Joanne, Thanks for your response. I feel completely overwhelmed, too, with trying to plan, trying to learn to use a new Web page program and get things online for my fall grammar class, etc. By the way, although Teaching Grammar in Context offers research, some teachers and teachers-to-be prefer my edited, practical book, Lessons to Share: On Teaching Grammar in Context. I've even decided to use the later book and two Web-posted chapters from the former in the online course I'll be teaching on teaching grammar, next summer and fall. Meanwhile, I am struggling with such basics as getting my printer to work again, and leaving in a few minutes for a conference! Connie "Joanne W. Sandhu" wrote: > I, too, plan to use Noden's book, Image Grammar, which I am now reading as > well as your book, Connie, Teaching Grammar in Context. Let's keep this > topic on the list, if you would, so all can benefit. And Gretchen, thanks > for your suggestion of Rief's book, Seeking Diversity, which I am also > reading. So much to absorb and plan, so little time, even though it is > summer! Anyone else feel that way? And how does one deal with curriculum > demands when trying to implement workshop? I feel caught in the middle of > old expectations and new ideas.... > > Thanks, > Joanne > sandhu!cyberis.net > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Connie Weaver <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Sunday, July 23, 2000 1:48 PM > Subject: Re: Connie Weaver's minilessons > > > This message is for Gretchen. I apologize if I've already sent it, but I > found > > it in my drafts folder. > > > > Connie Weaver > > > > Gretchen, your immediately previous post brought tears to my eyes. > Clearly you > > are a WONDERFUL teacher; I only wish that I, and my son, had had teachers > like > > you! > > > > It's uncanny how much your experiences in teaching writing parallel my own > at the > > college level--especially in teaching developmental writing classes, but > also in > > teaching teachers-to-be and even practicing teachers. No matter how > effectively > > I think I'm teaching grammar and editing (through individual conferences > too), I > > succeed better in all the other aspects of teaching writing! > > > > I will cut and paste below the mini-lessons I've been using in my > undergrad/grad > > course Grammar for Teachers. I've required the students to work in groups > to > > teach the mini-lessons themselves. This has helped a great deal in that > most > > everyone has learned one set of concepts well! But one set is hardly > enough. > > Because my class meets only once a week for 3 1/2 hours, there are too > many > > mini-lessons in one class session. Furthermore, since the students are > eager to > > demonstrate their new knowledge, the mini-lessons tend to be longer than I > want. > > (Someday I will have the courage just to cut them off.) Last semester, > one > > cluster of students was particularly resistant to the repeated teaching of > > mini-lessons, and I can't say I blame them. They claimed they liked my > own > > teaching of certain aspects of grammar better, but in truth, I don't think > I > > could/would sustain my best teaching throughout all those concepts. (True > > confession again.) > > > > Beginning in the fall, however, I'm going to try something different. I'm > going > > to use Harry Noden's Image Grammar for one strand of the course. I think > I'll > > still have mini-lessons on some aspects of editing, but I'm not sure what > I'll do > > about the practice of having everyone participate in teaching some kind of > > mini-lesson. There's a possibility that we might have an "electronic > classroom" > > for English Education by this fall, though I'm not holding my breath on > that > > one. But if we do have laptop computers hooked up with a display > computer/screen > > in the classroom, and hooked up to the Internet as well, then the teaching > of > > mini-lessons can be enlivened still more, and we can even use the CD > accompanying > > Harry Noden's book to access photos and other things, as well as to access > > various Web sites dealing with grammar. Will all of this enhance > learning? I'd > > like to think so, but I don't know. > > > > The references to TGIC in the list below are references to my Teaching > Grammar in > > Context. I also have the bookstore order one of Diana Hacker's handbooks > for > > writers, plus books of readings for my students. This year I'm going to > try a > > "Professional Book Club" approach as yet another strand of the course. > Students > > will choose from among about a half a dozen books, then meet in groups > weekly to > > discuss what they've read in the books. > > > > I hope my posting the following sequence of mini-lessons on the listserv > will > > encourage others to share their own sequences of lessons, as Jeff too has > > recently done. (The advice on resources is for my students, and I confer > with > > the groups, too, to suggest other resources.) > > > > Gretchen, wouldn't it be fun for the two of us to keep in touch this fall > as we > > teach with Harry Noden's book? > > > > Connie > > > > Grammar minilessons > > > > 1 Understanding subject-verb agreement (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 198-199) [I > will > > already have taught subjects and verbs, or rather an introduction to them; > like > > others, I use a slot-and-filler approach mostly] > > 2 Understanding S-V agreement when a prepositional phrase modifies > > the subject (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 199-200) > > 3 Understanding other S-V agreement situations (See Hacker, pp. 121-127) > > > > > > 4 Connecting independent clauses (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 200-201) > > 5 Understanding independent and dependent clauses and the concept > > of fragment (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 201-203) > > [Locate the relevant pages in Hacker or in another book, and study] > > > > 6 Eliminating run-ons and comma splices (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 203-204) > > 7 Making limited use of comma splices (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 204-205) > > 8 Phrases versus clauses (see TGIC Appendix, p. 205) > > 9 More on fragments (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 205-207) > > In the Appendix, there is also an alternative sequence of lessons, > > on pp. 207-209; see also the relevant pages in Hacker > > > > 10 Introducing participial phrases (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 214-217) > > 11 Using participial phrases as free modifiers (see TGIC pp. 217-218) > > 12 Creating participial phrases and absolutes through sentence-combining > > (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 218-221) > > 13 Appreciating and using absolutes (see TGIC Appendix, p. 221) > > > > 14 Moving a medial modifier (see TGIC Appendix, p. 223) > > 15 Given/new information (see TGIC Appendix, p. 223-224) > > 16 Using the passive (TGIC Appendix, p. 227) > > 17 Using WH-word or It-transforms (TGIC Appendix, pp. 224-225) > > 18 Using It and there transforms (TGIC Appendix, pp. 226-227) > > Also, please look at the lessons on pp. 241-242 of the Appendix > > > > 19 Connecting clauses with conjunctive adverbs (see TGIC Appendix, pp. > > 209-211) > > 20 Comparing 3 kinds of connectors (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 211-213) > > > > 21 Using the colon (see TGIC Appendix, pp. 237-239) & using dashes (see > > Hacker) > > 22 Punctuating restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses (see TGIC Appendix, > pp. > > 239-241) > > > > 23 How to punctuate quotes and how to include and punctuate references to > > sources > > 24 How to do bibliography items and bibliographies > >