10-second review: What is the purpose of creative writing at the college level? Should there be a department of “Creative Writing Studies?”
Title: “One Simple Word: From Creative Writing to Creative Writing Studies.” Tim Mayers. College English (January 2009), pp. 217-228. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: There is apparently a growing interest in creative writing at the college level. What would be its purpose in departments of English? The author says that creative writing bridges the two major emphases in English departments, literature and writing: “That is, it may help bridge the traditional gap between literature and composition, a gap that has rarely been bridged thus far because it has been understood far too simplistically.” p. 227.
Comment: My problem with creative writing at any level has been defining it. At the risk of having my head taken off, I would like to define it now: understanding literature through practicing the genres of poetry, essays, fiction and plays. RayS.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
High School Topic: Reprimanding Students
10-second review: Editor of English Journal recounts a memorable moment in her career.
Title: “From the Editor.” Louann Reid. English Journal (July 2008), 11-13. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: While her class was engaged in another activity, she heard two male students call across the room to each other the words “fag” and “gay.” The second time they used these words, inappropriate for the class’s activity, she stood up and said, “You will not use those words again in this classroom.” She elaborated by saying that words hurt, and she told about a friend of hers who was dying of AIDS whose fear of these words made him unwilling to reveal his sexual orientation. At the end of her speech, the rest of the students clapped. And she wonders why.
Comment: I’m inclined to criticize the editor for her self-righteous behavior. But I’ve done the same thing. My disagreement with what she did comes from my experience. Words do hurt. And I learned long ago as a teacher not ever to reprimand students in public. They will resent it and they will never forget it. And who knows where their resentment will lead. RayS.
Title: “From the Editor.” Louann Reid. English Journal (July 2008), 11-13. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: While her class was engaged in another activity, she heard two male students call across the room to each other the words “fag” and “gay.” The second time they used these words, inappropriate for the class’s activity, she stood up and said, “You will not use those words again in this classroom.” She elaborated by saying that words hurt, and she told about a friend of hers who was dying of AIDS whose fear of these words made him unwilling to reveal his sexual orientation. At the end of her speech, the rest of the students clapped. And she wonders why.
Comment: I’m inclined to criticize the editor for her self-righteous behavior. But I’ve done the same thing. My disagreement with what she did comes from my experience. Words do hurt. And I learned long ago as a teacher not ever to reprimand students in public. They will resent it and they will never forget it. And who knows where their resentment will lead. RayS.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Middle School Topic: Central Theme with All Disciplines
10-second review: The theme was a circus fire in Connecticut in 1944. English, math, technology, science, history and gym participated.
Title: “Under the Big Top: Using the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 to Teach Literacy Strategies to Connecticut’s Content Area Teachers.” ML Morse. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (December 2008/January 2009), 296-307. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).
Summary: A detailed listing of activities to support cross-discipline participation in a single theme. Author says that these activities help develop comprehension by studying the many different aspects of a single theme, the circus fire in Connecticut in 1944. Sample activities:
English: Descriptive paragraphs about the fire.
Math: Chart/plot course from Florida where circus started to Hartford, Ct.
Technology: Compare technology used to create a circus then and now.
Science: How does gasoline catch on fire?
History of the circus in the world through the ages.
Gym: Fire Safety.
Comment: There are several ways to support “content-area reading,” reading that occurs across disciplines.
One method is that which is described in this article, in detail. Using a central theme, teachers in many disciplines have students study the theme using the skills taught in the specific disciplines. This method of studying all aspects of the theme requires cross-disciplinary planning, an interesting exercise. However, some of the activities are “stretches,” marginal activities for the particular discipline and may waste time needed to complete the curriculum. In general, these activities add up to an in-depth understanding of all aspects of the theme.
I [RayS.] still think the most consistent method for supporting reading in all disciplines is to use the directed reading assignment with all reading assignments in every subject:
1. Build background information on the topic of the reading assignment—the more the students know beforehand, the more they will comprehend what they read.
2. Pre-teach unfamiliar vocabulary—in context, roots and the stories behind words, related words.
3. Set purpose for reading, usually in the form of a question—the teacher’s or the students’ from a survey of first and last paragraphs and first sentence of each middle paragraph.
4.Discuss what has been learned from the reading.
5. Apply the knowledge gained in some way or by extending that information through research on the Internet or in magazines and books.
Olive Niles, a reading expert from many years ago, said that if every teacher in every subject used the directed reading assignment there would be no reading problems in the United States. I still agree with her. RayS.
Title: “Under the Big Top: Using the Hartford Circus Fire of 1944 to Teach Literacy Strategies to Connecticut’s Content Area Teachers.” ML Morse. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (December 2008/January 2009), 296-307. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).
