"Reading is Fundamental"

So went the old NBA literacy promotion slogan. While the NBA marketing gurus most likely did not mean it this way, reading is fundamental to writing. See, for example, the recent post on the "Ordeal by Cheque" activity.

Great writers are great readers. You learn to write by reading. When we read, we internalize and familiarize ourselves with new words, ways of structuring sentences and crafting metaphors, techniques for developing and supporting arguments, etc. We learn to appreciate how combinations of words sound when strung together. We gain an appreciation for the writer's ability to fashion a unique voice through word choice and sentence patterns.

In short, we learn to write by imitating what we read. The modernist poet Ezra Pound believed imitation to be an essential stage in the development of a poet. He himself went through a phase of writing Robert Browning-like dramatic monologues.

Having students read popular magazines is a great way to supplement other writing assignments and activities. Despite its political biases, The New Yorker can be useful tool in this regard. You might, for example, have your student read a particular article for the types of transitions an author uses to make his or her ideas flow and cohere. Then, ask them to try it on their own in their writing. You might also have them read for things like sentence variety, types of evidence used, techniques for opening and ending articles. You might even have them read for overall structure.

When I would teach comparison/contrast essays to may students I would always present as models an article on the two varieties of coffee beans from a very early issue of Martha Stewart Living and a column from the back page of Golf World comparing Tiger Woods to the long-forgotten underdog, Bob May. Text books can be indispensible, but often times the best tools for learning to write on the magazine rack.

A Room with a View--This Sunday

PBS' Masterpiece Classic leaves behind the works of Jane Austen this Sunday, April 13, and makes a seamless transition into the world of E.M. Forster with a new adaptation of the classic A Room with a View. It is a straightforward, engaging, and emotionally satisfying tale of romance, class conflict and independence. (Plus, it boasts lush Italian and English backdrops.) Appropriate for highschoolers of all ages, this screen adaptation would be ideal paired with the novel and Forster's short and highly readable Aspects of the Novel. The slim volume offers nuts-and-bolts literary theory, hearty and logical common sense stuff it is difficult to find today. This is where Forster explains his famous ideas on "flat" versus "round" characters, for example.

Read Aspects and Room concurrently and explore Forster's ability to enact his theories in his own fiction.

Charlton Heston and Shakespeare

In the wake of Charlton Heston's death, The Weekly Standard has posted on its website a letter Heston wrote to the magazine in May 1997. Heston eloquently defends Shakespeare as the preeminent writer in the history of the English language--but also argues that his work is best understood by actors, not writers. Just as eloquently, he rails against those academics who have made their careers out of trying to prove that Shakespeare didn't really write Shakespeare.

This question of authorship and authenticity invariably comes up when introducing students to the Bard, and Heston's views on the matter are clear, well-reasoned, and forceful.

The Waste Land and Ella Fitzgerald

What does T.S. Eliot's masterwork, "The Waste Land" have to do with the music of Ella Fitzgerald? If you're curious, do check out this enjoyable and enlightening post over at The Powerline Blog. Difficult literature such as "The Waste Land" can often begin to seem less impenetrable when it is paired with another closely-related, but simpler text, and this is an excellent example.

Plus, you can share some great music with your student at the same time!

Video of the Week

The Harry Ranson Center at the University of Texas-Austin has just made available online episodes of The Mike Wallace Interview from 1957-1958. The legendary TV journalist interviews politicians, actors and actresses, athletes and other public figures of the day. Of particular interest for homeschool highschool students are his interviews with former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry Kissinger, Adlai Stevenson, artist Salvador Dali, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and novelist Aldous Huxley.

Transcripts of interviews are also available through the website.

What's Wrong with the 5 Paragraph Essay--Part 2

In our last installment, we looked at how the traditional 5 Paragraph
essay becomes less viable the longer the paper is that the student is
asked to write. We also discussed the fact that longer essays demand
more detail and more complex exploration of ideas. This leads into
another weakness of the 5 Paragraph essay model.

