English Update March 28, 2007. Archive.

Archive
Writing..... Introductory Paragraph..... What should the introduction of a composition do? “A properly constructed introduction provides a general context that either implies a thesis for the essay or leads to an explicit declaration of it.” J T Crow. EJ (Mar. 05), 48.

Writing..... Journal..... What are some alternative methods for writing in journals? Write a journal, using the form of letters to someone. K Campbell. Wrt (May 05), 15. “Letter Journaling.”

Writing..... Peer review..... How effective are student comments on peers’ papers? Author finds that student comments on their peers’ papers are superficial, that the student writers do not revise along the lines suggested by their peers and that student comments are not as valuable as the teacher’s. The students say they like peer response groups but she, the teacher, is skeptical. ME Casey. TETYC (Mar. 05), 278.

Writing..... Poetry..... What are some techniques for teaching students how to write poetry? Students underline words and phrases on a page torn out of an old book; or in books they are reading. Arrange the words and phrases into a poem. I tried it. Here’s mine, taken from several pages in Schlesinger’s Robert Kennedy and His Times: “A profound emotion—the dread of war;/ Unrelenting antagonisms lead to the end of everything;/ The only victor—compulsive gloom.” L Gajdostik. CN+ (Apr. 05), 7-8.

Writing..... Prewriting..... How prepare students for writing? One way of preparing to write an essay: Summarize what happens in the beginning, in the middle and end of your essay. List 3 words or phrases that summarize the contents of your essay. HE Ollmann. N+ (Oct. 04), 8-10. Begin by outlining your article or book. C Willis. Wrt (Nov. 04), 27. How to get ideas for stories. Look for things that leave you with lingering questions. Write the story to answer those questions. T Bailey. Wrt (May 05), 13. Read the obituaries and find stories in the gaps—what’s missing from the person’s life record. L Batt. Wrt (Jan. 05), 29. Tell the story behind a photograph. L Batt. Wrt (Jan. 05), 29. Listen to stories friends, relatives and strangers tell you. L Batt. Wrt (Jan. 05), 29. With a few minutes to go in class, someone said, “Red” and everyone began to write. L Batt. Wrt (Jan. 05), 29. Start with a setting with enough detail that it can’t be mistaken for someplace else. Then let people loose in that place. L Bat. Wrt (Jan. 05), 29. Write regularly, but not always for publication. P Campbell. Wrt (Jan. 05), 34. Write something different from your preferred, habitual genre. P Campbell. Wrt (Jan. 05), 35. In ten words write the purpose of your piece. Begin with, “The purpose of this is….” P Campbell. Wrt (Jan. 05), 36. Develop a specialty. P Campbell. Wrt. (Jan. 05), 36. Write for increasing amounts of time, 5, 10, 15 minutes, using a timer. Introduce the topic and write. BD Barrett. Wrt (Jan. 050, 39-40. In the first draft write what you know and what you need to know about the topic. M Anderson. Wrt (Nov. 04), 22-23. Begin article with a single sentence that summarizes the article succinctly. Suggested by AV Manzo.

Writing..... Process..... How help students gain insight into how writers write? Share with students quotes, articles, etc. that reveal how professional writers write. Also, survey the faculty and community to learn how people who write prepare for, organize and revise their writing. Suggested by JS Damico. RT (Apr. 05), 644-652.

RT = Reading Teacher. Wrt = The Writer. CN+ = Classroom Notes Plus. TETYC = Teaching English in the Two-Year College. EJ = English Journal.