Summary: A detailed listing of activities to support cross-discipline participation in a single theme. Author says that these activities help develop comprehension by studying the many different aspects of a single theme, the circus fire in Connecticut in 1944. Sample activities:
English: Descriptive paragraphs about the fire.
Math: Chart/plot course from Florida where circus started to Hartford, Ct.
Technology: Compare technology used to create a circus then and now.
Science: How does gasoline catch on fire?
History of the circus in the world through the ages.
Gym: Fire Safety.
Comment: There are several ways to support “content-area reading,” reading that occurs across disciplines.
One method is that which is described in this article, in detail. Using a central theme, teachers in many disciplines have students study the theme using the skills taught in the specific disciplines. This method of studying all aspects of the theme requires cross-disciplinary planning, an interesting exercise. However, some of the activities are “stretches,” marginal activities for the particular discipline and may waste time needed to complete the curriculum. In general, these activities add up to an in-depth understanding of all aspects of the theme.
I [RayS.] still think the most consistent method for supporting reading in all disciplines is to use the directed reading assignment with all reading assignments in every subject:
1. Build background information on the topic of the reading assignment—the more the students know beforehand, the more they will comprehend what they read.
2. Pre-teach unfamiliar vocabulary—in context, roots and the stories behind words, related words.
3. Set purpose for reading, usually in the form of a question—the teacher’s or the students’ from a survey of first and last paragraphs and first sentence of each middle paragraph.
4.Discuss what has been learned from the reading.
5. Apply the knowledge gained in some way or by extending that information through research on the Internet or in magazines and books.
Olive Niles, a reading expert from many years ago, said that if every teacher in every subject used the directed reading assignment there would be no reading problems in the United States. I still agree with her. RayS.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Elementary School Topic: Diagnosis and Response
10-second review: In the past, specialists spent so much time diagnosing the problems of problem readers that nothing was done about them. The new model for reading difficulties, “Response to Intervention” (RTI) mandates quick response to the problems of problem readers.”
Title: “Response to Intervention (RTI): What Teachers of Reading Need to Know.” EM Mesmer and HAE Mesmer. Reading Teacher (December 2008), 280-290. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).
Summary: Terms in RTI, “Response to Intervention.”
“Discrepancy Model”: Significant difference documented between a child’s ability (IQ) and achievement.
“Intervention”: Instruction in addition to regular classroom program.
“Level Data”: How students are performing in comparison to peers.
“Slope Data”: How a student is learning across time in comparison to previous learning.
“Student Progress Monitoring”: Quick weekly assessments to gauge students’ improvement.
Comment: Seems to provide tools to determine problem readers’ progress. Emphasizes action once discrepancy has been documented. Charts the action and progress. Sounds good, but it could produce more assessment than instruction like its model “No Child Left Behind (NCLB).” I’m waiting to see more details. RayS.
Title: “Response to Intervention (RTI): What Teachers of Reading Need to Know.” EM Mesmer and HAE Mesmer. Reading Teacher (December 2008), 280-290. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).
Summary: Terms in RTI, “Response to Intervention.”
“Discrepancy Model”: Significant difference documented between a child’s ability (IQ) and achievement.
“Intervention”: Instruction in addition to regular classroom program.
“Level Data”: How students are performing in comparison to peers.
“Slope Data”: How a student is learning across time in comparison to previous learning.
“Student Progress Monitoring”: Quick weekly assessments to gauge students’ improvement.
Comment: Seems to provide tools to determine problem readers’ progress. Emphasizes action once discrepancy has been documented. Charts the action and progress. Sounds good, but it could produce more assessment than instruction like its model “No Child Left Behind (NCLB).” I’m waiting to see more details. RayS.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Topic: Blog Change
Beginning tomorrow, I am going to reorganize my English Updates to reflect my K-12 background. I will indicate in the heading the grade level for which the update is intended. For example, “Elementary School Topic: What Teachers of Reading Need to Know.” Regardless of the level, I encourage my readers to note the idea because ideas at one level might be equally valuable at other levels.
I subscribe to professional journals for different grade levels, K-12.
Elementary: Language Arts; The Reading Teacher.
Middle School: Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy.
High School: English Journal; Classroom Notes Plus.
College: College English; College Composition and Communication; Teaching English in Two-Year Colleges.
K-12: Research in the Teaching of English; Reading Research Quarterly.
Professional Writing: The Writer.
Each day I will report on an article from a specific level, starting with elementary and continuing each day, with the middle school, high school, college, K-12 and professional writing, to give my readers the concept of the progression from kindergarten to college.