The 5 Paragraph essay boils any argument or subject down to 3
supporting ideas. No more. No less. Three of course is an arbitrary
number. Who is to say that there three and only 3 supporting ideas?
What if a student has 4 valid supporting ideas? What about 5? Or 6?
The 5 Paragraph essay can stunt the development of students' thoughts by
holding them to an unnecessarily restrictive formula. Discussions of
intricate social and historical issues, or detailed analysis of a literary text cannot often be handled sosimply. In fact, handling them in such a way unfairly lead a reader to
conclude that a particular issue has not been fully understood or
considered by a reader.

For this reason, as students--particularly those in high school--become
more sophisticated in their thinking and opinions, it is best to begin
distancing them from the comfortable and reassuring 5 Paragraph model.

Activity--"Ordeal by Cheque"

The acts of reading and writing are inseparable. We tend to think of
them as discreet, mutually exclusive activities. That could hardly be
further from the truth! When we are writing, we are constantly doubling
back, re-reading what we have just written so that we can craft and
complete the rest of our sentence, the rest of our paragraph, the rest
of our essay or letter. When we are reading, our mind is writing the
words across our imagination, helping us to form a mental picture of the
words we process.

If you're looking for a fun and challenging way to illustrate the
twinned tasks of reading and writing, share "Ordeal by Cheque" with your
student. Wuther Crue's "Ordeal by Cheque," originally published in
Vanity Fair in 1932, is, at first glance, a most unconventional short
story. It doesn't look like a story at all. Instead it looks like a
series of ordinary personal checks.

Challenge your student to tell Crue's story. This will involve
critical thinking and reading skills, attention to detail, logic, a dose
of American history and a bit of imagination. As students read and
re-read the checks, they will "write" Crue's story. There is no answer
key, no "traditional" version of the story. This gives students a
chance to defend the narrative choices they make based on the evidence
Crue provides. Students can do this activitiy individually, but it can
be even more fun in groups.

Coming Soon: Writers Groove Student Blog!

Soon, Writers Groove will be spinning off into a second blog, one devoted to homeschool students. Each day I'll post a journal topic, a poem of the day, articles, videos and more groovy stuff related to reading and writing. Check back for more details!

SUMMER OPPORTUNITY--Crash Course in Freshman Comp

Does your student have what it takes to thrive in Freshman Composition?

Freshman comp can be fickle beast! (Even if you plan on taking it at a Community College!) Students who were strong writers in highschool, often struggle with freshman composition instructors' expectations and quickly become discouraged.

Help ensure a smooth transition into Freshman Composition for your student by reserving a spot for them in my Crash Course in Freshman Comp.

Over the course of 6 weeks (twice weekly 1 hr. sessions) in June and July, I'll share an insider's perspective on what it takes to succeed in Freshman Comp. We'll cover everything from how to read and make sense of instructors' assignments to techniques for writing papers that will grab the attention of instructors set your work apart from the crowd.

Recommended for 11-12th graders and students entering college this fall.

This seminar is limited to 25 students. Cost: $250/per student.

Location and specific dates will be determined based on number of participants.

Deadline to reserve a spot: May 9th.

To reserve a spot for your student or learn more, contact me at writersgroove@aol.com.

SUMMER OPPORTUNITY--Books & Burgers

Join me in June and July for Books & Burgers! Over the course of 8 weeks (8 2 hr. meetings) we'll read 4 literary classics from the College Board's List of 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound readers. We'll discuss the books over lunch (tentatively scheduled for the meeting room at Winstead's on 135th St. in Leawood) and enjoy a burger as we talk.

The books are:

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

I will provide study questions to guide the reading as well as historical and literary context for all four novels.

Books & Burgers is limited to 15 participants, so reserve your student's spot now. 9-12 Graders welcome!
Deadline is May 9th.
Cost: $75/per student. Does not include cost of books or lunch.

