Learning to 'read' images as mentor texts
 
• Helping students develop writing from photos

Ralph also shares fifteen craft lessons that draw on the photographic world. Each lesson highlights a different technique like creating tension, using arresting details, or setting a mood. Then he shows how to achieve each one - in both photography and writing.

Preview sample pages from Focus Lessons