Patterns of Power: Grades 6-8

Comprehensive resource for teaching grammar and punctuation. I love using it and kids love doing it!

I got the original PoP when it was published, and I loved it. I had to work to convert the lessons to work for 7th and 8th grade, and when I found out there was a middle school version in the works, I was overjoyed. No joke, I have been on the edge of my seat for MONTHS waiting, and it finally came. It’s better than I ever dreamed. The mentor sentences are so beautiful. The section that explains the craft move and rhetorical purpose for it is so helpful for connecting the meaning to the grammar for kids. Also, it helps me explain some of the pesky revising and editing questions on the STAAR test. I can’t recommend the book enough. If you’re a teacher who wants to help students develop their writing and see the many ways they can impact the world, get this book. If you’re looking for something that can help you get kids to pass the test, it’ll do that, too. This will save you hours of Pinterest searching. It’s worth the money.

Jeff Anderson, with Texas educator friends Travis & Melinda, has given teachers yet another gift of clear, practical, and research-based grammar instruction with this latest installment in the Patterns of Power series. Wire-bound for practicality and chock-full of images of actual lessons, charts, and student application, this text expands on the elementary version with the grammar work that middle school students need to interact with in their reading and writing. First year teachers and veterans alike will find clear classroom approaches in this must-have resource!

I LOVE the content but it's a really thick book with really thin paper covers and you have to have it on a hard, flat surface or the book bends/droops badly. The plastic spine rolls around on itself and then catches on the holes punched in the paper cover, so the cover is already ripping away from the spine. In 3 days. :(For the price, the book should be sturdier.

I will take the blame for this one but it was a huge waste of my money. I thought I was getting a writing curriculum to implement in my classroom. This is not useful at all for me.

Why is it so expensive? 😢 I am a fan of the author, but why is it so expensive? Too much.

I was super excited to receive my book but so disappointed when I opened it up and saw they bound the wrong edge. So bummed since I'd rather not read it "backwards". I'll just remove the binding, whole punch the other side, and put it in a binder.

I started homeschooling my son during the pandemic for his fifth grade year, and we are now continuing into sixth. My biggest goal for him this year is to turn him into a writer, because I felt like his older brother didn’t get that in his middle school program. This book has turned out to be a fantastic instructional guide for me to nudge him into writing with clarity and thoughtfulness.I would say this book works best as the second step of at least a good solid year of traditional grammar work. We did a fifth and sixth grade grammar sequence last year that gave my son a strong grasp of parts of speech, which I think is essential to be able to really discuss and understand how those rules and definitions can be used in your own writing. This book asks the student to really think about how the rules empower them to write more clearly and powerfully, and gives them many opportunities to create their own writing to put those rules to use.If you’re looking for a simple daily worksheet for grammar kind of book, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a philosophy to transform your student into someone who knows and understands grammar and can apply that knowledge to making creative and powerful writing choices, I think this is an excellent program.If you’re homeschooling a solo student, you will have to adapt a bit as you go, as many activities are suggested for groups or pairs. It’s not hard—you can be a partner and fellow brainstormer—but just be aware this is written for guiding a class and you’ll want to fill that out a bit for the solo student.I highly recommend this book!! It’s worth the cost for the excellent philosophy and guidance it offers.