Emily Diamond

Molloy
WRTC 436- Teaching Writing
29, April 2013

Collected Works Portfolio

Table of Contents
Major Projects
Project One: Journal of Basic Writing Review.page 1
Project Two: High School Lesson Plan.page 7
Project Three: Mini-Case Studypage 21
Project Four: Teaching Philosophy...page 27

Instigators and Book Chapter Reviews

Berlin Section...page 30
Bell Hooks Chapter Five..page 32
Bell Hooks Chapter Eightpage 33
Instigator..page 35

In-class Writing
First Day- What Does Good Writing Look Like?...page 36
Can Writing be taught?......................................................................................................................page 37
Free Write (1-14-13)..page 38
Free Write (1-23-13)..page 40
Chocolatepage 42

Responses to Questions.....page 44

Journal of Basic Writing

Basic Information

Objective: The Journal of Basic Writing (JBW) publishes articles on theory,

research, and teaching practices related to basic writing.
Published twice a year: fall and spring
Associated with the Conference on Basic Writing
The Conference began in 1980 as a subgroup of the CCCC
First publication in 1982; originally called The Newsletter; 1992 it became
electronically driven; 1999 it became The Journal of Basic Writing
Editors - Rebecca Mlynarczyk and Hope Parisi
(http://orgs.tamucommerce.edu/cbw/cbw/JBW.html)

The Journal of Basic writing focuses on teaching basic writing and works to raise the
standard of basic writing instruction. According to the website they welcome unsolicited
manuscripts and ask authors to consult the detailed "Call for Articles" in each issue.
Their website is extremely simple and easy to navigate.

Themes

Focus on teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) students

Teaching basic writing to adult students/non-writing students
How to teach basic writing against obstacles, such as, evolving technology,
language barriers, budget, and negative connotation to writing
Earlier volumes focus on articles based on research/findings at writing
conferences (findings include how to teach rewriting, etc)

Most of the articles are focused on how to teach writing at a very basic level. Their
objective is to inform readers on new teaching methods and how to teach just basic
writing skills.

Article One: ESL Curriculum Revision: Shifting Paradigms for Success

By: Doreen E. Ewert (Spring 2011 Volume)
This article focuses on college level students entering Universities as ESL
students, or English as a Second Language. The article begins with research showing
that despite having six to ten years of classroom instruction in English, ESL
students have a hard time writing academic pieces of writing in English. Researchers
found that ESL students were being taught how to read, rather than how to think or
have fluidity when writing in English. Ewert started as the Department of ESL in
2007 at the University of Indiana, and it was her job to oversee the curriculum and to
make changes. She decided to have to curriculum focus less on grammar and more on
understanding the language and how to use it. Ewert explains the original ESL
program where students in the 1970s who entered the University were required to
take a test to determine what ESL courses to take. This sounds like a good plan but
Ewert talks about how the program had little supervision so the advisors had too
many students and not enough guidance to make sure things went the proper way; she
refers to this as the Semi-Intensive Program. When the curriculum changed the
placement test needed to as well, the change went from skill-based to literacy. Based
on the test results students were told to complete anywhere from one to eight ESL
courses their freshman year, if they did not pass they would receive and Incomplete
and told to retake the class until they received a passing grade. The problem with this
system was that after he students passed their ESL courses there were no check-ins or
meetings to discuss their success in non-ESL courses. When Ewert took over the only
guidelines she had were old syllabi and teachers who had prior to her employment
been left to their own devices. Ewert talks at length about the materials used in ESL
classrooms being very general knowledge and not extremely helpful for grasping a
concrete understanding of the English language. Her research found that each teacher
(usually an Associate graduate student) only taught to what his or her standards were.
Meaning that the material and lessons were taught by what that particular teacher
thought was valuable, and it often did not coincide with other ESL courses, leaving
teachers feeling overwhelmed. Ewert reports that it is better to look at reading and
writing as a whole part, rather than two separate entities. Ewert said:
It is commonly assumed that if students do not have sufficient vocabulary,
comprehension or writing skills, they need to find remedial support in courses
focused on these individual weakness. This assumption does not consider the varied
experiences academically-ready learners have had with a great variety of texts over a
long period of time.
Ewerts research also showed that fluency is more important than accuracy in second
languages development. She points out that something to take into consideration with
ESL students is their adjustment to Universities of their second language. Ewert and
her colleagues focused on models from two other institutions: the Integrated
Reading/Writing program at San Francisco State University and the Fluency First
Curriculum at City College New York. Ewert points out that students who have
grown up/lived in the US will have different experiences then International

students. The new curriculum had three levels: 1-focus on clarity and fluidity
through reading/writing texts that varied 2- students composed writing with varying
cognitive difficulty and 3- the students completed muli-draft writings and included
teacher/peer feedback. Students of the program go through different levels of
Academic Literacy Development courses, based on their placement tests, to help the
student not only to understand the language but to also gain confidence. Student
feedback on the new curriculum showed that the students worked well with the
concept of free writing because it allowed for them to practice their skills on any
topic they wished, in a stress-free manner. The students reported that after they were
taught basic grammar they would pick up books or other reading materials to help
grasp the concept as well. Because of the new curriculum the students felt that they
could see the purpose behind writing, research and the entire process itself. One
compliant was that the students wished they had had more discussion of texts or
materials after reading them, but were overall much more satisfied.
Reflection: This entire article adds to our discussion on the need for teachers to all be
in agreement on what/how to teach for students to have confidence and a better
understanding. Ewerts research also showed that free writing helped students
because they felt like the stress-free environment allowed them to explore new topics
and test their grammar knowledge. I agree that fluidly is more important than having
perfect grammar.

