Jan: I have used Chicago style, but only in connection with theological papers/books. I can see that historians would prefer it. I'm sure there are many public school teachers who are different from the ones I have met...you'll notice that I said, "The people I have taught with...." and I guess I was including those people I meet at workshops, seminars, etc. I haven't taught at many public schools, so perhaps I just met all the exceptions. I'm glad to know that you and others are different. Helene >From: Jan Kammert <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Rubric for Grammar for Education Majors >Date: Fri, 25 Nov 2005 11:09:52 -0800 > >I teach middle school, and until this year I taught MLA to my students. >This year I'm teaching Chicago style, which I had never heard of until >this year. The reason I made the change is because I teach both English >and history. > >My students participate in the National History Day competition. >Apparently historians prefer Chicago style because of the more detailed >footnotes for citing sources. > >I fight against the rule my students tell me: That there are always five >sentences in a paragraph. I point out paragraphs of varying sizes in the >reading they do for school to help prove to them that paragraphs don't have >to be five sentences. Still, they tell me even now, this far into the >year, that the paragraphs they write must be five sentences. > >I'm writing in defense of all those public school teachers on this list! >Jan > > >On Wed, 23 Nov 2005, helene hoover wrote: > > > Alison: I think your experience is the rule rather than the exception. >The > > people I have taught with in public schools appear never to have heard >of > > MLA style, so, of course, they do not teach it. They have these >formalaic > > rules, such as how many sentences go in a paragraph, how many paragraphs > > make an essay, where the thesis statement goes (like you indicated), >etc. I > > find it all tedious and counterproductive...writing should be fun, >creative, > > ongoing, and across the curriculum. Unfortunately, most public school > > teachers write very little; and when they do, it is stylized and > > uninteresting if not downright poorly executed. Helene > > > > > > >From: Allison Rose <[log in to unmask]> > > >Reply-To: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar > > ><[log in to unmask]> > > >To: [log in to unmask] > > >Subject: Re: Rubric for Grammar for Education Majors > > >Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2005 01:11:20 -0500 > > > > > >I didn't hear about MLA style until I got to college; to me, whatever > > >formats my English teacher gave me were the ones I used, and if s/he >didn't > > >give me any, I used my own personal system. I felt a right dunce when I >get > > >to college and realized everyone in the English dept. was using the >same > > >style but me and that they all seemed to be experts in it. I really >wish my > > >English courses in high school had better prepared me for what my >college > > >professors expected and expect of me. > > > > > >I was also very surprised to find out (after my high school teachers > > >finally > > >were through with me) that not all thesis statements come at the >beginning > > >of the introduction; it actually makes more sense sometimes (gasp!) to >put > > >them as the last sentence in the introduction. I was a bit disappointed >in > > >my high school teachers, although I was introduced to some great > > >literature. > > > > > >I would also see formatting errors as errors having to do with visual > > >aesthetics, where the title is placed, where other information such as >the > > >student's name is placed, what font is used, what size font is used, >etc. > > > > > >Allison > > > > > >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/