PREFACE
I promised my mother before she died that I would continue to write. Perhaps a book, I thought, or more likely, scattered rants and uninteresting rhymes scribbled on sticky notes and napkins that float away easily with a stiff wind. I guess she wanted me to promise because she knew what peace it brought to me. Self-therapy, I guess. I remember making that same promise to myself years earlier on Black Hawk Mountain after deciding not to jump. The wind was stiff there as well. In the small harbor village of Boscastle, England, there is, what tourist brochures describe as, a conservation area amongst some of the most beautiful countryside within the British Isles. I made the promise there while sitting on a jagged rock, which I boldly claimed as my own, and licking the droplets of mists from the ocean air off my lips. The sun was dipping her body below the horizon and the shadows stopped dancing. I thought of it as enchanting as well as a catalyst for change. It started to rain. The promise was again made in cell 34 of Blue Earth County Jail some years later. This time I wrote the promise down, as if I needed the reminder. I used a dull pencil so as not to stab myself or anyone else. There was no wind.
My story, my life, is written for myself. Each one of us has a story, and you, the reader, are no different….
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Week Six - Image Essay
Sale Sale Sale!
Incredible Bargain Prices on Quality Publications
Tired of boring cognitively draining text books? Sick of the monotone drawl of english folk acapella's belting out lyrics of out-dated theories and paradigms (enough to make even Gallagher's ear's bleed)? Tired of educational DVD's that lack useful content, contain ho-hum imagery, and are linguistically a nightmare in the area of commentary ... makes my glottal stop STOP! Well then I have the collection for you!
I.B. Learnin Inc. is proud to offer a NEW collection of quality U of M English Cohort 2009 Books, CD's, and DVD's. You heard right... the cohort is out ... in publication that is. This incredible collection, entitled Beyond the Sunset: A Journey with the U of M 2009 English Cohort, contains a plethora of beautiful music, magical imagery, and mind-blowing content. Edited by Yellow Dart Inc., including Matt "Krazy" Knutson, Emily "EZ-does-it" Somers, Meagan "mispronounce my name again and I'll..." Hymes, and Abi "A bi checkin' yo gramma beach" Narish, this collection is sure to be exact and error free (unlike this blog).
In addition to divine grammar, this collection offers a magical collection of heart-warming imagery, inspiring hope and promise to those seeking educational euphoria. Photographed by award winning Brittany "B. cool" du'Monceaux, Jeff "just sit down and let me take the pic" Bernett, and Kristin "Kute pics only" Bergsagel, Beyond the Sunset is sure to excite your optic nerves and stimulate your retinas. And speaking of stimulation, the writing style and compilation of Beyond the Sunset is a pure masterpiece, a hairball of classical rhetoric regurgitated on parchment. Written by award winning gold-star-in-third-grade writers, Anna "An na nother great story" Johnson, Jamie "Get to the point" Geissler, Erin "no error in my writin'" Murphy, Kate "the Great... need I say more" Kleinberg, and Kelly "Kick %$#" Rudh, Beyond the Sunset is an anthology of pulchritudinous poems and prose.
And what would a music/photo/writing collection be without the resplendent lyrics and exquisite sounds of the English Cohort Philharmonics? The orchestra, lead by Molly "the Maestro" McCarthy, is of world renowned fame. Including oboist Matt "snake charmer" Centers, Adam "slip of the thumbs" Hayes on triangle, and uber famous thrash metal guitarist, "the big 'O' Rebecca Oberg, the McCarthy orchestra is sure to dazzle and bewilder audiences of all ages.
Accompanying the orchestra is Joe's barbershop quartet. Lead by Joe "dead kittens from the ceiling" Adams, and including members tenor Jason "Danger" Carpenter, bass Josh "The Lion's Lair" Lehr, and baritone Sam "man I sing good" Homan, "Joe's quartet has toured world-wide and appeared several times on national television. After a debut appearance on Hee Haw in 1971, Joe's Quartet found immediate fame, landing appearances on The Dukes of Hazzard, The Tonight Show, The Office, Tiny Toons, and a special guest appearance on Friends, playing the Friday night gig at Central Perk. Joe's Quartet also made it to the big screen, with cameo appearances on Steele Magnolias, The Piano, The Gods must be Crazy, and recently, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. In addition to group success, Sam achieved individual fame playing Oliver "Daddy" Warbuck in the 2004 Broadway production of Annie and Jason was cut in half by magician Hans Klok on televisions The Wonders of Magic special.
