Dialogue Fall 2008

8/7/2019 Dialogue Fall 2008

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SDAWPs Position Paper: Teachers

PositionThemselves

as Knowledgeable Members

of the Educational Community

Kim Douillard, SDAWP 1992

Inside...How I Came to LoveRhetoricCara Owens 2

SDAWP Log 6 Amy Brothers

Writing Marathon 7Becky GemmellHeidi PaulNancy Rogers

YWC 8-9Paloma AcostaCamilla Elizabeth Aguirre Aguilar

Cinnamon RoyEugenia Tzeng

Sarah TurkLet's Walk the Walk 10Ted Hernandez

Rethinking NativeLanguage Usein Our Classroom 11Shannon Meridith

Also included:

Muse Box 14

SDAWP Notes 14

NWP Announcments 14

PublishingOppor tunities 15

DialogueCall For Manuscripts 15

Calendar o Events 16

Purposeful Writing

A Publication of the San Diego Area Writing Project Fall 2008Dialogue

The position paper is a long-held tradition in the San DiegoArea Writing Project (SDAWP) Invitational Summer Institute (SI).According to Jayne Marlink, Executive Director o the Caliornia

Writing Project (CWP), the position paper and its presence in sum-mer institutes goes back to Jim Gray, the ounder o the National

Writing Project (NWP). Many writing projects, both in Caliornia andnationally, still write position papers in their summer institutes, oten as

a core piece and cornerstone o proessional writing.

The position paper gives teachers in the SI an opportunity to identiy andexplore belies about teaching and learning or other educational issues.As they consider issues, weighing what others have said or are sayingabout the issue in a variety o contexts, and investigate their own experience and beliesthrough the writing, a position develops. In the sae, rigorous, supportive, and challeng-ing environment o the SI, they move their writing rom an initial rant or bland descrip-tion to a careully crated articulation o the issue(s) and their point o view. This processallows teachers to discover and reine their position with an audience in mindhelping todeine a stance that opens others to hearing their views. The position paper oers teach-ers a voicebuilding conidence and an identity not just as a classroom teacher, but as aneducator who can make a dierence and inorm not only his or her own classroom, but

the larger educational community as well.

Classroom teachers oten ind themselves awkwardly positioned in a proession illed withcontradictions. Teachers are proessionals who have achieved high levels o educationThey have authority in their classroom to make decisions that are in the best interests otheir students and their learning and are expected to make those decisions based on theirproessional knowledge. At the same time they are required to use particular materialsgive particular assessments, and meet predetermined standards or student achievementas deined by national, state and local (district and site) standards, whether or not theseare in the best interests o their students and their learning. The K-12 teaching environ-ment, in particular, doesnt encourage teachers to articulate or publish the knowledgegained through teaching, classroom research, or their own investigations into teachingand learning. Knowledge about teaching and learning is oten generated by educationalresearchers, many o whom have little practical knowledge or experience with classroom


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2

In Possible Lives: The Promise o

Public Education in America, Mike

Rose works against the negative view

o teachers and U.S. public schools

that Hirsch oers. Rose does this

largely by changing the parameterso the discussion. While he also

uses anecdotal evidence, he is care-

ul not to universalize the stories he

tells. He uses speciic examples o

teaching practices that work only to

suggest possibilities, not to univer-

salize these anecdotes, and not to

claim universal excellence. Hirsch,

on the other hand, uses anecdotal

stories to claim universal decline

in U.S. public schools; this may be

compelling to some, but it makesor sloppy and irresponsible argu-

ments. We need to ind more ways

to understand and expose this kind

o argumentation. This is not to say

that what Rose is doing is not valu-

able and responsibly developed--I

think it is; it is, however, to say that

we need to broaden the kinds o

responses made to such arguments.

how much it relies on anecdotal

Dialogue

Fall 2008Issue No. 21

PurposefulWriting

Editors: Stacey Goldblatt

Jennifer MoorePage Design: Janis JonesWriting Angel: Susan Minnicks

Published by theSan Diego Area

Writing Project at UCSD

Directors:Makeba JonesKim Douillard

UC San DiegoSDAWP9500 Gilman DriveLa Jolla, CA 92093-0036(858) 534-2576http://create.ucsd.edu/sdawp/

Dialogue, Fall 2008

In 1997, I inally landed my irstadjunct teaching positions at SanDiego City College and SouthwesternCommunity College. Fresh out ograduate school, I was excited tohave students read about issues Ithought were relevant and impor-tant. I envisioned having wonder-ul, in-depth class discussions aboutthese issues. As I began to helpmy students develop their voices inorder to empower them as writersand as citizens o the world, I raninto one major problem. Many omy students in my academic writ-ing classes had voices, but I oundout the hard way that I needed tohelp my students break away romour popular cultures reliance ona combative discourse style (thinkRush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, andGeorge W. Bush) and move into thediscourse o academic writing.

I remember that one o my irstsemesters teaching I chose the topico immigration. Living and teach-ing in San Diego, immigration is a

relevant and important issue or mystudents and me. My classes at thecommunity colleges were alwaysvery diverse with a large Latino pop-ulation. As a new teacher, I wouldassign my students three to ouracademic essays at a time to read ashomework. My assumptionwas thatthey would indeed read them andunderstand them, and then we wouldhave in-depth class discussionsabout the readings and about immi-gration. As Cynthia Brock writes,she was alerted to the seductive

but potentially disastroustendencyto assume that what I teach is whatmy children actually learn (Brock,2001). Relecting back on my earlierteaching, this was me! Just becauseI assigned my students to read, didnot mean they understood what theyread. Yes, they may have read theassigned readings, but could theyunderstand the subtle and nuancedarguments and rhetorical strategiesthe authors were using?

teaching or with curriculum. Thesecontradictions oten silence teach-ers as they see that their proes-sional knowledge and judgment isheld in less esteem and is seen asless relevant than research basedmethods and mandated approaches.

The position paper in the summerinstitute helps classroom teachers

negotiate the contradictions inherentin their proession. Through writ-ing, teachers are able to articulatedeeply held beliesbelies they maynot have expressed publicly beore. With the support and encourage-ment o the writing response groupin the SI, they are able to construct areasonable case or their belies, con-sider other perspectives, and workthrough how they might mitigateconlicting demands while main-taining their integrity as knowledge-able proessionals. Opportunities torethink and revise their writing inthis atmosphere allow their think-ing to deepen. Reading their writingaloud and seeing their writing inprint lets them hear their own voiceand learn the power it holds. AtSDAWP we see writing the positionpaper as an essential part o growingas a leader, a step toward inding thepowerul voice that teachers need totransorm their proession throughtheir own knowledge and proes-sionalism.

