Patterns of Power invites young writers to explore conventions as "special effects" that activate meaning. Their students study authentic texts and come to recognize these "patterns of power"— the essential grammar conventions that readers and writers require to make meaning.

The first part of the book introduces a way of thinking about grammar instruction and sets up everything you need to immerse yourself in the process of inviting elementary students to experiment and play with language. The second part of the book offers over seventy practical, ready-to-use lessons. Just ten minutes a day will have a miraculous effect on your students' understanding of how language works!