Article Two: The Role of Talk in Small Writing Groups: Building

Declarative and Procedural Knowledge for Basic Writers
By: Sonja Launspach (Fall 2008 Volume)

This article focused on the importance of discourse within the writing process and
uses a case study that follows students in small peer group that are speaking about
writing. Launspach talks about how talking about a topic helps gain more insight and
knowledge. Situated learning, or learning-in-practice, takes place by interacting
with experienced members of a community through talk, observation, and practice.
The study mainly focuses on freshmen in freshmen composition courses; it also
followed students from their first draft to the final draft with the use of these peer
view groups. Launspach calls attention to a 1986 proposal conducted by Faerch and
Kasper that talks about the two types of knowledge: declarative and procedural.
Declarative is described as an understanding of the what or knowing that of
something. Procedural is described as the knowing how. Both types of knowledge
are essential and together make up a truly successful writer, and therefore teachers
need to help fuse the two together. Launspach also says that exposure to eloquent
speakers can help clarify language and help the discourse of the writer. This is
important because writers base their basic/first writing off of what has been modeled
for them. In order of revision to happen the writer needs to be exposed to different
types of discourse and other examples of writing. She points out that this is especially
crucial for students of a second language. Launspach then discusses how the subjects

for her case study were chosen: they all brought essay from their high school
portfolios to determine who would benefit from peer view the most. The groups met
weekly with other students and TAs, which are also writing center tutors. At the
weekly meetings each student brings an essay, reads it aloud and receives comments
from their peers; all sessions are videotaped for review. Launspach then dives into the
data collected; she talks about an African American girl who struggles because of her
socio-economic status in comparison to middle class students. The girl, Ricki,
struggles with definitions like ethos/logos/pathos and has a lack of confidence when
called on by the group leader. The study shows that by meeting weekly and
discussing her drafts/engaging in discourse Ricki begins to grasp a better
understanding of what is needed for her assignments. A strategy that the study
employs is the use of students as leaders with the TA/group leaders just mediating or
prompting if necessary. Another problem Ricki faces is writing in the same style as
her speech, which is another benefit of having a discourse, peer group. The group has
helped Ricki to not only use better language but to also improve her structure. The
effects of the peer group were positive because the students were given a stress and
judgmental free environment. Each student made improvements to their drafts
because the feedback was supportive and focused on helping the students grasp a
better concept of the assignment, rather than just marking up their papers.

Reflection: The article focuses on the positive effects of using small peer groups to
help edit and discuss essays. By working on their essays weekly, in a supportive
group the students gained confidence and a better understanding of literary concepts.
Our class could benefit from this because the study used showed that students with a
vernacular gap benefitted greatly from this experiment, as well as students who did
not face that gap.

Freshman English and Composition

Ms. Emily Diamond

Course Overview:
My goal for the course is to teach the assigned texts in a unique, yet
meaningful manner. I believe it is important to instill confidence in students
through in class workshops, assignments, and a series of writing assignments. In
addition to writing assignments I will begin each class with an interactive
grammar exercise. We will be studying a variety of texts, as well as, learning how
to compose successful papers. In the first semester I will be assigning five writing
assignments that each tie into one of your five senses (ex. Hearing, etc). During
the second semester we will be focusing on writing academic papers such as,
research papers, etc. Never be afraid to ask questions!

Expectations:
I expect students to come to class prepared, on time and to remain
respectful at all times. I do not tolerate cheating or dishonesty. You dont have to
like the readings or the assignments but you do have to give them and your
classmates respect!

Workshops

For each major writing assignment we have we will be have in-class

workshops in between the date the project was assigned and the date the project
is due. These workshops require that everyone participate and provide useful
feedback. I will be dividing the class into small groups and everyone will get a
chance to have their work discussed. Others writings are not to be discussed
outside the workshop.

Reading Quizzes
This year we will be reading several texts and studying a variety of genres.
We will begin the year by discussing texts on the summer reading lists and I will
gage your basic understanding of the texts. The first units of study is Poetry and
Plays, where we will read a play by William Shakespeare and compare it to a
modern play that will be voted upon by the class. We will be reading poems from
John Keats, Billy Collins and Shel Silverstein to get a wide variety. From there we
will read Eleanor Hendersons Ten Thousand Saints as we study figurative
language in detail. Each of the readings for these texts will be followed by a
comprehension quiz just to make sure you are keeping up with the reading.
These will be pretty low key so dont stress out! There will be several
opportunities to receive a replacement quiz grade.

Exams
During the first semester you will have two exams; both will consist of the
reading material up until that point and the grammar until that point as well. The
first exam will be October 14th and exam two will be December 16th. I will
provide study guides that consist of some fill in the blanks to help you prepare.

Daily Grammar Exercise

From personal experience I can tell you that most teachers assume that
every student was taught extensive grammar in Elementary and Middle school; I
know that this is not always the case. Each week we will be tackling a
grammatical issue, for example, what is an adverb? The first week we will begin
with general sentence structure and from then on we will get into more specific
topics. I will be handing out a grammar cheat sheet that you should bring to class
everyday.
The first class of the week we will start by providing a definition of the topic
of the day, followed by either a School House Rock! video or a grammar
worksheet. At the start of the last class of the week we will do an interactive
activity to show examples of that weeks topic. I will divide the class into groups
and will give each group a sentence that does not have punctuation. It will be that
groups responsibility to organize himself or herself into the sentence, with each
person representing a word or punctuation mark. Each group will get up and
explain the punctuation needed and point out the example of the weeks
grammar topic.
The topics covered will be:
-General sentence structure
-Independent v Dependent Clauses
-Verbs
-Conjunctions
-Nouns
-Pronouns
-Adjectives
-Subject
-Prepositions
-Interjections
-Adverbs
-Direct v Indirect Objects
We will also be discussing punctuation topics such as:
-Periods/Exclamation Points/Question Marks
-Commas
-Semicolons and Colons
-Apostrophes
-Ellipses
-Hyphens
- Dashes

