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Press Releases
Writing an essay is something both challenging and very important to students. Unfortunately, countless people struggle with being able to express themselves well and in the correct format. Johnnie Lewis used to struggle herself with essay writing, claiming that she couldn’t write a good essay until she was twenty-four-years-old and back in college. Now she not only knows how to write great essays, she’s out there to help others do this as well. She has written a series of books that teach the secrets to essay-writing success and dubbed them the Five Finger Paragraph series. Lewis says she has “cracked the code” and writing essays used to be so difficult for her because she made them too hard. Her books, using brain-based learning and mnemonics, are designed to help both students in public/private schools and those studying at home. The idea is to teach how to create an essay with five paragraphs, hence the name. According to Lewis, the Five Finger Paragraph is “the CONCRETE attention-getter needed to grab a student’s imagination long enough to pass along a few ABSTRACT basic rules, supplementing whole-language or traditional Language Arts worksheet instruction. The tactile use of the hand satisfies several of the Multiple Intelligences disciplines, especially the kinesthetic, linguistic, and math/spatial learning modes. Along with texts are various educational learning aids, Ancillary Materials, that augment the learning process.” Anyone who takes the SATs is required to write an essay, and writing one for the ACT exams is vital as well. Colleges look closely at the writing styles of would-be students, considering these very important in making their decisions of whom to accept or deny. Just knowing this can make any test-taker sweat with nerves, and Lewis in her Five Finger Paragraphs has answers to that too. Once someone has read her advice, there’s no longer any need to worry before testing. Lewis’s books and instructions caught the eye of Dr. Kathy Nesbitt, the Director of the Flint Area Learning Center in Georgia. “When [Lewis] presented a writing lesson to my class of middle school special education students, I was very impressed with the way the format of the lesson and the brightly colored materials held their attention,” said Dr. Nesbitt. “The overall information provided by this program is excellent for use with students who need instruction to be presented in a variety of ways. It would certainly be appropriate to use with general education students as well. The lesson plans and their accompanying materials really help students be able to determine a useful plan for organizing their writing. I believe these materials would be an excellent supplement to an effective language arts program and would help strengthen the writing skills of almost any student.” Dr. Nesbitt is not the only one singing the praises for the Five Finger Paragraph books. Anyone who wants to take a look for themselves can go to the website and ask for free samples. The website is also where people can buy the various supplies offered. Suggested ages are given for the different books, and some are specially made for homeschoolers in mind. This includes the HomeSchool/HomeStudy Parents’ Edition, the HomeSchool/HomeStudy Student Edition and the HomeSchool/HomeStudy Kit. She even has a few books, suggested for grades second through sixth, starring her own character “The Writing Police.” Kids can have fun while learning grammar as they read the titles The Writing Police and the Case of the Missing Commas and The Writing Police and the Point of the Perplexing Periods. Writing essays can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding. Students who write good essays catch the eyes of colleges instead of those who struggle with forming their thoughts into eloquent sentences. Outside of school, writing is important to countless jobs, including ones that aren’t even related to language. A person who expresses him- or herself well is a person who will find many doors opening with new possibilities. Just ask Johnnie Lewis about her experiences.
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__________________________________________________ Nov. 9, 2005 - Maryland -- The Five Finger Paragraph is just what you'll find helpful for those students who need kinesthetic reinforcement for paragraph and essay writing. Get the "HomeSchool Kit", which includes a parents' edition, student edition, 2 quick guide cards, 2 bookmarks, 5 wall charts, and 1 dry erase marker. You'll find this product economically affordable and made to last for years! Dana Caywood, Tapestry of Grace http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/Overview/Products_We_Recommend.htm ___________________________________________________ Nov. 3, 2005 -- Morristown, TN -- This kit is for Grades K-12 - you can use the product for several years, reinforcing the material presented as the child progresses from writing a good paragraph to a great essay! Every piece of the kit is nicely laminated or bound making the product one that will last as it passes through the hands of multiple children. The Quick Guide cards (the size of a business card) make it easy for the child to have a quick visual reference for what they are supposed to write in their paragraph or essay. The wall charts are very handy - 2 of them are meant to be used with dry erase markers so that the child can practice his work easily. Now, on to a description of the main texts. The Student Edition is a nice size, smaller for small hands! Ms. Lewis is such a talented artist ... my kids and I found ourselves awed by the detailed pictures and bright colors used in the illustrations. This product is probably best for visual learners. The directions use a hand (see banner below) color-coded to explain to the child how to write a 5-sentence paragraph. Once the child is familiar with which