I am so happy that you all are excited about your books you selected for book clubs. How did it make you feel to be able to select your own books? I can't believe that some of you have read or are almost finished with your books already.
Talk to me about "The Importance of Purpose and Audience" chapter. What are the implications for your classroom? How will teaching students these strategies help them evaluate the world around them? Did this chapter change how you think about the assignments you give your students?
PS
I met Kelly Gallagher in New York this past weekend!!!!
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16 comments:
As I read Chapter 6, I was painfully reminded of what Jim Trelease said about modeling. Majority of the attitudes that students bring with them is a reflection of what they see at home. For instance a home where the parents choose to read on a regular basis are much more likely to produce a child who is receptive to reading. Likewise, in Chapter 6 of Teaching Adolescent Writers, Gallagher includes the eight major “real-life” purposes for writing along with examples of each purpose. As I began reading this section I was excited because I just knew that Gallagher would include a beautiful chart that would point me towards some insightful tidbits that I could share with my class. Instead I was disappointed because I began to see the conversation playing out. (By the way I have noticed that as I read through pedagogical material I find myself playing out the given scenarios in my classroom in my head. Interesting?!?) If I tell my students that the real reasons an adult writes are for these 8 purposes, and here are some examples: “attending my first concert and reflecting on my musical journey since then,” I can just imagine my students and myself also wondering when I ever saw my mother or father pick up a pencil and paper to write about an experience like that. The example in and of itself sounds like a practice writing prompt from a standardized test booklet. It is hard to convince the students to write for the reasons we (and the standards) want them to. They certainly aren’t seeing these types of writings going on at home, so why should they believe that the writing is practical, real-world writing. They need more than words.
I am very curious about the writing alongside. I have three blocks of the same class. I wonder if Gallagher in my situation would write three separate essays each time. I try to write alongside my students but by the time fourth block rolls around I am really not feeling like writing another rendition of a concept I have belabored two times already. (A hidden reluctant writer) However, recently I had my students completing a writing assignment where the class was divided into three groups—each with a word to write around. I simply wrote for one group per period. That way by the end of the day I had written and explored all of the areas that my students were asked to explore. I always enjoy finding which students have similar ideas/writing styles to mine. It is not always who I would think.
I love the idea of revise the purpose. I really think the kids could take to this activity. However, they would obviously have to have a good solid understanding of purpose before attempting this task. I think they would get very confused and shut down if they were told to change a paper using a concept they don’t yet grasp.
As I was reading about the purpose packets I was considering how to adapt the activity so that my students could find them in the newspaper on their own. Low and behold – Purpose Hunt!
I also really liked Gallagher’s idea about understanding how audience shapes communication by using the expression, “Hello. How are you?” and having his students rewrite this to five people. I think this could be a great warm-up activity leading into a discussion of audience.
Maria,
"Purpose Hunt"...oooh, sounds like a great idea!
This is a well-timed chapter because I am working with one of my classes right now on speech-making. We have talked about how an author/speaker’s purpose and audience affects the techniques he/she chooses in reaching that audience and achieving that purpose. I’ve found that students struggle to identify purpose. We watched the clip from Dead Poets Society in which Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) gives an inspiring first-day-of-school speech. This clip is excellent because it shows a series of other teachers’ first day speeches that are markedly similar to each other yet radically different to Keating’s. But, I had to guide and prompt my students more than I anticipated as to what is the purpose of a teacher’s first day speech. My students definitely would prefer Mr. Keating as a teacher over the other strict, authoritarian teachers. But, they missed the fact that Mr. Keating was, at the same time, more morbid and more demanding than the other teachers—calling his students to a harder task than any project or homework other teachers had assigned. My students thought Mr. Keating was “fun” and wanted his students to have “fun.” Gallagher expresses the desire that his students understand the purpose of real-world texts, such as “the difference between information and persuasion” (139). I agree; I want my students to identify the nuances of purpose, seeing beyond the scintillating superficial appearance of what appears “fun” or “bad” or “mean” or “hard” to the deeper elements at work, whether that is manipulation, persuasion, criticism, or any number of honorable or dishonorable purposes.
I agree with Maria’s point that it’s hard to justify—in students’ eyes—even the most realistic writing task. And it makes sense to a degree: how many adults on average are active in their communities to write a letter to the newspaper or petition the governor or to enter a piece of personal writing in a contest or to formally (in writing) complain to a business? I think about the kinds of writing I witnessed growing up in my home—devotional- or journal-type writing, song-writing, personal or thank-you letters (yes, most of my life, at this point, has been pre- written electronic communication), business letters for complaint or appreciation or information, and work-related writing. And, as Maria thoughtfully concluded, that is the type of writing I did growing up and, on the whole, what I still do. We as teachers truly are teaching students to become lifelong learners and critically-thinking, active citizens. Part of the battle of writing is persuading students that writing can and should be a part of their lives—for personal growth, for enjoyment, and as a tool to accomplish something.