Grammar Cheat Sheet

(thanks to dailygrammar.com)

Adjectives: modify or affect the meaning of nouns and pronouns and tell us
which, whose, what kind, and how many about the nouns or pronouns they
modify. They generally come before the noun or pronoun they modify, but there
are exceptions to that rule. There are seven (7) words in the English language that
are always adjectives. They are the articles a, an, and the and the possessives my,
our, your, and their (Example: I like your red jacket.)
Adverbs: modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They tell how (manner),

~ September 2013 ~

August

October

when (time), where (place), how much (degree), and why (cause). Why is a
common one-word adverb that tells why. Adverbs that tell us how, when, where,
and why always modify the verb. Adverbs that tell us how much modify adjectives
or other adverbs (these adverbs must come before the word they modify)
(Example: He kicked the ball forward.)
Conjunction: a word that joins other words, phrases (groups of words), or clauses
(Example: Grandpa is slow but strong) *Remember FANBOYS
Dependent Clause: a clause that is always used as some part of speech. It can be
an adjective, adverb, or noun and cannot stand alone as a sentence (Example:
After eaten) *cannot stand alone as a sentence
Direct Object: receives the action performed by the subject. The verb used with a
direct object is always an action verb (Example: The car hit the tree.)
Independent Clause: a clause that can stand alone as a sentence (Example: When
you go to the store, "buy some ice cream and cookies."
Indirect Object: an object that is really part of a prepositional phrase in which
the preposition to or for is not stated but understood. It tells to whom or for whom
something is done (Example: She gave me a gift.)
Noun: a word that names a person, place, or thing (Example: The man parked the
car.)
Preposition: a word that begins a prepositional phrase and shows the relationship
between its object and another word in the sentence. Words are prepositions if
they have an object to complete them. To decide if the word in question is a
preposition, say the preposition followed by whom or what (Example: Jim painted
a picture on the wall of the house.
Subject: a word that tells who or what about the verb (Example: The bell rang.)
Verb: show action or state of being (Example: The dog barked at the man.)

Sun
1

Mon
2

Tue
3

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

11

12

13

14

First Day of School

10

Touch Essay
Assigned

Touch Essay Due

Begin Play Unit

15

16

17

Day to vote on
modern play to
study

22

23

18

19

20

21

26

27

28

Sound Essay
Assigned

24

25
Last Day for Sound
Proposal due

Fall Semester Calendar

(Dates correspond for whichever day you have class; if you have class on a Tuesday then
Mondays work is done then, etc.)

September

~ October 2013 ~

November

Sun

Mon

Tue
1

Wed
2

Thu

Fri

Sat

10

11

12

Sound Essay
Workshop 1: Bring
Rough draft or prewrite

9
Sound Essay
Workshop 2: Bring
A nearly completed
draft

13

14

15

Exam #1

20

21

16

EXAM REVIEW

17

Begin Poetry Unit

22

23

18

19

Sound Essay Due

24

25

31

Notes:

26

Smell Essay
Assigned

27

28

29

30

Halloween-bring a
bag of candy to
share and get 1 free
quiz

October

~ November 2013 ~

December

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri
1

Sat
2

Smell Workshop 1

Start 10,00 Saints

Smell Workshop 2

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

21

22

23

Smell Assignment
Due

17

18

19

Read Smell
assignments aloud

24

25
Taste Assignment
Day/Thanksgiving
Potluck

November

20
Bring 2 cans of food
by today for 1 free
quiz

26

Sight Essay
Assigned

27

28

29

THANKSGIVING
BREAK

THANKSGIVING
BREAK

THANKSGIVING
BREAK

~ December 2013 ~

30

January

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

10

11

12

13

14

Sight Essay Due

15

16

17

Exam #2

18

EXAM REVIEW

19

20

21

27

28

Donate 2 cans of
WINTER BREAK
food by today for 1 BEGINS
free quiz

22

23

24

25

29

30

31

Notes:

Touch

26

The first sense we will be covering is touch; for this assignment you will learn
how to describe something through only the sense of touch.
Touch has memory-John Keats
In-class: During class I will bring in a bag full of various items with a particular feel and
you will each pick something out blindfolded. You will then write for five minutes about
this items feel, focusing on words that simply describe texture and what it reminds you
of. We will then hold a class discussion on each students item. You may chose to remain
blindfolded as you write, if you believe that will help your writing. I do not want you to
say what the item is straight out, but rather tell us through your description and when we
have discussion we will try to guess.
At home: Once the in-class writing is completed you will do a one-two page essay or
short story on a memory that is based from the touch of something-but keep it PG 13!
Objectives: From this assignment I hope to help you gain a better understanding of how
to describe something in a less obvious way. The sense of touch is something that is
almost universal but the memories and thoughts it provokes are not. I would like for you
to stray away from filler words like rough, soft, etc. This purpose of this
assignment is for you to expand your vocabulary a bit. This assignment also is to help
you gain a sense (ha-ha) of your own personal voice within your writing.
Guidelines: I would like for your story to be a personal narrative style, stemming from a
memory associated to a particular physical feeling. The feeling does not have to be the
same one you experienced in class. For example, if you pick out a velvet cloth you might
remember the time your grandmother had you help her get into her velvet tracksuit and
she wound up falling and breaking her hip. Or, you might chose velvet in class but chose
to write about the feeling of freshly mown grass, like after the first rain of spring last
year.