Teachers in the SI write their posi-

tion paper with publication in mind.Publication begins inormally in thewriting response group, expands tothe ull SI group, and is archivedin the SI anthology. These initialstages oten become the startingplace or more ormal publicationwith broader audiences. Publicationin the SDAWPDialogue gives teach-ers a taste o working with an editorand or an audience o knowledge-able educators beyond those thewriter has met or knows personally.Others go on to publish in edu-

cational journals such as NCTEs Language Arts or English Journalor CATEs California English. Theposition paper and the possibilitiesor publication take teaching beyondthe classroom and situate teachersas active members o and contribu-tors to the larger educational com-munity.

For most o my students, academicwriting was very new. O course stu-dents didnt understand what theyhad read, because I hadnt taughtthem how to read academic argu-ments. Somehow, in our class dis-cussions, we would skip right overthe readings and move on to whamy students thought about immigra-tion. While my students had some-thing to say, were engaged, and were even passionate about immigration, at best, class discussions were just the students prior opin

ions with no reerences to the textsread, and usually not much in theway o substantiating their opinionwith reasons or evidence. At worstclass discussions were a ree-or-alo knee-jerk reactions, unoundedopinions, logical allacies that oten

How I came to

love rhetoriCCara OwensSDAWP 2007


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3Dialogue, Fall 2008

included racist and sexist insults,again relecting our cultures popu-lar discourse style.

In one o my classes that semester,a student jumped out o his seatand exclaimed, I am so tired oall o these border bunnies jump-ing across the border! At that,three Latina students jumped out o

their seats and one o them yelledback, How would you like it i wecalled you a jungle bunny since you are black? I really thought atthat moment that ists were goingto start lying! Luckily everyoneimmediately calmed down as theirst student let the classroom.However, I elt horrible wonderingwhat I had done wrong and what Icould do better. My students wereengaged and some even passionateabout their belies about immigra-tion, which to me was great. But,

how could I teach them to articulatetheir ideaswithin the context o anacademic classroom?

Student writing suered rom thesame sorts o problems. Even whenstudents were engaged with thetopic and had something to say,their essays were mostly a serieso prior opinions, oten unoundedand illogical and lacking any sorto reerence to the texts we hadread. I was discouraged becauseeven though I was getting stu-dents engaged and my studentswere developing their voices, I wasunable to teach them the skills andtools they needed that would helpthem succeedwithin the context oacademic writing: making a valid

then asking them to discuss whatit is about, students are given atext and asked particular questionsto help them understand who theauthor is, what was going on at thetime the text was written historical-ly and socially, and what motivatedthe writer to writewhich we callcontext and/or the rhetorical situ-ation (Bitzer, 1968). Students begin

to learn that writing doesnt justhappen arbitrarily, but that writerswrite in a particular time in historyand are prompted to write becauseo something that is going on social-ly, politically, and/or personally.

Students are also invited to look intoa text in particular ways. Ater hav-ing an understanding o the contexto the text, we can look at the textsclaim, sub-claims, the evidence, andreasons. I have ound that breakingdown a text paragraph by para-graph, or groups o related para-graphs, helps students understandwhat a text is doing in each section.By doing this charting, studentsare able to see what rhetorical strat-egies a writer is using. In many ways, looking at one text closelto see how an author makes anargument was very similar to usingmentor texts. But rather than hav-ing my students copy the authorslanguage and style, I was show-ing my students how other writerscreate an eective argument. Mystudents now had models in theirclasses o what they wereexpected

to do as academic writers.

Late in my RWS 280 class, we hadthree readings on whether or nottorture was ever justiied. For meas well as my students, this was avery important and emotional issue.One o my students, Kelly, was verypro-torture, perhaps related to herhaving a husband in the Marines inIraq. I could see that this would bea touchy issue since I am very muchagainst torture. But heres what

and reasonable argument, reason-ing, and using appropriate evidence.I hadnt yet igured out a way tohelp my students become thoughtulwriters and participants in the con-versations that were taking place inthe academic world.What changed? I started part-time atSDSU as a lecturer in The Rhetoric

and Writing Studies Department(DRWS). Yes, I was teaching at SDSU,City College, and Southwestern likemany other community college writ-ing instructors. At the time, Fall 1998in DRWS, many changes were takingplace in the curriculum and StudentLearning Outcomes or each course.I started hearing terms used such asrhetoric, rhetorical strategies,rhetorical situation, argument/claim, evidence, reasons, and war-rants, ethos, logos, and pathos.As a comparative literatures major,these terms were oreign to me.Not only that, but they soundedmathematical and pretentious. I wasintimidated. I couldnt understandhow looking at texts in this rhetori-cal manner would be interestingto me let alone to my students. Talkabout taking all of the passion out

of reading and writing I thought. Iwould ind out that I was wrong.

My department deines rhetoric asollows: Rhetoric reers to the study,uses, and eects o written, spokenand visual language. But what doesthis mean to me as a writing instruc-tor? This is what I had to igure out.Using rhetoric, my teaching startedto be about what a text was doingin terms o rhetorical strategies, orstrategies a writer uses, instead ojust ocusing on what a text is about.This took a willingness on my partto rethink my teaching practices. Italso required many wonderul col-leagues taking the time to answermy endless questions, showing me what they did in their classes andhow they scaolded their assign-

ments. I also attended in 2003 and2005 the summer Reading Instituteor Academic Preparation (RIAP)hosted by SDSU. Both RIAP sum-mer institutes gave me invaluablelessons on how to teach studentsto read and write academic argu-ments.

So what does this look like in prac-tical terms in my writing classes? Well, instead o handing studentsa text, asking them to read it, and

I hadnt yet

figured out

a way to

help my students

become

thoughtful

writers and

participants in

the conversations

that were taking

place in the

academic world.

My students

now had models

in their classes of

what they were

expected to doas academic

writers.


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happened. Instead o arguing ourpoints back and orth and letting ouregos get in the way, we ocused onthe texts. As a writing instructor, Iwant students to explore issues andcome to their own conclusions, soby sticking to what a writer is doingin a text, we had opportunities todiscuss torture that were sae. Eventhough students disagreed with

other students and me, we couldkeep going back to the texts.

