A Road Less Traveled: Critical Literacy and Language Learning in the Classroom, 1964–1996

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A Road Less Traveled: Critical Literacy and Language Learning in the Classroom, 1964–1996 takes us through what Robert W. Blake calls the "jaunty journey" of the English/English Language Arts classroom from its linguistic and literature foundations, to emphases on close reading techniques and structures to composing and responding to literature. A Road Less Traveled heads bumpily into the path of learning how to work with "non-native speakers" and other "basic" students toward a (re)-burst of a renewed interest in poetry and drama, reader response, a process approach to writing, and the diverse student, showing through the often winding and blurry road along the journey of our literacy travels over 30 years, that what we understood best about reading and writing has stood the test of time. Cover Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Section I: The English/English Language Arts Classroom Chapter 1: Behavioral Objectives and the Teaching of English (Robert W. Blake (1971)) Why Behavioral Objectives? Behavioral Objectives and Instruction Behavioral Objectives and the Teaching of Poetry Affective Domain Cognitive Domain Behavioral Objectives and the Teaching of Writing Affective Domain Cognitive Domain Behavioral Objectives and a Stance Toward Teaching Behavioral Objectives and Humanistic Values Notes Chapter 2: I See You, I Hear You, You’re OK: Humanizing the English Classroom (Robert W. Blake (1974)) Notes Chapter 3: The New English: Hot Stuff or Cool, Man, Cool? (Robert W. Blake (1970)) Notes Section II: Linguistics in the Classroom Chapter 4: Linguistics and the Teacher (Robert W. Blake (1965)) Notes Chapter 5: Once Upon a Morpheme: An NDEA Institute in Applied Linguistics for the Elementary School Teacher (Robert W. Blake (1967)) Introduction The Program Post Mortem Linguistics in the Elementary School: Where Do We Go From Here?—The Edpa Chapter 6: I See What You Mean—But Not by Words: Extraverbal Communication (Robert W. Blake (1973)) The Dimensions of Proxemics: The Anthropology of Space A Notation System for Proxemics If I Don’t See What You Mean, I’m in Trouble References Section III: Writing and the Writing Process in the Classroom Chapter 7: The Composing Process and Its Relationship to the Teaching of Writing (Robert W. Blake (1980)) Understanding Composing in Writing Stages in the Composing Process Activities for the Prewriting Stage Advice for Writers To Give Themselves During the First Draft Activities for the Revising Stage Activities for Editing Bibliography Chapter 8: Teaching Ideas: Back-to-basics: How To Talk to a Writer, or Forward to Fundamentals in Teaching Writing (Robert W. Blake (1976)) The Composing Process A Childhood Experience Varieties of Writing Skills of Writing Better Sentences Talking About Writing Chapter 9: Composing for the Left Hand: Writing Activities for the Intermediate Grades (Robert W. Blake (1978)) The Right Hand, the Left Hand, and Luck The Right and Left Parts of the Brain and Two Ways of Behaving Intellect and Intuition in Writing Modes of Writing in the Schools Assumptions for Composing with the Left Hand Guidelines for Teaching Composing for the Left Hand A Baker’s Half Dozen Activities for Composing for the Left Hand References Chapter 10: Composing as the Curriculum: The Albion Writing Project (Robert W. Blake and Frederick B. Tuttle, Jr. (1979)) What We Planned Inservice Agenda What We Did What We Learned Bibliography The Composing Process Varieties of Discourse Sentence Manipulation Workshopping Assessment and Evaluation of Writing Chapter 11: Setting Up an Effective Writing Program in the Schools (Robert W. Blake (1981)) What’s the Problem? Myths About Writing and Teaching Writing What Makes an Effective Writing Program? What Makes Up an Effective Writing Program? Essentials for an Effective Writing Program How To Get It Done Basic Goals for a Writing Program But Why Do It? Chapter 12: Assessing English and Language Arts Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Writers and Writing (Robert W. Blake (1976)) Note Section IV: Poetry in the Classroom Chapter 13: Poets on Poetry: Writing and the Reconstruction of Reality (Robert W. Blake (1990)) Poets on Writing Poetry Obsession with Words Need for Solitude A Tempered Confidence Why Poets Write Poetry What’s Poetry Good For? Works Cited Chapter 14: Poets on Poetry: One Way To Write a Poem (Robert W. Blake (1991)) Early Memory Prewriting Task Charlotte’s Process My Process Chapter 15: Poets on Poetry: The Morality of Poetry (Robert W. Blake (1992)) Works Cited Chapter 16: Responding to Poetry: High School Students Read Poetry (Robert W. Blake and Anna Lunn (1986)) Background The Study The Process of Responding Stages in the Responding Process Conclusions and Implications Bibliography Section V: Responding to Literature/ Reader Response in the Classroom Chapter 17: Using the Personal Response To Become a Learning Community: A Model for Secondary Students To Learn To Read Short Fiction (Robert W. Blake (1991)) Reading, Writing, and Interpreting a Short Story To the Students (Pre-Reading Writing Task) To the Student (introductory Discussion) To the Student (Initial Writing) To the Student (Small Group Discussion of Initial Reading) To the Student What Does the Main Character Learn about the Other Characters? What Does the Main Character Learn about Herself? Evaluating the Text Becoming a Learning Community Works Cited Chapter 18: Reader Response: Toward an Evolving Model for Teaching Literature in the Elementary Grades (Robert W. Blake (1996)) Abstract How Reader Response Works in a First Grade Classroom: Practice Exemplifying Theory Elements of Reader Response in a First Grade Classroom References Section VI: Drama in the Classroom Chapter 19: The Play’s the Thing for Middle School Students (Robert W. Blake (1989)) Why Read This Play? (Rationale) Knowledge the Students Will Assimilate and the Skills They Will Practice (General Instructional Objectives) How to Teach the Play (Teaching Strategies) Reading the Play as a Script Reading Orally, Discussing, and Interpreting the Play Discussing the Play as a Whole Putting on the Play Evaluation Where Do We Go from Here? References Chapter 20: Converting Narrative into Drama: Using the Composing Process To Integrate the Language Arts (Robert W. Blake (1982)) Adapting a Play from a Short Story Analyzing the Story What Happens in the Story? Who Are the People? What Are the Ideas? Retelling the Story Rewriting the Story as a Play Creating Original Fantasies: Stories or Plays Learning Communication Skills by Converting Narrative into Drama Section VII: English Language Learners and Other ‘Basic’ Students in the Classroom Chapter 21: Starting Off a Non-native Student in a College Basic Skills Course (Robert W. Blake (1982)) Chapter 22: A New Look at Basic Skills Writing Instruction: A Teacher Workshop for Basic Skills Writing in the Secondary Schools (Robert W. Blake (1983)) Skills-Drill Approach To Basic Writing Instruction What’s Wrong With the Skills-Drill Approach? Planning For a Basic Skills Workshop in Writing Assumptions Underlying the Workshops Outline of the Three Workshops First Workshop Foundations of Teaching Writing and Teaching Expressive Writing Workshop Evaluation Teaching Expository and Persuasive Writing Third Workshop Sentence Combining, Assessing and Evaluating Writing, and Setting Up a Basic Skills Writing Program Total Workshop Evaluation Solving the Problem of Basic Writing Chapter 23: How Can We Help Our Teen-agers? (Robert W. Blake (1966)) Section VIII: Teacher Education and the Classroom Chapter 24: Is Teacher Education Governable? (Robert W. Blake (1973)) Problems in Setting Up Competency-Based Programs University Roles in Governance of Teacher Education The Influence of Public School Teachers Professionalism in English Education A Hypothetical Program Index Blank Page