The Breaking the Rules Edition

Dialogue
A Publication of the San Diego Area Writing Project Winter 2003

Inside... The 21 Senses

Project Notes. . . . . . . 3

Revisited
Tribal Circles. . . . . . . 6
Sarah Curry
Frank Barone
SDAWP 1977

Young Writers’ At the beginning of the 21 Senses project my writing was all written
like I was telling a long dull story. Now I have learned to transform
Camp . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
my writing into something meaningful. —Ally, 5th grade
Congratulations Yes, they still work. Nine years into my active retirement, Judy Leff, the language arts
New Fellows . . . . . . 10 teacher at Pacific View Elementary in Encinitas, asked me to work with her students on
The 21 Senses. When I taught creative writing at the high school level, I had my students
Medium for write The 21 Senses at the beginning of each semester to set the foundation for all the
Meaning. . . . . . . . . 11 poetry, short story, essay, and play writing they would do in that class. The 21 Senses
Katie King requires students to compose focused, tightly-written, “showing” paragraphs and thus
eliminate weak, bland, “telling” writing.
Everything I Learned
Frank’s models really helped because if he just brought in a list
About Teaching
of Senses I would be frozen and I would not be able to write. For me,
. . . Writing Wouldn’t fit
I have to have an example in order to get an idea. —Ariel, 5th grade
into a Five Paragraph
Essay . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Mary Coleman I decided to rewrite The 21 Senses for Judy’s 5th and 6th grade class. I wrote at least two
new examples for each Sense and presented them to the students about four at a time over
a period of several weeks. After I read each model, I asked the students to point out or

comment on specific words, metaphors, action verbs, images, phrases, or lines that stood
Because Writing
out for them. By following this pattern they began to observe what they read more closely.
Matters . . . . . . . . . . 14 Also, they began to “read like writers.” When it came time for them to write, the models
A Book Review and the ideas shared during the discussion made it possible for them to enliven their own
Wendy Weisel-Bosworth paragraphs with specific, concrete nouns, metaphors, and action verbs.

Publishing Looking back through the long journey of The 21 Senses

Opportunities. . . . . . 15
Dialogue
Announcements . . . . 15
Calendar of Events. . 16
Also Featured:
Carrie K. Wastal. . . . . . 5
Amy Miyamoto. . . . . . 10
something just clicked. I grew as a writer. My writing
exploded with similes and metaphors. —Aaron, 6th grade
Each time we asked the students to write, Judy and I sat down and wrote along with them.
We wanted the students to see we valued this assignment and writing in general. We
wanted them to see us as writers willing to go through all the steps of the process, from
pre-writing through revision. While the following models should be helpful to teachers
and students, I encourage all teachers to compose their own models, share them with
students, and then write along with them.
Once you start on a Sense it’s as impossible to stop as killing millions of
venomous tarantulas with just a single can of bug spray that’s almost empty.