Closing out the CD /DVD is one of the most inspiring, touching, moments ever captured in video cinematography, a tender, wistful performance of the chart-topping single "Super Bogus" by trio Jen "Just call me Angel" Jones, Kim "Cumbia my Lord, Cumbia" Kubsch, and Rick "Filling the souls of the the youth with song" Filipkowski. Choreographed by Abdullahi "Light on my Feet" Bashir, Jen, Kim, and Rick danced and sing in perfect sychronization, leaving the audience mesmerized in wonder. You won't want to miss this epic performance, now captured on a convenient 14 DVD/CD/Book Collection set, for the low low price of $484.53.
The CD, featuring "Super Bogus", "The Night I slept at the Kitty Kat Klub", "Reflection, reflection, what's your connection", "Techno - ology Remix", "Pest Control", "Corporal Punishment" (solo by Joe), and "The Paradigm Jive" can be bought separately for only $43.27. Please make checks payable to Morrow Educational Products ... Making fun of the world... one person at a time.
So, what was this blog supposed to be about? Oh yeah, a photo essay... which I chose to be about technology. In Sara Kadjer's article, "Unleashing potential with Emerging Technologies", she states, "It's as if our instinct lead us to take what we've done in the past and reproduce the process using different tools to create the same product" (214). I think this is somewhat true in using the new literatures, they are just simply tools to engage students. I think by using new literacy’s and technologies to supplement traditional texts, we are better able to engage the students. Once we have the students engaged, I feel it would be easier to bring them back to a more traditional approach, but we need to get their attention first:
"Recently, however, our single-minded focus on alphabetic texts in composition classes has come to seem outdated, even obdurate, in the face of practical realities" (Selfe 72).
"Global communications - for example--exchanged via increasing complicated computer networks that stretch across traditional geographic and political borders and that include people from different cultures who speak different languages--increasingly involve texts that depend heavily, even primarily, on visual elements (New London Group)" (Selfe 72).
As technology continues to change, I think, we as educators, need to be aware of those changes, and embrace some of their uses. Through using these tools we may allow access to literature that students may not connect with otherwise. For example, when VCR's and DVD's became popular, more and more educators used them as tools to show visual representations of a text in the form of a movie, documentary, or performance. These tools have since, become the norm; I don't know many classrooms without them. Just as the technology continues to grow and spread in today's world, we too, need to sprout up, embrace the new world, and extend our branches of knowledge ....
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Week 5: Link of the Week
The link I chose for this week is Richard Beach's Digital Writing Link: http://digitalwriting.pbwiki.com Not only does the link offer up-to-date information on digital writing, it also includes examples of teaching activities, student's digital writing samples, and links to other great resources.
Week Five: You have been invited to Facebook list of "Friends of Technology"
With my fondness for technology, it's probably no secret that I thought this week's readings ROCKED! As a cohort we have debated back and forth about the use of technology; when should it be used? to what extent? does it take away from the traditional teaching of text? etc. As a future teacher of the English language, I would never want to fully abandon the tradition "book in hand" reading and learning. I too, enjoy curling up to a great novel. I love the smell and feel of a book in my hands, the sense of adventure turning each page, the bliss in completing the adventure with the characters I so deeply get involved with.
However, I do agree with Jenkins in that we are in the "Napster generation" of young people. Students simply learn differently that they did in the past. And I don't think it's been a sudden shift. I think the change has occurred somewhat gradually over time. Being a little older than most in my cohort, I have witnessed that change. For example, I have had to chuckle to myself a few times in our cohort's "technology debates" when, while in the midst of arguing that we need to get back to the traditional teaching of text and learning, students are checking cell phone messages and giggling at Facebook messages on their computers. When I was in the undergrad program some years ago, I don't recall anyone using laptops or needing to check cellphones near as much as they do today. I think technology become such a part of peoples lives, that they don't even realize how much they rely on using it.
Another reason I am so fond of technology is that I've had the experience of teaching it and watching how students interact with it. When I first introduced students to a lesson on chat rooms and IM's, I told them that they could write whatever they wanted to with the exception that, at one point in their discussion, they needed to talk about the assignment we just completed, which was formatting a research paper on a famous author. When the bell rang 50 minutes later, not only were they still pounding away messages on the computer, they actually complained about having to leave. When I looked over what they read I was absolutely amazed at the content. Sure there were a few, "Hey, are you going to Sarah's party this weekend..." but even those conversations at some point came back to the requirement; "Oh, we better quick talk about the author thing... so who did you write about? I did Mark Twain... hey did you know that really wasn't his name..." These conversations were not only engaging and informing, they were genuine and authentic in tone and understanding. I would have never got the students to talk this much about authors in a standard discussion group or a free write. By using the technology, the students were comfortable, they were in their element.
