Boy Writers by Ralph Fletcher

Summary

Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices begins with a the author's moment of realization that boys were turned off, checked out, disengaged, and disenfranchised when it came to writing.  This book is a response to that realization, and it attempts to provide readers with a relevant introduction to the topic of boys' literacy, classroom strategies for engaging and valuing boys' perspectives, and useful anecdotes about boys' writing.  Fletcher begins by relating the results of a survey he put together that addressed '"teacher's perceptions of the boy writers with whom they work" (5).  He received seventy-one responses to his survey, and the findings showed that the teachers saw the girls in their classrooms engaged and enjoying writing much more than boys.  Fletcher corroborates his survey's findings with other relevant data, as well as first-hand anecdotes from writing teachers.  Boy Writers covers a broad range of topics relevant to boys' literacy, including student choice, violent writing, language issues, humor, student/teacher interactions during writing conferences, and even handwriting. 

Link to Ralph Fletcher's homepage here.

This review is partitioned into four categories of analysis:  general comments, violence in boys' writing, humor, establishing boundaries in the classrom, and gender difference issues.

General comments

Violence in Boys' Writing

Humor

Establishing Boundaries in the Classroom

Gender Difference Issues

Interesting Links

Interview with Ralph Fletcher

    a good summary of some issues from the book

Tips to Use In Your Classroom

Gender Related Links