richmeg’s blog

Narrative Writing Question

Thursday, April 16th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 28 Comments

In this chapter Neman defines narrative writing as essentially telling a story. My project is on resume writing which is a very formal way of presenting writing. I do however think that writing a resume could be seen as telling a story. For example, my project consists of having students create an “About Me” board. This is basically having the students tell their own personal stories of their accomplishments and a representation of themselves. How could I incorporate the narrative aspect of actually telling a story through writing in my project? Or am I already?

Annotated Bib

Thursday, April 16th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Annotated Bibliography

B!G Job Search Guide. “Resumes.” Career Center. Bowling Green State University. 12 Apr. 2009

            <http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/sa/career/page37684.html>.

This article is a very helpful tool for anyone writing a resume. It covers absolutely everything you need to know to write a resume. Everything from teaching and critiquing resumes, to samples of action words to include in your resume. It also includes sample resumes for different types of resumes. Whether someone is an education major or a marketing major there is an example for any major you can think of. It concludes with a very helpful resume checklist.

This article could be very beneficial to my project because it covers every aspect of resume writing. I can refer to this article for any step of my project. This is reliable information in my opinion because it is provided by the BGSU Career Center. I think this is a really good source the only problem that I have is that it might be to college-based instead of high school.

Career Center. Personal Interview. TBD

The Career Center offers drop-in resume help for students who need help writing or perfecting their resumes. They also offer private appointments. The sessions are held at Conklin North on Tuesdays thru Thursdays. They are available for questions, concerns, problems, and critiques concerning resumes.

During my interview I plan on asking questions like; what makes a good resume, how to help students effectively write resumes, and most common problems with resumes. I think it will be very helpful to get insight from a professional who helps students with their resumes on a daily basis. I will gain a lot of helpful information from someone who sees resumes everyday and is trained in resume writing. This will also help me to learn what type of information is more prevalent for different types of interviews.

ResumeBUILDER. “Build a Resume, the Easy Way!” Groovejob.com. 12 Apr. 2009

<http://www.groovejob.com/jobseeker/resume/demo/>.

The ResumeBUILDER application is a very helpful source to someone who is writing a resume for the first time. It is a program that takes you through the steps of building a resume. It allows someone to enter their information on the website in a box under the designated sections. For example, there is a box that asks you to enter your skills. After you enter your information in all the fields it creates the resume for you. It also is able to send the finished product to a potential employer for you.

I think this would be a great tool for high school students who have never written a resume before. It is a simple step-by-step way for students to get the hang of creating a resume. It shows what a student should include and how to format a resume. I also think a high school student would have fun with this website. The only downfall is that it requires a membership; it is not a free service. This would make it difficult to use in the classroom but I think it is a great idea.

“Resume Checklist.” Career Center. Bowling Green State University. 12 Apr. 2009

            <http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/sa/career/page39303.html>.

The Career Center also offers a resume checklist on their website. It lists the areas of the resume that need to be included such as skills, your objective, and accomplishment among others. Under each topic it asks questions to ensure that you have done your resume correctly. For example under education it asks if your grade point average is accurate.

This is a very helpful tool to someone who has finished their resume and is in the revision process. This would be beneficial to my project because it gives good examples of questions to pose to students during the revision process. I think this will help me a lot. This is also a very relevant and reliable source.

Richardson, Randall. Personal Interview. TBD

Randall Richardson is a Superintendant in Springfield, Ohio at the Clark County Career Center, which is a vocational school. Within his duties as Superintendant he is on the board who hires new employees for the school. He is asked to look over hundreds of resumes a year and decipher who is qualified based on their resume. He has also had several different jobs throughout his life and understands what makes a good resume.

During the interview with Randall Richardson I will ask him important questions about resumes. One of the most important questions I want to ask is what stands out on a resume? Also, what makes one resume better than another? Another question I will ask is what he looks for in a resume? As an employer I think it will be very beneficial to gain insight from him and see what employers are looking for. To me this is one of the most important sources and one that I feel I will learn the most from.