Jenkins argues that "Minimally, schools should be teaching students to thrive in both worlds," which I completely agree with. I think we'd doing an injustice to students by not teaching the tradition text and learning methods, however, in this day of age, I think we'd be doing an equal injustice not allowing them to explore technology. I think Richard Beach's article offers some great explanations for why teaching technology is important; communication with multiple audiences, fostering social relationships, extending and elaborating on their viewpoints; an engaging in a "participatory culture", to name just a few. Even as I write this, I think of the "participatory culture" I'm involved in by blogging. I'm not sure about the rest of the cohort, but I feel much more comfortable writing on a blog than I would in a traditional paper style. I feel I can be more expressive and creative, and by having a immediate, large scale audience, I feel my writing has more value and purpose. In other words... technology ROCKS! (Lame ending, but I'm tired :)
However, I do agree with Jenkins in that we are in the "Napster generation" of young people. Students simply learn differently that they did in the past. And I don't think it's been a sudden shift. I think the change has occurred somewhat gradually over time. Being a little older than most in my cohort, I have witnessed that change. For example, I have had to chuckle to myself a few times in our cohort's "technology debates" when, while in the midst of arguing that we need to get back to the traditional teaching of text and learning, students are checking cell phone messages and giggling at Facebook messages on their computers. When I was in the undergrad program some years ago, I don't recall anyone using laptops or needing to check cellphones near as much as they do today. I think technology become such a part of peoples lives, that they don't even realize how much they rely on using it.
Another reason I am so fond of technology is that I've had the experience of teaching it and watching how students interact with it. When I first introduced students to a lesson on chat rooms and IM's, I told them that they could write whatever they wanted to with the exception that, at one point in their discussion, they needed to talk about the assignment we just completed, which was formatting a research paper on a famous author. When the bell rang 50 minutes later, not only were they still pounding away messages on the computer, they actually complained about having to leave. When I looked over what they read I was absolutely amazed at the content. Sure there were a few, "Hey, are you going to Sarah's party this weekend..." but even those conversations at some point came back to the requirement; "Oh, we better quick talk about the author thing... so who did you write about? I did Mark Twain... hey did you know that really wasn't his name..." These conversations were not only engaging and informing, they were genuine and authentic in tone and understanding. I would have never got the students to talk this much about authors in a standard discussion group or a free write. By using the technology, the students were comfortable, they were in their element.
Jenkins argues that "Minimally, schools should be teaching students to thrive in both worlds," which I completely agree with. I think we'd doing an injustice to students by not teaching the tradition text and learning methods, however, in this day of age, I think we'd be doing an equal injustice not allowing them to explore technology. I think Richard Beach's article offers some great explanations for why teaching technology is important; communication with multiple audiences, fostering social relationships, extending and elaborating on their viewpoints; an engaging in a "participatory culture", to name just a few. Even as I write this, I think of the "participatory culture" I'm involved in by blogging. I'm not sure about the rest of the cohort, but I feel much more comfortable writing on a blog than I would in a traditional paper style. I feel I can be more expressive and creative, and by having a immediate, large scale audience, I feel my writing has more value and purpose. In other words... technology ROCKS! (Lame ending, but I'm tired :)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Week Four: Is this going to be on the test????
Oh ... I think this video sums it up...
This weeks readings focused on dialects, language, written word, and the assessment of those. In the article “Dialects in Schools and Communities” by Carolyn Adger, Walt Wolfram, and Donna Christian, makes the statement “The classroom teacher is probably in a much better position to assess student writing development than the scorer of a large-scale test –both because of being able to track individual progress across time and because of knowing precisely which dialect differences the student is managing” (123), which makes me really wonder the role state standards play. Below is a video of president Barrack Obama's view on No Child Left Behind, where he identifies the need to change the process of assessment.Even the Dornan book addresses the issue of high stakes testing, stating "Randy Bomer goes as far as to suggest high-stakes is a failure of democracy; it presents unequal structures of opportunity, it closes off inquiry, it allows the corporatization of education, it disenfranchises the people most affected by it because the public sphere is no longer available, and it creates an oppressive school environment" (213). I agree with Barrack that this issue really needs to be looked at in detail.
These two videos address the idea of the state standardized testing process, but in the Dornan book, she identifies and addresses means for us, as teachers, to alter our means of assessment within the classroom. Dornan talks about self-assessment, peer assessment, and finally, teacher assessment. In the increasingly social atmosphere of schools and jobs, I think a variety of assessment is essential. I don't think the teacher always has to have the only say in grading.