What did our discussion look likethen? We had three articles: 1)Naomi Kleins Tortures DirtySecret: It Works where she arguesthat torture is a bust or an interro-gation tactic, but or social control,it works, unortunately; 2) DavidGelernters When Torture Is TheOnly Option ... which argues that inextreme cases in order to save lives,torture should be used; and 3) Larry

C. Johnson, ex-CIA oicers, ... AndWhy It Should Never Be One who

argues that torture never producesreliable inormation and that rela-tionship building works much bet-ter. Our class discussions ocusedon identiying who the author isand why he/she is writing, what hisor her main claim and sub-claimsare, and whether or not they wereconvincing. We also comparative-ly evaluated the evidence o eachauthor. The discussion is neverabout whether or not the studentsagree with the authors or me, or

the most part. O course studentswere able to give their opinions, butthey were much more grounded inthe texts we had read, and articu-lated in a more thoughtul manner.Most surprisingly about this or mewas to see how by ocusing on whatthe text was doing, students under-stand much better what the text isabout in their discussions and in

their essays

By ocusing on what each writerwas saying and doing, students wereable to write sophisticated essaysdiscussing the readings and articu-lating their opinion on torture aswell. For example, Joe, in one o ourclass discussions said, Even thoughI agree with David Gelernters posi-tion that torture should be usedin extreme cases, I ind that hisevidence is weak. He relies on ear-based emotional appeals rather thansolid and actual evidence. Anotherstudent explained, In NaomiKleins Nation article, TorturesDirty Secret: It Works, she beginsby telling the story o Maher Ararwho was wrongly detained and tor-tured. Arars story, to me, is a veryreal example o what can go wrongwhen we think it is okay to torture.Students were voicing their opin-ions by incorporating the texts wehad read! More importantly, stu-dents were voicing their opinionsin much more rhetorically sophisti-cated ways.

As or their writing, I discoveredthat students began to think like writers. They began to understandthat they as writers make choicesin their writing as to what kind orhetorical strategies they can use toexpress themselves. Students stillhad their voice and passion, andthey were able to articulate theirideas in relation to the texts we hadread. For example, in a practiceinal, a timed-writing, Pilar writeshow she eels about torture: "Like

Kleins argument, I do not believethat implementing torture as a ormo punishment is correct. I also dontbelieve in the use o torture unc-tions as an interrogation tool since itdoesnt guarantee a truthul answer.Gelernters argument persuaded meto believe that perhaps there are cer-tain situations in I which mild ormso torture, no physical or cruel pain,may be acceptable to save lives andprevent atrocities. Nonetheless, theuse o torture will only create more

enemies, just like Johnson explainsThereore, using torture would becounter productive and could havedevastating results."

Although Pilars writing at this pointmay be clunky, trying to incor-porate each authors text we hadread to help ormulate her opinion,she is able to express hersel and

keep hersel grounded in the texts.However, her voice gets a bit lost.

In Roriks essay, he actually arguesstrongly against torture. His voiceis strong and clear, and, or themost part, he stays grounded in thetext. In his response he is arguingagainst Levins argument rom ACase For Torture, which was theinal text given or students to readand analyze on the spot or the prac-tice inal:"I also disagree with his [Levins]methodology, his idea that the end justiies the means. This is a dangerous thinking process that in his-tory too many people have used.Stalin and Mao murdered and tor-tured millions to create their utopi-an systems. How many people dose[sic] Levin suggest we torture tosave others? I we were to disregardthe rule o law, as he suggests, we would destroy everything that w

represent [.] One must recognizehis [Levins] argument or what it isIt makes us no better than a crimi-nal to treat them [terrorist suspects]in the same capricious manner ter-rorists treat civilians."

Roriks voice is strong and clear inthis example. He is engaged andpassionate about the topic, and he isable to articulate his ideas and staygrounded in the texts we had read.By looking at the texts as mentor

Dialogue, Fall 20084

Students were

voicing their

opinions by

incorporating

the texts we

had read! More

importantly,

students were

voicing their

opinions in

much more

rhetorically

sophisticated

ways.

He is engaged

and passionate

about the topic,

and he is able to

articulate

his ideas and

stay grounded

in the texts

we had read.


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Patricia 'PJ' JefferyHickman Elementary

San Diego Uniied

Sharon LarryMontgomery Middle School

San Diego Uniied

Anne LeggettMadison Elementary

Cajon Valley Union

Lisa MuozMiramar College

SD Comunity College

Dinah SmithCPMA MiddleSchool

San Diego Uniied

Kelly ThomasMAAC Community School

Sweetwater Union

Lauren WilenskySan Diego Met High

San Diego Uniied

Marla WilliamsSan Diego State University

CSU

Margit BoyesenAda Harris Elementary

Cardi

Janna BraunSan Diego Mesa College

SD Community College

Callie BrimberryMAAC Community School

Sweetwater Union High

Cheryl Converse-RathEncanto Elementary

San Diego Uniied

Shannon FalknerCoronado HIgh School

Coronado

Lisa HarrisOlivenahin Pioneer School

Encinitas Union

Stephanie HubnerMar Vista High School

Sweetwater Union

Janet IlkoCuyamaca Elementary

Cajon Valley Union

CongratulationsSDAWP FellowsSummer 2008

Dialogue, Fall 2008 5

texts (as well as texts that they would later have towrite about) with my class, we could see how eachone o the authors ormulated his/her argument,explain his or her reasons, and use evidence. Mystudents began to understand how other writers write, and how they made choices as to whichrhetorical strategies to use. My students not onlyunderstood what each authors text was about, butthey had mentor texts o how to express theirideas and opinions. I now believe that I not only

empower my students to express their voice, I alsobelieve that I empower them to successully par-ticipate in academic conversations about importantissues. They need this to succeed at the universitylevel in the kinds o thinking and writing they arerequired to do.

More importantly, my students are better preparedto participate in the world around them. At the endo the semester, Rorik came up to me ater class with a big grin and told me I can really look at

an essay and igure out what someone is trying tosay. I was never beore able to pick out someonesargument and evidence. Now I do it all the time. Itsreally cool. I couldnt be happier!

Works Cited:

Bitzer, Lloyd. "The Rhetorical Situation."Philosophy and Rhetoric. 1 (Jan 1968): 1-14.

Brock, Cynthia. "Serving English LanguageLearners: Placing Learners Learning CenterStage."Language Arts 78:5 (2001): 467-75.

Gelernter, David. "When Torture Is The OnlyOption"LA Times 11 Nov 2005.

Johnson, Larry C. "And Why It Should Never BeOne."LA Times 11 Nov 2005.

Klein, Naomi. "Tortures Dirty Secret: It Works."The Nation 30 May 2005.

Levin, Michael. "A Case For Torture." (1982)http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/torture.html

I now believe that

I not only empower

my students to express

their voice, I also believe

that I empower them to

successfully participate

in academic

conversations about

important issues.

Susan YatesBay Park Elementary

San Diego Uniied


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SDAWP LogJuly 3, 2008Amy BrothersSDAWP 2007


As I look over my notes o the day towrite this log, I ask mysel, What isthe purpose o a daily log? We wereall there, participating.

The dictionary states that logs are written to record perormance orprogress. The perormance was ac-cording to schedule. Journaling,sharing, demonstrations, ood, writ-ing group discussion, reection,announcements. My log could be aterse list to show our work. But theprogressi we could quantiy theprogress o our proessional think-ing during these days, it would bea very big number.