Date Assigned: September 9, 2013 Due Date: September 13, 2013

Sound

The next sense we will be focusing on is sound. Since this assignment falls on the
start of our play and poetry unit, you will be writing a short one act play based on a song
I will play in class.
A sentence is like a tune. A memorable sentence gives its emotion a melodic
shape. You want to hear it again, say itin a way, to hum it to yourself. You desire, if
only in the sound studio of your imagination, to repeat the physical experience of that
sentence. That craving, emotional and intellectual but beginning in the body with a
certain gesture of sound, is near the heart of poetry. Robert Pinsky

In class: After the grammar exercise I will instruct everyone to return to their seats, get
out a piece of paper & pen and sit quietly. I will then play a pre-selected song for you to listen
to. I want you to think about what ideas this song inspires; write down anything that comes to
mind.
At home: You will begin to construct an outline for a one act play, you will then
formulate it into a formal proposal to submit for approval. Once approved you will write a
rough draft and bring it in for a workshop (see calendar). After the first workshop you will
continue to work on the one act with your groups feedback in mind. There will be a second
workshop where you bring in a completed draft for lower order editing.
Objectives: From this assignment I hope you gain an understanding of the struggle
playwrights face when writing includes things like stage directions, and cues. I would hope
that each of you becomes inspired by the song and use this method when writing in the future.
I would like for you to focus on getting a balance between dialogue and stage directions.
Guidelines: Once your proposal is approved you can begin to craft your one act play.
The script should be around twenty pages in length, give or take five pages. Whether you gain
your inspiration based on the beat of the song, a particular word or whatever it may be find a
way to tie it into the song. Use your proposal to explain how the process came to be. Please
use workshops as a time to be honest but not critical, remember writing is a very personal act.

Date Assigned: September 18, 2013 Due Date: October 18, 2013

Smell

The next sense we will be focusing on is the sense of smell. This could arguably
be the hardest sense to work with but do not get discouraged!
The sense of smell can be extraordinarily evocative, bringing back pictures as
sharp as photographs of scenes that had left the conscious mind. Thalassa Cruso

In class: The assignment and rubric will be given out in class; I will gladly answer any
questions after explaining it. We will not be doing any physical writing for this project in
class but we will be having workshops. These workshops will differently than they did
for project two. In class you will be meeting individually with me to discuss your poem.
After the assignment is turned in we will be reading these anonymously in class (see
below).
At home: You will be constructing a poem that focuses on a certain smell (or few
smells). The poem is a vague genre that can be interpreted as many things (ballads,
sonnets, etc.) but please see guidelines below for more details.
Objectives: The purpose of this assignment is to help you experience to art of crafting a
meaningful poem. Poets formulate words into metaphors and use figurative language to
create a new world that often provides subtle commentary on an issue, etc. We will be
reading these poems out loud; each student will turn in two copies, one with their name
for me to grade and one without. I will circulate the unnamed poems and each person will
read one poem to the class, giving the author the chance to hear their work and receive
real feedback. The intention is to help the writer gain confidence.

Guidelines: While there is specific length requirement, I will not accept a haiku or a
short free verse rendition of your smelly gym socks. Take the workshops as an
opportunity to bounce ideas off each other if you are stuck, or come see me if you are
having trouble focusing on a smell. The poem does not need to be completely about the
smell, but it does need to be a theme or the basis of the story within the poem.

Date Assigned: October 23, 2013 Due Date: November 13, 2013

Taste

Using the sense of taste in your writing can become mundane and redundant. We
will be having a Thanksgiving themed potluck and will write about the entire experience
of eating the meal.
We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection.-Anais Nin

In class: During the week before Thanksgiving break we will be having a potluck dinner
in class; members of the class will either individually or in small groups create and bring
in a dish that their family considers traditional for their Thanksgiving dinner. We will
eat the food and enjoy the atmosphere then write about the experience as a whole. You
will have thirty minutes to write.
At home: Nothing. This will simply be an in-class assignment.
Objectives: Through an in-class assignment students will learn how to avoid filler words
and how to create unique ways of creating a scene for their audience. The purpose of this
essay is to help students learn how to write on the spot, as well as to help work on their
descriptions in a new way. By using taste as a catalyst for writing the audience will have
to rely on the authors words to become a part of the scene.
Guidelines: Since this is an in-class assignment the grading will be a bit more lenient.
Dont worry about correct spelling or punctuation; dont just write willy-nilly but dont
let that dictate your writing. Again, because it is in-class there is no specific limit but you
should be writing the entire allotted time.

Date for assignment: November 25, 2013

Sight

For the last essay you will be covering the sense of sight. Since this one is thought
of to be the easiest sense to use in writing you will constructing an imitative style
essay; instead of simply physical sight you will use sentence and language sight.
The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.-Helen Keller
In class: We will be reading Eleanor Hendersons novel Ten Thousand Saints and
studying her unique gift of metaphors and her writing style. We will be having
workshops in the same style as the other two projects.
At home: This essay will be a personal narrative that focuses on description. Write a
short narrative that imitates Hendersons style. Focus on her word choice, pace, and
memorable metaphors.
Objectives: We will be studying plot through our comprehension quizzes but I would
like for you to use this assignment as a look into writing with purposeful figurative
language. The theme of the writing assignments this semester is the five senses; sight is
the most obvious so this requires you to be a bit more creative when crafting your scenes.
Guidelines: As per usual, there is no specific length requirement, but it must be over
three pages. If it helps to think of this narrative as a chapter in a book use that, but your
characters need to be developed as if it were a story standing on its own. This is your
final writing assignment so use it as a culmination of what you have learned this
semester.

Date Assigned: November 22, 2013 Due Date: December 11, 2013

Extensive rubric for one assignment

Smell Assignment

*to include with overview presented above

What am I looking for?