When grading, however, I think Dornan makes a strong statement in that "Rubrics should be tied to the goals of the lesson(s)" (213). When grading essays and papers, interpretation of the student and teachers may differ. I think rubrics offer a structured expectation. I also agree with the idea of using portfolios to grade students progress and improvement. Writing, to me, is a process and is a constant state of improvement by all authors. By grading a students portfolio over time, we can better assess their progress and improved writing abilities.
This weeks readings focused on dialects, language, written word, and the assessment of those. In the article “Dialects in Schools and Communities” by Carolyn Adger, Walt Wolfram, and Donna Christian, makes the statement “The classroom teacher is probably in a much better position to assess student writing development than the scorer of a large-scale test –both because of being able to track individual progress across time and because of knowing precisely which dialect differences the student is managing” (123), which makes me really wonder the role state standards play. Below is a video of president Barrack Obama's view on No Child Left Behind, where he identifies the need to change the process of assessment.Even the Dornan book addresses the issue of high stakes testing, stating "Randy Bomer goes as far as to suggest high-stakes is a failure of democracy; it presents unequal structures of opportunity, it closes off inquiry, it allows the corporatization of education, it disenfranchises the people most affected by it because the public sphere is no longer available, and it creates an oppressive school environment" (213). I agree with Barrack that this issue really needs to be looked at in detail.
These two videos address the idea of the state standardized testing process, but in the Dornan book, she identifies and addresses means for us, as teachers, to alter our means of assessment within the classroom. Dornan talks about self-assessment, peer assessment, and finally, teacher assessment. In the increasingly social atmosphere of schools and jobs, I think a variety of assessment is essential. I don't think the teacher always has to have the only say in grading.
When grading, however, I think Dornan makes a strong statement in that "Rubrics should be tied to the goals of the lesson(s)" (213). When grading essays and papers, interpretation of the student and teachers may differ. I think rubrics offer a structured expectation. I also agree with the idea of using portfolios to grade students progress and improvement. Writing, to me, is a process and is a constant state of improvement by all authors. By grading a students portfolio over time, we can better assess their progress and improved writing abilities.
Week 4: Link of the Week
Link of the Week...
Free software: Google Sketchup
http://sketchup.google.com
If you're into using technology and are looking for a unique way for students to get "into" literature, you may want to consider Google Sketchup, a free program that allow users to build 3 dimensional buildings and objects. Here is one example... and in Google Sketchup you can zoom and look inside the building, complete with furniture and characters. Here is the description of this model, the house from Wuthering Heights. Amazing if you ask me :)
"This is a model of Wuthering Heights created for my website on the book. It was created after research into the design and layout of the house from the book and contains separate rooms, fireplaces, windows, and true thickness walls. This version has improved textures (the walls, for instance, are of millstone grit, the local stone) and more interior objects."
Monday, February 9, 2009
Post 3: Link of the Week
The link below goes to a download page for Pivot Stickfigure Animator.
Pivot Stickfigure Animator is a unique software, that allows you to create stick figure animations easily and without any artistic skills. You can move the sections of the sick figure and easily create a chain of animation frames that can be previewed as you go. You can use more than one stick-figure in the animation, and even create your own stick figures using an easy to use visual editor that lets you assemble objects out of lines and circles. In addition, you can optionally set animation size, speed and more. The result can be saved as animated GIF file. Fun and easy to use, surprisingly well featured.
I think this would be a great way to engage some students in their reading :)
http://www.snapfiles.com/GeT/sTiCkFiGuRe.html
Here's a sample of a hilarious stickfigure animation created by a student:
Pivot Stickfigure Animator is a unique software, that allows you to create stick figure animations easily and without any artistic skills. You can move the sections of the sick figure and easily create a chain of animation frames that can be previewed as you go. You can use more than one stick-figure in the animation, and even create your own stick figures using an easy to use visual editor that lets you assemble objects out of lines and circles. In addition, you can optionally set animation size, speed and more. The result can be saved as animated GIF file. Fun and easy to use, surprisingly well featured.
I think this would be a great way to engage some students in their reading :)
http://www.snapfiles.com/GeT/sTiCkFiGuRe.html
Here's a sample of a hilarious stickfigure animation created by a student:
Post Three: Grammar ... that what it be Dawg!
Even if you do learn to speak correct English, whom are you going to speak it to?