Frank Barone,
author of 21
Senses Revisited,
writes in his
notebook
during a
summer 2003
Young Writers’
Camp session.
—Steele, 5th grade
THE MODELS
Sense of Sight
The sun crawled over the ridge of
the canyon flooding the valley
below. Early mist, sparkling in the
bright sunshine, soon gave way to
the wavering shades of green within
the surrounding forest and along
the grassy meadow. A small stream
added its own luster to the begin-
ning of day. As if to greet the sun, a
hawk burst from the shadows of the
tall pines. The hawk soared up to
the crest of the canyon where it
hovered to watch the silver trail of
water below.
Sense of Hearing
Steps followed me down the dark-
ened street. Heels clicked sharply
on the sidewalk and echoed against
the tall buildings. A car suddenly
screeched around the corner, rum-
bled past me, and ground to a stop,
the motor still growling. Then, after
a brief pause, the motor revved,
tires screamed, and the car thun-
dered up the darkened street leav-
ing me surrounded by the silence.
Sense of Taste
I bit into a big piece of cake and let
2 Dialogue, Winter 2003
the chocolate fudge swim past my
teeth and do a breast stroke across
my tongue. My taste buds greeted
the creamy filling with delight,
then begged for more. Another
bite and my taste buds squealed
like teenage girls at a young boys’
rock concert. I stuffed another
generous piece of cake past my lips
and my taste buds declared they
had found chocolate heaven and
fudge paradise. I can’t wait for the
next Poetry and Chocolate Party.
Sense of Touch
I placed my hands on the tree and
rubbed them back and forth against
the rough bark. The bark scraped
and scratched my skin. Pieces of
bark pinched and dug into my flesh.
Sharp edges ripped at the skin and
made my hands tingle from the
friction. When I removed my
hands, I finally knew how to write
a Sense of Touch.
Sense of Smell
The aroma of chopped garlic and
onions simmering in olive oil
assaults my nostrils. The garlic
storms up my nose and takes no
prisoners. The onions burn their
way inside and show no mercy.
Wave after wave of bubbling olive
oil opens a wide path through my
nasal passages. Then I toss in the
tomatoes and for the next three
hours my nose surrenders to the
spicy delights of spaghetti sauce
cooking on the stove.
Sense of Language
“What’s up, dude?”
“Not much, bro. I hear the surf’s
up. Some totally radical good
waves.”
“Now you’re talking, man. I’ll grab
my board and we’ll paddle out to
see if we can ride some curls.”
“Right on, dude. Let’s hit the
beach.”
Sense of People (Describes one
person.)
The old man in the rumpled suit
stood at the edge of the crowd. His
jacket showed signs of stains and
his pants needed both cleaning and
pressing. He wore a faded, unironed
shirt with a frayed collar. But then
my eyes riveted on his tie, a bright
crimson tie with a large knot at his
throat. And when I looked at his
face, I could see the hint of pride
and the sparkle of joy he had in his
eyes because of that one badge of
color in his otherwise dreary life.
Sense of Reader (This sense
directs some writing to a specific
audience.)
Dear Friends in Ms. Leff’s Class,
I enjoy coming to your class to
share my ideas about writing. I
appreciate the way you listen and
how quickly you put those ideas
into your papers. I’ve noticed how
diligently you work independently
during writing time and how well
you work with each other in groups.
When it comes time to share, you
always amaze me with the way your
writing “shows” instead of “tells.” I
hope you have as much fun as I do
during my visits.
Frank
In Possible Lives: The Promise of
Public Education in America, Mike
Dialogue
Rose works against the negative
view of teachers and U.S. public
schools that Hirsch offers. Rose
Winter 2003
does this largely by changing the
Issue No. 15
parameters of the discussion. While
he also uses anecdotal evidence, he
Breaking the Rules
is careful not to universalize the
stories he tells. He uses specific
examples
Editors: of teaching Stacey Goldblatt
practices that
Jennifer Moore
work only to suggest possibilities,
Page Design: Janis Jones
not to universalize these anecdotes,
Writing Angel: Susan Minnicks
and not to claim universal excel-
lence. Hirsch, on the other hand,
Published
uses anecdotal Biannually
stories to claim uni-
by the public schools;
versal decline in U.S.
this may beSan Diego Area
compelling to some, but
Writing Project
it makes for sloppy and irresponsi-
ble arguments. We need to find
more ways Director:to understand and
expose Marcia Venegas-García
this kind of argumentation.
This
is not to say that what Rose is
doing
UC Sanis not valuable and responsi-
Diego
bly developed--I think it is; it is,
SDAWP
9500 Gilman
however, to say Drive
that we need to
broaden
La Jolla,the
CA 92093-0070
kinds of responses
(858)
made 534-2576
to such arguments. how much
relies
it http://create.ucsd.edu/sdawp/
on anecdotal stories and on
assumptions that, to me, seem to be
Sense of Self
After a long career teaching high
school English, I retired in l993, but
I still keep active by making presen-
tations to teachers and students on
writing and poetry. I write poetry
because I like the challenge of play-
ing with words and putting them
together to express my ideas and
feelings about what I have experi-
enced. I also enjoy reading and
seeing how other writers use lan-
guage to show us their worlds.
Reading feeds my imagination and
sometimes gives me ideas I can put
into poems. I like being active in
my retirement.
Sense of Problem
My nose told me the garbage dis-
posal needed repair. It reeked with
the sour smells of rotting vegeta-
bles, old pieces of meat, and fatty
gristle. I could hear the chug and
crunch and grinding of blades every
time I turned on the switch. And
when I opened the faucet, water
gurgled and bubbled instead of
flowing freely down the drain.
Sense of Solution
Needing to unclog the pipes, I
poured some Liquid Plumber down
the drain. I waited the required
time then flushed the drain with hot
water. Next I cut up a lemon and
pushed it into the disposal. I opened
the faucet, turned on the switch,
and soon I heard the gears recap-
ture their steady, rhythmic purr.
Water flowed freely, and the lemon
freshened the air once again.
Sense of History (This sense
describes a time in the past.)
I heard the story more than once
from my father. He told me his
father, my grandpa, had left his
family back in Italy to come to
America to find a job. He wanted to
make enough money to bring all his
family to this country. He worked
long hours at construction jobs. It
took him several years, but eventu-
ally he had saved enough money to
bring his wife and children to
America. This story always reminds
me to give thanks to my grandpa for
fulfilling his dreams.
Sense of the Specific (This Sense
shows the specific detail that makes
Dialogue, Winter 2003
one object different from other
objects of the same kind.)
I have used the same place mats for
Project Notes...
years. They have gone through
Zenaida Rosario (SDAWP ‘97)
many meals and many times togeth-
has been selected as one of four
er in the washing machine. Their
County Teachers of the Year. It’s
once bright blue, red, and white
the second time that 21-year vet-
floral designs have faded uniformly.
eran teacher Zenaida Rosario
While these same four place mats
has been named Teacher of the
all look alike, the other day I noticed
Year by her San Ysidro school
a subtle difference in one of them.
district. But it’s the first time she
One mat has a small rip at the cor-
will be recognized as one of the
ner edge that sets it apart from the
12 to 15 semifinalists for state
others.
teacher of the year. Zenaida
teaches bilingual third graders at
Sense of the General
La Mirada Elementary School,
where she inaugurated a school-
I walked up my street and looked at
wide aerobics program and
all the colorful and creative decora-
helped students plant a campus
tions on each house. One house
garden. In her district and at the
had its bushes covered with cob-
Writing Project, Zenaida is
webs. Another had its driveway
known as a fierce advocate of
lined with jack-o-lanterns. Other
bilingual education and a dedi-
houses had skeletons, pumpkins,
cated educator who opens her
witches, ghosts, ghouls, and assort-
classroom early and stays late to
ed goblins glowing in windows or
offer her students extra literacy
dangling from trees. Soon trick-or-
help, including writing tutorials.
treaters will be ringing doorbells on
Zenaida credits the Writing
Halloween.
Project for providing numerous
professional training opportuni-
Sense of Involvement (In this
ties that have helped her moti-
Sense the writer or a character is
vate students in her classroom to
emotionally touched by someone
love writing. Colleagues and stu-
else’s problem and comes to the aid
dents of Writing Project fellows,
of that person.)
she says, “benefit the most from
what we learn.” Congratulations
We had just finished with
to Zenaida, who was rewarded
Thanksgiving dinner when we
with a $1000 plane ticket, a TV,
heard a loud crash outside. We
DVD player, and computer at the
rushed out of the house to see that
county’s October 4 award cere-
two cars had collided at the inter-
mony.
section. One car lay on its side, but
the driver had managed to get out
Carmen Jay (SDAWP ‘02) has
okay. The other car had come to a
been elected chair of the
stop against the curb with its motor
Department of English,
still running. Two girls sat in the
Communication and Foreign
back seat screaming while the driv-
Language at Miramar College.
er lay slumped over the wheel. I
She has also been appointed to
reached in, turned the motor off,
the board of ECCTYC, the
then opened the door for the two
English Council of California
girls. Someone else had called 911.
Two Year Colleges.
Meanwhile, I calmed the girls down
until the police arrived.
Robin Luby (SDAWP ‘81) was
honored in February with the
Sense of Detachment (In this
CATE Distinguished Service
Sense the writer or character sees a
Award, and she was recognized
problem, and is moved by it, but is
at the annual meeting of the
unable to help.)
Mortar Board Alumni Chapter of
San Diego County as the recipi-
The mother and her daughter start-
ent of the Outstanding Alumna
ed arguing. With each statement
Award. Robin retired from
they made, the argument grew
Grossmont High School on June
more intense, louder, and more
13 after forty years of teaching.
spiteful. From the next room I
heard them shouting names to
3
wound each other more deeply.
Since I had come as a guest to their
house, I could not say anything or
take any sides. I just sat there and
had to listen to them vent their
anger.
Sense of Curiosity (This Sense
leaves the reader wondering.)
With a smile dancing in her eyes,
she handed me the small package. I
held it in my hand and stared at the
blue wrapping paper decorated with
yellow daisies. I placed my fingers
on one end of the curled-up white
ribbon and pulled. When the ribbon
unraveled, I tore away the wrapping
paper and lifted the square cover. It
only took me a moment to stare at
what she had placed inside the box
before I smiled, then laughed, then
cried, and finally said, “You’ve got to
be kidding.” She said, “No,” and
then we both laughed together at
her surprise gift.
Sense of Implication (This Sense
leads the reader to draw a conclu-
sion, almost as if the reader knows
what the next sentence would be at
the end.)
First the leaves change their color
from green to yellow and orange,
russet and brown. Then the leaves
start to fall exposing bare branches.
The days grow shorter and the
nights chillier. People dress more
warmly and light their fireplaces
and furnaces. Nature gives unmis-
takable signs to show us what sea-
son comes next.
Sense of Skepticism (This Sense
asks a serious, challenging ques-
tion.)
Our world has an abundant supply
of streams, rivers, and lakes. It also
has ample stretches of farmland.
Animals of every species roam the
earth and various kinds of vegeta-
tion cover the mountains and val-
leys. With all these resources and
the technology to cultivate, produce,
preserve, package, and transport
food, we have to wonder why so
many people still go hungry.
Sense of Irony
Example 1—The little girl reached
across the counter and gave the
clerk the money for her ice cream
cone. The clerk handed her the
4 Dialogue, Winter 2003
double scoop of Rocky Road and
Cookie Dough. She wrapped her
little fingers around the cone and
walked out of 31 Flavors with wide
eyes and a big smile on her face.
She had waited for this moment all
day. And now she brought the
double scoop up to her mouth and
stuck out her tongue to lick the ice
cream. But when her tongue hit the
double scoop, the ice cream fell out
of the cone and splattered on the
ground.
Example 2—She entered the store
in the shopping mall and tripped
over her own feet. She reached out
her hand for support and knocked
down the clothes rack. When she
started to pick up some of the
clothes, she ripped one of the dress-
es. Then as she walked down the
aisle, her elbow hit a display of per-
fume bottles. They crashed and
spilled onto the carpet. I took her
hand and gently steered her out the
door. Outside, I said to her, “What
Concrete Poem
makes you so graceful?”
Sense of Form teachers to work with their students
to establish the criteria they will use
Example 1—Haiku for their Senses.
Busy hummingbird REVISION RECIPE
flies here, there, and everywhere.
Blink and he’ll be gone. ___ Eliminate any unnecessary
words
Example 2—Concrete Poem ___ Use metaphors and similes
___ Have an active imagination
21SENSES ___ Test the beginning, middle,
lSENSESW and conclusion for
SENSESWE strength
ENSESWEH ___ Make pictures for the
NSESWEHA reader
SESWEHAD ___ Use vivid words and
ESWEHADF language
SWEHADFU ___ Check spelling and
WEHADFUN punctuation
THE CRITERIA I have learned to be more
descriptive in my writing.
Before your students start on The I learned to take out the weak
Senses, talk with them about what words to make the paragraphs
they need to put into their para- stronger and more catching.
graphs to make them “show” rather
—Libby, 5th grade
than “tell.” Talk with them about
the criteria you and their peer
BEYOND “THE 21 SENSES”
groups will use to evaluate their
writing. I shared some of my ideas
After the students had completed
with Judy’s students through a
all 21 Senses, I encouraged them to
poem I had written. Judy and her
continue to write by creating their
students then took that poem and
own list of Senses. Again, I gave
came up with a list of criteria they
the students two models to get
would use to guide their efforts and
them thinking. They particularly
evaluate their progress. While I
liked the following example.
include their list here, I would urge
Sense of Fantasy

