Yes... Anderson Cooper is one of my heroes, too.
But in this instance, I am referring to writing guru Jeff Anderson.
Although I made a pretty hefty list of the wonderful things that I read in his text and that of Harry R. Noden, I have condensed them into the following 5 Big Ideas.
1) Write, Write, Write - Maybe it's just me, but I've been seeing a lot of this in the reading over the past couple of weeks. Anderson and Noden are both exceedingly helpful in demonstrating how to teach grammar within the context of authentic writing. For the first time - and all credit goes to Anderson's mentor texts and Noden's painting metaphor - I am able to see myself successfully teaching grammar in my future classroom. I also was able to generate some really cool ideas for class writing journals and games.
2) Keep the Balance - Reflecting back on the past year, I suppose the best visual for my relationship with grammar would be a roller coaster. At first, I could be found brandishing a red pen in the camp of the traditionalists. I was soon liberated and thus rejected all of my previous philosophies, screaming a manifesto of "Write, write, write! Read, read, read!" While I had faith that writing, reading, and grammar could be taught in conjunction, without an example I had no idea how to do this. Noden in particular illustrated this "how" for me. Shoot - just after reading those first few pages, I felt like a better writer!
3) "What Sticks with You?" - Anderson strongly advocates engaging students in outside texts - including literature, newspapers, the students' own writings, and other such endless possibilities - in order to strengthen both their writing and their understanding of grammar. The most revolutionary concept is a focus on a "right" way to do grammar as opposed to the demonstrations of the "wrong" way. Instead of giving students poor examples of grammar to correct, Anderson floods his students with strong examples of good writing. Research and experience further demonstrate that students are better able to imitate and implement the shared techniques. I really, really, really, really, really like this idea because it is positive.
4) Teach What They Need - I have always imagined teaching grammar by checking the standards and the curriculum, and then spewing those requirements to my students. Of course, I would try to mix some fun into those lessons, but it still always seemed a rather dismal task. Once again, Anderson offers the common sense solution: "Base your teaching on errors they make. Base your teaching on the strategies they need" (7). I am reminded once again to structure every lesson around the needs of my students. Yes. Even grammar lessons.
5) Writing is Sacred - This is not exactly something that I needed to be told, but I love this quotation from Zemelman and Daniels: "In fact, many primary teachers will tell you that the surface of a kid's piece of writing should be inviolate, that it's an expression of a self, a work of art or artifact that should never be defaced by anyone else's markings or revision. This is a view that we teachers of older kids need to give respectful consideration."
May I always allow pause to thus celebrate my students' writing.
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