I am struck by the diversity o pro-essional practice, and yet the grow-ing eeling o unity in this group. Weteach at very dierent schools, romelementary to university levels. Ourstudents are poor or rich, Englishspeaking or English newcomers,struggling with literacy or not. Wecome rom dierent places, diverseexperiences, and disparate ideas.The morning binds us together as we listen to journals: Kendra, Su-san, and some others ormed somesort o slippery bond yesterday aterdigging in messy trash, looking orKendras wallet. I eel thankul ora group that sticks together. Lindashares relie over projects fnished.My stress level spikes as my mindruns over my list at some point Iwill eel relieved, too. Cara writes oclearing the clutter rom her mind,and I remember to breathe. Trish,a technological explorer, sharesthat the frst time she sured the netwas like being swept away by a tidalwave, and I renew my appreciationo the willingness o this group to

take proessional risks. Allen sharesthoughts o riding public transporta-tion, contrasting train culture withbus culture. I think o how teacherstouch the world, both in and out othe classroom. Iris shares a storyclose to her hearther sons mar-riageand I think o intersections,crossroads, and wonder where weare headed ater these ew weekstogether. Linda shares her caughtpoem log. Our words, gatheredrom yesterday into a unifed poem,

give some continuity to the begin-ning o this day.

Teds demonstration requires us

to tap into some core belies, as heshares ways he helps high schoolseniors know themselves better inorder to write more compelling per-sonal statements. Student writingshows improvement rom the be-ginning to the end o this work. Wefnd unity around a basic belie, andagain demonstrate our diversity aswe share our own writing.

Trish shares her use o technologyand visual images to engage stu-dents in curricular content. We hearstudents poems connected to photosand see the words made into mov-ies. We see possibilities or helpingall students build knowledge about atopic, using images, words, and mu-sic. We add to our knowledge, andwrite about the Trail o Tears.Ted says, I kept thinking, theresgot to be a way to get more [o theirstories], so I began using This I Be-lieve. Trish says, I saw the moviesmade without movie cameras, andsaid, I could do that. Now that I knowwhat can be done, I know what ques-tions to ask. Again we are unifedin our common goal o sharing andlearning. Both Ted and Trish havepicked up an ideaa radio program,a computer programand modifedit or use in their classrooms. Bothhave connected us to new possibili-ties or our own classrooms. We go tolunch with minds already ull.During our writing response group, we marvel at the value o sharingour words and getting eedback. Werespond to poetry, an abstract, and

position papers. We begin in the text, work our way out to laughing andtelling stories, and then return to thetext. Are all the groups such a won-derul mix o challenge and support?Although our writing voices are quitediverse, our unity toward purposeulshaping o words is inspiring.Reection and announcements at theend o the day bring us back togeth-er. The clean-up begins. Trafc getschecked on sigalert.com should we

eel overwhelmed now, preparing toace uture trafc? I discover that thiswebsite, new to me, made someonevery rich. I think again about my career. Ill never get rich as a teacherBut wait. Today we agreed upon abasic belie that money cannot buyhappiness. We had a really rich day."There are no corners in

this writing institute"SDAWP Leader, Summer 2007

I hear thisfrom my seatin the circle:visually exposed,thoughts hidden.

I write in corners.I'm a corner thinker.I speak out when

I've gathered my thoughts.I don't cut corners;I inhabit them . . .habitually sit quiescent.

Am I a mouse, quivering?No. Timid has never beena part of my profession.I'm boldly quiet in mycorner of the world.

Wait!The worldhas no corners.Its textured faceforms varied habitsof mind and endeavor,which we triminto submission.The innate curiosityof learnersis circumscribed;an artifcial geometry

subduing the naturallandscape of learning.

I am a quiet gatherer.SomedayI will gnaw throughthe woven linesthattie learners down.

Amy Brothers


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SDAWP: Writing MarathonBalboa ParkSpring 2008

ppppppp

On May 3, 2008 SDAWP members convened with hosts Becky

Gemmell and Warren Williams in Balboa Park to share writing time

together. Writing Marathons, which were started by Richard Louth as parto the Lousiana Writing Project's Summer Institute, are becoming part

o the Writing Project culture. We are currently looking or volunteers

to host writing marathons or SDAWP. We thought it would be un hold

them in diercent parts o the county so that we can have opportunities

to explore areas that may not be amiliar to all o us. Please

contact the SDAWP ofce i you are interested in hosting a marathon.


My watch said nine o'clock on thedot. The Spring Writing Marathon wassupposed to start and we had threeparticipants: Warren and me, the hosts,and Warren's girlfriend, Iris, who wasobligated to be there.

I thought to myself, "What a big waste

of time. We'll just cancel and gohome."

But then I would've missed out on abeautiful day in Balboa Park. And todo what? To clean my house and runto the grocery store?

If no one had showed, would I havestayed there to wander around andwrite on my own? Probably not. So

even though our group was small (weexpanded to seven by 9:20), it gaveme a sense of purpose and of safety toexplore, to write, and to take a breakfrom the daily drudgery.

We all need to take a break from thedaily grind and make time to write.Otherwise, are we really practicingwhat we preach?

Becky Gemmel

SDAWP 2001

WritingI almost didn't come today,

Not because Balboa Park is araway(because I love Balboa Park)But because lie is so hurried,I worriedthis was just one more thingHowever come I didand I got to know Iris and Warren,and remember that writing is not painulbut a necessary cerebral cleansing and

now I am washed

Heidi Paul

SDAWP 1998

Butterfy Garden

Balboa Park

Wrapped in a garden

o stone and trees and owers

hummingbirds whiz by

Still on the stone bench

bird songs drit in on the breeze

butteries oat by

Monarchs mostly now

oreshadowing Kings and Queens

o summer Shakespeare

Sun flters down,

I'm carried o in a dream,

wrapped in buttery wings.

Nancy Rogers

SDAWP 1994


8/16

8 Dialogue, Fall 2008

Ode to Horses!by Eugenia Tzeng, Grade 4

When I wake uprst thing in the morningI lookout the window

Oh! My!You are a beautiul horse!Looking right in my eye!It must be a dreamO a horse with eyesthat blink perectlyand a bumpy back.Oh, what a beautiul,perect, amazinghorse.

The Other World(a class poem,

YWC grades 7 and 8)

My oot sinks into the beige-colored sand

Callused eet assault rom day to day

I could taste the salty air and

hear the rhythmic sound o

the crashing waves

In the burning stand, a crab sits

ready to attack

Diving down, grabbing grainy

handuls o sand, and

eeling it trickle through

your ngersSilver fash o sh in the water

Sunset stretching in an

endless line

across the horizon

A new world starts

beneath

beyond

below

the ocean's surace

Keep Guardby Paloma Acosta, Grade 12

He guards his precious collection,

even rom the sot, delicate rays o sunlight.