The fairy godmother waved her
magic wand and showered the
young maiden with star dust. The
star dust settled on her head and
shoulders and transformed the
young maiden into a princess. She
stepped onto her skateboard and
raced down to the lily pond where
she scooped up her favorite frog
into her hands and kissed him on
the top of his shiny green head.
Lights flashed. Bells rang. Music
played, and the frog turned into a
prince. He hopped on his motorcy-
cle and, with his princess on the
back seat, they drove off for a night
of dancing at the junior prom.
Amanda, a 6th grader, came up with
her own list which she will work
at on her free time. A few of
her Senses include: Accomplish-
ment; Movement; Intelligence;
Poverty; Writing; Beauty; Revision;
Transportation.
THE CELEBRATION
To reward her students for all the
writing they had done, Judy
arranged a party for them and asked
them to invite their parents to
attend. Many parents took the time
to come to class and listen to their
children and the other students read
their favorite Senses. This 21 Senses
Party further validated the progress
the students had made. Several
parents commented on the maturity
they had witnessed as the students
read their paragraphs.
REFLECTIONS
When the students had completed
all 21 Senses, I asked them to write
their reflections about doing this
assignment, what they liked about
it, what difficulty they may have
had, what difference or change the
Senses had made in their writing or
reading, and any comments they
may have received from their par-
ents. Most of the students wrote two
or three pages reflecting on their
feelings. While I have excerpted
and interspersed some of their com-
ments throughout this article, I
think it fitting to conclude with a
few more words from the students
and from their gracious teacher,
Judy Leff.
Before the 21 Senses I didn’t have
the confidence to write a
Dialogue, Winter 2003
paragraph and actually think
it was good. Through
the 21 Senses I became a much
better writer. I am also more
confident as a writer.
Gift
Carrie K. Wastal
—Libby, 5th grade SDAWP 2003
I know this is a great program
because this year I have had one Don’t buy your daughter a bikini
of my best conferences with my
mother, and I know that 21 Senses Even when she tightens
helped me get through it. I was so her eyes as
proud when I read my work
to my mother.
—Amanda, 6th grade all the girls have them
Writing the 21 Senses helped me...
in reading because it helped me you’re mean + don’t care
realize what I’m reading is actually
good literature.
you’re old + were never young
—Josh, 5th grade
...the 21 Senses have also helped
And
me with reading. I now
understand more words and want mom said I could have one
to read more. when I was at her
—Collin, 6th grade
house
I never wrote a lot or liked
writing. I just was asked to
Spills over her tongue and
illustrate other kids’ poems.
Now I’m the writer. It’s amazing. Rushes past her teeth.
—Aaron, 6th grade
I found that doing all of the
Not if it’s
Senses over time—making it red
my writing program for three
blue
months really focused the kids on
what’s important. They were able... flowered
to focus their writing—learn
not to jump all over the place.
The demands and the discipline Or
were clear—they were not striped
sidetracked. ...sometimes
through the eyes of others
we discover self—and I think that’s Offer
what happened for some
—the discovery of their ethics
own voices—which liberated hope
them and they felt comfortable
with what they had discovered... possibility
—Judy Leff, teacher
A sense of
“The 21 Senses” was originally
published in California English, self and
January-February, l988. A revision
continuity
was published in Promising
Practices, l996, by The Greater San
Diego Council of Teachers of
Gift her
English.
a parent
Instead.
5