Chapter 6 made some good points about "teaching students why writers write." It reminds me that I should keep students aware of real writers and real writing situations. I liked the description of the 8 major purposes such as "analyze and interpret." Also, the author suggested a writer's notebook timeline. For example, the students would express and reflect in September. I liked this idea, as it is sometimes difficult to organize writing for purpose. The remarks about audience significance had importance: indicate to students that they should value their audience. This chapter offers some key points in the writing process because it reminds students that it has purpose.
Every time I read one of these chapters I get so many good ideas. The problem is having time to put them into practice.I loved the "purpose,explanation, and example" chart on p. 123. Kids do need to know why they write, and I think we owe them that, because it gives them ownership of the assignments. I also love the writer's notebook monthly assignments and the cubing concept. That ought to be interesting!
A major problem I've encountered in class is getting students to think about audience and how it affects their word choices. So many of them write the way they speak, and they don't understand that slang is inappropriate in some more formal situations. I am definitely going to go over the "hello" exercise on page 130 to help them understand these differences.
During silent reading some of my students read old copies of The Laureate. That provides a means by which they see local published student writers and put all the "talk" (that we teachers do) into practice. As a parent of former B-C students, I know how lucky our students are to have teachers who do provide opportunities to make writing personal and meaningful, who provide means by which it is published, and who certainly make our students more critical of not only what they read but also what they hear.
Thoughts on Purpose and Audience – This turns out to me one of my favorite chapters so far. The awareness and skills needed to recognize the purpose of the writing and the audience it is intended for is not only important for developing writers but certainly a lifelong skill. The three excerpts of the Cheney ‘shooting’ were clear examples of deferring purposes for different audiences. I know in my writings, as I prepare SACS documents, write the Principal’s Message for our newsletter, compose a message for the Football Program, complete the HSWT application there are specifics I have to attend to as far as purpose and audience.
The ‘Practice makes Purpose’ section gives teachers of writing very helpful techniques to create environment of purpose in their writings. Then the progression to give the students the ability to determine the audience for the writing completes the process. Once the young writer realizes these, specific drafts and revisions can be made to finish the work. The ‘Friday Night Lights’ approach is well received as it brings ‘showtime’ to a writer’s work.
There are endless benefits to these skills that will only help the writers in their development.
First off, I would like to express my interest in this text. I am finding multiple activities—in this chapter: author’s chair, purpose revision, cubing, RAG competitions—that will improve my teaching in both Advanced and Creative Writing. I am particularly excited about the new ideas for Creative Writing as I am in the middle of rethinking my approach to the course. I just wanted to praise the book a moment before launching into a sort of rant.
It seems to me that creating audience-specific writing is the biggest challenge for our students. And, sadly, it’s not because they imagine teachers as their only audience, but because they imagine their IM and text-message buddies as their only audience. I’m so tired of IM abbreviations creeping into student writing. So tired of explaining to blank-faced students how such writing is inappropriate. For them, this is the most authentic form of writing. I would like to experiment with problem-based learning and have students explore local issues and propose solutions. Such projects can generate a number of authentic artifacts: letters to newspapers, to local officials, to fellow students, statements of purpose, explanation of progress, analyses of outcomes, and even resumes that incorporate the projects. Yet I often feel that few students feel committed enough to anything except name-brands and videogames for such projects to be successful. They depend too much on student initiative and follow-through. This, too, is a big challenge, because out students burnout early. They have good ideas that become half-finished products. How do we sustain them? Particularly since, as teachers, we sometimes suffer from the same burnout. How often do we start a unit or a classroom novel all jazzed up only to get tired of it halfway through? How much of our burnout comes from being the only ones who care? How much of that is our fault? I love Gallagher’s ideas for generating an interest in how purpose and audience influences writing, and I want to do something with it—but I often find myself thinking about how these ideas apply to Advanced and Creative Writing because these classes are the ones I feel most passionate about? Anyone feeling me?