Well constructed poem that shows skills that have been talked about in class
Correct use of figurative language
Use of smell sense is present
You will craft a poem that is of appropriate length
Your poem will employ the techniques highlighted in class, such as, use of
metaphor to comment on a social injustice, or using an ordinary experience/object
as something with larger meaning
When it is time to read to another students piece you will not disrespect, poke fun
at, or mock the author in any way
You will again provide feedback that is constructive rather than destructive
Not only do you need to provide your poem but I expect your workshop responses
to others to be thoughtful and engaging
An A paper will do all of these things
A B paper will do most of these things
A C paper will do some of these things
A D paper will do one or two of these things
A F paper would require that you did not do the assignment at all

Project Three: Mini-Case Study

Thomas Harrison Middle School is located in Harrisonburg, Virginia and holds

children in grades fifth through eighth. For this case study I originally wanted to observe
at a high school because that is where teaching interest is, but I am almost glad it did not
work out. Until I entered the school I had forgotten what it was like to be that young, and
specifically for my fifth graders I had forgotten what it was like to be the new and
smallest people at the school.
I entered the school around 1:45 pm on a Friday afternoon (which I would later
find out was the last day before spring break), completely confused and a bit scared.
After signing in and getting a computerized visitors badge I headed to the front desk to
look for the teacher I was supposed to meet. As I awkwardly sat in the office waiting a
small boy wandered around me, and since the woman at the desk couldnt help me he
decided he would. After each question I asked the secretary about the two teachers I
needed to see he provided me with answers. Just as I was getting directions to the
classroom a woman walked in and the boys friendly demeanor vanished and he rushed to
a seat. This woman began lecturing him on his behavior and I felt uncomfortableI still
needed directions to the room. The woman had a very calm tone and kept reassuring the
child that she cared about him and just didnt want him to get into any further trouble.
Luckily the woman disciplining the child was Mrs. Harrison, the teacher who I was to
observe for the day.
As I followed Mrs. Harrison to her classroom I tried to watch her mannerisms and
look at what she was wearing. This teacher was in jeans, a t-shirt, sandals, and she was
wearing a toe ring! She bounced down the halls, talking to every kid and teacher we
passed until we made it to her classroom.

The classroom itself was not very large, but it was jammed packed full of things
to keep the kids interest. There were six round tables with fish bowls as centerpieces.
There were posters of Breaking Dawn and of course the clich posters that read things
like Turn the pages of your imagination and READ! One poster that stuck out to me
was a hand made poster of a hamburger, which diagramed the way to write a fiveparagraph essay. The top of the bun was introduction, the lettuce was the first body
paragraph, the tomatoes the second, the meat was the final body paragraph and the
bottom of the bun was the conclusion. This poster is something we as a class discussed
towards the beginning of the semester. Several of us remembered seeing this poster, or a
similar one in our early writing careers. Other posters around the room talked about the
classes daily objectives and their homework.
I was positioned to the side of the room, facing all six tables of children and as
they walked in they each sized me up. A group of boys fought over who got to sit close to
me, which made me smile, but did not amuse the teacher or the teachers assistant. Class
began with a talk about the SOL the students had just taken. The students grumbled over
that but overall you could tell that they really respected their teacher and TA. The
dialogue between the teacher and the students seemed equal and they continually told her
that they loved her. Most of the students were lively and seemed interested in what Mrs.
Harrison was teaching.
By sitting in on this class I got to observe a couple of unique situations. One being
how to handle a child with needs that are out of the ordinary; one of the boys was deaf
and used a hearing aid to listen to his teacher and had a woman accompanying him to
sign for him. This is something I had not thought about prior to the observation; what

would I do as a teacher to make sure this student did not feel isolated and could succeed?
Mrs. Harrison did a great job at making sure the student kept up with the class and I
could only hope that I would do the same.
Another unique situation I was able to observe was a fire drill. This was
something that the students and faculty were not aware of, and it was interesting to see a
responsibility of a teacher in a situation outside the physical classroom. It was interesting
to hear the conversations between the girls and the boys in the hallways as we evacuated
the school.
The class period was spent doing a small reading assignment, then a packet of fun
things like crossword puzzles, etc. until the rest of the class was finished. The final thing
on the agenda before the kids could leave for spring break was a writing prompt-crafted
especially for me, an observing for a writing class. The structure of the prompt would be
a simple paragraph and she assured them that this is not an essay. Mrs. Harrison
explained that the kids were always asking questions that began with what if so she
decided to give one back. What if you had all the money in the world? This one, though
for critique, provided a wide variety of answers. At first the students groaned about
writing but once the prompt was announced they lit up and all began chattering amongst
themselves. I was pleasantly surprised that most of the students said they would give a
portion of their money to their families, and even more surprised when half of the class
talked about giving back to the community. I believe if I were a teacher charity and
giving back is something I would stress to my students, and it seemed to be encouraged
in the class.

Overall the observation went really well, and even though I had originally wanted
to observe at a high school level I was given valuable insight. It was brought to my
attention that middle school is the age where education and development of children is at
a make or break point. Mrs. Harrison explained that some of the kids in her classes have
already reached a point of no return, and others just need attention or to be told that they
can go on to a better life. This observation made me reevaluate where and what age group
of children I would like to teach. I think it would be wonderful to be that bridge between
lower and upper level learning, but I was warned that teaching at this level will burn a
teacher out. The observations and the Q&A that followed reminded me a lot of the Berlin
reading I was assigned towards the beginning of the semester. In the reading Berlin talks
about views on writing and other scholars feelings on writing and their methods. Berlin
talks about viewing writing as a social activity and that each student has their own genius,
which reflects the feelings of the teacher I observed. Mrs. Harrison believes that all
writing has a purpose and that each student can write in his or her own way, she
celebrates the diversity of each students pieces.

