I am excited to work on this multigenre project, but I realized that it will be a challenge to me as well. As my eyes scanned over the sample multigenre assignment, I started to think about the role research will play in my MGP. If taking a research-based approach, I might ask myself, What would I want to investigate? What about grammar interests me? Dr. Shannon reminded us to include ideas from our Weaver, Anderson and Noden readings as well. No matter what, I will have to develop my own grammatical thesis in relation to the overall theme of my piece. I know it sounds a bit dry, but maybe I will do a unit lesson plan or something geared toward a student. In a way, I want to think of something more creative, but maybe I can just inject the creativity into my lessons. A time capsule or something of that fashion would be really neat! But I know I am putting the cart in front of the horse, since my research and theme should be intertwined. After all, the MGP is supposed to be about stressing meanig over form, among other things. I'm sure everything will fall into place when we have discussion this week in class.
As for the conclusion of our lit circles reading, I have to admit I am kind of glad not to be grappling with Lynne Truss anymore! She is very sarcastic (which I am too) and her anecdotes are, at times, way off topic to her argument. But I do recognize some of the true and better points she makes. Her outlook on the world as a place "of plummeting punctuation standards" (1) and "low[ered]... intellectual aspirations" (xxiii) is not without veracity. While the overabundance of mistakes on public signs, banners, carvings or whatever else she points out are quite disturbing, does it change the meaning of the text? To a stickler, English teacher, English major, or anyone else educated/interested in puncuation, the answer is yes. But most people viewing these flaws take away the same message. So is it really a problem? I think that is Truss's whole point, and I have to agree. Yes, the English language is complex and sometimes arbitrary, but the real problem is people's apathy toward and separation from English as a means of educated communication. What does she suggest to do? Show people the ways of their mistakes (you can always use her puncuation repair kit) by correcting them!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Problematic Pronouns & Stylistic Sense
On the first page of Anderson's chapter, I was perplexed by this quote by authors Caroll and Wilson: "It, clearly a pronoun meant to refer to and idea previosly expressed, is often used by students to refer to an idea still in their heads" (103). Can I just say that I have no idea what this means? I don't know if I am reading too much into this, but I didn't know that "it" is tense sensitive! Other than the perhaps not so widespread pronoun-antecedent agreement error, I found these pronoun errors to be some of the most common ones that I personally see. By going off of his research indicating which problems students have most, Anderson has showed me how many common errors relate to pronouns. I feel that these problems don't always stick out because pronouns, being more general or even vague, do not draw as much attention as other, more particular parts of the sentence. Does this in turn mean that pronoun errors don't always interrupt the meaning being conveyed? It may seem that way, but I would say no. I don't think a misplaced comma is nearly as confusing as a misplaced pronoun. I noticed the lesson called "Where Have All the Pronouns Gone?" because it gives students the opportunity to explore how to make sensical use of pronouns. Reading the sentences aloud would definitely help them place the correct pronouns in the blanks.
On Thursday, Kelsey, Sara and I will be presenting on Chapters 9 and 10. Noden pairs these two chapters, on structural and revising techniques, together by suggesting teaching them as part of the writing process. I found the keyboard model of structuring nonfiction pieces very helpful. It made me think that I have probably been able to create such "melodies" using different keys and not even knowing it! But I was also intrigued to read Noden's warning, "A writer shouldn't try to stuff ideas into predetermined boxes of form" (219). I think we should take this into account when planning our lesson and allow the students' ideas to flow freely and have their own style. While I could see the point it was trying to make, I wouldn't use the ladder of abstraction in my classroom. Yet something drew me to Strategy 4 in the second chapter, which teaches students how annoying unnecessary wordiness can be! It uses the same method of showing students the extreme negatives of the habit. I think it would be good to focus on this topic, because it follows up Sara and Jenne's lesson on using vivid parrts of speech, by showing the other side of the coin. As I continued to read on, I came to the final section, "Six Chunks: Techniques for Eliminating Unnecessary Words." Apart from the "Beat the Deadline" game, these chunks show students to re-word some sentences or parts of sentences in order to achieve a tight focus and a clear meaning.
