Craig Hancock wrote:
>Marshall,
> I haven't seen the study, but Hillocks refers to it in his Research on
>the Teaching of composition, the 1986 book that heavily influenced
>NCTE's anti-grammar position. I don't have it in front of me, but my
>memory is that, as he sums it up, the curriculum was met with a great
>deal of resistance, anger, and hostility. To some extent, the focus on
>sentence combining was a way to salvage some use for generative grammar
>within the classroom. It, too, has had mixed results.
>
>Craig>
>
>
> Martha Kolln wrote:
>
>
>>>Marshall,
>>>
>>>No, I'm not familiar with them. Any idea where I could find them?
>>>
>>>Martha
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Martha Kolln wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Dear John and Eduard and all,
>>>>>
>>>>>It is indeed true that my colleague Sandra Wyngaard, head of English
>>>>>at State College (PA) High School, and I are in the throes of
>>>>>production. Our book, "Discovering Grammar: Unlocking the Language
>>>>>Toolbox for Middle School Readers and Writers," takes teachers and
>>>>>students step by small step through minilessons to mastery.
>>>>>
>>>>>We begin with a short lesson on Subject/Predicate, which, by the
>>>>>way, includes a structured writing assignment (which many of the
>>>>>minilessons do). Then come nine minilessons on nouns and noun
>>>>>phrases and pronouns. These lessons include discussions of
>>>>>form--singular/plural as well as derivational endings-- that help
>>>>>students unlock their own inner grammar expertise. Next come seven
>>>>>minilessons on verb forms. All of these lead to and are integrated
>>>>>with the next series of lessons on ten sentence patterns, which are
>>>>>essentially predicate patterns. With each lesson, directed mainly
>>>>>at teachers, we include several "Unlocking" exercises and
>>>>>"reading/writing connection"
>>>>>exercises, classroom activities for the students--many of which are
>>>>>connected to the young-adult literature they are reading.
>>>>>
>>>>>I have learned from Sandra--and by talking to many teachers--that
>>>>>today's language arts classes are very different from what many of
>>>>>us remember way back when--or even not so way back. Today's
>>>>>teachers rely on minilessons, on word study, on word sorts (many of
>>>>>which we include), with very little, if any, attention to syntax
>>>>>in an organized way. That lack of attention is due in large part to
>>>>>the teachers' own inadequate grammar background and very scant help
>>>>>from textbooks.
>>>>>
>>>>>We are very excited about what we have accomplished so far. The
>>>>>first section of the book--100+ pages--will be class-tested this
>>>>>fall in all nine middle schools of Carroll County, Maryland, as well
>>>>>as in
>>>>>selected classes in four other school districts, including districts
>>>>>in two other states as well as Pennsylvania. We expect to have the
>>>>>finished published version ready for fall 2007. We are publishing
>>>>>and planning to market it ourselves.
>>>>>
>>>>>As I explain in the Introduction, the material is based on my
>>>>>"Understanding English Grammar," which is based on sentence
>>>>>patterns. I firmly believe that the framework of sentence patterns
>>>>>has been enormously helpful for my college-level students in the
>>>>>teacher-prep grammar class. In the new book, we are including the
>>>>>very simplest diagrams for the sentence patterns--so they will be
>>>>>there for those teachers who want to include them.
>>>>>
>>>>>As I said in my keynote address at ATEG last month, minilessons are
>>>>>here to stay in the language arts classrooms of middle schools. If
>>>>>we want to have an impact, we have to join them. Believe me, these
>>>>>are not the minilessons that Constance Weaver describes in her
>>>>>books, the "teachable moment" occasions that occur in writing
>>>>>workshops. Ours are organized in small steps, designed to fit into
>>>>>a classroom period, that scaffold on one another but that also bring
>>>>>to the students' conscious understanding step by organized step the
>>>>>subconscious knowledge that they had with them when they entered
>>>>>kindergarten. Mastery through minilessons is our goal.
>>>>>
>>>>>I'll appreciate your input and interest, especially those of you who
>>>>>might be interested in seeing more detail as it becomes available.
>>>>>The table of contents will be ready soon; that might give you a
>>>>>better idea of our program.
>>>>>
>>>>>Martha
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>John:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I guess the safest way to find out if this is true or not is to ask
>>>>>>Martha Kolln herself if she and her friends intend to publish a book
>>>>>>designed for "the lower level Japanese students." I am sure, as you
>>>>>>say, that "Japanese students would benefit from a version of this
>>>>>>book pitched at a lower level." Hopefully Martha is reading this
>>>>>>message and will answer your question.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Eduard
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>On Mon, 21 Aug 2006, John curran wrote...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> >Eduard,
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Re your last submission:
>>>>>>> Here is a message from an Australian teacher in Japan at the
>>>>>>>chalk-
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>face=
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>,=20
>>>>>>>teaching at the primary level. ATEG's "Grammar Alive - A guide
>>>>>>>for=20
>>>>>>>Teachers" has been very helpful but it is difficult to adapt this
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>book to=
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>=20
>>>>>>>the needs of the lower level Japanese students. Japanese students
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>would=20=
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>benefit from a version of this book pitched at a lower level. There
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>is a=20=
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>rumour going around that Martha Kolln and friends are preparing such
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>a=20=
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>book. Can we be so lucky?
>>>>>>> John Curran
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>interface at:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
>>>>>>>and select "Join or leave the list"
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web
>>>>>>interface at:
>>>>>> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
>>>>>>and select "Join or leave the list"
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web
>>>>>interface at:
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>>>>>
>>>>>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>Martha,
>>>>
>>>>Are you familiar with the two t-g books by Jacobs and Rosenbaum,
>>>>published in 1967 and designed for seventh graders? They're called
>>>>Grammar 1 and Grammar 2.
>>>>
>>>>Marshall
>>>>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web
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>>>>select "Join or leave the list"
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web
>>>interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select
>>>"Join or leave the list"
>>>
>>>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>Martha,
>>
>>I have copies of both.
>>
>>Give me your snail mail address, and I'll loan them to you.
>>
>>My memory is not very sharp about this, but I think there was a NCTE
>>study of middle schoolers to see if teaching them transformational
>>grammar would affect their writing. I believe it was in the 60's or 70's.
>>
>>Best wishes,
>>
>>Marshall
>>
>>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
>>at:
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>>and select "Join or leave the list"
>>
>>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>>
>>
>>
>
>To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
>and select "Join or leave the list"
>
>Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
>
>
Craig,
Yes, those are memories, too.
Marshall
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