Elizabeth - I've been doing a little reading recently on freewriting, and it was interesting to note that its proponents are shocked when students insist on following a structure when they write. If only the freewrite teachers would consider grammar as something that actually spurs creativity rather than inhibits it, they might find that "free-writes" can become "valuable-writes." Geoff Layton >From: Elizabeth Clark <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Grammar - the "All Brain" Subject >Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:18:34 -0700 > >Confession: I absolutely hate freewriting because it is so unstructured, >though I make my students do it on occasion. > >Elizabeth > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Geoffrey Layton<mailto:[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Monday, November 20, 2006 8:33 PM > Subject: Grammar - the "All Brain" Subject > > > Dick - > > I think that the issue goes beyond being "like us" (yes, I, too, admit >to an > ancient attachment to diagramming!) and reaches to the heart of the >issue > that we have with NCTE and their various attacks against grammar. > > If we can move grammar away from the side of the writing process that >deals > with error correction and more towards what classical rhetoric would >call > "invention," then we can demonstrate that grammar can, indeed, play a >major > role in creative ("right brain") part the writing process. In fact, I > think that grammar can a more powerful creative tool than so-called > "unstructure free-writing." > > Students can use standard grammatical constructions to create original, > powerful sentences, paragraphs, and even entire essays starting with >little > more than simple subject-predicate combinations. There truly is a >grammar > for the right brain, and as you indicated, it doesn't need to be >separated > from the left brain. In fact, it is the structure of grammar that >allows > both halves to work so well together! > > Grammar is an "all brain" subject! > > Geoff Layton > > _________________________________________________________________ > Fixing up the home? Live Search can help > >http://imagine-windowslive.com/search/kits/default.aspx?kit=improve&locale=en-US&source=hmemailtaglinenov06&FORM=WLMTAG<http://imagine-windowslive.com/search/kits/default.aspx?kit=improve&locale=en-US&source=hmemailtaglinenov06&FORM=WLMTAG> > > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web >interface at: > >http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html<http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html> > and select "Join or leave the list" > > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/<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/ _________________________________________________________________ Fixing up the home? Live Search can help http://imagine-windowslive.com/search/kits/default.aspx?kit=improve&locale=en-US&source=hmemailtaglinenov06&FORM=WLMTAG 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/