On Thursday, Kelsey, Sara and I will be presenting on Chapters 9 and 10. Noden pairs these two chapters, on structural and revising techniques, together by suggesting teaching them as part of the writing process. I found the keyboard model of structuring nonfiction pieces very helpful. It made me think that I have probably been able to create such "melodies" using different keys and not even knowing it! But I was also intrigued to read Noden's warning, "A writer shouldn't try to stuff ideas into predetermined boxes of form" (219). I think we should take this into account when planning our lesson and allow the students' ideas to flow freely and have their own style. While I could see the point it was trying to make, I wouldn't use the ladder of abstraction in my classroom. Yet something drew me to Strategy 4 in the second chapter, which teaches students how annoying unnecessary wordiness can be! It uses the same method of showing students the extreme negatives of the habit. I think it would be good to focus on this topic, because it follows up Sara and Jenne's lesson on using vivid parrts of speech, by showing the other side of the coin. As I continued to read on, I came to the final section, "Six Chunks: Techniques for Eliminating Unnecessary Words." Apart from the "Beat the Deadline" game, these chunks show students to re-word some sentences or parts of sentences in order to achieve a tight focus and a clear meaning.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Sentence Building: One at a Time
Anderson had me questioning some of the principles I have been personally taught in writing. On page 87 he talks about replacing the comma splice with a coordinating conjunction followed by a comma, or a semicolon (like we discussed last class). I was once told that when using a semicolon, to always use a transition word like "however" after the mark of puncuation. I now know that this is not true, but I am wondering, is there a particular instance in which this is necessary? I couldn't help but relate it back to his explanation of when to use the comma after the conjunction (84). It made me think, "If there is a special rule for this, there probably is for semicolons, too." also demonstrated to students how to use an author's ideas without plagarizing them. Through teaching students to imitate a sentence's form, not content, (94) he is helping them become more familiar with the process so they won't mistakenly plagiarize information. I think the other side of the coin is teaching students to summarize properly. It can be difficult to say what the source is saying in a unique way without manipulating their ideas but, again, this is a necessary skill to acquire. I absolutely love the assignment in which the students are sent out to take down "field notes" (97) , observations of something in their lives outside of school. I like the idea of getting students to interact with their environments in this way. What all of his specific solutions to grammatical problems have in common are the sentence-building activities that he implements.
Since last week I accidentally wrote about Chapter 2 in Noden, this week I will compensate with Chapter 4: From Imitation to Creation. Noden basically expands on the same point that Anderson makes above. I'm not really sure I get the house comparison though. I think what Noden is simply trying to say is: Build your own style house. You can use the same structure, but the materials must be different. That helps me understand it anyway! I found the various approaches to imitation quite interesting, and some of them complex. Many of these methods, like the Pooh Perplex Approach, I recognized as devices used by writers of the classics I read all the time. It made me realize that these approaches are not just for students attempting to improve their writing; they are for real writers with real purposes as well. I especially favor the first two of the imitation strategies, which are the "Writer's Sketchbook" (92) and the "Family Photo" (93), respectively. What I like about both of these strategies is the transition from the visual images through the writer's (artist's) eye to the paper (canvas). Wordsworth said that each person has a different experience, even if it is the same subject matter. It is the writer's duty to be able to eloquently, linguisitically impart their internal experience and reaction to their subject. That's what it made me think of. Even though each reader's experience with the text will be different, the author should still set the scene with as many details as possible, trying to insert the reader into their own version of the text.
Since last week I accidentally wrote about Chapter 2 in Noden, this week I will compensate with Chapter 4: From Imitation to Creation. Noden basically expands on the same point that Anderson makes above. I'm not really sure I get the house comparison though. I think what Noden is simply trying to say is: Build your own style house. You can use the same structure, but the materials must be different. That helps me understand it anyway! I found the various approaches to imitation quite interesting, and some of them complex. Many of these methods, like the Pooh Perplex Approach, I recognized as devices used by writers of the classics I read all the time. It made me realize that these approaches are not just for students attempting to improve their writing; they are for real writers with real purposes as well. I especially favor the first two of the imitation strategies, which are the "Writer's Sketchbook" (92) and the "Family Photo" (93), respectively. What I like about both of these strategies is the transition from the visual images through the writer's (artist's) eye to the paper (canvas). Wordsworth said that each person has a different experience, even if it is the same subject matter. It is the writer's duty to be able to eloquently, linguisitically impart their internal experience and reaction to their subject. That's what it made me think of. Even though each reader's experience with the text will be different, the author should still set the scene with as many details as possible, trying to insert the reader into their own version of the text.
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