finger represents which sentence in the paragraph, then the color-coded instructions in their text begin to make a LOT of sense to the child! Ms. Lewis has the child learn how to write a paragraph step-by-step. The child is first instructed to list what they want to write about and find patterns in the list. Then they are taught how to turn these patterns into a 5-sentence (or "5-Finger") paragraph. From p. 15, "The Five Finger Paragraph is a formula, a blueprint, or a recipe for how to "build" a paragraph correctly." Ms. Lewis then explains finger-by-finger what each sentence is to be about. Basically, the red thumb is the introductory sentence, followed by the middle three fingers which comprise the 3 describing sentences and ending with the green pinkie which is the summary sentence. Once the child understands the process of creating an interesting 5-sentence paragraph, the text then explains how to take this paragraph and expand it into a 5-PARAGRAPH essay! Ms. Lewis explains two different types of essays - (1) The "topic first" plan and (2) The "list first" plan. I cannot believe that it really is this easy to write a good essay, but it really is. The Teacher/Parents' Guide contains the Student Text with sidebars of extra information for the parent to use to help explain the material being presented to the child. There is also lots of space for the parent to write in notes, if needed. In the back is a wonderful list of References - books and websites - for the parent to use if they want further information on teaching writing. I have used this product with my children now for several months and I have seen an improvement in their writing. They still have a LONG way to go until their paragraphs are a bit more creative, but that is no one's fault but MINE! I have been lax in teaching writing (which is one reason I was so excited to receive The Five Finger Paragraph). If you are looking for a great way to introduce HOW to write a paragraph, then this would be a great product for you to check out. This will NOT teach creative writing, just the mechanics of writing. Kris Price, The HomeSchool Blogger (http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/ClassicalEducation4Me/40420/) _______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________ Oct. 26, 2005 -- Cordele, GA -- Johnnie Lewis has created some excellent instructional materials for teaching writing skills with The Five Finger Paragraph and The Five Finger Essay. When she presented a writing lesson to my class of middle school special education students, I was very impressed with the way the format of the lesson and the brightly colored materials held their attention. The overall information provided by this program is excellent for use with students who need instruction to be presented in a variety of ways. It would certainly be appropriate to use with general education students as well. The lesson plans and their accompanying materials really help students to be able to determine a useful plan for organizing their writing. I believe these materials would be an excellent supplement to an effective language arts program and would help strengthen the writing skills of almost any student. Kathy Nesbitt, Ed.D., Director, Flint Area Learning Center, Cordele, GA _________________________________________________________________________ Jennifer Leese -- Washington County, Maryland -- Sep 23, 2005 -- THE FIVE FINGER PARAGRAPH and THE FIVE FINGER ESSAY by JOHNNIE W. LEWIS Jan. 23, 2005 -- Eraina B. Tinnin -- RAWSISTAZ Reviewers THE FIVE FINGER PARAGRAPH AND THE FIVE FINGER ESSAY: HomeSchool Parents' Edition by Johnnie W. Lewis Franklin Wright Enterprises, 2005 51 pages, paperback ISBN: 0971948003 GENRE: Educational Express Yourself Writing and self-expression is an easy task for some but not for others. Parents that homeschool or people that tutor may not know an effective way of teaching the art of writing and self-expression. Additionallly, there may be students who find writing is the hardest subject on the face of the earth and they may cringe at the thought of creating a paragraph or an essay, for fear of not knowing what to write about, or if given a subject, not knowing if they know enough to produce a well written paper. THE FIVE FINGER PARAGRAPH and THE FIVE FINGER ESSAY by Johnnie W. Lewis is a very helpful tool to assist in that area. In paragraph writing, it illustrates how to use the five fingers on your hand to assist in constructing a paragraph. You in essence need five complete sentences to create a well-written paragraph. Each finger represents a section of the paragraph. In the same way we can use our five fingers to write a paragraph, we can also use our five fingers to write an essay. To construct a complete essay you need at least five paragraphs. Whether you homeschool your children or if your child is having difficulty in writing, THE FIVE FINGER PARAGRAPH and THE FIVE FINGER ESSAY is a must have. It simplifies the art of writing and helps children with their critical thinking skills. It is geared toward grades K-12 which makes it an excellent long term educational tool. Personally, I have an eight-year-old son who gets A's and B's in school but has the hardest time with writing and when he's told to write a page about a certain topic he has difficulty. I am going to begin applying the tips and techniques that I learned in this book and will be confident in knowing that my son can and will overcome his writing phobia. Reviewed by Eraina B. Tinnin of the RAWSISTAZ Reviewers _________________________________________________________________________________
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Contact: Johnnie W. Lewis 1860 Sandy Plains Rd., Suite 204 - 150, Marietta, GA, USA 30066 770-977-4185 (ofc.) 770-973-4128 (fax) Send email to support@thefivefingerparagraph.com with questions or comments about this web site.
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