-- Clarence Darrow
First of all, check out this video.... hi-ˈler-ē-əs :)
Grammar... yikes... I remember looking forward to studying this in high school and middle school as much as having root canal work done. It actually pained me to go to English class when we were spending day after day on prepositions, articles, clauses, blah, blah, blah. But, (as opposed to nevertheless, the formal conjunction) I do think there is some benefit to the repetition of learning grammar. Although the text got dry in some parts, I was actually engaged in reading Dornan's perception of teaching grammar. I was particularly fond of her passage: "... studying Standard English usage, and doing workbook exercises is NOT as effective as we'd like to believe. Instead, students need to be immersed in a writing and reading environment in which language study has a direct application to their own composing, where the usage skills they are taught are immediately applied to the papers they are writing, and where the grammatical structures they study help them become responsive readers and flexible writers" (Dornan 82). I think this statement offers much enlightment and application of all the teaching theories we have learned and discussed. First, it offers the students a purpose for learning. If they are using it in their writing, then it has purpose, opposed to filling in worksheets on grammar. Second, the cognitive overload of students in managed. By having the students learn through mini-lesson and during their writing, I think they can better manage the daunting rules and norms of grammar structure. And third, I think having the students learn grammar within the content of their writing keeps the students more engaged and motivated to learn.
Another part of Dornan's Within and Beyond the Writing Process was her metaphor of the pendulum in teaching grammar. I think it's important that we don't overemphasize grammar, however, we should overemphasize plot and storyline either. I think there needs to be a careful balance between the two. Besides, good writing needs both elements!
What I enjoyed the most about Dornan's writing was the applicable methods for teaching grammar. She did a great job offering tools and strategies for teaching, such as what should be taught and why, how to use editing workshops, and different helpful checklists. Even the idea of an "editor's corner" was intriguing and something I'd like to use in my classroom. This idea of offering tools ties in well with the next article I read, The Writer's Toolbox: Five Tools for Active Revision Instruction by Laura Harper.
In Harper's article, she offers a unique and fun way to approach editing. Although the article seemed to be geared for a younger student audience, elementary and middle school, I think the tools could be applicable to high school as well. I really like the idea of leaving visual symbols on the page as opposed to the conventional "red-ink markup". Not that I'm opposed to marking up a paper, or overtly sensitive to using red ink, I do think the symbol idea has some validity. First of all, many times when I have seen a paper marked up students will simply go and fix everything they see in red, many times without re-reading the paper at all. This seems to contradict the whole idea of revision. Yes, you want the students to fix the grammar and punctuation, but you also want them to re-read, edit, and modify the work to be a "better read".
Aside from the symbols used in marking up a paper, I thought Harper's tools of Questions, Snapshots, Thoughtshots, Exploding a Moment, and Making a Scene were very detailed and useful in teaching students. I think students will have a much easier time altering their work when you use a tool like a Snapshot as opposed to simply writing, "I need more detail." I also think students will think more when you ask for revisions in this manner versus a cluttered markup of text.
The last text I read was Toby Fulwiler's article, A Lesson in Revision, which I found somewhat boring and unentertaining to read. I did, however, like the "narrowing of the edits" concept and the focus writing ideas, such as limiting their story to "a single day or less... [and] ... the setting be limited to one specific place" (270). I thought these were valuable tools to be used in the classroom. I guess I just felt the article to be more of a pat on the back to himself than an educational tool for us. Just my opinion. Well, that be bout it... chk ya l8r.
-- Clarence Darrow
First of all, check out this video.... hi-ˈler-ē-əs :)
Grammar... yikes... I remember looking forward to studying this in high school and middle school as much as having root canal work done. It actually pained me to go to English class when we were spending day after day on prepositions, articles, clauses, blah, blah, blah. But, (as opposed to nevertheless, the formal conjunction) I do think there is some benefit to the repetition of learning grammar. Although the text got dry in some parts, I was actually engaged in reading Dornan's perception of teaching grammar. I was particularly fond of her passage: "... studying Standard English usage, and doing workbook exercises is NOT as effective as we'd like to believe. Instead, students need to be immersed in a writing and reading environment in which language study has a direct application to their own composing, where the usage skills they are taught are immediately applied to the papers they are writing, and where the grammatical structures they study help them become responsive readers and flexible writers" (Dornan 82). I think this statement offers much enlightment and application of all the teaching theories we have learned and discussed. First, it offers the students a purpose for learning. If they are using it in their writing, then it has purpose, opposed to filling in worksheets on grammar. Second, the cognitive overload of students in managed. By having the students learn through mini-lesson and during their writing, I think they can better manage the daunting rules and norms of grammar structure. And third, I think having the students learn grammar within the content of their writing keeps the students more engaged and motivated to learn.
