Deborah Appleman Professor and Director of the Summer Writing Program Carleton College “How Do You Like It So Far?” Responding to Young Writers

This is the theme to Gary's Show, The theme to Gary's show. Gary called me up and asked if I would write his theme song I’m almost halfway finished, How do you like it so far? How do you like the theme to Gary's Show? This is the theme to Gary's Show, The opening theme to Gary's show. This is the music that you hear as you watch the credits. We're almost to the part of where I start to whistle. Then we'll watch "It's Gary Shandling's Show". This was the theme to Garry Shandling's show. THE GARY SHANDLING SHOW

Revision from a Second-Grade Perspective “Okay, boys and girls, when you start fixing up your sloppy copy to make it a good copy, what kinds of changes could you make?”“Okay, boys and girls, when you start fixing up your sloppy copy to make it a good copy, what kinds of changes could you make?” “I’m going to try to not have as many periods.”“I’m going to try to not have as many periods.” “Why would you want to do that?”“Why would you want to do that?” “Because then I don’t have to do so many capitals.”“Because then I don’t have to do so many capitals.”

“The Pie” by Gary Soto

A Community of Writers, Readers, Respondents The promise of community and equality is at the center of our most prized national document, yet we’re shaped by harsh forces to see difference and to base judgment on it. Mike Rose, Lives on the Boundary Mike Rose, Lives on the Boundary

A Tale Of Two Texts What are we looking for in student writing?

The Redwoods/Fox

Responding Toward Revision: What Do We Want? I SEEI WISH REDWOODS FOX

Embracing Contraries Our loyalty to students asks us to be their allies and hosts as we instruct and share: to invite all students to enter in and join us as members of a learning community—even if they have difficulty. Our commitment to students asks us to assume they are all capable of learning, to see things through their eyes, to help bring out their best rather than their worst when it comes to tests and grades. By taking this inviting stance we will help more of them learn. But our commitment to knowledge and society asks us to be guardians or bouncers: we must discriminate, evaluate, test, grade, certify. We are invited to stay true to the inherent standards of what we teach, whether or not that stance fits the particular students before us. Our loyalty to students asks us to be their allies and hosts as we instruct and share: to invite all students to enter in and join us as members of a learning community—even if they have difficulty. Our commitment to students asks us to assume they are all capable of learning, to see things through their eyes, to help bring out their best rather than their worst when it comes to tests and grades. By taking this inviting stance we will help more of them learn. But our commitment to knowledge and society asks us to be guardians or bouncers: we must discriminate, evaluate, test, grade, certify. We are invited to stay true to the inherent standards of what we teach, whether or not that stance fits the particular students before us. Peter Elbow Peter Elbow

More Examples of Student Writing Lunch Table Lunch Table Ramon’s Revision Ramon’s Revision

... I thought a teacher had to talk. I feel guilty when I do nothing but listen. I confess my fear that I am too easy, that I have too low standards, to a colleague, Don Graves. He reassumes me I am a demanding teacher, for I see more in my students than they see in themselves. I certainly do. I expect them to write writing worth reading and they do—to their surprise, not mine... I thought a teacher had to talk. I feel guilty when I do nothing but listen. I confess my fear that I am too easy, that I have too low standards, to a colleague, Don Graves. He reassumes me I am a demanding teacher, for I see more in my students than they see in themselves. I certainly do. I expect them to write writing worth reading and they do—to their surprise, not mine. From Donald Murray, “The Listening Eye: Reflections on the Writing Conference”

The Summer Writing Program

I hear voices from my students that they have never heard from themselves. I find they are authorities on subjects they think ordinary. I find that even my remedial students write like writers, putting down writing that doesn't quite make sense, reading it to see what sense there might be in it, trying to make sense of it, and—draft after draft—making sense of it. They follow language to see where it will lead them, and I follow them following language. I hear voices from my students that they have never heard from themselves. I find they are authorities on subjects they think ordinary. I find that even my remedial students write like writers, putting down writing that doesn't quite make sense, reading it to see what sense there might be in it, trying to make sense of it, and—draft after draft—making sense of it. They follow language to see where it will lead them, and I follow them following language. From Donald Murray, “The Listening Eye: Reflections on the Writing Conference”

Lees’ Taxonomy of Formative Response CorrectCorrect EmoteEmote DescribeDescribe SuggestSuggest QuestionQuestion RemindRemind AssignAssign

For social-epistemic rhetoric, the real is located in a relationship that involves the dialectical interaction of the observer, the discourse community (social group) in which the observer is functioning, and the material conditions of existence. Knowledge is never found in any one of these but can only be posited as a product of the dialectic in which all three come together. For social-epistemic rhetoric, the real is located in a relationship that involves the dialectical interaction of the observer, the discourse community (social group) in which the observer is functioning, and the material conditions of existence. Knowledge is never found in any one of these but can only be posited as a product of the dialectic in which all three come together. From James Berlin, “Rhetoric and Ideology in the Writing Class”

 How do you like it so far?  How do you like it so far? What do you like best?  Where do you want to go with this?  How do you think you can get from here to there?  What did you mean to say here?  Can you describe this so I can picture it?  How does this sound?  What is the purpose?  What will you do next?