Q&A

1. Why/how did you decide to become a teacher, and why middle school? Mrs.
Harrison laughed and said that it was because she couldnt pass a class for her
pre-nursing major. Her advisor told her to pursue her psychology degree and this
led to teaching. She originally was a third grade teacher but moved schools when
her principal transferred.
2. What are your personal values and beliefs about writing and teaching writing? She
spoke about getting the students excited about what they are writing, it has to be
something fun. Mrs. Harrison believes in essay writing of three to five
paragraphs that focus on idea and content. She also requires that they use pens.
3. What was a stereotype or pre-judgment you had before your first lesson? Mrs.
Harrison replied that she didnt really have any because she tried to teach and
get to know her students on their level.
4. What would you say the biggest daily challenge is? Discipline and motivation
5. What is your advice for future teachers? And specifically future middle school
teachers? Get out, she kids. But she does warn that you should know what you
are getting into and her advice is to make personal relationships with her
students. You arent doing it for the money!
6. How do your courses/lessons match up with others at the school? Similarities?
Differences? There are three English teachers who all collaborate and have
similar lessons because of the SOL curriculum. They just tailor it to their own
personal teaching styles.
7. Do you incorporate multimedia or technology? If so, how? Oh yeah! We use
smartboards and cameras, anything to keep their interest.

8. What would you say your personal teaching style is? What is your pedagogy?
Chaotic. Mrs. Harrison says she likes her teaching to be student centered and
instead of teaching kids to simply memorize things she likes to give them rhymes
or little tricks to make the information last in the minds. She says she tries to
remain positive and energetic no matter what.

Teaching Philosophy

William Arthur Ward said, The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher
explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires. The quote may
be a bit clich but I believe that the only way to be an effective teacher is to inspire or
motivate your students. Teaching is more than providing students with information to
pass tests and to push them out of your classroom and onto the next. I believe that
teachers must not only have qualities such as patience and flexibility but also to be able to
teach them as well.
Education has always been important to my family, but I am the first person in my
family to attend a four-year university and the first person to finish college immediately
after high school. Both of my parents grew up in poor neighborhoods in Pennsylvania
and have always stressed that the way to have a better life is to pursue an education.
Growing up in a working middle class family gave me a specific discourse and class that
was I have had to adjust to and I would hope to pass along my knowledge. I believe that
my background with such matters will help me to show my students that their own
personal backgrounds do not determine where they will end up in life, or how their
education levels turn out. I will work to improve such social issues in my classroom, in
the school and hopefully it will have a larger impact.
The most important thing I value in teaching is the ability to instill confidence
into a student. In my own personal experience I was more successful in classes when the
teachers encouraged the students as a whole and provided constructive criticism, even
when it was my weakest subject area. When a child believes that they are not good at a
subject they tend to shut down, which then reinforces that they cannot do it.
Unfortunately, writing and English are two subjects that students often feel intimidated

by because the answers to the questions are more open ended than a math equation, etc.
Because of this I believe that teachers of writing need to show students that there are
multiple correct ways to answer a question when writing a response to a prompt.
Teachers must understand that some students think and write differently, and they must
grade accordingly.
As a teacher I hope to instill confidence in my students by doing exercises such as
anonymous readings of drafts of essays. What I envision is assigning an essay that will be
worked on over a couple of weeks, with several in-class workshops. Towards the final
stage of the paper I would like the students to take their names off of the essay and
submit it to me. I will randomize the papers and pass them back out, giving one to each
student. Each student will have the opportunity to read an essay and to have their essay
read; this will allow for students to provide more honest feedback and will help the
student to hear what their paper sounds like out loud. I also plan to meet with each
student at least once to discuss his or her own personal writing style. As a confidence
builder I believe in telling students what works about their writing, and when it comes
time for negative feedback I do not believe in the red pen.
In response to the Ward quote that I opened with, the superior teacher
demonstrates. Rather than just lecturing the students I plan to do every assignment that I
assign so that I know what works about it, what does not and what I could do to help
make it more clear. I think it is easy for teachers to lose the connection to students the
longer they are in a classroom; things become routine and they start to look at teaching as
simply a job. By doing the assignments along with the students I am simultaneously
keeping myself in the loop with the students and making sure that my assignments are

current. This is important because students often feel like they cannot relate to adults
because we do not understand what their lives are like or they feel that the assignments
are too hard.
The qualities of a good teacher include positivity, flexibility, and patience. These
three stand out to me because without these qualities the teacher would not be relatable or
successful in their classroom. During a mini-case study I conducted in college I observed
and interviewed a teacher and asked what the most important quality of a teacher was and
her response was positivity. Without positivity you cannot motivate your students to do
the work or to be excited about writing. Flexibility is important because things do not
always go according to plan, whether it is on the student or the on teacher but it is
enviable. The last quality, patience is important because within a classroom there are
various types of students with different backgrounds and needs. Aside from the students
there are different personalities that you have to work in regards to faculty and
administration.
In conclusion, I believe that my teaching philosophy is to instill confidence into
my students through my positivity, flexibility, and patience. I believe that is important to
keep my assignments current and to complete examples of the assignments to stay
relatable to my students. I will try to help students overcome their fears about writing and
to encourage them to use writing as a creative outlet. In general I would like to promote
the idea that learning is a way of bettering ones self and that education can lead you to a
better understanding of the world and self.

Berlin pg. 76-90

Allan H. Gilbert (Trinity College) felt that students must write to please
themselves, not the teacher, because the teachers power to bring about a
change in the writing of students is limited by their minds, and only what
springs from within them counts in making good writing.
Believes teachers should not criticize, but rather celebrate the diversity of
each students writing
Each student has their own genius
Used laboratory work= non-directive method where the teacher doesnt
correct, rather teacher brings student to correct and improve themselves
Oakley Calvin Johnson (U. of Michigan) said that writing is an art so all
writing teachers must be writers.
There is something in all great artists that is beyond teaching, but much can
still be taught in the freshman classroom.

Adele Bildersee (Hunters College and wrote Imaginative Writing) said

that the art of writing cannot be taught, it can only be learned.

