Teaching Writing in High School and College

VOYA

English teachers wrestling with the question "How do I best prepare my seniors for the challenges of college writing?" might find some answers in this collection of fifteen essays by high school and college teachers. These insightful and encouraging narratives address a wide range of issues that confront any writing teacher-first drafts (and second, third, and fourth ones), the ubiquitous five-paragraph essay, writing as a process, portfolios, the place of grammar in writing instruction, and motives and models for writing. Woven throughout is the editor's premise that partnerships between secondary and post-secondary instructors are vital to the development of college-level writers. Several essays reveal the results of experimental collaborations, such as through the high school students whose papers were graded by a college professor using college-level standards and the high school teacher and college teacher who traded places for a semester. A university professor himself, Thompson writes in the preface, "Somehow teaching college is an entirely different world from teaching high school. Yet the students I face in August were sitting in high school classrooms in May." This book offers practical advice on how to effect the communication necessary to bring these two opposing worlds closer together. Its message will appeal to any educator interested in both professional growth and in the improvement of a student's ability to write successfully at the college level. Appendix. 2002, NCTE, 243p, Zach

Booknews

Thompson (The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina) presents a collection of 15 essays written by 33 high school and college educators from throughout the U.S., exploring some of the differences between writing for high school and for college. Insights are gained through several unusual cross-grade collaborative projects and discussions, including two college teachers teaching a college course to high school students, a college professor teaching a semester of high school English, high school seniors receiving advice on their papers from college students, and high school students having a college professor grade their papers based on college-level specifications. No subject index. For secondary and post-secondary educators. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)