He can't possibly understand that his myriad

o knick-knacks and strange assortments

are considered trash avored trash by the skeptical

eye, devoid o imagination.

To him, he protects priceless treasures.But to the rest o the world, he keeps guard over

oung

riters

amp

S

U

M

M

ER

2

0

0

7

Y

WC


9/16


Rainbow Revelationsby Cinnamon Roy, Class o 2007

Red is a re truck cling clanging its way to a house enguled in fames.

Orange is a racer back worn-out shirt dripping with sweat.

Yellow is a water polo ball soaring past the goalies ngertips into the net.

Green is an evergreen orest slowing ading while gasoline seeps between its roots.

Blue is a crashing wave whose oamy ngers carry surers to shore.

Indigo is a starry starry night in which galaxies swirl and stars meander across the sky.

Violet is a morning glory proclaiming its beauty to other garden fowers.

A million metal bugs,

hustling under a

rustling, polluted breeze.

It's 8:14 and they're already

paranoid and rushing

on their concrete sea,

to get where they need to be.

Fumbling between 91.4 and 101.3

and their morning routines,

never noticing the miracles in

the sky o God's jeans.

A washed out denim dream,

the color o Omi's eyes,

ripped and leaking golden ink

onto a strawberry feld,

a quilt o green and singing trees,

onto an inected society that

injects and rejects

and collects

everything with their machines.

by Camilla Elizabeth Aguirre Aguilar,

Grade 11

A poem is a nger prodding the hearts of those who read itA poem is a river owing and peacefulA lantern, glowing and re litA coyote, padding its way through a lonely desertPoems are eagles, spreading their wings and gliding smoothlyA poem is a bubble growing larger until it popsA poem is a man trekking across an icy wasteland

A poem is a candle of words melting into oblivion,until it transforms into a puddle of descriptionPoems are snowakes, each one uniquePoems are music, letting off notesof harmony, description and metaphorsA sunrise glowing in its splendorA sunset, humbly dropping out of sight

What is a Poem?by Charlie Mann, Grade 5


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cator, he is constantly growing andexpanding his knowledge.I write daily. But I seldom sharemy work with my students. At thissummers San Diego Area WritingProject (SDAWP) invitational,Rebecca Gemmell told a similarstory. She then demonstrated howshe began to write with her studentsin her English classes, creating astrong writing community, and howtheir writing improved dramati-cally. Kim Douillard demonstrated

how she journals and relects withher elementary school students,also building a strong communityo writers. Last year, when shemoved away rom that process, herstudents writing suered. She will write with her students again thisall. They are walking the walk.It is not like the saying, Those who can (write), do. Those whocant (write), teach. It hasbecome, Those who teach writingmust write. In their book Insidethe National Writing Project, AnnLieberman and Diane Wood state,Thus, writers are the best teach-ers o writing simply because theyare involved in the practice o writ-ing. They go on to quote a Writing

Project teaching consultant, Well,I think number one is that i Ima teacher o writing I have to be awriter. In the bookBecause WritingMatters, researcher Donald Gravessays, I kids dont write more thanthree times a week, theyre dead,and its very hard to become a writ-er. I you provide requent occa-sions or writing, then the studentsstart to think about writing whentheyre not doing it. I call it a stateo constant composition.

Let's Walk

the Walk

Ted Hernandez,

SDAWP 2007

10 Dialogue, Fall 2008

Aha. A teacher can best mine writ-ing rom students by writing him-sel. I can create an environment where students write by writingtoo. I already write daily. But i Iwrite daily with my students, modeling behavior and crat, they mightbegin to think like writers and workas Graves states, in a state o con-stant composition. And i I take a

urther step, working toward pub-lication and public exposure o mywork and voice, my students mightsee the validity o their eorts andtheir writing becomes authentic. I will be walking the walk, and myclassroom becomes a garden ovoices.

This premise is not bound to writ-ing teachers. We are historians. Weare scientists and mathematiciansWe are travelers. We are studentsIt doesnt matter what we teach

or what grade level we teach. I we ask our students to perorm atask, we must be prepared to dothe same. We must be prepared toexpose ourselves, just as we ask ourstudents to expose themselves. Bydoing this, we are not only model-ing proessional behavior, we aregrowing proessionally and person-ally. Let our students know we arewalking the walk. They will only bethe better or it.

Reerences:

Lieberman, Ann and Diane R Wood. (2003). Inside the NationaWriting Project.New York: TeachersCollege Press.

National Writing Project and CarlNagin. (2006). Because Writin

Matters: Improving Student Writing

in Our Schools. San FranciscoJossey-Bass.

Gemmell, Rebecca. (2007). No More Boring Lit. Analysis Papers!

Encouraging VOICE in StudenWriting. San Diego Area WritingProject.

We are historians. We are scientistsand mathematicians. We are travelers. We are students.

It doesnt matter what we teachor what grade level we teach.

Remember the saying, Those thatcan, do. Those that cant, teach?A small cadre o educators at myschool, constructing a Visual andPerorming Arts Academy, one oour sites small learning commu-nities, are out to prove it wrong.They do not see teaching as discon-nected rom the activity we teach.They are writers, painters, teach-ers. They write. They paint. Theyteach. They believe i were going totalk the talkthat is, persuade ourstudents that our subject is validand essentialwe should walk the walk. In other words, we need tobe prepared to do what we ask ourstudents to do.Too many teachers, I am included,are inauthentic in our approach.I teach English and my students,seniors in high school, create webpages, construct power points andmake presentations, read theirpoetry aloud and in public, and write in pressure situations. I donone o these. I did some, once, as ajournalist, and that experience is aninvaluable aid or me as a writinginstructor. I reer to that experience with my students, but its not thesame. I need to do more. I shouldparticipate in what Ive asked themto do; it not only models, but itbuilds community and gives assign-ments authenticity.Art teachers do this all the time. Iwatch in amazement as Ron Moya,a painter and one o my colleagues,moves about our campus and thecommunity surrounding our site.

Wherever you see him, he has hisnotebook. Hes writing or drawing.Hes visiting galleries. Hes begun toshow his work again. (Hes not justreerring to when he used to show.)He teaches his students to observethe world as artists and to constant-ly think about composition. Whenit clicks or them, he says, Nowyoure thinking like an artist. In hislie at school and in the community,he models this skill. He walks thewalk. More importantly, as an edu-


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mRethinkingNative LanguageUse in OurClassroom


He already knows how to negoti-ate the many unctions o language within a dierent culture, and hebrings that knowledge to the class-room table when he begins to learnEnglish, i we choose to let him.

