The period of the Middle Ages refers to 500-1500 AD. During this time, people mostly maintained and commented on pre-existing ideas about grammar. However, the Middle Ages raised Latin to an elevated, important position, as it was the primary subject of language study during this time. Aelfric's Latin Grammar and Colloquium ("Conversations" c. 1000) were children's instructional materials aimed specifically at English speakers, some of the earliest of their kind. This foreshadows the later tendency to base English grammar on Latin models.
The main contribution of the late Middle Ages (1100-1500) is "speculative grammar". This is based on the Latin word speculum ("mirror") and the idea that language "mirrors" reality. Medieval scholars, the modistae, produced speculative grammar between 1250 and 1350. The modistae tried to relate language to the natural world in their treateise De modis significandi tractatus (Treatise Concerning the Modes of Signifying). The modistae were also the first to perceive grammar as a separate field of study, as opposed to viewing it as part of literary criticism or foreign language study.
The period produced principles for constructing acceptable sentences (they must have the necessary components, be inflected correctly, and be collacable, meaning each word must be compatible with adjacent words). The study of grammar also incorporated the parts of speech, parsing, conjugation, and declension. The liberal arts were also divided into two tiers: the trivium and the quadrivium. The trivium, or lower tier, included grammar, logic, and rhetoric, while the quadrivium, or higher tier, was composed of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. Due to this curriculum, grammar served as the basis for teaching students to read and write Latin, bringing about our modern term grammar school.
During the Renaissance (1500-1650), European scholars began to give attention to languages other than Greek and Latin, especially Hebrew, Arabic, and Chinese. The study of vernacular languages of Europe (ordinary, everyday language, as opposed to learned language) and the vernacular languages of Africa, Asia, and the Americas began. Scholarly and scientific publications began to use vernacular, and there was an attempt to raise the stature of vernacular languages. The Renaissance also ushered in the expansion of European printing. As literacy spread and the demand for education grew, texts, grammars, and dictionaries were in high demand.
Finally, the Renaissance brought about the rationalist grammar developed by the Port Royal School. A group of hermits living in France, the Solitaires, came to be known as the Port-Royal grammarians. They tried to write a universal grammar containing all properties common to languages known at the time. They investigated concepts such as "subject", "predicate", and "preposition". They tried to explain features commonly shared by all languages. They argues that if language is used to communicate thoughts, then speech should reflect the structure of the thoughts being expressed. At this time, speech was considered to be an imperfect representation of writing.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
In-class, Wed., Nov. 12: Workshop Readability
Today, we'll hear the last mini lesson: Charah Gates.
After that, we will work on our topics from the Readability handout, and create our handouts and/or posters. The final version is only due the day after the Thanksgiving vacations. Those who share a topic with a partner can discuss how to split up the different pages.
Those who were not here on Monday have been assigned a topic; so please look it up on the old blog, and ask if you have any questions.
Those who missed class this Monday and are excused (if you had an "observation" or appointment with your chair, this counts as excused!), please pick up a Fry graph handout from me, so you can complete the in-class assignment you missed. Ask me or your neighbors if you have any questions. The prompt is on Monday's blog.
The others: please hand in your Fry Graphs. I'll give you 10 points for them and your table, and then you can take them back into your files - KEEP them, because you will need them for the final Readability Essay, in which you will compare this Fry Graph for your blog writing with your readability for your research writing!!!
The purpose of our Readability Unit:
There are 4 possible scenarios:
1) Ideal case: This is probably true for most people - you will find that you have a readability level of 8-13 for blogs, and 16+ for research writing. Guess why?
2) You have a readability of 16+ for both blog posts AND research writing. This means your writing style is generally very elevated. Kudos! But what does that mean when you address younger students in a class blog, etc.??? Do you know at what grade level newspapers are written??? Why could that be the case?
3) You have a readability of 9th grade or below for both blog posts AND research writing. This is a very unlikely scenario. What would it tell you?
4) The measurement to assess your readability did not work. You feel you have a higher or lower readability than the formula granted you. It is faulty in certain aspects, and did not give a true picture of your personal writing style. Explain why.
You will ponder about all these scenarios in your final Readability Essay, for which you have received the prompt in an email. You can already start writing the parts you have completed in-class. The Readability Essay is due on the final day of class, Dec. 5th, at class time, as an email ONLY. There is no length or format requirement; just follow the prompt and answer all questions.
Today is the last day your audiences can respond to your surveys. You need a minimum of TEN responses by Friday. If you have 0-3 answers by now, say so in class today, and we will take your survey (no extra credit; this is "a little help from your friends"). It is unlikely that your real audience will respond by Friday, so we will "save you." If you have 7-9, just wait the two more days. If you don't have 10 on Friday, some of us will take your survey on Friday.