Tribal
Circles
Sarah Curry
SDAWP 2003
I had seen this particular fourth
grade class rambling across cam-
pus before—various students trip-
ping each other and throwing rocks.
From this disheveled group, obscene
language could be heard intermin-
It was time
for this group
to understand
that yes,
someone
expected them
to succeed
and was willing
to do whatever
it took to make
this happen.
gled with the occasional laughing,
screaming, and crying. This was a
daily occurrence for this class, and
each time a young woman could be
seen "leading" the line, dutifully
blowing her whistle, begging the
children to line up and marking
random tally-marks on a clipboard.
None of these actions in any way
changed the actions of the children
in "line." I had been subbing in this
school for months, and between
witnessing this scene repeatedly,
and hearing the chatter about them
in the lounge, I felt I knew all I
needed to know about this infamous
bunch.
Fast forward to January when I
casually answered my phone. To
my shock it was the principal.
"Sarah… Miss M. quit. She's gone.
She says she is moving and will not
be returning!" I knew instantly that
I was being asked to do damage
control. Perhaps it was the timing,
6 Dialogue, Winter 2003
speare, a Michelangelo, a
Beethoven. You have the
capacity for anything.
—Pablo Casals, cellist
Each student, having no clue that
their teacher had quit, entered the
room shocked to see it spotlessly
rearranged with empty desks,
assigned seats, and no supplies
other than a brand new pencil.
Another teacher was standing in the
front of their room wearing all black
or maybe I was having a moment of
and tall black boots. The look on
extreme confidence and motiva-
her face was serious. Jaws dropped
tion, but I actually agreed to take
and eyes rolled as each of the stu-
this class—for sub-pay, no health
dents, one by one, caught on to
benefits, until the end of the school
what was happening.
year.
I endlessly tried to tailor my teach-
I spent the next few days living in
my own personal pep-rally, con-
ing and behavior management to
specifically meet the needs of this
vincing myself that NO kids could
difficult, sometimes impossible,
be that bad, and of course I could
do this. Right?
group. However, within the first
few weeks of my being there, I had
a student dismantle the ramp lead-
I sneaked in over the weekend and
ing up to my room while yet another
completely emptied the contents of
every desk in the room. During this
boy pulled out his penis during a
read-aloud. Determined to change
process, I was dismayed and dis-
these kids, I went home each night
gusted to come across all sorts of
inappropriate objects, including
searching for new answers and
strategies to improve the behavior
T-pins, disassembled mechanical
in my room. I had yet to actually
pencil-turned-staple-guns, old
moldy food, insects, nasty notes,
teacher supplies, and an over- ...I went home
whelming amount of wrinkled un- each night
graded busy work and meaningless
worksheets. These items were all searching
placed into plastic bags and locked
up, not to be seen again until either for new answers
and strategies
a parent came to claim them or the
end of the year, whichever came
first. The tables were scrubbed of
all graffiti and rearranged into mil-
to improve the
itary-style rows. Each student had behavior
a carefully assigned seat. I was
determined that whatever patterns in my room.
I had yet to
and negative energy had been pre-
viously established as the norm
would be eliminated. This class
was starting over—clean slate, new
actually teach
attitude, new boss. any real
It was time for this group to under- content...
stand that yes, someone expected
them to succeed and was willing to
do whatever it took to make this
happen.
teach any real content, but had a
running deal with myself that if I
You are a marvel. You are
could just make it through each
unique. In all the world there
week without raising my voice or
is no other child exactly like
losing my temper, I would reward
you. In the millions of years
myself with something nice.
that have passed, there has
Needless to say, the rewards were
never been a child like you.
few and far between at the begin-
You may become a Shake-
ning of the adventure. It was liter- some progress. This same group of
ally taking every ounce of my cour- unruly kids were now able to sit
age, patience, and energy to survive quietly through some read-alouds,
this experience. pass and collect paper in an orderly
fashion, and read silently (or at
Interestingly, I found inspiration least pretend they were) for 30 min-
and hope in a book that isn’t at all ute blocks. Yet, I found that each
related to teaching. It is called time I turned my back or paid atten-
tion to one student's needs, several
Then, to shift others immediately fell apart.
Violent acts and sexual harassment
our thinking, were happening inches away from
me, and I could do nothing. I was
we started constantly fighting an uphill battle,
saying real and it seemed I would never get
around to any type of real instruc-
and positive tion.
things about In desperation, I seated all 30 fourth
graders in a circle on the rug, and
each child passed around copies of the tribal
in the circle.
circle excerpt. Snickers could be
heard all around the circle as they
read, my guess in an attempt to
remain "cool." Then, a calm settled
Living Big, by Pam Grout, and is over the group as I asked them to
comprised of short stories and anec- read the short story silently, then
dotes to fill your soul and inspire again out loud to the group. We
you to live your life to its fullest. discussed the story, and how it
Needing strength and direction, might actually relate to present
especially in my professional life, I time, the assumption now being
brought the book home. For rea- that many of these students could
sons I still do not completely under- relate to stealing papayas or climb-
stand, it changed me. One section ing coconut trees. I then asked for
in particular spoke to me loud and a volunteer to take on the role of
clear - it stopped me in my tracks
and took my breath away. I knew I
Kunta, and surprisingly many
stepped forward. One at a time, we
had stumbled across something that
would help me keep my faith in
created make-believe scenarios
about each child, being sure that it
what I was doing and possibly make was known that the stories were
an impact on my troubled students. fiction. Some students chose to
pretend they had stolen, like the
There’s a very wise tribe in boy in the story, while others made
South America. When someone up new stories about hitting, cheat-
in their village does something
wrong—like steal a neighbor’s
ing, name-calling, all of which had
been happening daily in our room.
papaya—the village gathers in Then, to shift our thinking, we
a very important tribal meeting. started saying real and positive
They take the offender, place things about each child in the circle.
him in the middle of the circle, As was to be expected, the com-
and begin to tell wonderful ments being initially offered were
stories about him, stories from silly and superficial. But to my
his childhood, stories that delight, the compliments started
honor who he is. “Remember getting more and more sincere.
that time that Kunta climbed They found positive things to say
the coconut tree faster than about every person in the room,
anyone else?” “Remember the commenting on all traits from intel-
time he made a seashell lect to athleticism to personality.
necklace for his grand- before that Living Big was in no
mother?” To them, it’s obvious It dawned on me that these students
that if Kunta is stealing papayas just needed to know that someone
he has forgotten who he is. believed in them. Their home lives
—Pam Grout, were, I'm sure, beyond my wildest
from Living Big imagination, and for these children,
coming to school represented a
Don't get me wrong. I had made place to be either defensive or
Dialogue, Winter 2003
voiceless. I truly believe they just
needed someone, anyone, to tell
them something positive. Such a
vicious cycle of anger and frustra-
tion and negativity had been estab-
lished, that these little ones already
seemed to have no hope. They
seemed to actually accept that they
had no say in who they were being,
how they were acting, and where
they were going in life. The tribal
circles in our class, however silly
they initially seemed, served an
extremely valuable purpose. It was
a time not to be yelled at for a deci-
sion poorly made but rather a time
to be reminded of their potential. It
was OK to mess up, but it wouldn't
go unnoticed or applauded any-
more. Nobody let anyone off the
hook in our class after this point.
We had each other to constantly
and lovingly remind us of "who we
are."
Coming full circle, I realized the
impact Pam Grout's writing had on
me. Her ideas changed my life—my
thinking, my way of teaching. She
as a teacher, an
educator of
young
people, and
someone who in
some way is in
charge of
raising our
future,
shouldn't
it be my goal to
always live big?
helped me see something in a whole
new light, and opened doors I never
imagined possible for both myself
and my students. I am different
now, especially as a teacher. I said
way related to teaching. Well, I was
wrong. It has everything to do with
teaching. After all, as a teacher, an
educator of young people, and
someone who in some way is in
charge of raising our future,
7
 Y oung
Stump
My spirits—lost in worries.
Beautiful, stately, strong tree
becomes an