Howard Francis Seeley (Ohio State) saw writing as the use of language in
order to create the self and believed students must be told that originality
means nothing more terrifying than being themselves in what they say and
how they say it
Writing will generate original thought since imagination is shared by all

Snow Longley Hough studied schools first offered courses focusing on

rhetorical principles, then combined rhetoric and composition, then offered
composition alone, and at last, developed distinctive creative writing
courses.

The tendency to view writing as a social activity, growing within a social

context and carrying social consequences, increased after the onset of the
depression.

In the 1930s social nature of writing led to full blown rhetoric of public
discourse, close to an Aristotelian model

Roy T. Thompson tried to get away from expressionism in hopes to help

individuals to assure the responsibility of citizenship in a democracy to be
able to reach his own independent thinking-- Writing as a response to social
contextsseminar; where writing was based on personal experience;
current traditional, imitation of models, etc.

Herbert Ellsworth Childs (Oregon State) said instead of making freshman

composition about technical fundamentals it should provide them with a way
of thinking

Warren Taylor (pg. 86 quote student who is given this notion of language is
offered genuine knowledge.. sees handbooks as uselessIn a democracy,
action should be the result of understanding, not persuasion. teachers
should notice the value of education in political action

Walter Barnes believed that the student must not subscribe to a single
standard in the way language is used

Words are often not as useful as gestures or facial expressions; style is a

matter of attitude, voice, physical behavior; unity and coherence, so
necessary in structural discourse, yield place to appropriateness and
adjustment, naturalism and sincerity.

Chapter Five: What Happens When White People Change

Civil rights activist John Lewis says the moment of the biggest of anti-racist
struggle was when black people began to endorse the notion that all white people were
racist and were unable to change. This is because prior to this people believed in the
system and its ability to work. One of Hooks teachers Ann extended consistent antiracist friendship in the late 1960s; they are still friends today. Ann says she made the
choice as a child, for justice, and was taught that there was good in bad in all races. A
mutual friend Ken was raised by parents who were fans of social justice; his father was
a preacher who openly opposed racism. Ken is politically anti-racist, but his social life is
still mostly white, but he sees this as circumstance rather than by choice. In the South
integration meant nothing because racial terrorism still prevailed. Hooks uses an example
of babies accepting love and care from caretakers despite race or color, and how that is a
choice, much like the ones we will make later in life regarding color. She says that white
people who are fundamentally anti-racist know that it is not a choice with the heart, but
with the consciousness. Hooks brings up the point that if we do not validate or
acknowledge people that are raised to be racist but chose not to we are telling people the
world cannot change. By telling people to change, then mocking then or not believing it,
Hooks says we are encouraging hate to continue. She attended Stanford in the late 1970s
and talks about people who were theory-anti-racists because they thought themselves to
be against racism but had no contact with black people. Hooks talks about being
addressed in the field differently than white women of the same purpose and title simply
because of her race, except from someone named Zillah Eisenstein. She then discusses
the issue of females in the workplace, feminism and how race plays into all of that.
Hooks believes that society pits women against each other and we are all in constant
competition. When Hooks talks about the most common women who are anti-racist she
brings up gay women, who in her opinion accept that their struggles are different but
acknowledge the pain behind it. However, these gay women believe that black women
are sexually repressed or are homophobic.

There are fundamental differences in the civil rights Southern-based antiracist struggle and the Northern- and West Coast-based militant black
struggle.
No one is born racist. Everyone makes a choice.
If we fail to acknowledge the value and significance of individual antiracist white people we not only diminish the work they have done and do
to transform their thinking and behavior, but we prevent other white
people from learning by their example.
Often the white women I have encountered who are most passionate in
their will to be anti-racist, who carry their commitment from theory to
practice, are gay women.
The principles that govern interaction between black and white folks in a
white-supremacist society, that help us resist and form solidarity, need to
be identified. Language is another way we reactivate old scenes and
reproduce the feelings originally experienced in those scenes.

Chapter Eight: Moving beyond Shame

In this chapter Hooks focuses on shame being a barrier on learning in terms of

black students. She talks about how people assume it is laziness, or lack of intelligence
but Hooks argues that that is not always the case. She points out that access is not the
only thing that is keeping black students from being equal with their peers. Something
that effects black students is self-segregation and self-judging. For this, Hooks blames the
media; she says it causes black children to receive mixed messages about how they are
perceived and what they can achieve. Hooks talks about how schools teach children that
other non-white cultures do not matter. Using the example of teaching students about
Columbus discovery of America and the devaluing of Native American culture. Hooks
goes on to explore the concept of smart black people, or the reaction to her attending a
predominantly while school and being considered an anomaly. When she reached college
professors would ask if she had received help writing her papers just because they were
not expecting much from her. Eventually she touched on the fact that not only black
students experience shaming and psychological terrorism. Hooks talks about how
professors have pseudo self-esteem from the power, and how the professors feel it is their
duty to pass judgment on their students. She then cites Kaufman and Raphaels
identification of the inner-voice telling someone that every name or insult theyve
heard is true. This inner-voice attributes to the shaming of students and she says that
black students/colored students/gay students all face a greater feeling of this. Hooks talks
about how sometimes this shaming leads to self-segregation even if it not something the
white students are doing. She talks about one student who felt such anxiety over
answering questions in class that he would not be able to answer it and forced himself to
not socialize with his peers. This affected not only his confidence but also his social life.
Kaufman and Raphael say that rage is usually the secondary reaction to shame, which
further isolates the student, even if it is just serving as a defense mechanism. Hooks says
that progressive professors are the only thing that can help pull students out of their rage
and shame patterns. She believes that not only students, but also other educators should
challenge other educators who are showing signs of discrimination or inappropriate
judgments.

When educators evaluate reasons some students fail while others succeed they
rarely talk about the role of shame as a barrier to learning.
Mass media assaults the self-esteem of black children.
Students should not and cannot bear the sole responsibility for challenging these
individuals. (In reference to professors who do not think black students are
worthy)
Shame shadows each of us, and everyone encounters the alienating effect in
some form, at some time.