______________________________________________
To sum up, in today's workshop you can
On Friday, we will finish up our Research Essays by exchanging the invented numbers for the real results, by adding the Introduction, Conclusion, missing parts of the Abstract, the Participants, and the Methods. The essays must be COMPLETE for Monday, Nov. 17th, for our peer-editing unit!!! (in online format)
After that, we will work on our topics from the Readability handout, and create our handouts and/or posters. The final version is only due the day after the Thanksgiving vacations. Those who share a topic with a partner can discuss how to split up the different pages.
Those who were not here on Monday have been assigned a topic; so please look it up on the old blog, and ask if you have any questions.
Those who missed class this Monday and are excused (if you had an "observation" or appointment with your chair, this counts as excused!), please pick up a Fry graph handout from me, so you can complete the in-class assignment you missed. Ask me or your neighbors if you have any questions. The prompt is on Monday's blog.
The others: please hand in your Fry Graphs. I'll give you 10 points for them and your table, and then you can take them back into your files - KEEP them, because you will need them for the final Readability Essay, in which you will compare this Fry Graph for your blog writing with your readability for your research writing!!!
The purpose of our Readability Unit:
There are 4 possible scenarios:
1) Ideal case: This is probably true for most people - you will find that you have a readability level of 8-13 for blogs, and 16+ for research writing. Guess why?
2) You have a readability of 16+ for both blog posts AND research writing. This means your writing style is generally very elevated. Kudos! But what does that mean when you address younger students in a class blog, etc.??? Do you know at what grade level newspapers are written??? Why could that be the case?
3) You have a readability of 9th grade or below for both blog posts AND research writing. This is a very unlikely scenario. What would it tell you?
4) The measurement to assess your readability did not work. You feel you have a higher or lower readability than the formula granted you. It is faulty in certain aspects, and did not give a true picture of your personal writing style. Explain why.
You will ponder about all these scenarios in your final Readability Essay, for which you have received the prompt in an email. You can already start writing the parts you have completed in-class. The Readability Essay is due on the final day of class, Dec. 5th, at class time, as an email ONLY. There is no length or format requirement; just follow the prompt and answer all questions.
Today is the last day your audiences can respond to your surveys. You need a minimum of TEN responses by Friday. If you have 0-3 answers by now, say so in class today, and we will take your survey (no extra credit; this is "a little help from your friends"). It is unlikely that your real audience will respond by Friday, so we will "save you." If you have 7-9, just wait the two more days. If you don't have 10 on Friday, some of us will take your survey on Friday.
______________________________________________
To sum up, in today's workshop you can
- ask people to take your survey, to bring your answers up to 10
- work on your 5 min. readability presentation for Dec. 1st and Dec. 3rd (after Thanksgiving)
- start writing the parts of your Readability Essay that you have completed with the Fry Graph
- do your Fry Graph, if you have missed Monday's class and were excused
On Friday, we will finish up our Research Essays by exchanging the invented numbers for the real results, by adding the Introduction, Conclusion, missing parts of the Abstract, the Participants, and the Methods. The essays must be COMPLETE for Monday, Nov. 17th, for our peer-editing unit!!! (in online format)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Participial Phrases
Participial Phrases are flexible adjectivals. They are verb phrases that are headed by the –ing or –en form of the verb, otherwise known as the participle. The subject of the participle is the noun that is modified.
Here is one of her examples: (you will notice I use a lot of these; I think they illustrate the idea better than the explanations do)
The helicopter hovering over the roof frightened the dogs.
You can see that “hovering” is the participle. Further, the noun and modifying participle have a subject-predicate relationship.
Participles add information about the noun headword. A participial phrase allows you to include verbal ideas in a more concise way.
Following are the three types of participles that she discusses: Prenoun, Movable, and Dangling.
Prenoun Participle – this is when the participle is a single word. It is usually in the adjective slot in the preheadword position.
Here is another one of her examples:
The barking dog next door drives us crazy.
Sometimes an adverb with a hyphen modifies the participle.
a fast-moving object
This still counts as a prenoun participle. If there is an –ly adverb for the prenoun modifier, there will be no hyphen, such as in
a carefully conceived plan (but you already knew that!)
Movable Participle – Kolln says “we can think of the slot following the headword in the noun phrase as the home base of the participial phrase.” It can move to the beginning of the sentence, but only if it modifies the subject and is set off by commas.
Here is one of her examples:
Looking out the window, my mother waved to me.
The participle phrase can also close the sentence.