Letter to the Editor

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Chapter 6: Teaching Audience and Voice

Informal Response

                This chapter talks a lot about teaching students how to write for an audience. The book started off the topic by giving an example of a graduate student who struggled to find and write for an audience in his work. I think this is a very common problem among writers of all ages. This problem fits hand in hand with motivation. If a student does not feel there is a purpose for his or her writing they will lack motivation, which is why knowing one’s audience is so important in terms of motivating students. Students need to feel there is a purpose to their writing. Neman gave a few examples of activities to help students to find an audience and write for a specific audience.

                The first activity she provided was having students write to a pretend audience. An example would be to have students reply or respond directly to a character in a book.  Not only would this help the student to find their audience but it would also allow them to analyze the text and formulate an opinion. I think this is a good idea to use once or twice during the year but it would depend on the age group of the students. I think the pretend audience assignment would be more exiting and helpful for younger students such as middle-school age. However, I think a high school student could potentially find this boring or unrealistic.

                In my opinion high school students would benefit more from Neman’s other activity which was finding an actual audience. This would include letters to the editor. I have always found activities like this to be very motivating and fun. For example, when I was in high school we were asked to write a letter to a company, government official, newspaper or whatever we wanted. We had to write to a complaint letter about something that we genuinely felt strongly about. Some people wrote to the city about the potholes in roads, some wrote to shoe companies about problems they had with their merchandise and much more. This was one of my favorite and most memorable assignments because we all took it very seriously. We perfected to letters, postmarked them, and sent them to their respective places. I think it was so successful because people cared about what they were writing about and they wanted to be taken seriously so they worked very hard. It was really cool because surprisingly a lot of students got a response back. One student in specific that wrote to a shoe company received a letter and a gift card.

The reason I like the letter to the editor activity so much is because it gives the students a sense of purpose and it allows them to become very motivated and invested in their work. This opens a lot of doors for us as teachers because the students are willing to listen because they want their work to be the best it can be so it is taken seriously. I plan to use this assignment in my classroom someday and I hope that companies respond so I can keep the letters to show students as motivation to write well.

Red Pen

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 | Uncategorized | 222 Comments

Meg Richardson

ENG 484

Dr. Nickoson-Massey

March 3, 2009

The English Teacher’s Red Pen:

Response Question

                I have always been a firm anti-red pen believer. Growing up I hated the red pen, it was always embarrassing to get back a paper I had worked hard on, filled with red marks you could see from across the classroom. Chapter 16 begins by talking about the bad rap English teachers get. It discusses the dilemma between too much feedback and not enough. It gives examples of how we become obsessed with correcting, however it never really tells us how we can go about changing our “bad reputation.”  If we English teachers are so dreaded like the text describes, how do we change people’s opinion? How do we become effective teachers and still do our job without “overcorrecting” or becoming obsessed with making things correct? I want to be perceived as a fun teacher who helped kids grow as writers but how do I do that without getting the typical English teacher reputation they describe in the chapter?

Workshop 8

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 | Uncategorized | 59 Comments

Meg Richardson

ENG 484

Dr. Nickoson-Massey

February 24, 2009

Workshop 8: Teaching the Power of Revision

Informal Response

                This video was about the revision process and its key role in the writing process. Like the other videos we have viewed for this class this video took a look inside the classrooms of middle school teachers and it showed a variety of different revision techniques that teachers use in their classrooms. Each classroom that we looked into was working on different types of essays but they were all focusing on the same aspect of revision. I was surprised to find some themes that we have discussed in class reappear in this section. For example, we have talked about the importance of building a safe learning community several times in class and that idea was brought up once again as an important aspect of the revision process. Another strategy that was talked about was modeling. We have talked about modeling behavior, writing, and other habits and it was interesting to see that some of these ideas and practices are transparent through different aspects of the writing process.

