Kelly Gallagher Stenhouse Publishers Portland, Maine Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher. Copyright © 2006. Stenhouse Publishers. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission from publisher. Stenhouse Publishers www.stenhouse.com Copyright © 2006 by Kelly Gallagher All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmit- ted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo- copy, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders and students for permis- sion to reproduce borrowed material. We regret any oversights that may have occurred and will be pleased to rectify them in subsequent reprints of the work. Credits Page 78: From the Orange County Register, July 15, 2005. Reprinted by permis- sion of the Orange County Register, copyright 2006. Page 84: From Newsweek, Dec. 23, 2002. Copyright 2002 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission. Page 120: From The Huffington Post.http://www.thehuffingtonpost.com/arianna- huffington/from-the-dept-of-contrit_b_15885.html. Ussed with permission of Arianna Huffington and HuffingtonPost.com. Pages 120–121: From the L.A. Times, January 1, 2006. Copyright 2006 L.A. Times. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gallagher, Kelly, 1958– Teaching adolescent writers / [by Kelly Gallagher]. p. cm. Summary: “Describes strategies for teaching writing to adolescents, including teaching the reasons writing is important, meeting student needs in learning writing, modeling good writing by the teacher, using real-world mod- els of writing, giving students choice, writing for authentic, real-world pur- poses, and assessing student writing”—Provided by publisher. ISBN-13: 978-1-57110-422-9 (acid-free paper) ISBN-10: 1-57110-422-4 (acid-free paper) 1. English language—Composition and exercises—Study and teaching (Secondary) 2. English language—Composition and exercises—Study and teaching (Middle school) I. Title. LB1631.G16 2006 808’.0420712—dc22 2006023578 Cover, interior design, and typesetting by Martha Drury Manufactured in the United States of America on acid-free paper 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher. Copyright © 2006. Stenhouse Publishers. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission from publisher. For those teachers who, despite the numerous obstacles placed in their way, walk into their classrooms every day dedicated to improving their students’ writing. Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher. Copyright © 2006. Stenhouse Publishers. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission from publisher. This page intentionally left blank Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher. Copyright © 2006. Stenhouse Publishers. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission from publisher. Contents Acknowledgments vii Chapter 1: Running with the Literacy Stampede 1 Chapter 2: Overcoming “The Neglected ‘R’”: Establishing a Time and a Place to Write 25 Chapter 3: Beyond the Grecian Urn: The Teacher as a Writing Model 47 Chapter 4: Elevating Student Writing: Using Real-World Models 73 Chapter 5: Beyond Fake Writing: The Power of Choice 89 Chapter 6: The Importance of Purpose and Audience 119 Chapter 7: Using Assessment to Drive Better Student Writing 141 A Closing Thought: The Literacy Stampede Is upon Us 169 v Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher. Copyright © 2006. Stenhouse Publishers. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission from publisher. Appendix 1: Twenty Books Every Teacher of Writing Should Own 172 Appendix 2: Reading a Movie (Chart) 173 Appendix 3: Author’s Purpose (Chart) 174 Appendix 4: Twenty-five Prompts for Timed Writing Practice 175 Appendix 5: Vocabulary Used in a Writing Classroom 179 Appendix 6: Yes/No (Author’s Argument Chart) 180 Appendix 7: Writing Smaller/Funneling (Chart) 181 Appendix 8: Topic Blast 182 Appendix 9: The Big Eight Purposes for Writing 183 Appendix 10: Independent Correction Sheet 184 Appendix 11: Spelling Demons (Chart) 185 Appendix 12: Essay Scoring Rubric 186 Appendix 13: Great Quotes About Writing 187 Works Cited 189 Index 193 vi Teaching Adolescent Writers Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher. Copyright © 2006. Stenhouse Publishers. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission from publisher. Acknowledgments O ne does not write a book alone—especially while teaching full time. You would not be holding this book in your hands without the lov- ing support of my family. I am indebted to my wife, Kristin, who not only keeps the ship afloat while I am adrift, but who also forgives me for using lame metaphors like the one found in this sentence. I also want to thank my beautiful daughters, Caitlin and Devin, for their patience and support. I am indeed fortunate to be their dad. Special thanks to Bill Varner, my editor at Stenhouse. This is our third book together, and I could not ask for a better editor. Bill, I deeply appreciate your expertise and guidance. Much appreciation to Erin Whitehead for her keen copyediting eye and to Jay Kilburn for his help with the artwork. I would also like to thank Martha Drury for her wonderful design, Rick Wormeli for the cover photo, and Nate Butler for all the support he has given me from the Right Coast. Thank you to Philippa Stratton, Tom Seavey, and the staff at Stenhouse for your unflagging support. vii Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher. Copyright © 2006. Stenhouse Publishers. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission from publisher. Kudos to my English-teaching colleagues at Magnolia High School for their role in shaping my teaching: John Greenwald, Amie Howell, Melissa Hunnicutt, Virginia Kim, Sheri Krumins, Margaret Macchia, Katrina Mundy, Esther Noh, Lindsay Ruben, Robin Turner, Michelle Waxman, and Dana White. I would also like to thank my principal, Dr. Ken Fox, for his continued support. Thanks to Señor Puente, Steve Gonzales, for all he does for the students of Magnolia High School. It is an honor to work with someone who, against the odds, keeps his eye on the ball. I’d like to acknowledge those who have been particularly supportive from the offices of the Anaheim Union High School District, specifically Jane Davis, Mike Matsuda, and, of course, Judy Oceguera. Sincere thanks to those teachers who have made me a better teacher of writing, specifically, Julie Lecesne-Switzer, Mike Switzer, Ellen Lafler, Richard Cornwell (who coined the revision acronym “STAR”), Joanna Exacoustos, Sandy Nevarez, Norelynn Pion-Goureau, Stephanie Sullivan, Jo Lack, Poppy Hill, Jan Strahl, and the many fellows of the South Basin Writing Project. The following people were particularly influential in developing my think- ing about the teaching of writing: Mary K. Healy, an early leader in the Bay Area Writing Project, who years ago opened my eyes to the importance of a writing-centered classroom. I want to be Mary K. when I grow up. Catharine Lucas, retired professor of writing at San Francisco State University, who was the first to prompt me to think deeply about writing. Before Catharine came along, I was unaware that I was unaware. Thanks to her, I am now frequently aware that I am unaware. Ron Strahl, the director of the South Basin Writing Project and professor of English at California State University, Long Beach, who not only has taught me much about writing but also continues to challenge me to reflect on my teaching practices. Nina Wooldridge, the co-director of the South Basin Writing Project, who has single-handedly made me a better writing teacher. Her work echoes throughout this book, and I thank her for teaching me how to grade an essay. My students at MHS, who teach me something about writing every day. And, of course, my first writing influences—my mother and father. viii Teaching Adolescent Writers Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher. Copyright © 2006. Stenhouse Publishers. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission from publisher. 1 Running with the Literacy Stampede L et’s start with a scenario I ask my students at the beginning of the school year: You’re standing in a large field minding your own business when you hear rumbling sounds in the distance. The sounds begin to intensify, and at first you wonder if it is thunder you hear approaching. Because it’s a beautiful, cloud- less day you dismiss this notion. As the rumbling sound grows louder, you begin to see a dust cloud rising just over the ridge a few yards in front of you. Instantly, you become panicked because at that exact moment it dawns on you that the rumbling you’re hearing is the sound of hundreds of wild bulls stam- peding over the ridge. There are hordes of them and they are bearing down right on top of you. They are clearly faster than you and there is no time to escape. What should you do? Survival experts recommend only one of the fol- lowing actions: A) Lying down and curling up, covering your head with your arms 1 Teaching Adolescent Writers by Kelly Gallagher. Copyright © 2006. Stenhouse Publishers. All rights reserved. No reproduction without written permission from publisher.