Here is an example:
The audience stood and applauded, laughing uproariously.
The single-word participle can also open the sentence. The choice of position is based on the rhythm and focus of the sentence.
Again, an example:
Outraged, the entire committee resigned.
These are sometime called free modifiers. You would put the participle phrase at the end of the sentence when you want to emphasize the effect it has.
Dangling Participle – This is the bad kind of participle and it is a grammatical error. The participle can open or close when it modifies the subject of the sentence – this is the only time when it can open or close the sentence.
The following is a dangling participle:
Carrying all of our supplies for miles, the campground was a welcome sight.
The campground didn’t carry anything! You can fix this sentence by saying:
Having carried all of our supplies for miles, we were exhausted by the time we reached the campground.
This can also happen with a delayed subject, such as in the sentence:
Knowing how much work I had to do, it was good of you to come and help.
The “you” is not in the usual subject position. The sentence can be revised by expanding the participial phrase into a complete clause:
It was good of you to come and help when you learned how much work I had to do.
She closes by reminding us that although sentences with these mistakes may be easy to understand, they don’t convey the intended message. Sometimes these mistakes are part of common phrases.
Speaking of old movies, have you seen …..
These kinds of phrases have been accepted into the language, but they can be considered casual or informal.
Here is one of her examples: (you will notice I use a lot of these; I think they illustrate the idea better than the explanations do)
The helicopter hovering over the roof frightened the dogs.
You can see that “hovering” is the participle. Further, the noun and modifying participle have a subject-predicate relationship.
Participles add information about the noun headword. A participial phrase allows you to include verbal ideas in a more concise way.
Following are the three types of participles that she discusses: Prenoun, Movable, and Dangling.
Prenoun Participle – this is when the participle is a single word. It is usually in the adjective slot in the preheadword position.
Here is another one of her examples:
The barking dog next door drives us crazy.
Sometimes an adverb with a hyphen modifies the participle.
a fast-moving object
This still counts as a prenoun participle. If there is an –ly adverb for the prenoun modifier, there will be no hyphen, such as in
a carefully conceived plan (but you already knew that!)
Movable Participle – Kolln says “we can think of the slot following the headword in the noun phrase as the home base of the participial phrase.” It can move to the beginning of the sentence, but only if it modifies the subject and is set off by commas.
Here is one of her examples:
Looking out the window, my mother waved to me.
The participle phrase can also close the sentence.
Here is an example:
The audience stood and applauded, laughing uproariously.
The single-word participle can also open the sentence. The choice of position is based on the rhythm and focus of the sentence.
Again, an example:
Outraged, the entire committee resigned.
These are sometime called free modifiers. You would put the participle phrase at the end of the sentence when you want to emphasize the effect it has.
Dangling Participle – This is the bad kind of participle and it is a grammatical error. The participle can open or close when it modifies the subject of the sentence – this is the only time when it can open or close the sentence.
The following is a dangling participle:
Carrying all of our supplies for miles, the campground was a welcome sight.
The campground didn’t carry anything! You can fix this sentence by saying:
Having carried all of our supplies for miles, we were exhausted by the time we reached the campground.
This can also happen with a delayed subject, such as in the sentence:
Knowing how much work I had to do, it was good of you to come and help.
The “you” is not in the usual subject position. The sentence can be revised by expanding the participial phrase into a complete clause:
It was good of you to come and help when you learned how much work I had to do.
She closes by reminding us that although sentences with these mistakes may be easy to understand, they don’t convey the intended message. Sometimes these mistakes are part of common phrases.
Speaking of old movies, have you seen …..
These kinds of phrases have been accepted into the language, but they can be considered casual or informal.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Readability
Today, we'll hear two mini lessons:
1) Colin
2) Charlotte
Charah will go on Wednesday.
After that, we are preparing for our final unit: Readability. At the beginning of today's lesson, you will sign up for a presentation topic (list below). If you missed this class, you will be assigned a topic. A missed presentation on the due date means a failing grade for the assignment, which is a major component of the Readability Unit. There will not be any make-up opportunities, since we follow a tight time frame. (Unless you make a contract for an incomplete (INC), anyway.)
All presentations will be due the day after the Thanksgiving vacations (Monday, Dec. 1st). We'll hold one after the other, each one lasting max. 5 min., in the final week of class (Dec. 1, 3). Homework for Dec. 5th (the last day of class) will be to assess the readability of your Research Essay which you have received back by then according to one readability formula of your choice from our handbook (and presentations).
______________________________________________________
For homework, you have all commented on the Fry Graph. Today, we are going to apply it.
