The Lea Guide To Composition

Basic text for freshman composition courses. Draws on the most significant theory, strategy, and techniques in composition studies. Emphasizes writing as a vehicle for learning.

Preparing to Teach Writing: Research, Theory, and Practice, Third Edition is a comprehensive survey of theories, research, and methods associated with teaching composition successfully. The primary goal is to provide practicing and prospective teachers with the knowledge they need to be effective teachers of writing and to prepare them for the many challenges they will face in the classroom. Overall, the third edition of Preparing to Teach Writing is clearer and more comprehensive than the previous editions. It combines the best of the old with new information and features. The discussions and references to foundational studies that helped define the field of rhetoric and composition are preserved in this edition. Also preserved is most of the pedagogical apparatus that characterized the first two editions; research and theory are examined with the aim of informing teaching. New in the Third Edition: *a more thorough discussion of the history of rhetoric, from its earliest days in ancient Greece to the first American composition courses offered at Harvard University in 1874; *a major revision of the examination of major approaches to teaching writing--current-traditional rhetoric, new rhetoric, romantic rhetoric, writing across the curriculum, social-theoretic rhetoric, postmodern rhetoric, and post-postmodern rhetoric--considering their strengths and weaknesses; *an extension of the discussion of strengths and weaknesses of major approaches to its logical conclusion--Williams advocates an epistemic approach to writing instruction that demonstrably leads to improved writing instruction when implemented effectively; *a more detailed account of the phonics--whole language debate that continues to puzzle many teachers and parents; *a new focus on why grammar instruction alone does not lead to better writing, the difference between grammar and usage, and how to teach grammar and usage effectively; *an expanded section on Chicano English that now includes a discussion of Spanglish; *more information on outcome objectives; the Council of Writing Program Administrators' statement of learning outcomes for first-year composition courses has been included to help high school teachers better understand how to prepare high school students for college writing, and to help those in graduate programs prepare for teaching assistantships in first-year composition courses; and *a more comprehensive analysis of assessment that considers such important factors as the validity, reliability, predictability, cost, fairness, and politics of assessment and the effects on teaching of state-mandated testing, and also provides an expanded section on portfolios.

This book brings together the work of established scholars from around the world to celebrate and honor the many ways in which Steve Graham has contributed to the advancement of teaching and researching writing. Focusing on writing development and writing instruction in different contexts of education, original contributions in this book critically engage with theoretical and empirical issues raised in Steve Graham’s influential body of work and significantly extend our understandings of the importance of writing in developing learners’ literacy and the roles of writing in teaching and learning processes. This book is organized around themes central to Steve Graham's work, including theories and models of writing, effective instructional methods in teaching writing, surveys on teaching and learning writing, and systematic review studies on writing. Apart from regular chapters, the book also features personal and scholarly reflections revealing the powerful ways in which Steve Graham’s work has influenced our thinking in the field of writing research and continues to open up new avenues for future research endeavors.

This book helps students succeed in composition by showing them: How to be effective students How to handle the most difficult challenges of academic writing How to approach the most common writing assignments. How to pass a timed writing test William Murdick has a Ph. D. in rhetoric and is the author of three other writing textbooks, The Portable Business Writer (Houghton Mifflin, 1999), and The Portable Technical Writer (Houghton Mifflin, 2001), and College Writing: A First Course - Writing and Reasoning (Jain, 2006). Note on the Second Edition: This expanded Second Edition includes full-chapter treatments of the five-paragraph theme and the cause-effect essay.