class 9teaching in

cultureC&I 320

Spring 2002

writing

writing guidelines: don’t let good thinking get lost in bad writing

• use active voice• do not begin sentences with there is

(was etc.) and it is (was etc.) • get rid of extra words--write simply and

concisely. Ceteris paribus fewer words makes for better writing.• do not begin sentences with “throat clearing”

phrases, for example, “to be perfectly honest,” “it goes without saying,” and so on

– avoid very--find the right word

• use who when referring to people, not that

• in a series of 3 or more, put comma before the and or or

• compound sentences (two independent clauses) require a comma before the conjunction (and, but etc)

• if you begin a sentence with an adjectival phrase, make sure it modifies the subject. e.g., walking down the street, i saw jill. NOT: walking down the street, the trees were blooming

• avoid qualifiers, e.g., seems, kind of, appeared, sort of; say what you mean

• periods and commas go inside quotation marks (always); colons and semicolons go outside quotation marks (always)

• use concrete as opposed to abstract language--describe exactly what kids did, what you did etc

• writing is not speech on paper--avoid the following:– a lot (of)– feel (as in “I feel that. . . .”– quote (as in “This quote from

Ayers . . . .”; write, “Ayers said . . . .”– so (as in “I learned so much.”)

• make sure pronouns have clear noun referents. any time you begin a sentence with a pronoun, check to make sure it refers to a noun (most of the time it will not--rewrite the sentence)

• do not separate the verb from the subject with a comma

• do not separate a compound verb with a comma

• do not use the following words: agree, disagree, like, dislike--get at your reactions

• no cover pages, binders etc

• turn in a draft with all papers except group reports

• spell check• include page numbers for all quotations

Paley report (format)• upper left corner: Paley 2 The Girl with the Brown Crayon• upper right corner: name• center (below): title• nothing else• do not repeat title in text--instead,

“Paley wrote . . . .”

Paley report (content)• describe

– something you learned about teaching from Paley

– something you learned about kids– something you learned about a kid– one episode that you reacted to

emotionally--go through the 4 steps– anything else you want to add

paper (format)• upper left corner: paper date• upper right corner: name• center (below) title• nothing else• for non-traditional paper format,

include the information above• keep citations brief, e.g., (A-T, 29;

Wolfe, 43)• no references

paper (content)• pick 4 or 5 things you are learning

about good teaching• explore your development in these

areas by connecting the readings, discussions, lectures, fieldtrips, and your experience

• described how you have developed (changed) and how you intend to continue

• write personally, in the first person• avoid jargon and awkward

“academic” writing• be specific when describing

readings or experiences--focus on details

• do not stop at step 1 or 2