Your homework (blog post) had to contain at least 100 words. Copy and paste it into a Word document. Proceed according to the instructions:
1) Count the number of sentences in your 100 words sample. (If you had less than 100 words, add more. If you had more, just stop after having counted up to 100, and delete the rest.) Estimate the length of your last sentence, even if incomplete, to the nearest 1/10.
2) Count the number of syllables in your 100 words sample. (Tip: It's easier when you put stress marks over them, like we did on the board when dealing with limericks!!!)
3) Make a table as seen in the instructions. Draw this table on the handout I give you, because you will receive points for it, and I will collect it at the end of today's lesson!
For your second 100-words sample, and your third one, just take any blog response or summary you've written so far. Copy and paste the text in a Word document, count your words and delete all that are over 100. Then, proceed as above. Fill in the table.
4) Total your numbers, and average them. (A little bit of math ;-)). You can use the Microsoft calculator ;-)
5) Make a dot on the graph I distributed in class where your personal readability lies. Write your name on the handout with your graph and your table, and submit it to your teacher for grading (I'm not grading the height of your readability, only the fact that you participated and understood the procedure!) There are no make-ups for this assignment.
6) Every student will sign up for a topic from our readability handout (which you have in your email from Nov. 2nd. It is also on this website: click on the first link, "Principles of Readability"), and present a poster to the class (ca. 5 min. presentation) starting after the Thanksgiving vacations. You will either present an introduction, an overview, or a formula to the class. Those who present the formulas have to go into detail and give examples, so that students can choose and apply this formula later. You can also browse the Internet for additional info/pics about your topic. The first two topics and topic 11 will be done by a pair of students, since they contain more pages. Share them fairly! Preview: When I have graded and returned your final research essays after Thanksgiving, you are going to calculate our own readability. You can choose any readability formula that is explained in detail in our readability handout that you have in your email (and on the website). You don't need to use the Fry Graph, but you can.
Instructions for Presentation:
1. You need to make a handout with a short overview for the whole class, which you can email to all peers (and me) to save paper. I'll email out an attendance list to everybody, so you'll have all emails. You can also make hard copies.
2. You can either write on the board, use the Smartboard, or present a big poster (ask me for paper and Sharpies). You don't need to do a ppt.
3. Your presentation should introduce your topic (if you have a formula, people should understand how it works).
4. Don't go over 5 minutes.
Topics:
1. Intro, pp. 1-10
Name: Brittany Lingle
Name: Michaela Bazar
2. Classic Readability Formulas, pp. 13-19
Name: Stephanie Jacques
Name: David Tabler
3. Flesch, pp. 20-22
Name: Colin Ott
4. Dale & Chall, pp. 22-23
Name: Katrina Kosma
5. Gunning, pp. 24-25
Name: Pamela LaBelle
6. New Readability Studies & Community of Scholars, pp. 25-26
Name: Jamie Wolf
7. Cloze Test, pp. 27-28
Name: Randi McFadden
8. Readability, Prior Knowledge, Interest, Motivation, pp. 28-30
Name: Brian Pullyblank
9. Performance, Efficiency, Content, pp. 30-34
Name: Charlotte Jackanicz
10. Leveling, pp. 35-37
Name: Jeffrey Ryden
11. Producing & Transforming Text, pp. 37-42
Name: Tiara Spencer
Name: Ronesha Johnson
12. New Readability Formulas, pp. 43-45
Name: Renita Tanner (assigned)
13. SMOG, FORECAST, pp. 47-49
Name: Amber Pankau
1) Colin
2) Charlotte
Charah will go on Wednesday.
After that, we are preparing for our final unit: Readability. At the beginning of today's lesson, you will sign up for a presentation topic (list below). If you missed this class, you will be assigned a topic. A missed presentation on the due date means a failing grade for the assignment, which is a major component of the Readability Unit. There will not be any make-up opportunities, since we follow a tight time frame. (Unless you make a contract for an incomplete (INC), anyway.)
All presentations will be due the day after the Thanksgiving vacations (Monday, Dec. 1st). We'll hold one after the other, each one lasting max. 5 min., in the final week of class (Dec. 1, 3). Homework for Dec. 5th (the last day of class) will be to assess the readability of your Research Essay which you have received back by then according to one readability formula of your choice from our handbook (and presentations).
______________________________________________________
For homework, you have all commented on the Fry Graph. Today, we are going to apply it.
Your homework (blog post) had to contain at least 100 words. Copy and paste it into a Word document. Proceed according to the instructions:
1) Count the number of sentences in your 100 words sample. (If you had less than 100 words, add more. If you had more, just stop after having counted up to 100, and delete the rest.) Estimate the length of your last sentence, even if incomplete, to the nearest 1/10.