W
ugly, weak stump

No one notices me—

No one needs me—

riters’ No beautiful

C
branches to
rely on
for shade.
A small shadow
gives no
relief from the
amp hot sun.
Two stately trees
stand behind
me like
Jul August 1 & Everything’s OK kind parents.
I STARTED WRITING JULY Why are the two trees
WHEN ACTUALLY IT’S AUGUST there?
AND IT’S PRETTY FUNNY AMAZING Leave me alone,
HOW QUICKLY MY SUMMER’S DISSOLVING FROM MY GRASP Just leave me alone to
(I THOUGHT I HAD A TIGHTER GRIP ON MY FREEDOM) Grieve.
WHEN ACTUALLY I HAVE NO FREEDOM AT ALL —Maggie Ryan,
(I HAVE TO BE IN BED BY TEN) Kumeyaay Elementary
AND I AM STILL TIRED WHEN I WOKE UP TO THE SOUND OF MY
PHONE RINGING AND MY BEST FRIEND
TELLING ME HIS MUM IS IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM
(AGAIN)
AND HE JUST NEEDS TO HEAR MY VOICE TELL HIM
‘EVERYTHING’S GONNA BE OKAY’
AND I WILL VISIT HIM LATER
(AND I WONDER HOW LONG HER ILLNESS WILL LAST)
(WILL THE DOCTORS BE ABLE TO CURE HER?)
AND WHAT ABOUT MY ILLNESS—MY SICKNESS—MY DISEASE OF
HATE-ENVY-DISTRUST AND LIES
WILL THERE BE A CURE FOR ME
FOR SOCIETY/
I WONDER HOW MANY OTHERS I HAVE PLAGUED
I (IS IT REALLY MY FAULT)
I WONDER IF ANYTHING IS OUR FAULT
OUR STRINGS OF ACTIONS WINDING AND WEAVING
AND BONDING WITHIN EACH OTHER
(MAKING SPLASHES AND RIPPLES IN THEIR LIVES)
AND I SUPPOSE I WILL HAVE TO STRENGTHEN MY BOND WITH MY
BEST FRIEND
(SO THAT I MIGHT STRENGTHEN MYSELF)
SO I CAN HOPE-PRAY-BELIEVE WHEN I SAY
‘EVERYTHING’S OKAY’
AS I CROSS OUT JULY AND FILL IN AUGUST
AS QUICK AS BREATHING MY TIME IS RUNNING OUT.
—Darcy Austin,
Mira Mesa High
8 Dialogue, Winter 2003
 Flaming Name
Poem’s My name so dull, so horrible. It’s been haunting me for so long, Kalai. My name

Feelings
comes from India where there are no big office buildings with shiny tinted win-
dows. My name means spirit, but to me it is a fire in the woods that destroys
everything in its way and leaves the air with an awful scent like burnt toast. As
A happy face, the smell seeps into my mouth, I taste horrid rotten eggs. Everyone in school
teases me and says my name means dumb girl. If only I had a different name,
a big smile
one that would bring a rainy day so that the fire would be put out and the smell
that’s how a poem would disappear and end up smelling like a sweet rain shower. And instead of
could make you the taste of rotten eggs seeping into my mouth I taste oranges fresh from the tree.
feel, with only —Daniela Blair,
one of its pretty Perkins Elementary

words.
A poem is from your
heart.
Possibility
A poem can come The realm of possibility,
exists in your mind,
from anything
even if it is very difficult.
that you believe
A five-paged essay,
in.
it is good to learn,
A poem should But you may burn,
have words A possibility of learning.
that give people New possibilities of responding;
sensations that can Drinking chocolate milk,
make people feel Or a chance for you to drive,
any kind of mood Fixing wires of electricity,
and can put an Or even growing plants,
expression Climbing worn trees,
on the reader’s face. Or making fire,
—Francisco Magana, Walking through deadly forests,
King Elementary Or even picking fruits
and vegetables,
Are new possibilities.
I Am —Matthew Go,
St. John’s Episcopal
I am the waves excitedly moving to the shore
I am sweet Mama bird feeding
her anxious babies food
Peeping out their heads
I am smart owl saying his speech
In intelligent loud hoots
I am graceful wind
I am great brave tiger
With his head up high
I am laughter and smile
I am happiness and sadness
I am fun and silly clouds
And I am poetry
Sweet lovely poetry

—Alexandra Chenelle,
Explorer Charter

Dialogue, Winter 2003 9

5173
Marlborough Congratulations to
Drive New SDAWP
Amy Miyamoto Teaching Fellows!
SDAWP 2003 2003 Invitational
A house sits atop a steep and grassy slope. Erica Bell
The inviting Spanish tiles, picture window, and Del Mar Hills Elementary—Cardiff
white wooden gate beckon.
Shivani Burrows-Goodwill
An arched doorway leads Tubman Village Elementary—San Diego
to a cozy gathering spot, Mary Coleman
Saturday morning cartoons, talent shows, San Diego City College—San Diego
slumber parties, and Christmas presents.
Sarah Curry
Sunshine yellow cabinets Muirlands Middle—San Diego
radiate memories of
Kimberly Glinberg
ritual family dinners Sunset View Elementary—San Diego
huddled in the familiar “nook” off the kitchen.
Linger still the savory aromas Katrina Graupmann
of spiced pork chops and sweet acorn squash, Sage Canyon Elementary—Del Mar
always accompanied by the Rocio Guillermoprieto
obligatory glass of milk at every meal. San Diego High—San Diego

The narrow hallway holds Katie King

a collage of faces.
Young and old,
capturing moments in time.
Holidays, weddings, vacations,
and family shots from Olin Mills.
A bright yet crowded bedroom,
that was never meant for three,
serves us well as our ”negotiation” university.
Storage space and phone time always at a premi-
um.
A safe and sacred space
binding together a patchwork of
innocence, squabbles, and imagination.
A front yard that feels so vast and wide,
allows for conjured opportunities of endless
adventure.
Tetherball whizzing over red concrete
Slipping and sliding through slushy blades of
green
Endless back flips under a friendly shade tree
Lounging under a blazing August sky
Clair Burgener Academy—Oceanside
Kathleen Merchant-Phillips
McKinley Elementary—San Diego
Amy Miyamoto
District Office—Sweetwater
Gabie Norton
Bay Park Elementary—San Diego
Marilyn Otter
Guajome Park Academy—Vista
Jennifer Pust
Mission Bay High—San Diego
Diane Uyeda
Mira Costa College—Oceanside
Lindy Ward
Mission Bay High—San Diego
Bergith Weber
Scripps Ranch High—San Deigo
Wendy Weisel-Bosworth
Capri Elementary—Encinitas