So why should we, his teach-ers, make this choice? By pro-moting native language use at thesame time that a student acquires

English, we allow or signiicantcognitive achievement. Drawing on

the research o Jim Cummins (ascited in Baker, 1996, p. 139), Bakersummarizes three ways to explain

how bilingualism and cognitiveadvantages seem related. The irstexplanation is that bilinguals mayhave a wider and more varied rangeo experiences than monolinguals

due to their operating in two lan-guages and probably two or morecultures (Baker, 1996). Second,he explains a switching mecha-nism. Because bilingual childrenswitch between their two languag-es, they may be more lexible intheir thinking (Baker, 1996). Thethird advantage, he claims, is that abilingual may consciously and sub-consciously compare and contrasttheir two languages (Baker, 1996).Blooms taxonomy places the ability

to compare within the comprehen-sion, analysis, and evaluationlevels o thinking.

Any objections to a linguisticallyexperienced and lexible studentwith high level thinking skills?

In addition, the ability to compareand contrast two languages givesa bilingual person a higher level o

what Ben-Zeev (as cited in Baker1996, p. 136) reers to as commu-nicative sensitivity. Baker explainscommunicative sensitivity as aheightened awareness o when touse which language:

They need constantly to monitor what is the appropriate languagin which to respond or when ini-tiating a conversation (e.g. on thetelephone, in a shop, speaking toa superior). Not only do bilingualsoten attempt to avoid intererence

between their two languages, theyalso have to pick up on clues andcues when to switch languages.The literature suggests that thismay give a bilingual increased sen-

sitivity to the social nature and com-municative unctions o language(Baker, 1996).

To allow or these positive out-comes, teachers must stop thinkingo a students native language asa crutchsomething temporaryand throw-away, needed only by aninjured person. Evidently, a stu-dent on his way to bilingualism isin better linguistic health than hismonolingual counterparts!

When they use their native lan-guage in the classroom it becomesa crutch.

How many times have those o uswho work with English learners, oror that matter, those who ollow theEnglish-only political debate in ourcountry, heard this tired compari-son? Whats so bad about a crutch,anyway? Is it that we automatically

associate the word crutch withthe word injury?

Lets consider the crutch by itsel.Doesnt it give someone with a legor oot injury time to heal? Doesnt

it provide her with continued mobil-ity despite her injury? I so, whydoes the metaphor seem to demon-ize crutches along with native lan-guages? A crutch is an invaluablesource o strength, as is ones nativelanguage. The use o both is toprovide time, balance, saety, andhealthier progress in the long run.To remove native language leavesthe learner vulnerable at best, andin the worst situationswithout avoice.

Both crutches and native languagesare shortchanged in this metaphor,spoken so oten in irritation, impa-tience, or intolerance. More impor-tantly, we dont consider the harmdone when equating an Englishlearner with one who is injured.Id like to suggest that under nocircumstances is a students nativelanguage harmul to his learning,nor is his lack o English proiciencya deicit. In act, hes an entire lan-guage ahead o those o us who arehighly educated but monolingual.

Shannon Meridith

SDAWP 2007

Id like to suggest that under no circumstances

is a students native language harmful

to his learning, nor is his lack

of English proficiency a deficit.

...teachers must stop thinking of a

students native language as a crutch

something temporary and throw-away,

needed only by an injured person.

n


12/16


Despite my awareness o the poten-tial advantages o bilingualism, Iused to be part o the crutch campo thinking. I could justiy whystudents should have marginal useo their native language in contentareas other than English, since thecontent is more the ocus than thelanguage. But in English class Ibelieved that since the content was

the language, English should beused at all times by everyone. Thatputs everyone on an equal ooting,I reasoned.

In reality, the English language isonly the content o the Englishclass in the broadest sense. Thereare many sub-contents happeningwithin that subject area. Lets sup-pose that were discussing literaryterms like metaphor and imagery. While an English Learner mightstruggle to articulate the purpose osuch devices in English, she couldcertainly learn what they mean inher language i we allow or aquick translation. Wont that gether on an equal ooting with herclassmates much more eicient-ly? Wont it be easier or her nowto learn the English words, sincethe concepts are already in herhead? Additionally, the classmate who translated or explained the words to her has just reinorcedhis own knowledge o the vocabu-

lary. Everyone beneited rom theexchange, even the teacher, whocan proceed with the lesson know-ing that metaphor and imagerywere introduced and understood.

Most o us have studied a newlanguage at some point in our aca-demic history, so we might recallthat the onlythough signiicantbarrier to communication was ourlack o words, not an inability tothink or reason. We had only to askour riend, or a teacher, or consulta dictionary, to arrive at where weneeded to be, at least temporarily.The same is true or my students. When my lesson grinds to a haltdue to a ew misunderstood words

in English, a neighbors quick trans-lation is an eicient way or all stu-dents to gain the same backgroundknowledge and be able to moveorward collectively.

Though moving ahead with thesame knowledge base might seema desirable situation in our class-rooms, there is one major obstacle

in the way: our own anxieties. Wemight worry that when we let stu-

dents use their native languages, well no longer be able to con-trol them. We are warned in ourteaching credential programs andby our administrations that withoutclassroom control, all may be lost.How can we be expected to controlstudents when we cant even under-stand what theyre saying? What ithe animated Korean conversationis really about the overhead mark-er stain on Mrs. Merideths aceinstead o the theme o the book wejust read?

Ive come to realize that whetheror not I allow this dynamic in myclassroom is more about my ownlevel o comort, or discomort, thanabout wildly subversive studentsscheming in their native language

while I look on helplessly. Middleschoolers are seldom subtle, andbody language says a whole lot. Ihave had to learn to live with notalways controlling the conversation,and at the same time I trust myinstincts about what students seemto be discussing. This, o course,means sharing some o the controlwith the students, and letting thembe responsible or their own use onative language in their learning.Its pretty intimidating, especially

when weve accustomed ourselveto calling all o the shots, to making the most important decisions othem.

Since the perceived threat o nativlanguage use oten originates romour own ears, not rom any substantiated concern that it will impede thcontent being studied, it is critica

that we learn to accept our own discomort. Stephanie Jones, in study

ing the alternative language practices o young girls in a high-povertU.S. neighborhood, asserts that, arom a harmonious, predictable, anshared vision that the idealized concept o classroom community mighevoke, classrooms that open spacewhere students multiple ways wit words are centered and engagein meaningul, productive learninare oten sites o conlict (Jones2006). We oten equate peaceulness in our classrooms with quiet.Learning, however, means activeand at times loud and conrontationalmeaning-making. It is natural or conlict to exist as studentstruggle not only with languagmeanings, but with their belies andidentities and those o others. Thiconlict, as Jones suggests, migh very well be productive and evenecessary.