2) Count the number of syllables in your 100 words sample. (Tip: It's easier when you put stress marks over them, like we did on the board when dealing with limericks!!!)
3) Make a table as seen in the instructions. Draw this table on the handout I give you, because you will receive points for it, and I will collect it at the end of today's lesson!
For your second 100-words sample, and your third one, just take any blog response or summary you've written so far. Copy and paste the text in a Word document, count your words and delete all that are over 100. Then, proceed as above. Fill in the table.
4) Total your numbers, and average them. (A little bit of math ;-)). You can use the Microsoft calculator ;-)
5) Make a dot on the graph I distributed in class where your personal readability lies. Write your name on the handout with your graph and your table, and submit it to your teacher for grading (I'm not grading the height of your readability, only the fact that you participated and understood the procedure!) There are no make-ups for this assignment.
6) Every student will sign up for a topic from our readability handout (which you have in your email from Nov. 2nd. It is also on this website: click on the first link, "Principles of Readability"), and present a poster to the class (ca. 5 min. presentation) starting after the Thanksgiving vacations. You will either present an introduction, an overview, or a formula to the class. Those who present the formulas have to go into detail and give examples, so that students can choose and apply this formula later. You can also browse the Internet for additional info/pics about your topic. The first two topics and topic 11 will be done by a pair of students, since they contain more pages. Share them fairly! Preview: When I have graded and returned your final research essays after Thanksgiving, you are going to calculate our own readability. You can choose any readability formula that is explained in detail in our readability handout that you have in your email (and on the website). You don't need to use the Fry Graph, but you can.
Instructions for Presentation:
1. You need to make a handout with a short overview for the whole class, which you can email to all peers (and me) to save paper. I'll email out an attendance list to everybody, so you'll have all emails. You can also make hard copies.
2. You can either write on the board, use the Smartboard, or present a big poster (ask me for paper and Sharpies). You don't need to do a ppt.
3. Your presentation should introduce your topic (if you have a formula, people should understand how it works).
4. Don't go over 5 minutes.
Topics:
1. Intro, pp. 1-10
Name: Brittany Lingle
Name: Michaela Bazar
2. Classic Readability Formulas, pp. 13-19
Name: Stephanie Jacques
Name: David Tabler
3. Flesch, pp. 20-22
Name: Colin Ott
4. Dale & Chall, pp. 22-23
Name: Katrina Kosma
5. Gunning, pp. 24-25
Name: Pamela LaBelle
6. New Readability Studies & Community of Scholars, pp. 25-26
Name: Jamie Wolf
7. Cloze Test, pp. 27-28
Name: Randi McFadden
8. Readability, Prior Knowledge, Interest, Motivation, pp. 28-30
Name: Brian Pullyblank
9. Performance, Efficiency, Content, pp. 30-34
Name: Charlotte Jackanicz
10. Leveling, pp. 35-37
Name: Jeffrey Ryden
11. Producing & Transforming Text, pp. 37-42
Name: Tiara Spencer
Name: Ronesha Johnson
12. New Readability Formulas, pp. 43-45
Name: Renita Tanner (assigned)
13. SMOG, FORECAST, pp. 47-49
Name: Amber Pankau
14. ARI, NRI, Hull formula for technical writing, pp. 49-51
Name: Julie Pioter (assigned)
15. DRP, p. 51
Name: Abby Hoover (assigned)
16. Formula Application, and Legislation, pp. 55-56
Name: Creighton Jackson (assigned)
17. Use, pp. 56-57
Name: Charah Gates (assigned)
Choosing Stylistic Variation
Style is a key part of all writing, and everyone has different styles of writing. We can categorize writings into different styles. There are 4 mains styles of writing, such as, the Plain style, the Pompous style, the Grand style, and the Official Style. Style is also used to connected variations with sentence structures. These include; using punctuation to the writers advantage. The Greeks had a word for the variation of normal word order and usage called anastrophe. Greek orators commonly practiced the inversion of usual word order.
Absolute Phrases is a sentence modifier that functions as a loner standing beyond the sentence. These types of phrases are also noun phrases that use the formula determiner + noun headword + participial phrase. Though absolute phrases sometimes use a pattern with a participial phrase as the postword modifier.
Many variations that writers use for special effects occur in connection with coordination structures, which are, pairs and series of sentences and their parts. One change in deviation is the use of conjunctions. This variation of writing is called by the Greeks polysyndeton where the use of an extra “and”. There is also a Greek style called asyndeton, which is opposite of the extra “and” that uses a series of no conjunctions. The omission of the conjunctions contributes to the strictness and frugal style that echoes the words themselves.
