Book Review: The House of Comprehension

There are a few types of people out there in the world: number people, science people, artsy people, and word people.  I would not put myself in the "word people" category.  Writing has always kind of intimidated me, but here I am writing a blog.

Tutoring writing is definitely not on my resume by any means either!  Why am I reading and writing a review about writing and comprehension?  Quite simply, it's my one of my weaknesses!

When I am faced with a weakness, I can either lye down and get driven over and over again or I can stand up and learn all I can about it.  That's why when Connie Casserly of Teach It Write put a request out  for reviews, I jumped at the chance to try.  I was excited to learn all about putting my comprehension of a book into words that engage a reader.

First off, let me just say the cover of this book and illustrations are brilliantly done.  They add a lot of value to what Connie is trying to convey to the reader.  She sets the book into motion with analogies of the three little pigs and building a house.

Literature has structure to it just like a house.  Connie provides us with the blueprints, foundation, framing, finish work, and not to forget-decorating!  This book gives you all you need to teach a student to write completely with all parts of literature considered.

Here are a few of my favorite writing modules in the book:

• Taboo Words and Phrases
• 15 Days to Lose Taboos
• Reel Them In
• Ten Sentence Format

Connie came up with fun ways to get rid of words that students use too much.  I know that I am guilty of this, which is why I probably loved this writing module so much.  She encourages you to show your students how to select words that are strong concrete nouns and adjectives along with some vivid verbs.

For my own writing, I am planning on pinning up a page that is titled, "Just Say No" for myself and my students.  This page has all the over used words that can overshadow good writing.  I am hoping it will help me become a better writer here on the blog too.

Sometimes getting a student started on putting their thoughts together on a book can be trying.  The Ten Sentence Format is brilliant because you can use it with any book and get the structure you need.  You decide on a situation from the book and have students give supporting statements using the prompts on the worksheet.

Try it out for yourself!  Connie has a free download of the Ten Sentence Format over at her TpT store.

So, you may be wondering, how can a tutor benefit from this book?  This book could help you prepare students for college entrance/scholarship essays and for all the big tests like ACT and SAT.  I could see it being a benefit as a summer test prep course for students too.

Thanks to Connie for allowing me to read and learn from her.  She is a talented author herself and I enjoyed reading this book.  This book is available for purchase through Compass Publishing or on Amazon.  You can get a hard copy and a digital copy if you order through Compass and be able to print just the pages you need, when you need them!  I love that Compass offers that on most of their books.

Disclaimer:  I was given a free copy of this book as stated above.  Thank you!