                One of the featured teachers in this video was Velvet McReynolds. Velvet was one of my favorite teachers shown in a previous video. In this section Velvet talked about how revision is at the heart of the writing process. She said revision is, “where the magic happens.”  Velvet did a similar exercise to one she did in a previous video that I was very fond of. She created a “celebration circle” where the students went around and shared their work. In relation to the revision process she had the students share the before and after versions of their work. I think this is a great idea because it allows the students to see how their work has improved as a result of the revision process. I also believe that sharing the before and after with the class is helpful because it gives the work that the students do more meaning. If they are sharing it with the class and they feel comfortable they will be more compelled to improve their work. Violet has been my favorite teacher throughout these videos. I think she has the most creative ideas and her students seem to be so comfortable and they also have the most fun.

                As I said before, one of the key themes talked about in the revision process was creating a positive environment.  They stressed how important this was to the revision process. In this safe and positive learning environment trust, respect, and encouragement are all necessary for successful revision. The importance of feeling comfortable to write and share writing with others without the fear of rejection is key. A lot of revision activities include sharing one’s work with their peers or their teacher. It is crucial that the student feels safe and comfortable enough to share their work. Respect also plays a role in revision because in order to give or take advice from someone you must first value and respect their opinion. For example, Violet did a great job of creating a safe and comfortable learning environment in her classroom where the students were willing to share their work with the class. The “celebration circle” was a perfect example of this as well.

                Another teacher, Mary Cathryn Ricker took another approach that I think is affective. As the students were working on revising their work Mary Cathryn worked her way around the room meeting with each of the students individually. She raised critical questions and helped them come up with details that would help them revise and expand on the ideas they already had. I think meeting with students one on one during the revision process is important. It gives them a sense of where to go and it also promotes ownership in their work. It also shows that the teacher cares about their work and is willing to help while still guiding the students to make their own revisions. This is the most effective when the students respect the comments and ideas of the teacher.

Response Question:Prewriting

Thursday, February 19th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Response Question:

Teaching Prewriting

                Neman gave an example of an inventory of ideas activity. This activity was a prewriting activity in which the teacher goes around the room and asks every student to suggest something about the subject they are working with. Neman gives a list of advantages to this approach for example, “total participation builds widespread interest and the exercise also provides group practice.” She seems to be a firm believer in this approach because she does not give any downsides to it. What could be some disadvantages to this prewriting activity?

Making Writing Meaningful Response

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 52 Comments

Making Writing Meaningful Response

                First, I would like to start by saying that I really liked the concept of this particular video. It was a topic that really appealed to me because one of my main goals as a future teacher of writing is motivating my students to write. Personally, I have always felt that if students are writing on topics they find interesting or appealing they will feel more motivated to write well and will be more invested in the assignment as a result. This video was about motivating students to write. The featured teachers in these videos encouraged students to write about matters that were relevant and important to their lives. Some strategies used were writing editorials, writing on current events, and using media such as music to encourage students to write on topics they cared about. The teachers talked about creating an environment where student’s voices are heard. Another concern was that the student writers need to fell a purpose and need to have ownership in their writing.

                The first teacher that was introduced was Damond Moodie, he taught a diverse student-centered classroom. One of his main goals was to offer choice to the students because he felt that choice creates excitement and excitement creates a product. I really liked this concept and I really agree with his statement. He also gave an assignment I liked where the students were asked to look in the media for articles and give their opinion on the article they chose. First of all, this assignment gave the students a choice and when they found the article they liked they were more prompted to give a genuine reaction to the topic because it was something they cared about. This assignment also gave the students an opportunity to connect to the outside world express their views and interests. I gathered that the students seemed very excited and willing to share on their chosen topic. I think this particular assignment really proved that when a student is interested and invested in what they are writing about their final product will be a lot more successful.

                This assignment idea also fit well with Stacey Osborn’s idea of having students formulate their own questions for their writing. I interviewed Stacey for the interview project and she stressed the importance of having students formulate their own questions to write on. She said that students will feel more invested in the assignment if they have chosen what to write about. I can speak from experience that this method is successful because I used the method of critical questioning in her class and not only did I learn a lot but I was also more motivated. I think the ideas from Damond’s classroom all the way to Stacey’s really come together to prove that if a student is writing about something they feel connected to or interested in they will be more motivated to write in the end. I realize that not every assignment can be based on current events but the more you try appeal to the students as individuals the more successful their writing will be.