We also use repetition, which could be taken positively or negatively because it can also be considered redundancy. Our discussions in everyday speech are confined to repetition in coordination structures that make readers sit up and notice what we are speaking about. The Gettysburg address is a prime example of coordination structure because most cannot remember anything other than “Four score and Seven years ago.” Though through the structure of repetition we can also remember “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Lincoln’s uses of similar grammatical form are also known as an Isocolon. A contrasting view would be to look at the way President Kennedy stirs his words by reusing “any” in an asyndeton way. The word variation goes on to almost end his sentence during his sentence. Repetition of a clause opening is called an anaphora. This type of repetition is different then all other forms because the others are used in the middle of a sentence, where as, an anaphora is used to open a sentence with repetition.
Absolute Phrases is a sentence modifier that functions as a loner standing beyond the sentence. These types of phrases are also noun phrases that use the formula determiner + noun headword + participial phrase. Though absolute phrases sometimes use a pattern with a participial phrase as the postword modifier.
Many variations that writers use for special effects occur in connection with coordination structures, which are, pairs and series of sentences and their parts. One change in deviation is the use of conjunctions. This variation of writing is called by the Greeks polysyndeton where the use of an extra “and”. There is also a Greek style called asyndeton, which is opposite of the extra “and” that uses a series of no conjunctions. The omission of the conjunctions contributes to the strictness and frugal style that echoes the words themselves.
We also use repetition, which could be taken positively or negatively because it can also be considered redundancy. Our discussions in everyday speech are confined to repetition in coordination structures that make readers sit up and notice what we are speaking about. The Gettysburg address is a prime example of coordination structure because most cannot remember anything other than “Four score and Seven years ago.” Though through the structure of repetition we can also remember “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Lincoln’s uses of similar grammatical form are also known as an Isocolon. A contrasting view would be to look at the way President Kennedy stirs his words by reusing “any” in an asyndeton way. The word variation goes on to almost end his sentence during his sentence. Repetition of a clause opening is called an anaphora. This type of repetition is different then all other forms because the others are used in the middle of a sentence, where as, an anaphora is used to open a sentence with repetition.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Next Blog Summaries
Today, Friday, Nov. 7th, we heard four mini lessons.
Below are all the remaining blog summary assignments for the rest of the year. If you HAVE NOT posted a summary yet, and ARE NOT on this list, contact me on Nov. 10th, because then you didn't sign up and got left out!
____________________________________________________
THERE ARE NO MAKE-UPS for missed blog summaries!!!! If they are not posted by class time on the due date, I will post the one of my other class, so the peers can write their responses.
1) Colin Ott: Chapter 10 out of Martha Kolln's Book Rhetorical Grammar: "Choosing Stylistic Variations" (pp. 210-232). DUE DATE: Monday, Nov. 10, at class time. Responses due Wed., Nov. 12, at class time.
2) Jeffrey Ryden: pp. 180-185 from Martha Kolln's Book Rhetorical Grammar: "Participial Phrases." DUE DATE: Monday, Nov. 10, at class time. Responses due Wed., Nov. 12, at class time.
3) Randi McFadden: pp. 242-245 from Martha Kolln's Book Rhetorical Grammar: "Collective Nouns." DUE DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 12, at class time. Responses due Fri., Nov. 14, at class time.
4) Katrina Kosma: "Part I: Prescriptive Grammar," from the textbook Grammar for Grammarians by Riley & Parker (pp. 8-14; about the Classical Period). DUE DATE: Friday, November 14th, at class time. Responses due Monday, Nov. 17th, at class time.
5) Julie Pioter: "Part I: Prescriptive Grammar," from the textbook Grammar for Grammarians by Riley & Parker (pp. 14-20; about the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance). DUE DATE: Friday, Nov. 14th, at class time. Responses due Monday, November 17th, at class time.
6) Renita Tanner: "Chapter 2: The Prescriptive Period. In England," from the textbook Grammar for Grammarians by Riley & Parker (pp. 21-29). DUE DATE: Monday, Nov. 17th, at class time. Responses due Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at class time.
7) Jamie Wolf: "Chapter 2: The Prescriptive Period. In the United States," from the textbook Grammar for Grammarians by Riley & Parker (pp. 29-35). DUE DATE: Monday, Nov. 17th, at class time. Responses due Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at class time.
8) Alexandra Rude and Stephanie Jacques: "Chapter 3: Prescriptive Rules," from the textbook Grammar for Grammarians by Riley & Parker (pp. 36-60, BUT: Leave out all the subjects we have covered already in mini lessons, such as lie/lay, either/or, neither/nor, etc.; choose new topics from the text for your summary!) Share the topics among one another - e.g., one does the first half of the chapter, the other the second half! DUE DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at class time. Responses due Friday, Nov. 21st, at class time.