The strongest conlict o all, thoughmay be within ourselvesthe recognition and acceptance o our discomort in allowing students the reedom to use their native languagesIn addition we risk conlict with oucolleagues when advocating or thi

practice. We then need to articulatwhy the crutch metaphor is so aultyor surely they will summon it to theideense. Not only does the metaphomisconstrue the true intention o thcrutch as well as the condition o thelanguage learner, but it wrongly suggests that the metaphorical itthnative languageshould eventuallbe replaced or put away. First language use should be able to supporthe acquisition o both English ancontent area subject matter as lon

Though moving ahead with the same

knowledge base might seem a desirable situation

in our classrooms, there is one major

obstacle in the way: our own anxieties.

Everyone benefited from the exchange,even the teacher, who can proceed

with the lesson knowing that metaphor

and imagery were introduced and understood.


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When I returned home I was a muchstronger and more conident speak-er o Spanish because Id used all othe tools at my disposal, especiallymy irst language, to move me orward. Why would I deny the sameopportunity to my students?

And unlike me, most o our stu-dents have not made the choice

to live here, a country that is or-eign to them, but rather are hereby circumstances outside o theircontrol. Many may be here or theremainder o their lives, which givesthem an added incentive to learn thelanguage o power in our countryEnglish. Using their native lan-guage throughout this process ini-tially provides them with balance,with a eeling o security, o knowingsomething in a setting o too manyunknowns. According to Jones(2006), their being positioned asknowers within a space where theyare routinely positioned as lackingin knowledge opens up the possibil-ity that they may want to learn mul-tiple ways o speaking about topicso interest. So their native languagenot only helps them learn what theyneed to know about their new lan-guage and country, but it actuallykeeps them motivated to do so.

When we honor that language, andthe culture in which its embedded,we show students that we welcomeand accept them as they are. We

send the message that English is notintended to make them over into anew person, but give them a toolto successully negotiate the aca-demic and proessional demands otheir new world. By valuing wherethey come rom and the experi-ence and knowledge that they bring, we build a trusting relationship in which theyre more likely to ollowus to new places o learning andrisk-taking. We also increase theprobability that our students willcontinue to eel pride and respect

or themselves, their home languag-es and cultures, and in turn be ableto extend that respect to the vastlydiverse citizens who make up thiscountry. Baker airms that thosewho speak more than one languageand own more than one cultureare more sensitive and sympathetic,more likely to build bridges thanbarricades and boundaries. (Baker,1996) This bridge-building origi-nates in our classrooms, where weallow and encourage the native lan-

as needed, and thereby become apartner language o power and sup-port. It is the oundation o Englishlearning because its the backboneo an English learners thinking. Itis one o the most powerul toolsinot the most powerulin the acqui-sition o subsequent languages.

Shall we then consider a students

native language a tool rather than acrutch? Ater all, we love the toolso our trade, dont we? Teachersmay disagree on methodology, butmost o us are passionate about ourcontent area, and will do almostanything to help students learn thatcontent. Well set chemicals on irein our science labs, recite poetry ontabletops, play a version o class-room baseball to review beore atest, and toss out Jolly Ranchersas students volunteer their correctanswers. We use all o the toolsat our disposal: dictionaries andthesauruses, calculators and graphpaper, microscopes and beakers, tomake learning more eective andexplicit. In act, we are our ownmost powerul tool. Would we denystudents our own knowledge andability to explain a concept i wesaw it was needed? I not, then whywould we preclude the use o nativelanguage as a tool to move studentsorward in their learning?

There is no such thing as true immer-sion in the target language, or that

would mean the elimination o ourthinking and eeling lives, whichnaturally and automatically happenin our native tongue. Never, whenliving abroad, was I orced to existin only the language o the hostcountry. There were many times when I was required to speak andhear the language o the country,but my knowledge o words andlanguage use in general, rom yearso speaking my irst language, easedthis process. I dont mean that I wasconstantly translating rom one lan-

guage to the other when speakingand listening. In most communica-tions, though, aside rom the brieestbits o small talk, there was uncer-tainty or me to negotiate, and thatis when everything I know about myirst language bridged communica-tion to the second. In order to makean instant decision about how toparticipate appropriately in an act ocommunication, I had to draw on myirst language knowledge o contextclues, cognates, voice inlection, etc.


SDAWP

NOTES

CongratulationsLaurel Corona (SDAWP 77) has

published a book (St Martins

Press) entitled Until Our Last

Breath: A Holocaust Story of

Love and Partisan Resistance.

Check out her website at www

laurelcoronacom or more inor-

mation about this book and her

orthcoming novel set in Venice in

Vivaldis time

KudosChristine Sphar has co-authored

two books published by MathSolutions: Supporting English

Language Learners in Math Class

K-2 and Supporting English Lan-

guage Learners in Math

Class 3-5 The books provide

specifc strategies teachers can

use to help English learners suc-

ceed in math class The lessons

guide teachers in developing stu-

dents profciency in English while

also developing their mathemati-

cal understanding In addition,

teachers will learn how to modiy

existing math lessons to support

students with varying degrees o

English language profciency

The books are available or

preview and purchase at

mathsolutionscom

Birth AnnouncementsJennier Pust (SDAWP 03) and

husband Michael welcomed ababy boy, Noah Michael, on

April 21, 2008 Jennier has relo-

cated to Los Angeles and teaches

at Santa Monica High School

Sarah (Curry) Ogus (SDAWP

'03) gave birth to Elizabeth Eden

Ogus on May 29th 2008 Con-

gratulations Sarah and amily!


14/16

guage to be a bridge to English, andperhaps more importantly, a way orthem to show who they are and whatthey know.

Oten reerred to as our home lan-guage, our native language is thecenter o our identity. It is how weexpress our deepest emotions andshow our most intimate connections

to the world. Gonzalez (as cited inJones, 2006, p. 116) writes that theinterweaving o language ideologiesand emotion or children cannotbe overemphasized. How languageconnects with ormations o identityand community or children is atthe crux o the language wars thatrage on. When we removeat anypoint in their education or lietimepeoples acility to use their nativelanguage, we literally rob them otheir ability to ully communicatewho they are, where they are rom,and what they eel and believe.

It need not be a war, though not inour classrooms. Yes, we might haveto engage in the battle, in the con-versation, outside o our classroomsto justiy why we allow the use o thistool. But inside our classrooms wecan let the conversations continue,live with our discomort, and createa saei at times overly animated,conlicted. and even o-taskenvi-ronment or our students to makesense o their learning without giv-ing up any part o who they are.