Another part of Dornan's Within and Beyond the Writing Process was her metaphor of the pendulum in teaching grammar. I think it's important that we don't overemphasize grammar, however, we should overemphasize plot and storyline either. I think there needs to be a careful balance between the two. Besides, good writing needs both elements!
What I enjoyed the most about Dornan's writing was the applicable methods for teaching grammar. She did a great job offering tools and strategies for teaching, such as what should be taught and why, how to use editing workshops, and different helpful checklists. Even the idea of an "editor's corner" was intriguing and something I'd like to use in my classroom. This idea of offering tools ties in well with the next article I read, The Writer's Toolbox: Five Tools for Active Revision Instruction by Laura Harper.
In Harper's article, she offers a unique and fun way to approach editing. Although the article seemed to be geared for a younger student audience, elementary and middle school, I think the tools could be applicable to high school as well. I really like the idea of leaving visual symbols on the page as opposed to the conventional "red-ink markup". Not that I'm opposed to marking up a paper, or overtly sensitive to using red ink, I do think the symbol idea has some validity. First of all, many times when I have seen a paper marked up students will simply go and fix everything they see in red, many times without re-reading the paper at all. This seems to contradict the whole idea of revision. Yes, you want the students to fix the grammar and punctuation, but you also want them to re-read, edit, and modify the work to be a "better read".
Aside from the symbols used in marking up a paper, I thought Harper's tools of Questions, Snapshots, Thoughtshots, Exploding a Moment, and Making a Scene were very detailed and useful in teaching students. I think students will have a much easier time altering their work when you use a tool like a Snapshot as opposed to simply writing, "I need more detail." I also think students will think more when you ask for revisions in this manner versus a cluttered markup of text.
The last text I read was Toby Fulwiler's article, A Lesson in Revision, which I found somewhat boring and unentertaining to read. I did, however, like the "narrowing of the edits" concept and the focus writing ideas, such as limiting their story to "a single day or less... [and] ... the setting be limited to one specific place" (270). I thought these were valuable tools to be used in the classroom. I guess I just felt the article to be more of a pat on the back to himself than an educational tool for us. Just my opinion. Well, that be bout it... chk ya l8r.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Post Two: Did I remember to restate my thesis???
The readings for this week offer some good debate both for and against the five paragraph essay, as well as offering more insight into the realm of multigenre writing. Interestingly, I recently finished an interview with my cooperative teacher, Eric Holsen,regarding teaching philosophy, theory, and so on. In one part of my interview, I queried him about the five paragraph essay and the whole “teaching to the test” debate. Eric, a 17 year veteran of teaching language arts, thought the five paragraph essay was a necessary component of the curriculum, “It’s just something we have to do,” he stated. “I know a lot of teachers get annoyed with the standardized tests, but it’s not like we need to do them every day. There are really only a few a year, and if I need to take a few days / weeks to go over concepts like the five paragraph essay, then so be it. In my opinion, the students are still learning valuable tools and I am still teaching them writing. And really, the five paragraph essay does not have to be stale and boring like many assume, I have read many that are quite elegant.” This perception would match the view of Tracy Novick as she wrote, “Taught with creativity and variety, it gives our students a useful tool with which to face business meetings, testimonies before public officials, and letters to the editor” (Novick 12).
After listening to Holsen’s reply and reading Novick’s opinion, my perception of the five paragraph essay changed. Prior to the experience of this reading and my interview / observation of a veteran teacher, I would have been inclined to think more along the lines of Kimberly Wesley, although my opinion was never as harsh as her statements of the five paragraph essay “stunt[ing] the growth of human minds” (57), or that it “encourages writers to produce ‘bland but planned essays’” (58), or that the “primary objection to the five paragraph theme is its tendency to stunt students’ critical thinking abilities” (59). In my opinion, the five paragraph essay is just another genre of writing, no more or no less important to learn than say, free verse. Could I argue that poetry directs the writer away from the given point of a novel, reading, or research and that the writers of poetry are simply writing “fluff” and not understanding or expressing what they have learned? Perhaps, but I, as well as most language arts teachers, I think would tend to disagree. I think most of us agree that poetry, when written well, expresses an understanding on a deeper level, articulating the writer’s thoughts and emotions.