9) Amber Pankau, Tiara Spencer, Ronesha Johnson: "Part II: Descriptive Grammar. Chapter 4: Historical-Comparative Period, Structuralism, Descriptivism vs. Prescriptivism"(pp. 61-74). There are three topics. Amber: Historical-Comparative; Tiara: Structuralism; Ronesha: Descriptivism vs. Prescriptivism. DUE DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at class time. Responses due Friday, Nov. 21st, at class time.
10) Charah Gates: "Part III: Generative Grammar. Generative Theory," pp. 174-179. DUE DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at class time. Responses due Friday, Nov. 21st, at class time.
THANKSGIVING VACATIONS are from Nov. 22nd - Nov. 30th. I will only grade blog responses that were submitted on time by class time on Nov. 21st. Later entries will not be considered! EVEN if you are hospitalized. I am flying to Germany on Dec. 18th, and I am not grading anything except for final exams during FINALS WEEK from Dec. 8th-12th. If you are hospitalized and CAN NOT complete all assignments including the research essay on time, come to my office and sign a contract for an INCOMPLETE no later than Friday, Nov. 21st (the last day before the Thanksgiving vacations). Otherwise, you will fail this course.
THERE ARE NO MAKE-UPS for missed blog summaries!!! If they are not posted at class time, I will post the summary of the other class, so that the peers can do their responses.
Below are all the remaining blog summary assignments for the rest of the year. If you HAVE NOT posted a summary yet, and ARE NOT on this list, contact me on Nov. 10th, because then you didn't sign up and got left out!
____________________________________________________
THERE ARE NO MAKE-UPS for missed blog summaries!!!! If they are not posted by class time on the due date, I will post the one of my other class, so the peers can write their responses.
1) Colin Ott: Chapter 10 out of Martha Kolln's Book Rhetorical Grammar: "Choosing Stylistic Variations" (pp. 210-232). DUE DATE: Monday, Nov. 10, at class time. Responses due Wed., Nov. 12, at class time.
2) Jeffrey Ryden: pp. 180-185 from Martha Kolln's Book Rhetorical Grammar: "Participial Phrases." DUE DATE: Monday, Nov. 10, at class time. Responses due Wed., Nov. 12, at class time.
3) Randi McFadden: pp. 242-245 from Martha Kolln's Book Rhetorical Grammar: "Collective Nouns." DUE DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 12, at class time. Responses due Fri., Nov. 14, at class time.
4) Katrina Kosma: "Part I: Prescriptive Grammar," from the textbook Grammar for Grammarians by Riley & Parker (pp. 8-14; about the Classical Period). DUE DATE: Friday, November 14th, at class time. Responses due Monday, Nov. 17th, at class time.
5) Julie Pioter: "Part I: Prescriptive Grammar," from the textbook Grammar for Grammarians by Riley & Parker (pp. 14-20; about the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance). DUE DATE: Friday, Nov. 14th, at class time. Responses due Monday, November 17th, at class time.
6) Renita Tanner: "Chapter 2: The Prescriptive Period. In England," from the textbook Grammar for Grammarians by Riley & Parker (pp. 21-29). DUE DATE: Monday, Nov. 17th, at class time. Responses due Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at class time.
7) Jamie Wolf: "Chapter 2: The Prescriptive Period. In the United States," from the textbook Grammar for Grammarians by Riley & Parker (pp. 29-35). DUE DATE: Monday, Nov. 17th, at class time. Responses due Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at class time.
8) Alexandra Rude and Stephanie Jacques: "Chapter 3: Prescriptive Rules," from the textbook Grammar for Grammarians by Riley & Parker (pp. 36-60, BUT: Leave out all the subjects we have covered already in mini lessons, such as lie/lay, either/or, neither/nor, etc.; choose new topics from the text for your summary!) Share the topics among one another - e.g., one does the first half of the chapter, the other the second half! DUE DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at class time. Responses due Friday, Nov. 21st, at class time.
9) Amber Pankau, Tiara Spencer, Ronesha Johnson: "Part II: Descriptive Grammar. Chapter 4: Historical-Comparative Period, Structuralism, Descriptivism vs. Prescriptivism"(pp. 61-74). There are three topics. Amber: Historical-Comparative; Tiara: Structuralism; Ronesha: Descriptivism vs. Prescriptivism. DUE DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at class time. Responses due Friday, Nov. 21st, at class time.