Reflection
Unfortunately I thought that Bell Hooks was extremely redundant in her writing,
and it was distracting. I believe that many of her points were valid but I found it hard to
trust her authority because it was so negative. I agree with her arguments about how
shaming can effect a students academic performance but I think the guidelines can be

extended. I also agree with her commentary on women in the workplace always being
pitted against each other and that causes hostility. Her focus was black students, however,
I went to a school where I was a minority and faced many teachers who did not give me
fair treatment because of my skin color, I think that this problem faces every race, even if
it is not in such a severe degree. I think these chapters could help us discuss and figure
out way to effectively handle self-judging and shaming in classrooms if we decide to
teach.

Instigator for Rose

I chose to write an instigator on the Rose piece because it harps on an issue

we as writers face everyday. Within the first few pages, Rose talks about the view of
teaching writing as being not as important as other subjects. He talks about
academic senates not wanting to give too much time or money to writing courses
because that takes away from research enterprises. He also touches on the struggle
scientists face when writing. What struck me about this section of the reading was
when Rose said, It would be hard to think of an ability more desired than the ability
to write. I agree with this statement because everyone thinks their discipline is the
most important, and they hold it in such esteem but rarely does anyone point it out.
Writers believe that the ability to write is most important because it is the most
important to us, but I believe it is one of the few abilities that cross over every
discipline. Rose talks about English teachers needing to define writing as a skill
just to be able to keep their courses.
Another thing that stuck out to me about this piece also came from the first
section. Rose informs us that freshman composition classes only came about after
the realization that upperclassmen have poor writing skills. I didnt know this, and
also find it interesting since the views of these types of courses are so looked down
upon. I once told someone that I had an interest in teaching freshman writing and
was told that it would be a waste of time, that kids these days dont need writing
and dont care. I would love to further discuss how this happened in class with
everyones opinions. How is it that writing teachers have to fight to teach the same
class multiple times? How is this when writing is involved in every career?
The entire piece was interesting to me because I constantly feel like I have to
explain the value or importance of my major/future career to people whereas other
majors like biology, etc. do not. Rose touches on this issue a bit before diving into
teaching writing at Universities and I chose to write on this topic to be a bit different
from the other instigator topics.

Reflection Questions
1. I have included all of our main projects for two reasons: one is that we are
supposed to, and the other is because I am actually proud of these pieces. The assignment
that I feel exemplifies my thinking abilities the most is project two. For this project we
were instructed to design a course with elements that include major writing assignments,
a syllabus, and a detailed schedule. Originally, I was hesitant about this assignment
because the assignment seemed daunting. From the start I knew that I wanted to design a
course for the high school level, and once I actually sat down to brainstorm, the idea of
basing the writing assignments around our five senses seemed to be an original yet
effective way to motivate my imaginary students. After completing this assignment my
entire outlook on the course and the idea of teaching changed. This assignment put our
acquired knowledge into a practical and tangible thing, such as a course design, which
showed me that not only could I make plans as a teacher, but that I would enjoy it.
The free writes I have chosen to include reflect me as a writer, and show my train
of thought; especially the first free write, which was supposed to follow the writers
thoughts about the assignment and then on. The other two free writes talk about specific
writing topics. I have chosen to include the pieces Can Writing be Taught? and What
is good writing? because they were questions posed to us before discussion. Each time
we were asked questions such as these I thought my feelings would be more concrete but
almost every time we held a discussion I was enlightened. These pieces reflect my inner
thoughts, and reveal the personal experiences that have led me to my beliefs on teaching
writing and they can help a reader understand my teaching philosophy a bit more.
The content of this course surprised me; honestly when I heard about teaching
writing I thought it would be a lot of hands on work with children. I also thought that we
would be writing lessons plans, etc. as if we were in an education class. As the course
progressed as we began to do more readings and discussion I decided that this course was
exactly what I needed. For the past few months I have been questioning what I want to do
after graduation (realistically) and being in a course that dissected teaching writing it
became clear that this is something I seriously need to consider. I thoroughly enjoyed all
of the in class writing assignments and the major projects. The readings were often harder
to sift through, but once we discussed them in class I not only saw the value in them, but
I could begin to apply them to real world situations for future classrooms. The readings
and discussions also helped me learn about what other discourses students face in the
classroom, which will be valuable if I decide to go into teaching.
2. I believe that I have earned fifteen of the twenty points for participation. I think
that I contributed in ways such as in-class writing activities and other similar things but I
was not always as vocal as I should have been in discussion. This was partly due to
intimation, this sounds like an excuse but I find that in classes within the WRTC major
there are two types of students, the technical and the creative. I follow the latter and am
often intimidated to speak against, or even with the technical. This is something that I as
a student and soon to be professional, need to address but I was an active listener. During
presentations of project two, and other like activities I provided feedback for each
speaker because that is what I would expect from my peers.

3. Through this course I have learned more about the various types of challenges
students face both in and out of the classroom. This is something that is a very important
issue, but it was one that I had not given much thought to prior to the course. I have
learned that free writing is helpful for students if it is for a reasonable amount of time and
if I am not grading them on correctness. I think that is the main thing I have retained from
this coursethe fact that grading for correctness early on in the writing process will
hinder the writer. This insight came to me first during one of the earlier free writes and
discussions about our experiences with writing and the process during our primary school
years. I realized that as a teacher you should have some expectations about what
knowledge students hold but you should also be able to adapt your lesson plans and
teaching styles if need be.
I expect to earn somewhere in the A or B range for this course, based on my
project four and portfolio grades. I think that the first three projects were A to high B
level and I would expect the same for the final two projects. I think that this course has
been valuable to me because it has changed my entire thoughts on teaching in general,
and has encouraged me to look into pursuing it as a career.