I have been reading these publications at all levels since 1964, the year I began my master’s degree in English. Reading these journals prepared me for my role as English Supervisor, K-12. They expanded my understanding of all levels of English instruction. I gained ideas from one level and was able to apply them to other levels. I saw the continuum from kindergarten to college and beyond. I was fascinated by issues at every level. This reading gave me an understanding of the type of instruction my high school students had come from and where they were headed.
I hope my readers will enjoy this somewhat different perspective on K-12 English. RayS.
I subscribe to professional journals for different grade levels, K-12.
Elementary: Language Arts; The Reading Teacher.
Middle School: Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy.
High School: English Journal; Classroom Notes Plus.
College: College English; College Composition and Communication; Teaching English in Two-Year Colleges.
K-12: Research in the Teaching of English; Reading Research Quarterly.
Professional Writing: The Writer.
Each day I will report on an article from a specific level, starting with elementary and continuing each day, with the middle school, high school, college, K-12 and professional writing, to give my readers the concept of the progression from kindergarten to college.
I have been reading these publications at all levels since 1964, the year I began my master’s degree in English. Reading these journals prepared me for my role as English Supervisor, K-12. They expanded my understanding of all levels of English instruction. I gained ideas from one level and was able to apply them to other levels. I saw the continuum from kindergarten to college and beyond. I was fascinated by issues at every level. This reading gave me an understanding of the type of instruction my high school students had come from and where they were headed.
I hope my readers will enjoy this somewhat different perspective on K-12 English. RayS.
Friday, January 23, 2009
College Topic: First Year College Composition
10-second review: Does the first-year college composition course meet the students’ writing needs in other disciplines?
Title: Review of College Writing and Beyond: A New Framework for University Writing Instruction. Anne Beaufort. (Utah State University Press, 2007). Reviewed by Linda Brender and Jeffrey Klausman. Teaching English in Two-Year Colleges (December 2008), 196-205. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary/Quote: “…the engineering faculty requiring a more objective writing style than the writing style preferred by the history faculty. The engineering assignments contained data to be analyzed concretely, whereas the history assignments required a more subjective perspective from the students.” p. 197.
Summary/Quote: “Freshman writing, if taught with an eye toward transfer of learning and with an explicit acknowledgement of the context of freshman writing itself as a social practice, can set students on a course of life-long learning so that they know how to learn to become better and better writers in a variety of social contexts.” Anne Beaufort.
Comment: Maybe the emphasis should be on analyzing the type of writing required in other disciplines. Students use models from other disciplines, analyze them and then set up guidelines for constructing them. RayS.
Title: Review of College Writing and Beyond: A New Framework for University Writing Instruction. Anne Beaufort. (Utah State University Press, 2007). Reviewed by Linda Brender and Jeffrey Klausman. Teaching English in Two-Year Colleges (December 2008), 196-205. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary/Quote: “…the engineering faculty requiring a more objective writing style than the writing style preferred by the history faculty. The engineering assignments contained data to be analyzed concretely, whereas the history assignments required a more subjective perspective from the students.” p. 197.
Summary/Quote: “Freshman writing, if taught with an eye toward transfer of learning and with an explicit acknowledgement of the context of freshman writing itself as a social practice, can set students on a course of life-long learning so that they know how to learn to become better and better writers in a variety of social contexts.” Anne Beaufort.
Comment: Maybe the emphasis should be on analyzing the type of writing required in other disciplines. Students use models from other disciplines, analyze them and then set up guidelines for constructing them. RayS.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Topic: Student Questions
10-second review: Students given index card at end of week. Write any questions they have about the course or its ideas.
Title: “Questions and Quotations.” K Dirk. Teaching English in Two-Year Colleges (December 2008), 195. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Discovered that students had questions they didn’t ask because in his graduate class, he had questions he was afraid to ask. The resulting student questions were many and good. If students do not have questions, they must submit a quotation from any source. These quotes were fun for the class and for the teacher who also collects them.
Comment: Useful activity. Students are afraid to ask questions. The end-of-the-week index card gives them the opportunity to ask them. I wish I had thought of that. RayS.
Title: “Questions and Quotations.” K Dirk. Teaching English in Two-Year Colleges (December 2008), 195. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Summary: Discovered that students had questions they didn’t ask because in his graduate class, he had questions he was afraid to ask. The resulting student questions were many and good. If students do not have questions, they must submit a quotation from any source. These quotes were fun for the class and for the teacher who also collects them.
Comment: Useful activity. Students are afraid to ask questions. The end-of-the-week index card gives them the opportunity to ask them. I wish I had thought of that. RayS.
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