For those of you who haven't seen it, check out the grammar article in
the latest Council Chronicle. (Scroll down below.) NCTE is once again
reiterating the position that teaching grammar outside the context of
writing (mainly error) is harmful. They seem to have added the notion
that language outside of school is worth paying attention to as well,
but the same old bibliography is offered as "proof" that teaching
grammar can harm students.
Once again, this "professional" opinion seems to have been authored by
someone who knows very little about the subject.
I was beginning to wonder if the Scope and Sequence project was no
longer as important, but this seems to say it is very much needed.
It's not enough to criticize the status quo. We need to present a
viable alternative.
Craig
--------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: NCTE Inbox: October 25, 2006
From: "Inbox" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, October 25, 2006 2:53 pm
To: "Craig Hancock" <[log in to unmask]>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE INBOX -- news, views, and ideas you can use!
from the National Council of Teachers of English
October 25, 2006
Subscribe to the INBOX at
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/113/0/
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Read this issue on the NCTE Web site at
http://www.ncte.org/library/files/About_NCTE/Overview/inbox/10-25-06.html
******************************************************
NEWS
News links are provided for informational purposes and do not imply
endorsement by NCTE, and were live when this issue was published.
***Beyond Grammar Drills: How Language Works (The Council Chronicle
Online, October 25, 2006)***
Skilled teachers of writing know how to teach grammar to their students as
they write, when they have a particular need to know the information. For
English teachers, the study of language does not stop with improving the
quality of written sentences. It involves tuning students in to the
language of their daily lives.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5554/0/
***Need Cited for Secondary-Level Writing Instruction (Education Week,
October 25, 2006) (free registration required with a limit of two free
articles per week)***
The Alliance for Excellent Education has released its Writing Next report
outlining improvements for writing instruction at the high school level.
NCTE past presidents Randy Bomer and Patricia Lambert Stock are quoted in
this article.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5555/0/
Read Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents
in Middle and High Schools at
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5556/0/
Note: This is a large PDF file and may take a few moments to open.
***In District Classrooms, It's Writing That's Fundamental (Sewickley
Herald, October 19, 2006) (free registration required)***
Quaker Valley High School in Pennsylvania is making sure its students
write across the curriculum. Advanced Placement English teacher Susan
Gentile says when students improve their writing skills, they will also
improve their reading skills.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5557/0/
***Book Fairs: Reading Might Not Be Dead (The New York Times, October 20,
2006) (free registration required)***
High tech toys and games may not be driving books and literature to the
history museums. There are several large book fairs across the country,
and those book fairs are increasing in popularity.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5558/0/
***SAT, ACT See Number of Test-Takers Rise (The Philadelphia Inquirer,
October 18, 2006) (free registration required)***
The SAT and ACT college entrance exams report a sharp increase in the
number of students signing up to take the test this year, a likely sign
more students are trying both exams to increase their college admission
chances.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5559/0/
***How Students Can Break the "Code of Silence" (The Christian Science
Monitor, October 19, 2006)***
Anonymous email and hotline services are helping kids tip off school
authorities across the country about threats of violence in schools. The
programs are credited for preventing student suicides and allowing
authorities to confiscate weapons from schools.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5560/0/
***Bush Touts Education Program (The Los Angeles Times, October 19, 2006)
(free registration required)***
President Bush continues to tout the No Child Left Behind Act and he
continues to call on Congress to reauthorize the measure. The President
says he will not compromise on standardized tests to measure student
achievement.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5561/0/
***Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse Opens (NCTE Website, October 24, 2006)***
The Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse, sponsored by NCTE and the
International Reading Association, officially opens on October 26 with a
reception in Washington, D.C. The Web-based Clearinghouse provides access
to research and best practice, enhancing the knowledge base coaches rely
on as they work within schools and districts to create excellent reading
instruction in all classrooms.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5562/0/
This issue was partially underwritten by NCTE's "Writing Matters" Topical
Resource Kit. Visit
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/1803/0/
******************************************************
VIEWS
***NCTE's Position Unchanged: Isolated Grammar Drills Do Not Produce Good
Writers***
The National Council of Teachers of English has not changed its position
on the teaching of grammar. Decades of research have shown that isolated
grammar drills do little to improve student writing and are a poor use of
instructional time. See
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5563/0/
******************************************************
IDEAS
***Teaching Resources for Halloween and Día de los Muertos***
With Halloween and Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in the next week,
these resources provide seasonal activities that focus on language arts,
literature, and writing.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5564/0/
******************************************************
ANNOUNCEMENTS
***Improving Writing Instruction***
The Writing Next report, mentioned in the news above, outlines ways that
secondary writing instruction can be improved. For classroom-ready
techniques to try at your school, check out the NCTE book Strategic
Writing: The Writing Process and Beyond in the Secondary English
Classroom, which explains how to help high school students approach
writing tasks strategically, both in the classroom and in their lives
outside of school.
New in the NCTE bookstore this week, What Is "College-Level" Writing?
explores a question that shapes, in one way or another, the ways that we
teach reading, writing, and critical thinking at virtually every grade
level as we prepare students to be successful writers.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5565/0/
***Multilingual and Multicultural: Changing the Ways We Teach***
The November issue of Language Arts is now available online! Subscribers
can read articles on identity and autobiographical writing, multicultural
children's literature, and the role of students' home languages in their
literacy instruction. Not a subscriber? You can sign up to begin receiving
the journal in your mailbox, or purchase an individual copy of this issue
online.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5566/0/
***Nominate Yourself or Your Colleagues by November 1***
NCTE is looking for educators at all levels who have shown interest in the
profession and NCTE by participating in the work of affiliates and Council
activities to stand for election to its major offices and Section, CEE,
and TYCA committee posts in 2007.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/921/0/
***2006 CEL Conference: "Where We Stand: Issues in Educational Leadership"***
Plan today to attend the 38th annual meeting of the Conference on English
Leadership, to be held after the NCTE Convention, Sunday-Tuesday, November
19-21, 2006, in Nashville, Tennessee. Speakers include Linda Christensen,
Joan Wynne, Sonia Sanchez, Kathleen Blake Yancey, James Strickland, Leila
Christenbury, and Alice Randall.
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/5442/0/
***Ideas Needed for NCTE's 100th Anniversary***
NCTE will mark its 100th anniversary in 2011. The Task Force on Council
History and 2011 is working to plan events for this watershed year, and we
need input from all interested NCTE members. What would you like to see
highlighted (and in what format) during the Centennial year? Any ideas for
publications, books, products, or convention events will be appreciated.
Send your ideas to Leila Christenbury, Chair, Task Force on Council
History and 2011, P.O. Box 842020, School of Education, Virginia
Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284-2020; email: [log in to unmask]
*****************************************************
This issue was partially underwritten by NCTE's "Writing Matters" Topical
Resource Kit. Visit
http://lists.ncte.org/t/695647/1796258/1803/0/
******************************************************
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