Read your message mainly intended for Liz. If it is possible I would love a sample copy of your book. I'm putting together a research paper for Waldorf High School Teachers across North America on teaching grammar and your approach sounds just the sort of thing that we would be interested in - any chance? Anne Greer "Kischner, Michael" wrote: > This is mainly for Liz Spalding, who put out this request a couple of weeks > ago. > > Edith Wollin and I have written a book titled "Writers' Choices: Grammar to > Improve Style." It is being published this year by Harcourt College > Publishers. The following excerpt from its introduction to the teacher > describes our aims in the book, which I think may fit with your aims: > > We wrote this book partly for our fellow college writing > teachers who have wished there were an effective and efficient way to teach > sentence structure and style while still giving adequate time to the writing > process, critical reading, and the other important concerns of college > composition. Such teachers typically find that it is impossible to teach > grammar fast. There are so many building blocks to put in place that we > often give up in favor of an ad hoc approach -- a lesson on clauses to curb > the spread of fragments, a drill on restrictive and nonrestrictive elements > to arrest comma delinquency, and so forth. Associated in the students' > minds with the errors that prompted them and fitting into no whole, these > units are seldom the memorable part of the course. > > We believe this book can help change that. It approaches > English syntax as something to delight in and experiment with. Focusing not > on what students can't do but rather on the many things they can do with > sentence structures, it helps turn unconscious practice into conscious > knowledge and then solidifies the knowledge by having the students put it > into immediate conscious practice. It does not say, "Avoid this -- it > makes your writing bad." It says, "Try this -- it can make your writing > strong." > > We do not pretend that it is possible to teach grammar fast. We do > believe that with brief, focused explanations supported by many examples > and followed by direct application of what they learn, students can grasp a > thorough overview of the phrases and clauses from which English > sentences are built. This overview includes the construction and > punctuation of phrases and clauses, their proper integration into sentences, > and, above all, their rhetorical and stylistic effects. > > I am trying to get ordering information for sample copies from Harcourt. > Let me know if you'd like the information, and I'll pass it on when I get > it. > > ---------- > > From: Sophie Johnson > > Reply To: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar > > Sent: Saturday, June 2, 2001 6:33 PM > > To: [log in to unmask] > > Subject: Re: Request for assistance with course development > > > > Liz, please have a look at my approach > > to teaching grammar: > > > > http://www.englishgrammartutor.com > > > > I should love to hear your assessment. > > (I can take it on the chin!) > > Sophie > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Liz Spalding <[log in to unmask]> > > To: <[log in to unmask]> > > Sent: Saturday, June 02, 2001 12:36 AM > > Subject: Request for assistance with course development > > > > > > > Hello! I am a new subscriber to this listserv. I am an assistant > > > professor at the University of Kentucky and director of the Bluegrass > > > Writing Project there. By popular demand, I have decided to offer a > > course > > > this coming fall entitled "Teaching Grammar in Context." I am not a > > > linguist, but I am offering the course because this is a topic of great > > > interest to teachers here in KY. I have advertised the course as geared > > > toward K-12 teachers. I visited the ATEG website but found no current > > > syllabi on line. I would very much appreciate any suggestions any of > > you > > > have regarding appropriate texts, course design, etc. I would also be > > > deeply grateful if anyone shared a syllabus with me. I look forward to > > > hearing your suggestions. > > > > > > Sincerely, > > > Liz Spalding > > > > > > > > > Dr. Elizabeth Spalding > > > Assistant Professor > > > Department of Curriculum and Instruction > > > 309 Dickey Hall > > > University of Kentucky > > > Lexington, KY 40506-0017 > > > Phone:(606)257-4127 > > > Fax: (606)257-1602 > > > [log in to unmask] > > > > > > 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: > 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/