November 15, 2008
A publication of You-Can-Teach-Writing.com
Vol. 1 No. 7, November 15, 2008
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In this issue
Best time-saver since sticky notes
Best practice: Stick to one genre
A note from Linda: What's wrong with the way I teach writing
Best timesaver since sticky notes
Top of every writing teacher's wish list is "more time." One of my favorite ways to save minutes is by subscribing to the RSS feeds from web sites and blogs I would like to read regularly, if only I had time to make all those visits.
In non-technie terms, RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, lets you get postings automatically. Instead of clogging your email, they go to a folder on your computer.
Uses for RSS feeds
RSS can simplify your teaching tasks by putting a variety of resources in one spot where you can glance over them quickly. For example, you might want RSS feeds to provide you with updates from
Your teachers' organization or homeschool group
Your school web site
Professional organizations
Writing resource sites like You-Can-Teach-Writing.com, YourDictionary.com, or www.big6.com
News sites. A hook for tomorrow's lesson might be in tonight's news.
Incidentally, the feed from You-Can-Teach-Writing includes both new site pages and timely news tidbits that don't appear on the website, such as notes about writing contests open to students.
Easy setup
Setting up an RSS feed is easy. You need an RSS feed reader. Click on the bright orange RSS button displayed on any site displaying the RSS logo for a list of free RSS feed readers.
Once you select a feed reader, sign up to create a feed reader account. After that, when you see something you'd like to add to your feed, you can add it with a couple of clicks. There's even way to get feeds from Internet sources that don't have an RSS feed: http://page2rss.com/
You set the maximum number of postings from a source that you want to have in the folder at a time. The older posts disappear as new ones come in. If you find a site's content isn't useful any more, delete the site from your feed list.
New pages you may have missed
If you don't subscribe to my RSS feed, you may have missed seeing recent pages about the grammar-composition relationship. Here are those posted since Oct. 15.
Correct Grammar Should Be Icing on the Composition at Every Tier Correct Punctuation Is No Problem When the Rules are Clear Learn Proper Grammar Rules to Teach by Studying Mistakes Grammar, Punctuation Are Writing's Odd Couple Grammar for Writing: What You Must Know to Teach it Efficiently Grammar and Composition Must Be Taught Together Judiciously Standard Grammar Practice Is Worthless for Beginning Writers Grammar Check Software Can Make Student Writing Worse Get English Word Usage Help from Computer Word Processor Write on a Computer to Improve Grammar, Increase Communication
Without my RSS feed, you probably missed many shorter pieces about writing contests open to students, people who use writing on the job, and other news you can use in teaching writing.
Isn't it time you signed up for RSS?
Best practice: Stick to one genre
Teach students to write in one genre until the entire class is competent in that genre. When everyone meets your standard of writing competence on three consecutive formal writing assignments, it's safe to say the class is competent.
At that point, those students can learn another genre by seeing how it differs from the one they know.
A note from Linda
What's wrong with the way I teach writing
A site visitor disagreed vehemently with my advice on no-brainer thesis statements.
"Teachers who follow your advice should be prepared to receive formulaic, dry essays where students have little ownership and lack voice," the visitor said. "Writing will become a chore for students and a battle for teachers."
Here is an excerpt from my response:
I quite agree that teachers who follow my advice "should be prepared to receive formulaic, dry essays." Those are what I expect from beginning writers, just as I expect wrong notes and squeaks from beginning clarinetists.
I also agree that "writing will become a chore for students." I write for a living, and writing is a chore for me. I don't expect it to be easy for students. The best I hope for is making it possible for every one of them to write competently.
I also expect teaching writing to be "a battle for teachers." Teaching writing is even harder than writing.
I suspect other site visitors also find my approach to teaching writing at odds with the prevailing English ed philosophy. However, the proof of a theory is in its ability to predict results.
I have taken five sections totaling 100 run of the mill students and put them through my grinder. At the end of the academic year not one of those 100 students earned less than a B at the end of the year — and I'm a tough grader.
I suspect few teachers who cringe at the thought of formulaic essays can point to a 100% competency rate. What do you think?
That's all for this month. Your next copy of Writing Points will be sent December 15, no providence preventing.
In the meantime, keep your pencil sharp!
Linda
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