week+of+september+8+and+10


 * September 8**

1. Writing our way in ... Look at the class blog, and write to the prompt on "Moments" by Radiolab.

2. Parts of an argument Claim, Reasons, Evidence, Warrants, and Acknowledge and Respond to Opposition / Critiques

3. What are the arguments that each of the four writers we read for last Thursday and for today - Bernabei and Romano and Kittle and Murray - make about the following:
 * Writing
 * Learning to write
 * The role of the teacher

In addition let's also talk about... What kind of learning environment do they seem to foster with the kinds of assignments that they offer in these chapters? What is it writers do in each class? That is, what role does writing play in their classroom communities? What argument are the writers make about the connection between writing and learning?


 * For Thursday**: __Look at our class blog for links to help you with each of these below__. You'll find links to model blog posts (professional posts) and links for places to start looking for lesson plans. We're going to be engaging in a genre study of lesson plans, so it's important for us to look at models. The ones you bring in can be what you think make for good or poor examples of the genre of lesson plans.

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 * Professional Post #1 due
 * Bring to class copies of two or three lesson plans you find.
 * Read Lattimer’s Chapter One “Teaching Genre in the Classroom” Found as a pdf on the bottom of the page found at this link

Guiding questions for when you read: • What is a genre? • What is taught/learned when teaching writing by genre?

Due: Professional Post #1; Bring in at least two sample lesson plans; Read Lattimer's chapter ( found at the link below)
 * September 10**

1. Writing our way in... a prompt to collect ideas for possible future writing Make a list of five to ten significant "firsts" and as many significan "lasts" (or "finals") in your life (or in the life of someone else). The significance can be subtle or dramatic. For example:

The first time I shoplifted. The first time I saw the Grateful Dead in concert. The first immigrant family who moved into Anytown, USA The first kiss

The last time I saw my father The last cigarette I smoked The last major sports team victory in Bigcity, USA The last day of high school

Then, choose one that seems the most compelling.

If you want to write non-fiction, write an extended description of the experience - a description that transports the reader to that time and place (sensory details help). After the description, turn to the "So What?" and include why the experience mattered to you and then connect it to some larger theme or issue on why it might matter to others.

If you want to write fiction, pick the one that feels the most compelling, and jot down all the sensory details you can remember about the experience. Now write the scene BUT change something fundamental about the experience. For example: change the gender of the main character, the time period (from 1990s to 1920s), the outcome of the experience, combining one of your firsts with one of your lasts.

Prompt from Chrstopher Castellani in Bret Anthony Johnston's (ed) //Naming the World//, pp. 9-14

2. Looking at the example lesson plans you bring in
 * What are the features of a lesson plans? In other words, what must a lesson plan include in order to be considered a lesson plan?
 * What patterns do you see across the samples?
 * Who is the target audience?
 * What is its purpose?
 * What contexts might lesson plans be used? Who might be interested in reading them? What can we tell about what a teacher believes is important for students to learn?

A. List of Essential Features of Lesson Plans from our class discussion:
 * overview
 * student assessment and reflection
 * objectives (teacher and student)
 * procedure (instruction)
 * grade level
 * resources
 * time estimate
 * modifications
 * standards
 * hook
 * prep for teachers
 * general progression of goal --> process --> conclusion/student response

B. Purpose of each feature C. Relationship between each feature

3. Discussing [|Lattimer's approach] (chapter as pdf at bottom of this link) to teaching writing through genre:
 * What is a genre?
 * What is taught/learned when teaching writing by genre?
 * How do genres operate in different kinds of communities?
 * What is a teacher's role when teaching writing by genre?
 * What would a teacher assess if teaching writing by genre?

__For next time...__ 1. Respond to at least one of other professional post on that person's blog (A high quality response to a post will:
 * Extend / refine / challenge an argument (or parts of an argument) offered in another’s post through the responder’s own argument
 * Include quotes of passages from the original post
 * Be a length of at least 200 words and no more than 400 words

2. Genre Challenge Proposal due; Heads-up for next Thursday when you'll be bringing in samples of the genre you're wanting to try.

3. Read Kittle chapter 7, pp. 102-129