We must lay aside the notion thatour students native languages area short-term support, and recognizethe rich and lasting permanence othose languages in their lives. And we must move beyond simply rec-ognizing those languages. We mustencourage their use, celebrate theirbeauty, and create new metaphors tounderstand them.

Reerences

Baker, C. (1996).Foundationsof Bilingual Education and

Bilingualism. Clevedon:Multilingual Matters Ltd.

Jones, S. (2006). Language with anattitude: White girls perormingclass.Language Arts, 84 (2),114 124.

14

c MUSE BOX Stacey Goldblatt, SDAWP 1999Books arent writtentheyre rewritten. Including your own. It is one ofthe hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasntquite done it.Michael Crichton

Since becoming a young adult novelist, Ive struggled with both the inter-nal editor (the one that reminds me anything I write is not worth reading)and the external editor (the literal woman in New York who line edits mymanuscript and nudges me to ind things like the emotional trajectoryo my characters) The bottom line is that published writing goes throughsome sort o ilter that either deepens or alters the intentions o the writer,but in the end, strengthens the piece so its ready or its reader

That said, ind a piece o writing to which you are willing to commit

yoursel Either start resh, or go back to a piece thats been niggling atyou Read it aloud, without pen in hand Next round, grab your pen,mark all over it Ask yoursel questions about it Save it and start it anewThen read it aloud again until youre ready to share it with someoneThen share it and allow someone else to use the pen The process can bepainul, but it is worth the outcome I we dont revise, we dont have thepleasure o seeing a piece o writing reach its potential Allow yoursel towatch it grow and change and most importantly, dont stop when youreready to give up

Dialogue, Fall 2008

NWP AnnouncementsLetters to the Next President: Writing Our Future

For high school teachers and mentors who would like to capitalize on young people'sinterest in the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign, Google and the National Writing

Project have teamed up to create Letters to the Next President: Writing Our Future.http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/doc/nwpsites/writing_our_future.csp

Join the Conversation about Who is a WriterWhat do people write and read every day? What makes people eel they are writers,

or not? Through online video, audio, and print texts The National Conversation onWriting hopes to encourage a discussion on these questions. Members o the NWP

community are invited to join the conversation about who is a writer.http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/2546

Start Planning for the Annual Meeting in San AntonioMake plans now to attend this years annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas,

November 20-22. Online registration or workshops begins September 2. Check theNWP website or regular updates and inormation.

http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/doc/08am/home.csp

Writing Matters: What's Your Story?Writing Matters oers online writing instruction or middle schools. It eatures genre

studies, animations, lessons, publishing tools and proessional development.TheWriting Matters portal is set up to provide teachers access to lessons plans, class-

room visual and an online location to collect, evaluate and publish student work.http://www.writingmatters.org/


15/16

Classroom NotesPlus NCTE

es and possibilities should we beexploring? Who is the assumedaudience or these standards, andhow do the standards beneit orconstrain teaching and learning indiverse settings? What are the ten-sions between skills and knowl-edge? How do these tensions serveteachers and childrens agency inknowledge production? How do werespond to standards in educationbased on our political and ethi-cal obligations to our students? Weinvite submissions addressing thesequestions and other issues relatedto English language arts standards.For submission guidelines visit:www.ncte.org/pubs/journals/la/write/108999.htm


DIALOGUE

Call forManuscriptsWinter 2009 Issue

Submission Deadline:

December 15, 2008

From Fear toConfidence

Although we may read aloud

and expose students to the inspir-

ing possibilities of the written

word many of them, and per-

haps many of us, grow up with

a real distaste for writing and

a lack of confidence about our

ability to write effectively andcorrectly. We fear it more than

we love it.

Mem Fox,rom her essay

Learning from Learning

In many ways, as teachers, were trying to undo ears,insecurities (and unortunate-ly, dislikes) our students haveabout writing. What techniquesor resources do you bring intothe classroom that inspire your

students to write? How do youimbue your students with asense o conidence about writ-ing? What are some books, sto-ries, poems, essays that youind eective in catalyzing stu-dent writing? What is your ownstory about learning rom yourlearning that has brought youcloser to eeling an ainity orwriting?

Dialogue would like to receiveyour work or the work o your

students. Submit a story ostudent success, a strategy orimplementation, or a personalessay on your teaching experi-ence.

Email all manuscript submis-sions, suggestions, letters tothe editor and Project Notes [email protected] [email protected]

PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES

For the Fun o It!Deadline: November 15, 2008

Do you remember what attracted you to the ield o English? Was ityour escapist orays into other landsthrough reading? Dreams o writ-ing the next Great American Novel?Fascination with amous speakers who moved the world with their words? Whiling away the hourswith a dog-eared comic book or popnovel? Indulging your ego with yourown angst-ridden poetry? Playingyour avorite songs again and againto hear and appreciate every word?

Creating a amous Web site? You'relucky. Now that you teach English, you get to indulge these pleasureswith your students and call it work.Since people learn best throughplay, there is an argument to bemade that all teaching and learningshould be un. What do you teachthat you and your students indto be a great deal o un? Please,no Jeopardy!style test reviewsor mnemonic devices or namingthe parts o speech. For this issue,we seek enjoyable, creative assign-

ments that engage students in gen-uinely high-level learning in anyarea o English language arts. Forsubmission guidelines visit: www.englishjournal.colostate.edu/ino-orauthors.htm#articles

English JournalNCTE

Language ArtsNCTE

In each issue, we will eature a inalpage called In Closing . . . . This isa one-page ormat (750-word maxi-mum) that could take the orm o apoem, essay, conversation, journalentry, short story, or visual art withcaption. The ocus is on the voiceso educators who have recognized ashit in perspective, perception, orpracticein their school, their dis-

trict, or themselves. We hope thatreaders will look orward to thiseature because it prompts them toremember and rethink. For submis-sion guidelines visit: www.ncte.org/pubs/journals/la/write/109012.htm

Language ArtsNCTE

Locating Standardsin Language Arts Education

Deadline: January 15, 2009

Many proessional organizationsacross content areas have estab-lished standards or teaching andlearning (i.e., NCTE & IRA, NCTM,NCSS), providing the ramework orstate and local curriculum develop-ment. In this issue, we are interestedin exploring the impact standards-based education has on preK8 lit-eracy education. How do you relateideas, contents, and relections withstandards? What curricular absenc-

Classroom Notes Plus, NCTEs quar-terly newsletter o practical teach-ing ideas or the middle and second-ary school level, invites descriptionso teaching practices or consider-ation. We ask that submissions beoriginal and previously unpublishedand, in the case o an adapted idea,that you clearly identiy any sourc-es that deserve mention. Please beaware that any student work needsto be accompanied by statements oconsent by the student and his or herparents.For submission guidelinesvisit: www.ncte.org/pubs/publish/journals/109277.htm


16/16

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