Yay for Multigenre Writing :)

I have never heard of the Multigenre Paper before we discussed it in class on Thursday. I think it is a creative, yet very informational way to writing after a project or novel. I am really looking forward to writing this paper. Not only because of the freedom that comes along with this type of paper, but also it is a great way to get your ideas out in the open and have people be interested in reading what you have to say. I believe students would prefer writing a paper like this. It may be a little longer in length, but it consists of a number of different elements of writing. It not only teaches them how to address an audience in the form of writing a short, formal paper, but it also gives the writer the ability to construct other dimensions of writing such as poetry, journal writing, blog entries, and so on! If a writer is not confident in one way of writing, then he/she could show their skill through another way. I think my favorite thing about this type of writing is the freedom:)! I really wish I had the ability to write an essay like this in high school and even in my first few years of college. It gives the educator a great way to looking at each students individual abilities instead of giving them a  flat, dry topic and way to writing.

Grammar Traditionally?

I was in an English classroom over spring break and had to conduct a lesson on grammar. It took all I could to tell the teacher that this will not really benefit the students at all and it is just a waste of classtime. I handed out a paper on noun and verb agreement and twenty minutes later, I went over the worksheet. The lesson was over after that...never to be touched on again! Ughh, I was utterly disappointed. I believe next time I will bring in Noden's textbook and show her what we are learning! :) ....((I also did DOL's all week with the class.))

Teaching grammar in isolation to writing has been found again and again to have little if any positive effect on students' writing. I cannot believe that teachers' today are not seeing this in their own classrooms! I wonder if they just do not care about this statistic or if they do not want to change up their lesson plan. I really, really want to have an answer for this question. It has really been bothering me for sometime now. I cannot believe the evidence that Noden provides and actually going into the classroom and visually being able to experience grammar and writing being seperated is crazy. I could not help but get frustrated over the lesson I was "teaching". The kids were obviously not learning anything!

"Good writing is not produced by mere grammar study!" I love this quote, and I am sure I have posted it in several blogs, but I believe it to be 100% true.

First off, I just want to start out by saying that I loved the Strategy 1 test that Noden provided us with in Chapter 10. How crazy is it that people compare a person's intelligence level by how proper their grammar usage is and how well they spell. (I'm a horrible speller, so I know how rude people can be sometimes!) This test does make it known though that people will respect you more if you have a greater knowledge of our English language and its grammar. I think that this would be a wise choice to give students/class if they ask, "Why do we need learn grammar/English?" It clearly states that business executives will support the notion that grammatical skills directly affect promotion. I, also, believe that this test would also encourage kids to want to learn (at least a little bit) more about grammar. It would be nice for a teacher to see their students progress as well as the students to see their progress as well. It's motivational!
I also liked the list that Noden gave on page 235. It contains the twenty most common errors in their order of frequency. This would be a great way for teachers' to know exactly what they should focus on when it comes to grammar and teaching their students. Why bother teaching a subject on nouns when they already know how to use a noun and what a noun is. Teachers should focus on what their students are struggling with....this leads to better writing. :)
Anderson does such a great job at teaching grammar! I hope that I can teach my students the way that Anderson has been teaching me during the semester. If I can do half of what he has done for me, then I believe I will be a great educator! I love the Pronoun Case that he gives on page 112. I think this is a great sign to have displaying in the classroom. If students see these signs/posters, I believe they are more willing to look and try to learn it on their own time as well.