To reserve a spot for your student or learn more, email me at writersgroove@aol.com.

SUMMER OPPORTUNITY--Fiction Workshop

Summer is the time to let the imagination run wild! Put your 9-12 grader's imagination to good use by participating in my summer fiction workshop. We will read a selection of great short stories to get a feel for the genre and each student will write 2 pieces of fiction and have them workshopped by the group.

Fiction workshops can positively impact your student's writing. Being part of a workshop puts them in touch with a real, live audience for their work and heightens their awareness of readers' expectations. Fiction workshops also emphasize details and precision, both important for writing of any kind.

In addition, fiction workshops train students to give and receive constructive criticism in a positive manner. They encourage open, honest discussion and often create deep, lasting bonds among participants.

Fiction workshops are a time of fun, fellowship and learning, and no previous fiction writing experience is necessary!

8 90 minute sessions in June and July. Cost: $400 + short story anthology.

The workshop is limited to 15 participants, so reserve a spot for your student now! Deadline: May 9th.

Location and dates to be determined based on number of participants.

To reserve your student's spot or learn more, email me at writersgroove@aol.com.

SUMMER OPPORTUNITY--Intro to Research

The ability to do thorough research is a necessary skill, but one that is not often taught. Over the course of 12 one-on-one 1 hour sessions, I will lead your student through the entire research process--from choosing a topic, to conducting the search, to identifying valid sources, to citing sources, to avoiding plagiarism, to gleaning information from the sources and incorporating the information into an actual research-based paper.

Recommended for 11th and 12th graders as well as students entering college in the fall.

Cost: $600/per student.

Flexible scheduling.

To schedule your student's Intro to Research sessions or to learn more, contact me at writersgroove@aol.com.

What's Wrong with the 5 Paragraph Essay--Part I

Many students learn to write essays using the 5 Paragraph model. Why? Because it is easy to teach, easy for students to grasp, and logical in its design.

Typically, the 5 Paragraph Essay is comprised of 1 Introductory paragraph (with the last sentence serving as the main idea or thesis), 3 body paragraphs (usually focused on 3 points introduced in the thesis), and 1 Concluding paragraph that, to a great extent, repeats the introduction.

While the 5 Paragraph Essay promotes organization and focus through its structure, students will sooner or later realize its limitations, if not toward the end of high school, then definitely when they reach college. Because the formula will eventually prove to be invalid, I think it is important for high school writers to begin to move away from this or any other essay-writing formula.

Consider the issue of length.

An essay following the 5 Paragraph model should probably not exceed 5 pages in length, double spaced. And even that, I would say, is pushing it. What happens when a student is assigned a 12-15 page paper? If the student has only written papers using the 5 Paragraph formula, he or she will end up with paragraphs that are 3 pages long each! There is no maximum length for a paragraph, but keep in mind, a reader is likely to feel bogged down and get frustrated by paragraphs that never seem to end. Excessively long paragraphs can be symptoms of rambling, unfocused writing, too. Even if the writing in such a paragraph is relatively focused, just the appearance of such a long, unbroken block of text can create the impression of rambling, or a poor grasp of organization.

When a teacher assigns a 15-page paper, the teacher is signally the depth to which the subject matter should be explored. A complex examination of almost any subject cannot be confined to a mere 5 paragraphs! That sounds silly! And it leads us to the next problem with the 5 Paragraph Essay: why only 3 supporting points? We'll cover this in a future post!

In the meantime, what do you think about formulaic writing? Is it a useful tool for teaching students? Do you teach the 5 Paragraph model? If so, why? If not, why not? At what point does it outlive its usefulness?

Vacation Education--Take a Lit Trip!!

Before long, summer will be here! Summer, of course, means vacations and the exploration of new places.