Nestled among rows of Spanish tiled roofs, Dana Young

picture windows, and hand-carved wooden gates, Clairemont High—San Diego
sits a home that holds a childhood.
10 Dialogue, Winter 2003
A Medium for
Meaning
Katie King
SDAWP 2003
Walking down the echoing corridor
next to my principal and the visiting
board member she ushers to my
room, I am thrown off by the board
member’s sudden direct attention
toward me. She asks, “What do
teachers really use movies for in the
classroom?” Since the conversation
had been about the impressive paint
job on the side of the gymnasium, I
Just as teachers
carefully select
readings, teachers
should carefully
select films so they
magnify the vision
of the human
condition.
am not prepared to answer. I mum-
ble something about catching the
students’ attention and let the prin-
cipal deftly redirect the conversa-
tion to her agenda.
Later as I slip my shoes off under my
desk and face the mound of papers I
need to grade, I pause to kick myself
for a missed opportunity. Some of
the most powerful tools I have in my
arsenal come in video form.
I thoroughly understand why the
board member asks. Too often I am
cringing at stories of “movie Fridays”
or explanations that the only thing
to use as a sub plan is
an action movie. Once or twice I
engaged the braggart in the do-you-
know-what-you-do-to-all-teachers
dialogue about the film-as-time-
killer mentality. But let’s face it,
people who will brag about what
they do to make the job as easy as
possible won’t be persuaded by a
casual collegial conversation.
The fact remains the faces looking
back at me every school day are
filled with the images developed by
Dialogue, Winter 2003
Big Bird and Power Rangers.
Television precedes language for
most of them. Television represents
a comfortable way to learn.
As a teacher of English, there are
fewer and fewer places I can take
my students where they are com-
pletely comfortable. There was a
time when, for right or wrong, a
teacher could assume a cultural
register. Students would all have at
least a vague notion of Mother Goose
or Brothers Grim. Diversity now
keeps any universal culture at bay.
Television offers a quick way to
share experience and have a simpli-
fied story to use as a template for
evaluation. No matter how alien the
words of a film might be, every stu-
dent can identify sorrow, joy, and
excitement on the faces of televi-
sion. When I want my students to
understand how fate plays a hand
in the star crossed lovers of
Shakespeare’s time, I can begin by
giving them the images of romance
in our time. They don’t have to read
or even think with much sophistica-
tion to recognize good luck or ill fate
in a movie like Mi Familia. In Mi
Familia, just like in Romeo and
Juliet, the loyalties of love and fam-
ily collide with self-interest and con-
science. Film works to engage them
and gets them to understand the
complex collaboration between life
and art.
Once my entire class has experi-
enced the video, we have common
ground for discussion. From discus-
sion, we can move to evaluation,
analysis, and synthesis. As we syn-
thesize the microcosm presented in
the movie, we can begin to apply
what we have learned to the confus-
ing larger world. When we look at
injustice or passion or societal pres-
sure in the film, we can put bound-
aries on abstract ideas. The movie
characters’ angst gives us a venue
for redefining those abstract con-
cepts in our lives and our literature.
If I choose the right movie, even the
toughest student has a hard time not
connecting the movie ideas to the
ideas of the literature. The subtle-
ties between accident, luck, fate,
and love leap from the pages of the
literature because we have defined
them through the film. Our com-
mon movie experience gives us
vocabulary, understanding, and
nuances as well as in-depth conver-
sation. These tools of analysis all
help to broaden the evaluation of
literature.
The human condition imbedded in
good literature carries over to good
film—complete with catchy music
and pyrotechnics. Through the fic-
tion of film, the fiction of literature
comes alive. And fiction, after all,
sorts through life’s chaos.
Just as teachers carefully select
readings, teachers should carefully
select films so they magnify the
vision of the human condition. Film
bridges the difficulties of variable
reading levels, thinking skills, and
student buy-in a teacher with a
modern class faces. Film allows all
students to participate in the analy-
sis. Film allows all students to begin
a lifelong dialogue of understand-
ing.
MUSE
BOX...
“Insertions and Deletions”
Consider something
you’ve recently added or
subtracted from your life,
either abstract or real.
Have you acquired some-
thing new, adopted a
fresh attitude or outlook,
signed up for a course or
regimen, made a new
friend? Write about how
you’ve made space for
this addition, and how
your life has been aug-
mented or changed.
Alternatively, write about
a sacrifice, loss, or recent
down-sizing…and the
hole that is left or free-
dom you’ve experienced
as a result.
11
 Everything I Learned About
Teaching Writing Wouldn’t Fit Into
A Five
Paragraph Essay
Mary Coleman, SDAWP 2003
She came to my office the day after
I handed back the first graded essays
of the semester for English 101.
One look at the partly crumbled
paper, brandished like a weapon
between clinched fists, and the
scowl on her face, warned me her
concerns would take longer than
the three remaining minutes of my
office hours. A mental check of my
calendar revealed that I didn’t have
any pressing appointments, so I
decided to extend my office hours to
meet with her. Defensively, she
began, “I don’t know what you want
me to write to get an ‘A’. I spent a
long time on this paper and I got a
‘C’ minus.” She stopped waiting for
me to respond. “I’m glad you took
the time to come and discuss ways
to improve your revision,” I replied,
reminding her that she didn’t have
to keep the C minus. She eagerly
continued, “Tell me what you
want—I’ll write it however you
want. I need an ‘A.’”
I motioned for the student to have a
seat while I quickly reread her
paper. She continued her carefully
prepared argument: “I have a the-
sis, my three paragraphs begin with
topic sentences that develop a point
related to my thesis. My conclusion
restates my thesis. I have no gram-
mar errors. I worked really hard!”
she finished angrily. I knew she
had. She was the kind of student
who was never absent or tardy,
never missed homework, and never
failed to ask me (oblivious to the
groans of her peers) if I wanted to
collect the homework I had assigned.
She took notes in class and always
had a question for further clarifica-
tion.
Her four-page essay was made up of
five paragraphs. Paragraph number
one was three sentences plus a the-
sis. This was followed by three
body paragraphs, each over a page
long, and a concluding paragraph
that was four sentences. I asked her
if she had read my comments. Yes,
12
she replied, but she just didn’t know
what I wanted. What did I mean her
ideas needed more supporting
detail? How could she say more
when I also said her three para-
graphs were too long? She had
wanted to make them shorter, but I
said the paper had to be at least four
pages. She thought she had written
a good essay.
In a sense she had; her essay was a
model example of the five-paragraph
essay structure, but the topic she
had been assigned to write about
was too complex to be limited to five
paragraphs. Like many students in
my 101 classes, she had been so
focused on making what she had to
say fit into five paragraphs, she had
lost control of what she was saying.
What did I mean
her ideas needed
more supporting
detail? How could
she say more when
I also said her
three paragraphs
were too long?
Thus her paper ended up being dull
and awkward, forced into a struc-
ture that couldn’t support it.
We spent an hour discussing possi-
bilities for revision. My suggestion
that her essay could and should be
longer than five paragraphs was met
with unyielding resistance. I asked
her specific questions in an attempt
to help her see how the five-para-
graph essay was failing her. Her
responses to my questions indicated
an awareness of gaps, spaces the
formula was too small to fill, but she
still insisted: “I have always written
like this. This is what I learned in
the developmental class I had to
take to get into 101, and this is what
I learned in high school. I write all
my papers like this and I usually get
‘As’.” The last statement circu-
itously declared I, not her writing,
was the problem. At the end of the
session, she reluctantly conceded
that she would need to add more
paragraphs to meet “my standards.”
I’d love to say the light came on for
this student after our meeting. It
didn’t. Instead of writing five para-
graphs, she wrote four or six,
adjusting rather than surrendering
her formula to “my standards.”
However, this story is not about her
growth as a result of that meeting; it
is about my own. I realized that,
even as I was trying to move her out
of writing five paragraph essays, I
was contributing to the chorus sing-
ing praises to this formula in the
