For over thirty-five years, Jeff Anderson has inspired writers and teachers with the power and joy of writing and grammar. He has written sixteen books for Stenhouse Publishers, including the ground-breaking Patterns of Power series. He lives near downtown San Antonio with his partner and their rescue pup.

Lisa Thibodeaux has spent her career in education working with students and teachers. She's a native of Detroit, Michigan, with more than thirty years in public education systems, including Hillsborough County, Florida, and two school districts in the North Texas area. She's an English teacher at heart, with master's and doctorate degrees that include concentrations in reading and English studies. She earned her National Board Certification in English Language Arts/Early Adolescence in 2006, and had been fully and utterly inspired by everything Jeff Anderson has written, especially the first edition of Mechanically Inclined.

Part I: The Blueprint: Teaching Grammar and Mechanics in Context 1. Introduction 2. Moving from Correct-Alls to Mentor Texts 3. Weaving Grammar and Mechanics into Writer's Workshop 4. The Editor's Checklist 5. Off-the-Wall Grammar and Mechanics Instruction Part II: Constructing Lessons: Background, Mentor Text, and Visual Scaffolds Section 1. The Sentence: A Way of Thinking Section 2. Pause and Effect: Crafting Sentences with Commas Section 3. Pronouns: The Willing Stand-Ins Section 4. The Verb: Are We All in Agreement? Section 5. Adjectives and Adverbs: The Modifier Within Section 6. The Power of Punctuation: The Period Is Mightier Than the Semicolon