Vacations can be valuable educational experiences, not just through visiting historical landmarks and museums, but through the connection of place and literature. Connecting a town, a region, or a landscape with a work of literature can profoundly deepen appreciation for both the place and the story, novel or poem.

For me, the works of William Faulkner took on a whole new dimension for me after I visited Oxford, Mississippi. The journey of the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales was enhanced for me by a visit to Canterbury Cathedral.

If you're planning a summer vacation and want to turn your destination into unique and rewarding classroom, let me help you organize a brief lists of texts and a study guide related to wherever it is you're going.

Email me for more details writersgroove@aol.com.

Ekphrasis: A Poetry Project

Ekphrasis is a term that describes poems that take works of art as their subject matter. If you're planning a trip to an art museum in the near future, make it a writing opportunity too.

Before heading to the museum, spend some time reading ekphrasis poems. For example, have a look at these:

• "The Great Figure" by William Carlos Williams
• "Before the Mirror" by John Updike
• "Musee des Beaux Arts" by W.H. Auden

Consider how the authors of these poems transfer the images in the paintings into words. Ask yourself which words best capture the visual experience of the painting.

When you visit the museum, choose a painting and use it as the inspiration for a poem. Spend at least five minutes studying the painting and getting a feel for its mood, its texture, its composition and use of color. Then, draft your poem. Most museums will permit the use of pencils in galleries, but it is a good idea to check first.

Landscapes, portraits, still life and paintings depicting some kind of dramatic action tend to work best.

If the museum gift shop sells a postcard version of your painting, pick one up, take it home and refer to it as you hone and revise your poem.

This is a great activity for emphasizing word choice, precision and sensory detail as students strive to make a visual image come alive in words.

Where Seinfeld and Aristotle Meet

Looking for an irreverent but entirely legitimate way to supplement your teaching and discussion of drama?

Check out "The Chinese Restaurant" episode of Seinfeld. This classic episode is, in reality, a comedic one-act play that strictly adheres to Aristotle's unities of action, time, and place.

Here's how:

• The episode is set exclusively in the Chinese restaurant, satisfying the unity of place.
• The episode unfolds in real time (well within Aristotle's 24 hr. limit), satisfying the unity of time.
• The episode features one plot line--Jerry, George and Elaine's futile efforts to get a table and eat before the start of the movie they want to see--satifying the unity of action.

Where to Begin?

One of the most daunting and intimidating things about writing--especially for students--is just getting started. Crafting that first sentence can feel, at times, like pure torture! In A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway says, "All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know." Once he had that first true sentence down on paper, his writing took on a momentum of its own.

That's great, but what if your one true sentence isn't the start of your essay? That's okay! There's no rule that says a paper must be written straight through, beginning to end. I say start where your ideas are and write from those. Don't worry about that first paragraph--the introduction--when you're starting out.

There is an advantage to not immediately drafting the opening of an essay. If you wait until either all or a portion of the essay's body is written before crafting an introduction, you are more likely to end up with an introduction that accurately reflects the focus of the essay's body. It is not unusual for a student to write an engaging, well-reasoned introduction only to wander away from its main idea as the body paragraphs unfold. Chances are you'll have a better grasp of what your strongest ideas (those that need to be introduced in your first paragraph) are, if you've done some extended drafting of the essay's body.

Try it and see what happens!

YouTube Lit Clip of the Week--T.S. Eliot

Listen to T.S. Eliot read from "The Waste Land." With accompanying slideshow.

The Jigsaw Test

How can you know if you have successfully organized your paper? Give it the Jigsaw Test.

Once you have typed up a draft of your paper, set it aside for a day or two. When you return to it, cut the draft into paragraph "pieces." Shuffle the pieces around and see if you can re-assemble the paragraphs in the correct order. Better yet, see if a friend is able to do it. If you can't arrange the paragraphs in the right order, you'll know that your paper can benefit from clearer transitions--either cue words or the repetition of a key word or phrase from the previous paragraph--that will help guide the reader through your ideas.