developmental writing course I was
teaching that same semester.
Students have to pass a timed writ-
ing exam to exit this class and be
eligible for English 101. If a student
fails the exam, he or she fails the
class regardless of the grade earned
during the semester. Although I
didn’t teach the five-paragraph
essay in any of the other courses I
taught, I was teaching students in
this class to write five paragraph
essays because it seemed like the
easiest way to help them pass the
exit exam. This rationale was sup-
ported by the author of the textbook
I had adopted who recommended
teaching five paragraph essays as a
foundation for students to build on.
Once students learn to write, he
assured, they would naturally grow
out of writing the five-paragraph
essay. The problem was many of
my students did not; instead, they
clung to it like the only lifeline in a
treacherous sea of essay require-
ments and deadlines.
I also had to admit that this struc-
ture was easy for me to teach and
easy for students to learn, but it
Dialogue, Winter 2003
wasn’t the best structure to prepare
them for more complex writing in
future classes. That day, I decided
to stop teaching my students to
write five paragraph essays.
Perhaps fewer of them would pass
the timed writing exam, but I would
feel confident that those who did
were really prepared for English
101. However, resolution and
reform are two different things. I
knew what I wanted to do, but I
was unsure of how to do it. In the
first weeks following my new
resolve, I was like a fish out of
water, slowly suffocating as many
of those first classes seemed to end
with no measurable student prog-
ress.
My students responded to my
attempts to move them away from
writing five paragraph essays with
earnest pleas for structure and
clarification. How many para-
graphs should be in their essays?
Seven? Eight? How many sentenc-
es did they need for an introduc-
tion? Three? Four? How many
examples in each paragraph? One?
Two? My explanation that the
answers to these questions depend-
ed on their purpose was met with
confused stares, aggravated sighs,
and more formulaic questions.
There was also the problem of
models. The sample essays in their
textbook were all written in five-
paragraph essay format. Why, they
challenged, would the author put
these in his book if they weren’t
good? Through asking questions to
help them come up with their own
answers, I discovered that while
most of my students understood the
five paragraph essay format, they
didn’t really understand the role of
the individual parts of an essay.
Thus, I began refocusing my les-
sons on concepts rather than for-
mulas for writing essays. We spent
time discussing the function of each
of the three main parts of the essay:
introduction, body, and conclusion.
To demonstrate each part, I used
models of readings from authors in
their textbook instead of sample
essays. In discussing introductions,
for instance, I showed students the
beginning of several of the read-
ings assigned during the semester,
emphasizing how some introduc-
tions were a couple of sentences
while others were as long as two
Dialogue, Winter 2003
pages. I also had students outline
assigned readings to give them
practice in identifying the parts of
an essay.
This led to a discussion of purpose
in relation to choices regarding
introduction length, number of
This experience
strengthened my
conviction that
formulaic writing
hurts students more
than it helps them.
paragraphs, number of examples,
etc. Examining these choices with-
in the context of assigned readings
helped students to make stronger
connections between the author’s
purpose and the choices made about
what to include in each part of an
essay. More importantly, they asked
less formulaic questions as they
began to really focus on molding
their intentions to the purpose of
each part of an essay.
Was this process easy? No, it was
often messy and extremely difficult
for all of us. I repeatedly resisted
the urge to revert back to formulaic
responses to student writing, opting
instead to encourage students to
work through the revision process.
It often took several revisions for
students to balance content and
organization in an essay. This led
me to shorten the number of new
essay assignments in order to spend
more time on revision.
By the end of the semester, I saw
drastic improvements in content
and structure as my students adapt-
ed to writing outside of prescribed
forms. To my surprise, they began
to model some of the styles they
saw in the course readings.
Introductions, for example, went
from three sentences plus a
thesis to beginning with quotes,
short anecdotes, and questions.
Comments during peer workshops
evolved from “You only have four
paragraphs, but I think you have to
have five. Put in something else,” to
“You are developing two main ideas
in this paragraph, so it is difficult to
follow your point. I would suggest
creating another paragraph to make
both ideas clear.”
By the time my students were ready
to take the exit exam, I had learned
as much as they had. Nevertheless,
I found myself questioning all of the
progress we had made during the
semester when I was handed my
packet of graded exit exams. Had I
made a mistake in changing my
teaching methods? Were they able
to produce under pressure? What if
most of them failed? Overwhelmed
by the possible answers to these
questions, I decided not to open my
envelope until I had made it home.
Once home, I found several details
needing my attention, so it was after
eight when I finally made myself
check my results. The majority of
my students had passed. I looked
over their essays to see if they had
reverted back to writing five para-
graph essays despite everything we
had covered. Only two of the stu-
dents who passed and three of the
students who failed had written five
paragraph essays.
This experience strengthened my
conviction that formulaic writing
hurts students more than it helps
them. Students must learn writing
skills that can transfer to any situa-
tion. Like many teachers, I had
convinced myself that starting with
five paragraph essays was easier for
students. In truth, it was easier for
me. Finding ways to make the writ-
ing process, with all of its complexi-
ties and variations, accessible to my
students was one of the hardest and
most rewarding teaching tasks I
have ever undertaken. I have not
taught the five-paragraph essay
since that semester. Do my students
suffer in the early stages of writing
without it? I don’t know. I do know
that in struggling to write essays
without five paragraph training
wheels, they leave my class better
prepared to tackle the writing situa-
tions they will encounter in more
advanced composition courses.
That was five years ago. In reflect-
ing on this time, I can’t help but
remember that frustrated 101 stu-
dent. She’d left my office doubting
that I had taught her anything use-
ful. I wonder if she’ll ever know
13
Because Writing Matters
Improving Student Writing
in Our Schools
National Writing Project and Carl Nagin
A Book Review By
Wendy Weisel-Bosworth, SDAWP 2003
“If our scores don’t improve, we
could become a focus school.” How
many teachers have heard this
phrase or its equivalent at their staff
meetings? Administrators and edu-
cators across the nation are grap-
pling with the problem of improv-
ing test scores in math, reading,
writing and content areas.
Therefore, the motivation for read-
ing Because Writing Matters:
Improving Student Writing in Our
Schools could be simply to raise
writing test scores. However, the
readers of this book will soon real-
ize that the emphasis is not on rais-
ing test scores but on the actual
strategies that administrators and
educators can employ to improve
writing at all grade levels. As a con-
sequence, they deem that it is the
end result of better writing and not
better test scores that should be
driving the instruction. The
National Writing Project developed
this book “as a resource for school
administrators, educators, and poli-
cymakers who want to know how to
address the challenge of improving
student writing at all grade levels”
(3).
The book addresses three main
areas of writing instruction: exam-
ining the processes that are inher-
ent in good writing, exploring cur-
rent trends and exemplary best
practices in individual classrooms
and schools and offering practical
solutions and models for school
administrators and policymakers.
An overall concern of the authors is
the lack of writing that takes place
in the school day. The authors cite
one current study that found that
“in grades one, two, three, and five,
only 15 percent of the school day
was spent in any kind of writing
activity. Two-thirds of the writing
that did occur was word-for-word
copying in workbooks” (6). They
stress that it should be the responsi-
bility of all faculty across the con-
14
tent areas to not only incorporate
writing into their lessons but to
teach writing skills. The authors
describe several case studies where
writing has been successfully incor-
porated in content areas.
Another precept stated in Because
Writing Matters: Improving Student