Okay, now for rant two, loosely related to Gallagher’s comments about the blurring line between news reporting and persuasion: more annoying to me is the blurring line between logical persuasion and powerful advertising. During any election, candidates approve commercials that focus on their backgrounds and values rather than their specific stances. This bothers me because voters end up choosing based upon personality rather than competence. For example, I’m highly disappointed with Fred Thompson’s television ad. The only specific issue he touches on is abortion, and that only to pander to his conservative voting base, who may not entertain the possibility that a history of voting pro-life is not the same as a commitment to doing so in the future. I’m glad he’s Christian, but that is not my primary concern when voting for a president. I would like to know actual stances, and I would like to see the reasons behind these stances. Even debates are filled with veiled—or not so veiled (such as Edwards’s comment about Cheney’s lesbian daughter during last election’s vice-presidential debate)—personal attacks and evaded questions. There is also this crazy belief that consistency should be valued in our leaders. I would prefer inconsistent politicians whose shifting stances reflect their improved understanding of important issues. This is all connected to comprehension, because I honestly believe there are those in our government who have no interest in improving public education. Poorly educated people are easily persuaded. This makes it easy to win votes with shallow platforms, or to make money with flashy advertising. It would be interesting to find out how much we benefit economically from uninformed spenders and how much we are hurt politically by uninformed voters, or by informed non-voters who know just enough to feel disenfranchised.
Often, we are so focused on the outcome of the writing; the spelling and grammar, that we forget the targeted audience. I was faced with something the week before Thanksgiving; not so much writing, but in presenting to a targeted audience. I had several students go to BC Grammar #1 for careers and character days.
As I have only taught high school; it was a challenge to think about how to present to the little ones. With help from many colleagues (Ms. Summer included), we came up with an interactive educational lesson that was well receipted by all.
Moreover, as I think about writing for various purposes and audiences, I am reminded how surprised the students are when they realize we will write a hand-written note, about 3 to 5 sentences to local businesses. They typically worry about how long it has to be, and in the case of a thank you note to a businessperson, the shorter the better. Along with that, they wonder why we are not typing them, but again, in the business sense, a handwritten note is more likely to get opened, much less read. The students tend to want to use big, fancy words, which a businessperson does not want to “over think” to get the message of thank you!
We also wrote press releases, which are to a different audience and for a different purpose, and sent to the Neighbors section of The State Newspaper and Cayce-West Columbia newspaper. I am happy to report and am excited to share with students…it was included in the Neighbors section this past Thursday!!!
Audience and Purpose
I enjoyed reading everyone's comments--and seeing how we all see different uses and applications for what we all read out of the same chapters. I think as an English teacher, I line up with Maria's and Lee's frustrations with how realistic is certain writing--and how canned some of it seems. (responding mostly to maria's comment here...) Even for college-bound students, some of the writing prompts might seen interesting (or at least these student usually have more to pull from)--but in actuality, how likely will some of our topics really be useful? I had papers all the time in college, but I don't recall any writing in high school that i did that prepared me for the college writing. Maybe that's from the English major perspective. It's such a fuzzy line of trying to come up with realistic writing prompts and situations to match what our students will need--and do this without pre-conceived or tracked bias.... Is variety the answer? Breadth? Depth of just a few types? Is it more important for the students to write for canned audiences, or for us to generate writing for specific audiences of students? Make it interesting and hopefully successful--or make it rigorous and questionable useful?
Anyway--- on a more practical side and applying to my classes--we've been talking a lot about propaganda and sensationalism--who is the audience for certain political pushes (we are reading a vietnam war era novel). I have a lot of "hawks" this year (as opposed to the doves of last year--well, last year's class was filled with doves in the concept of the novel, but they were hawks when it came to fussing and bothering each other!).
Anyway--I'm trying to do more with political cartoons and verbal arguments--looking at how different audiences SEE and HEAR the same words. The writing output here isn't significant or advanced, but the responses are showing some depth of thought--and I am gratified that some of the things we talked about two months ago are still rattling around out there (ex: rhetorical devices, esp.)
While reading this week's chapter, I recalled a classroom experience I had last year with my Laureate students. I brought in two friends to speak about their experiences with writing. One of them is a professor at USC and the other a "struggling" writer. As they both shared their writing and writing experiences, I was amazed to see how engaged my students were. I wanted them to see that being a "writer" doesn't necessarily mean being published. I wanted them to see the in-between stages of student and Stephen King.
Chapter 6
The Importance of Purpose and Audience
Knowing your purpose and your audience sounds simple but it certainly is not. If we are going to teach students why writers write, I think we should begin with example like those in our text. To take one story and write it as information and then rewrite it as entertainment and then to persuade is a great way to show students how to write for different audiences. Those eight purposes need to be on the walls of every classroom. After reading those purposes, I wonder if I could post those on a bulletin board with a topic for black history month and ask students to write an essay. What topic would lend itself to analyzing, evaluating, exploring, taking a stand, and/or seeking common ground? If I left it open ended like “let me tell you about ” would the students find that too broad to write something? I hope my classmates can help me out! I want to create those “Friday Night Lights” for some students who don’t get praised for their writing or their thinking. I wonder if all students know that they already have an opportunity to get published in our Laureate. I see signs all over the school saying submit to the Laureate but I wonder if the students are paying attention.