I think this argument over the five paragraph essay ties well into both the Romano and the Dornan text. I really like how Dornan structures chapter 5; going into depth the definition and process of the essay, including how to generate topics, collect data, how to shape the structure, how to cite resources, and how to write effective conclusions. I also like how Dornan approaches the assessment of the essay, stating that “students should be rewarded handsomely for participating in the process of research and writing” (145). Personally, I think if the process is done well, the final product should reflect that. As I begin teaching, I’ll need to decide how I weight the value of the process with the value of the product. Reverting back to the argument, Dornan makes an interesting statement, “Although we consider the essay the bread and butter of writing in the English classroom, we soon realize that it is only one of the many forms of written expression, and not necessarily the best assignment for teaching writing” (147). I would tend to agree, however, I do still feel it’s a form that should be taught.
Finally, I think the argument against the five paragraph essay is biased by Romano’s multigenre approach to writing. Why, you may ask? For the simple reason that I, as well as many other readers of Romano’s, get excited over the idea of a multigenre paper. This excitement is because we can envision a personal, interesting, humanistic driven product. Let’s face it, reading a multigenre paper where a student expresses opinion, offers insight, and perhaps even shares a personal moment with the reader is touching… romantic even. It offers a “story”, one of the most beautiful parts of literature… we all like a good story. This is why are book shelves are crammed with Whitman, Austen, and Dickens, because we love the human side of literature, the raw emotion… the “story”.This style contrasts the more “write-to-learn” (to steal from Dornan) style of the essay. Romano boasts the multigenre paper by stating; “Bright, indelible moments exists in our multigenre topics, too. When we render them, we show that our subject values, we show what lasts, what has positive meaning that buoys those characters through life” (123). Even the verbiage describing multigenre writing has an elegant appeal. My rambling, I guess does have a point. What I’m trying to say is, although essay writing tends to be drier, and less favorable to read, I think it still has an importance to be taught. Similarly, every spring I dread filling out tax forms and to be honest, I’m not looking forward to articulating cover letters and resumes, but these are components of writing that I need to use in life, much like the essay form we need to teach to students.
Post 2: Link of the Week
Link of the week: One of my favorite sites to use as a resource is www.howstuffworks.com, especially the video center. The site offers a plethora of information about just about anything, but the section I believe to be of the most value is a series of high quality videos entitled "Great Books." To get to the page, type in Great Books in the Search Box, then click videos on the left hand side. Currently, there are 127 book related videos. In addition to the book videos, there are other resources to compliment literature, such as interesting articles and videos on topics such as: "9 Surprising Banned Books", "18 Memorable Character Names from the Works of Charles Dickens", "17 Unusual Book Titles" and "14 Best-Selling Books Repeatedly Rejected by Publishers", just to name a few. A perfect resource for us eccentric literature nerds! :) In lieu of our recents readings on multigenre writing, I think these videos and resources offer a means to excite students about a text, where "student's inventiveness is triggered" (Romano 5). Below is a video I'll be using during student teaching on The Red Badge of Courage. Notice the quality and historical component of the video.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Post 1: Romano, Dornan, and Atwell
The posting for this week covers three different texts, Blending Genre, Altering Style, (Romano) Within and Beyond the Writing Process, (Dornan) and Chapter 3: Getting Ready (Atwell). The first book I chose to read was Blending Genre, Altering Style by Tom Romano. I thought this book did a great job of explaining the purpose behind, the use of, and the how-to to completing a multigenre paper. Skeptical I first, I found myself immersed in the book and cycling ideas in my head on how I could use this concept in my own teaching.
Immediately after I finished the book, I contacted my cooperating teacher and introduced the idea. At first, the cooperating teacher expressed some concerns, primarily on the timing and the structure. After showing her the examples in the text, she too got excited about the project, envisioning it to tie in with the enduring understandings from the reading of Red Badge of Courage and various slave narratives, which is the first half of the 10 weeks. Aside from introducing and teaching the different genres, she felt it would be an engaging process, “Kids like to move quick, and they like to see results. I think the idea of the multigenre paper offers both, a steady flow from one genre to the next and a connecting product at the end.” One of the aspects of the paper she seemed to be particularly interested in was the artistic component, which connects with Romano’s statement that, “Art is an integral part of a school’s learning culture” (1). Art is also an entertaining and differentiated means of expressing thought and vision. Romano argues that “After junior high school –sometimes before –school is devoted to teaching students to think paradigmatically… many teachers do not consider writing poetry or fiction cognitively rigorous” (22). I think many teachers would also include art in the “non-cognitively rigorous” category. I would tend to disagree. I think art can bring out a different kind of creativity, and if paired with writing about the art, may help students improve their emotion in the writing. Overall, I thought Romano’s text was very interesting and I would be more than willing to incorporate it in my classroom.