Writing in Our Schools is the belief
that it is the responsibility of the
administration to provide profes-
sional development that focuses on
writing. Moreover, the author pro-
poses that changes in the class-
rooms must be established through
professional learning communities
in schools. These learning commu-
nities can be supported through
professional laboratories, intervisi-
tations and peer networks. The
solutions to improving professional
development, therefore, can be
found within the school setting.
Supplementing this inside develop-
ment could be outside training or
summer institutes. However, any
outside training must be revisited
and be considered as a “continuous
investment” on a long-term basis.
According to the authors, another
problem in many schools is the
strict adherence to a formulaic style
of writing. An example of this rigid
teaching strategy is the “five-para-
graph” essay. Rather than using a
scripted teaching approach, he sug-
gests that writing assignments
should focus on four key elements:
content and scope, organization and
development, audience and com-
munication, and engagement and
choice. Thus, it is necessary for
teachers across the curriculum to
develop writing assignments that
employ an inquiry-based approach
which focuses on authentic writing
explorations. Through writing port-
folios, students can then assess their
own writing growth and determine
their strengths and weaknesses.
The authors suggest a writing sur-
vey as a way of assessing the writ-
ing needs within a school. The
book includes a checklist that
administrators can use to measure
the writing instruction in the school.
However, the writers stress that the
key to any successful school-wide
writing improvement is to have
total staff, administrative and com-
munity commitment. The imple-
mentation should begin with the
teaching staff and include long-
term plans. It can be expected that
the implementation of the improve-
ments will take at least “three-to-
five years” (93).
How might this look in my elemen-
tary school? What processes must
be established in order to act-
ivate improvements? As in many
schools, the motivation to improve
writing has already been estab-
lished. The next step will be to use
a source, such as this book, as a
way to unify goals and establish
direction in the administration,
teaching staff and community. This
should include focus groups that
are committed to improving writing
over an extended period of time.
It is apparent that administrators
must relinquish their focus on
achieving higher test results. They
must see writing improvement not
as a short and quick process, but as
an approach to writing that will
probably entail an overhaul of cur-
rent teaching and administrative
practices. The end result of these
changes will be the development of
students as critical readers and
writers, not only in school, but in a
demanding and competitive world.
Dialogue, Winter 2003
PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITIES
Language Arts,
NCTE
May 2005: Valuing Teachers
through Professional Development
Submission deadline:
January 31, 2004
The current trend of devaluing
teachers has resulted in the reduc-
tion or elimination of long-term
professional development opportu-
nities in many school districts.
Professional inquiry about literacy
and instruction has often been
replaced with one-size-fits-all inser-
vices focused on the implementa-
tion of scripted teacher-proof mate-
rials, rigid sets of procedures, and
packaged programs. These inser-
vices are delivered to teachers as
ways to meet formal, high-pressure
goals, rather than as ways to devel-
op knowledge and curriculum.
We believe that in order to create
and sustain productive learning
conditions for students, these same
conditions for professional learning
must exist for teachers. Professional
study invites teachers to do, talk
and reflect over time in order to
construct theories of literacy learn-
ing based on their experiences and
knowledge, instead of asking teach-
ers to accept a procedure delivered
in an inservice lecture.
Now, more than ever, we need to
explore alternative approaches to
inservices that treat teachers as
technicians instead of professionals
who are lifelong learners. We
invite manuscripts focusing on in-
novative professional development
approaches to literacy instruction.
These approaches might be particu-
lar professional development mod-
els coming out of other fields, such
as the Japanese Lesson Study or
Critical Friends Groups, as applied
to literacy, or strategies for profes-
sional study and curriculum devel-
opment that literacy educators have
created in their own contexts.
We are interested in approaches
where the ultimate goal is develop-
ing thoughtful professionals who
Dialogue, Winter 2003
can assess and revise their own
actions to improve the literacy
learning of their students, rather
than creating individuals who
unthinkingly follow a cookbook
approach to teaching.
For submission guidelines visit
http://www.ncte.org/pubs/journals/
la/write/108999.htm on the web or
send inquiry to:
Language Arts Editorial Office
515 College of Education
University of Arizona,
Tucson, AZ 85721
Email: langarts@u.arizona.edu
The Quarterly,
NWP
We encourage articles of between
1,000 and 5,000 words on the fol-
lowing topics: classroom strategies
related to teaching writing and lit-
eracy; teacher research and more
formal scholarly inquiry in these
areas; essays on language and the
craft of writing; discussion of stan-
dards, assessment and other school
reform issues as they relate to lit-
eracy education; pieces about
teaching literacy in specialized
communities of learners—English
language and adult learners, for
instance.
We also publish reviews of books
no more than two years old that
focus on literacy issues.
The reviews should be between
1,000 and 1,500 words. You may
contact us with a query either by
email (editors@writingproject.org)
or by telephone, or you may just
send along your piece if it falls into
one of the general areas described
above.
You may send your submission via
email (we prefer that) or on a dis-
kette accompanied by a double-
spaced hard copy.
Editors, National Writing Project
University of California 2105
Bancroft Way, #1042
Berkeley, CA 94720-1042 phone:
(510) 642-8886 fax: (510) 643-5717
DIALOGUE
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Call for Manuscripts
Dialogue solicits writing from
Fellows of the San Diego Area
Writing Project.
SPRING 2004
The Courage to Teach
Deadline: March 15, 2004
Publication Date:
May 15, 2004
“To be an excellent teacher is
to risk burnout at an early stage
in one's career. The isolation
from other professionals and
the constant need to be ‘on’
while teaching can exhaust
and deplete a good teacher's
inner resources.”
—High school teacher,
13 years experience
What gives you the courage to
teach? What keeps you excited
and energized about teaching?
How do your students keep
you motivated?
We love mail and
submissions to our
publication!
Writers love to get mail, and so do
the editors of newsletters for writing
teachers! Dialogue would like to
receive your work or the work of
your students. Submit a story of
student success, a strategy for
implementation, or a personal essay
on your teaching experience. Please
send us a Macintosh or PC disk,
along with a printed copy. Tell us
what’s on your mind. Drop us a
note. Send all manuscript submis-
sions, suggestions, letters to the edi-
tor and Project Notes to:
Dialogue
UCSD/SDAWP
9500 Gilman Drive, 0070
La Jolla, CA 92093 - 0070
Email: moonbeam5@cox.net
jenny4moore@hotmail.com
15
 San Diego Area
Calendar of Events Writing Project
Director:
Marcia Venegas-García,
ICTR Conference 2004 CATE mvenegasgarcia@ucsd.edu
(International Pre-Convention Co-Directors:
Conference Karen Wroblewski,
Town and Country Resort,
on Teacher Research) San Diego
kwroblewski@ucsd.edu
Kim Douillard,
Radisson Hotel, La Jolla February 5, 2004 teachr0602@aol.com
April 15 - 17, 2004 Staff Development
Members $90 Coordinator:
Non-members $130 Jan Hamilton
SDAWP Teacher (or included in “Package A” of jhamiltn@sdcoe.k12.ca.us
CATE Convention registration)
Research Young Writers’ Programs
Coordinators:
University of California, San The CATE Pre-Convention is Terry Klein
Diego sponsored by the California tklein3484@aol.com
meeting dates: Writing Project and SDAWP Divona Roy
and will feature workshops msroy@hotmail.com
November 24, January 26,
February 23, March 29, presented by CWP teacher NWP Technology Liaison:
April 26, May 24 consultants and a luncheon John Adams
with guest speaker johnnyquest50@cox.net
le thi diem thuy, author of
The Gangster Program Representative:
2004 CATE We Are Looking For. Carol Schrammel
Convention To contact the SDAWP office,
call (858) 534-2576
Town and Country Resort, For more information or email cschrammel@ucsd.edu
San Diego about the
2004 CATE Convention Visit our website at
February 6 - 8, 2004 http://create.ucsd.edu/sdawp/
Members $130 or Pre-Convention visit www.cate-
Non-members $170 web.org

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