After reading about the Puente project my curiosity was piqued. We need a Puente project for BC High. Those students were able to use information that they gathered through research to write letters persuasive letters. That is a skill that most people need at some point in their lives. The term Governator caught me by surprise! At first I thought it was a mistake in the text, but then I realized that the author lives in California where the “terminator” is governor. I went to the Puente Project website and found some statistics that show students are being left behind in California, just like they are in South Carolina. The Puente Project is a type of school reform, just like High Schools That Work and others. This just goes to show you we all are trying something new. We just don’t know which method works best.
· In 1995, about 79 percent of all Bachelor's degrees awarded in the United States went to white students, compared with 7.5 percent to African Americans and 4.7 percent to Hispanic/Latinos.
· In 1998, approximately 10 percent of Hispanic/ Latinos aged 25 to 29 held a Bachelor's degree, compared with 32 percent of whites, a difference of 22 percentage points, the largest gap in the previous 30 years.
By the way, Puente is the Spanish word for bridge.
Wow, Lendy, you found eye-opening statistics. Thank you for sharing those with us.
I can see that this chapter was an important one for all of you. We'll examine it more closely in January.
This is Nancy Rollison's Post
Monday, November 26, 2007
Chapter 6 - Purpose and Audience
Hello, everyone!
I guess the purpose of this writing is to express my views on the issues of purpose and audience in writing, and to reflect on my experiences in the classroom. I'm just about ready to ask my students to research a "talking wall" (such as the Great Wall of China, Vietnam Memorial Wall) and then to come up with a "talking wall" for our class, one that will probably be in the hall. I hope that giving students choices about their writing subjects will help them be more motivated writers (see chapter 5!), and that they will want to share the information they learn with others (purpose). Now, the consideration of audience is tough, because adolescents are very tough audiences. My students may decide that a classroom wall is as wide an audience as they can manage right now, and that's OK.
The most meaningful writing that has come from my students actually occurred a few years ago in response to an editorial in the school newspaper entitled "May I See Your Green Card?". The ESOL students objected strenuously about the substance and tone of that article and wrote fiery letters to the editor. We then decided we needed to "show" what really goes on in the life of families trying to get into the U.S. from Mexico and subsequently collaborated on an original play. The audience for the play included social studies classes. As a result of the letters and the play, students realized that they indeed had a means of persuasion available to them.
The purpose of that writing was clear and the drama and letters were revised many times as students considered their audiences. Unfortunately, it is difficult for my students to feel involved or even concerned about many of the events swirling about us, because they do not feel that they are stakeholders. In the situation mentioned above, the events clearly spoke to them personally, compelling them to respond. A sense of purpose and audience led to the creation of powerful writing.
Posted by Nancy Rollison at Monday, November 26, 2007
Sadie's POST...
Sadie Rueger
11-26-2007 Posting
I have never thought of creating a writers notebook schedule but I think it would be a really good idea to start one next year. I wish that I had thought of this at the beginning of the year with my reading/writing workshop students. This would have been a great way of giving them a sense and purpose of what and why they were writing in a particular style. I do agree that it is more important to focus on real world text and how to figure out what they mean. The author said that in ten years from now a stories theme won’t matter. This I can agree with but it isn’t a bad thing to be able to discuss such things latter in life. I person can show their intelligence (or fake it) by being able to discuss a piece of literature latter in life.
The most common question I hear from my students is “Why do we have to do this?” I think that this is the most irritating question that I hear all year. To let you know how irritating this question is imagine very sharp fingernails being raked across a board. I guess helping the students recognize purpose and audience could help answer this question for some of the students. This would help them understand what they are doing and why it is beneficial to read and understand what they are actually reading.
In Media Literacy, I am always reminding the students that all media is produced for an audience. Identifying this audience in key to breaking down and analyzing the messege. Lee's comments regarding political ads are a great place to start. When we talk about these strategies of blurring the real issues with emotional issues, many of the students have never contemplated this before. I hope in the end they learn to be more critical of ads and movies--which often have hidden messeges as well.
Thisis Greg Blashka's Post:
11-15-07
Book Club Blog
It was very cool having to “play against the clock” when selecting our book for the book club. Only having one minute to review a book before selecting it made it fairly tough to rank them by preference. In the end I ranked the “Bar Code Tattoo” as my first choice. I was happy in receiving my first choice. I chose this book because it appeared to be a thriller, and I like thrillers. So far the book has not disappointed me. It is a fast-paced book that it easy to read and has captured my imagination. I look forward to finishing the book to see where the author will take me.
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