10) Charah Gates: "Part III: Generative Grammar. Generative Theory," pp. 174-179. DUE DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 19th, at class time. Responses due Friday, Nov. 21st, at class time.
THANKSGIVING VACATIONS are from Nov. 22nd - Nov. 30th. I will only grade blog responses that were submitted on time by class time on Nov. 21st. Later entries will not be considered! EVEN if you are hospitalized. I am flying to Germany on Dec. 18th, and I am not grading anything except for final exams during FINALS WEEK from Dec. 8th-12th. If you are hospitalized and CAN NOT complete all assignments including the research essay on time, come to my office and sign a contract for an INCOMPLETE no later than Friday, Nov. 21st (the last day before the Thanksgiving vacations). Otherwise, you will fail this course.
THERE ARE NO MAKE-UPS for missed blog summaries!!! If they are not posted at class time, I will post the summary of the other class, so that the peers can do their responses.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Readability Versus Leveling --Edward Fry
The article "Readability Versus Leveling" by Edward Fry discusses the difference between readability and leveling when it comes to the relation to grade levels. Fry tells of how readability is defined as "the ease of comprehension because of style of writing." Leveling is defined as "selecting books to match the competencies of a reader or writer." Fry explains how readability is found by using formulas. In the classroom, readability is thought of as an objective numerical scored gained by applying the formula. Leveling is not objective, it takes subject factors of judgment into account.
Readability dates back to the 1920s and the "McGuffy Readers." "McGruffy Readers" gave books a numerical grading, the more complex the books are, the higher numbers they will have. As it progressed, the numbers evolved into grade levels. One system used is the Reading Recovery System. It requires teachers to find books with closely spread difficulty to that one grade level with have books with more one degree of difficulty for that one grade. Some other systems give whole-grade designations to books. Thses systems and formulas are for grades 1-4 mostly.
The formulas used to measure readability and leveling use different parts of reading, speaking and writing. Readability uses syntactic difficulty, measured by sentence length, and sematic difficulty, meased by word length. Word length is measured by syllables or numbers of letters in the words. Leveling is measured by more than just two parts. What measures leveling is content, illustrations, length, curriculum, langugage structure, judgment and format. Readability is objective and can be assessed by a computer. Unlike leveling, witch is not objective. The scores of these formulas can be translated into grade levels. However, Fry does explain that there are limitations to these formulas. He gives the examples of how motivation and appropriateness cannot be assessed.
Readabliltiy and leveling have two different ranges. Readability formulas range like grade levels, 1-12. Leveling formulas range from kindergarden to 6th grade. Readability, unlike leveling, is used outside the classroom. It is used for many different works. Some examples are military training manuals, plain language laws, and newspaper articles.
Fry dicussed how to find the right readability level. He said there is a need to find reading materials with the right reading level for instuction that makes the most sense. If the reading level is too hard, it may discourage someone from reading and understanding it. On the other hand, if it is too simple, the reader could get bored with its simplicity. Fry said one of the most important things for a teacher is to select the correct level for her student to learn reading effectively.
Readability dates back to the 1920s and the "McGuffy Readers." "McGruffy Readers" gave books a numerical grading, the more complex the books are, the higher numbers they will have. As it progressed, the numbers evolved into grade levels. One system used is the Reading Recovery System. It requires teachers to find books with closely spread difficulty to that one grade level with have books with more one degree of difficulty for that one grade. Some other systems give whole-grade designations to books. Thses systems and formulas are for grades 1-4 mostly.
The formulas used to measure readability and leveling use different parts of reading, speaking and writing. Readability uses syntactic difficulty, measured by sentence length, and sematic difficulty, meased by word length. Word length is measured by syllables or numbers of letters in the words. Leveling is measured by more than just two parts. What measures leveling is content, illustrations, length, curriculum, langugage structure, judgment and format. Readability is objective and can be assessed by a computer. Unlike leveling, witch is not objective. The scores of these formulas can be translated into grade levels. However, Fry does explain that there are limitations to these formulas. He gives the examples of how motivation and appropriateness cannot be assessed.
Readabliltiy and leveling have two different ranges. Readability formulas range like grade levels, 1-12. Leveling formulas range from kindergarden to 6th grade. Readability, unlike leveling, is used outside the classroom. It is used for many different works. Some examples are military training manuals, plain language laws, and newspaper articles.
Fry dicussed how to find the right readability level. He said there is a need to find reading materials with the right reading level for instuction that makes the most sense. If the reading level is too hard, it may discourage someone from reading and understanding it. On the other hand, if it is too simple, the reader could get bored with its simplicity. Fry said one of the most important things for a teacher is to select the correct level for her student to learn reading effectively.
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