Introduction

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Interview Project Introduction

                Throughout my life it has always been my dream to become a teacher. I have had teachers growing up that have impacted my decision and who I aspire to be like someday. It was not until I came to college that I started seriously thinking about my personal teaching pedagogy. I was inspired and greatly impacted by an instructor I had my sophomore year, Stacey Osborn. She changed my whole view on teaching and helped me realize how much fun I can have as a teacher while motivating my students to learn. I gained so much knowledge from the interview I conducted with Stacey. It was truly enlightening to hear about teaching writing from her perspective. I hope to model Stacy’s teaching style and pedagogy in my own classroom someday. Throughout my paper I will discuss many aspects of what I took from the interview and how I will apply the information I gained as a future teacher of writing.

Response Question: Thesis Statement

Thursday, February 5th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 3,681 Comments

In the section of Neman’s book, Understanding Expository Structure, she thoroughly explains what an arguable statement is and exactly how to arrive at one. She gives the readers ways to prove that it is important and different strategies to formulating them such as the five “strategies for formulating the arguable statement.” Neman puts a lot of stress on the importance of our students grasping and correctly formulating these statements. How do we as future teachers of writing respond to a student’s arguable thesis statement that might not be correct after a student has worked hard to understand and formulate what they perceive as a good thesis statement? 

Teaching the Writing Process Informal Response

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 | Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Meg Richardson

ENG 484

Dr. Lee Nickoson-Massey

February 3, 2009

Teaching the Writing Process

I am a little hesitant to start this paper in fear that my introduction might be incorrect. I was not very fond of the beginning of this chapter which talked about introductions, in fact, I was a little annoyed after reading it. Don’t get me wrong the book has been great thus far but for the first time I found something I did not really like. For starters, the chapter opened up talking about something Neman describes as “blank-page jitters.” Blank-page jitters are what are referred to in the book as the reluctance to start writing or the fear of the blank page. This is a very common problem and something that I struggle with myself as a writer. Although she describes the blank-page jitters she does not actually talk about how to cure them or how to teach our students to get past them. If that was enough to irritate me, she jumps directly from the blank-page jitters to this statement, “We should not hesitate to advise our students: begin at the beginning, start with the introduction.” This statement amazed me because I don’t understand how Neman expects us to encourage our students to just get started on the introduction without even explaining how to get past the blank-page jitters.  This was a little frustrating to me.

                In my opinion, a main reason people get the blank-page jitters is because they stare at the blank page and have a hard time starting their paper. Neman thinks that we should encourage our students to start with the introduction, but for some people the introduction is the hardest part. A lot of times students can’t start their paper with the pressure of the perfect introduction and thesis statement hanging over their heads. Who wouldn’t be nervous to write the introduction after reading all the guidelines to a good introduction she gives.  I did however like how she offered that that we could reassure our students that the introduction can be rewritten like other parts of the paper. I think that every person is different in their approach to writing a paper and it is our job as teachers to offer different strategies and help our students find what works best for them. For example, we shared in class when we write the introductions to a paper and there were a variety of different answers. For some people, the introduction is the last thing they write.

                One of the topics I really liked in this chapter was teaching topic sentences. Topic sentences are something that really help me when I am structuring a paper. When I am doing an outline I always write the topic for each paragraph so I get an idea of where I want to go with that specific paragraph. Topic sentences can also be good transitions for your paper. I used to really struggle with topic sentences and now I understand the importance of them. I liked the activity that Neman presented for topic sentences. She said, “Providing students with a page or two from a professional or even student essay with the topic sentences whited out or otherwise omitted is a convincing way to demonstrate their importance for clarity of communication.” I think this is a really good idea and it after I read it I found a way that I could even expand on this. After they see how awkward a paragraph can be without a topic sentence, I could ask the students to practice writing topic sentences by having them construct a topic sentence for the missing sentence on the paper.