The next text we read was a few chapters from Reade Dornan’s book, Within and Beyond the Writing Process. As with Romano’s text, I thought this was a great book. I really felt this text brought me back to the fundamentals of writing and the writing process. I was particularly fond of the sections entitled Writing is Thinking and Writing is a Socially Constructed Process. Both of these sections talk in detail about how writers develop and how important that process of development is, both to the author personally and the author socially. I think students enhance their writing if they have an audience to write for, aside from just the instructor. This ties in a little with what Tracey was saying in our other class, “Their assignments need purpose”. Giving the students a purpose to write may offer them an opportunity to experience success in their writing, which may lead to life-long enjoyment.
Chapter 3 of this same book went into much more detail about the writing process itself, which, I felt, offered some good insight into the pros and cons of teaching the traditional writing process, as well as offering insight into newer models. I like how the chapter went through the whole process, from discussing the shift in the process from form and correctness to the process itself, to the importance of classroom environment and the impact of publishing students work. The chapter was very detailed and offered a great set of tools to follow when teaching writing. Kudos to Dornan!
The Atwell article was very interesting in the approach it took to establishing a Writer's Workshop, and to have reading and language arts as separate entities really made me think more deeply about the subject(s). Are they really that different? In so many ways, I agree and to have time to teach them separately is an intriguing concept. I wonder which order would be most effective to teach first, or if the two should be taught simultaneously?
Link of the week: http://www.sheboyganfalls.k12.wi.us/cyberenglish9/multi_genre/multigenre.htm showing an example of a Multi-genre web.
Below is a short version of a possible multigenre project. Enjoy:
Immediately after I finished the book, I contacted my cooperating teacher and introduced the idea. At first, the cooperating teacher expressed some concerns, primarily on the timing and the structure. After showing her the examples in the text, she too got excited about the project, envisioning it to tie in with the enduring understandings from the reading of Red Badge of Courage and various slave narratives, which is the first half of the 10 weeks. Aside from introducing and teaching the different genres, she felt it would be an engaging process, “Kids like to move quick, and they like to see results. I think the idea of the multigenre paper offers both, a steady flow from one genre to the next and a connecting product at the end.” One of the aspects of the paper she seemed to be particularly interested in was the artistic component, which connects with Romano’s statement that, “Art is an integral part of a school’s learning culture” (1). Art is also an entertaining and differentiated means of expressing thought and vision. Romano argues that “After junior high school –sometimes before –school is devoted to teaching students to think paradigmatically… many teachers do not consider writing poetry or fiction cognitively rigorous” (22). I think many teachers would also include art in the “non-cognitively rigorous” category. I would tend to disagree. I think art can bring out a different kind of creativity, and if paired with writing about the art, may help students improve their emotion in the writing. Overall, I thought Romano’s text was very interesting and I would be more than willing to incorporate it in my classroom.
The next text we read was a few chapters from Reade Dornan’s book, Within and Beyond the Writing Process. As with Romano’s text, I thought this was a great book. I really felt this text brought me back to the fundamentals of writing and the writing process. I was particularly fond of the sections entitled Writing is Thinking and Writing is a Socially Constructed Process. Both of these sections talk in detail about how writers develop and how important that process of development is, both to the author personally and the author socially. I think students enhance their writing if they have an audience to write for, aside from just the instructor. This ties in a little with what Tracey was saying in our other class, “Their assignments need purpose”. Giving the students a purpose to write may offer them an opportunity to experience success in their writing, which may lead to life-long enjoyment.
Chapter 3 of this same book went into much more detail about the writing process itself, which, I felt, offered some good insight into the pros and cons of teaching the traditional writing process, as well as offering insight into newer models. I like how the chapter went through the whole process, from discussing the shift in the process from form and correctness to the process itself, to the importance of classroom environment and the impact of publishing students work. The chapter was very detailed and offered a great set of tools to follow when teaching writing. Kudos to Dornan!
The Atwell article was very interesting in the approach it took to establishing a Writer's Workshop, and to have reading and language arts as separate entities really made me think more deeply about the subject(s). Are they really that different? In so many ways, I agree and to have time to teach them separately is an intriguing concept. I wonder which order would be most effective to teach first, or if the two should be taught simultaneously?
Link of the week: http://www.sheboyganfalls.k12.wi.us/cyberenglish9/multi_genre/multigenre.htm showing an example of a Multi-genre web.
Below is a short version of a possible multigenre project. Enjoy:
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