English language arts curriculum guide committee, second report - composition [1963]

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS' CURRICULUM' GUIDE COMMITTEE SECOND REPORT- COMPOSITION
State Department of Education
C;:u q/a, Division of Instruction

Claude Purcell State Superintendent of Schools
Atlanta 3, Georgia
1963

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION JAMES S. PETERS - CHAIRMAN ROBERT BYRD WRIGHT - VICE-CHAIRMAN CLAUDE PURCELL - SECRETARY

Members

FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

J. BRANTLEY JOHNSON

SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT- - - - - - , - - - - - ROBERT BYRD WRIGHT

THIRD CONGRESSIONAL DISTR.ICT- - - - - - - - - THOMAS NESBITT, JR.

FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

JAMES S. PETERS

FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT- - - - - - - - - - - - - - DAVID RICE

SIXTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT- - - - - - - - - - - FRANCIS SHURLING

SEVENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

HENRY STEWART

----------~

.

.

EIGHTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT- - - - - - - - - - - LONNIE E. SWEAT

NINTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - VACANCY

TENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT- - - - - - ' - - - - - - - - - ZACK DANIEL

2

-
FOREWORD
In 1948 plans for the English curriculum guide were initiated by the Georgia COuncil for Teachers in English. The publication of a report, The Teaching of English in Georgia, in 1952 marked the next step in the development of the plans-.---In the spring of 1961, the State Department of Education in co-operation with the Georgia Council of Teachers of English appointed a committee to prepare the proposed guide. The first report of this committee was published in September of 19_62 ~ I.n it the committee outlined an approach to the teaching of the language arts and the organization of the curriculum guide. This Second Report: Composition is another step in the development of an English curriculum guide. Literature and language reports will folLow.
The development of an English Language Arts Curriculum Guide follows a pattern begun with the publication of the bulletin, "Curriculum Framework for Georgia Schools,ll in 1954. The State Department of Education has up to this date published the "School HealthGuide,ll "Science for Georgia Schools," "Looking Toward School," "Teaching Word Recognition Skills in Georgia Schools," "Mathematics for Georgia Schools," and "Social Science for All Grades." The English curriculum guide will ultimately take its place among these.
Claude Purcell State Superintendent of Schools
3

INTRODUCTION
In presenting this Second Report: Composition, the English Curriculum Guide Committee continues to develop a conceptual approach to the teaching of English. Here are basic concepts that underlie the teaching of composition. They become more and more meaningful to the pupil as he engages in activities which result in learnings of higher and higher degrees of complexity. Here are suggestions too, sample activities, to guide the teacher in planning the kinds of classroom activities that gradually bring the student to an awareness of concept and to the conscious application of it. Here are listed check points to guide the teacher in self-evaluation as he teaches composition.
The English Curriculum Guide Committee renews its request for teachers throughout the state to participate in developing the guide by initiating appropriate classroom activities for developing these concepts and to evaluate their worth in building the understandings that we are seeking. Again I join the committee in urging you to do so.
H. S. Shearouse, Director Division of Instruction
4

MEMBERS OF THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM GUIDE COMMITTEE WHO WORKED ON THIS REPORT

Mrs. Elizabeth Bailey Dr. Bernice Cooper Mr. Paul Farmer Dr. Miriam T. Felder Dr. Bernice Freeman Mrs. Emily Gregory Mr. James Hamon Dr. Newton Hodgson Miss Sue Jordan Miss Geraldine Legg Miss Betty Jim Owings
Mrs. Ellanor H. Pruitt
Mrs. Wilda Pryor Mrs. Helen Taylor Dr. Mary Tingle

Reinhardt College University of Georgia Atlanta Fulton County Troup County DeKalb County Georgia Institute of Technology Emory University University of Georgia Calhoun City Newnan City DeKalb County. Fulton County Atlanta City University of Georgia

5

Dear Colleagues in English Teaching:
This is a third of. a series of bulletins issued by your English Language Arts Curriculum Guide Committee. The FIRST REPORT introduced the conceptual approach to the teaching of English and presented a chart which condensed onto a single page some significant generalizations underlying the teaching of English. A BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR THE FIRST REPORT gave direction in professional reading in this area.
This SECOND REPORT: COMPOSITION is a statement of philosophy undergirding the teaching of composition. It repeats both the introduction of the FIRST REPORT, which gives the conceptual approach, and the chart of concepts. This report then discusses composition in relation to the other language arts; considers the nature of composition; reviews the process of composing; stresses certain important assumptions inherent in the teaching of composition; and expands to some extent the ~ix significant generalizations underlying the teaching of composition.
The study of this report should help the teacher understand more fully what he is doing as he teaches composition. Such study should help bim clarify his purposes as he has his pupils speak and write. It should provide unity in his thinking concerning what is involved in teaching composition.
The report will probably be most useful to each teacher is he (1) reads the report more than once and studies it carefully, (2) analyzes the current activities of his classroom to see if they contribute to the development of several concepts, and (3) identifies and shares with other teachers s~meof his most successf~l ~ctivities. (A form is provided on page 41.)
Some teachers will see the usefulness of this report . immediately, while others will be disappointed that it does
not provide day by day classroom procedures. This report is not a course guide~ It is an e~amination of the overall framework within which composition is taught. It is not a list of concepts to be memorized by pupils.
Your English Language Arts Curriculum Guide Committee hopes that this report will prove useful in the teaching of composition.
Sincerely yours,
Bernice Freeman, Chairman English Curriculum Guide Committee
6

THE CONCEPTUAL APPROACH AND THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH

Language, literature, and composition are major areas of language arts. Language in ~oth spoken and written forms is central. It is the medium used in the process of composing and the medium which permits composing in speech and writing to become literature. As one analyzes the aspects of the language arts relevant to language, literature, and composition, he perceives in each area some large concepts--significant generalizations which express a core of understandings and serve to unify each area. Such concepts are statements of the nature, structure, history, and function of language; the meaning, patterns, and effects of literature; and the sources of meaning, patterns, and purposes for the process of composition.

These concepts underlie the teaching of the language arts and give direction to that teaching. The teaching of the language arts should be designed to induce in the student an understanding of the concepts and the ability to apply them appropriately. Each concept remains constant; but the approach to it varies through sequential levels of sophistication. The sequence of learning for any concept may extend from the primary years through the college years. For example, the child can be led to understand that words are grouped; the youth, that word groups serve different functions in regular patterns; the young adult, that basic sentence patterns can be infinitely varied. The student at an early stage demonstrates some use of the pattern or idea (concept) without being aware of it as pattern or ide.a;at a later stage he can become aware of the existence of a pattern or idea without identifying or naming it; at a still later stage he can verbalize to name and define the pattern or idea and can use it consciously for analytical purposes.

These stages suggest strongly that the effective procedures for

teaching follow this sequence; first, activities in which the. stu-

dent uses the concept without realizing he is doing so; second,

activities in which he can recognize that the concept exists; third,

activities in which he can be led to verbalize and apply the concept.

Oniy at the latest stage does he need labels - after the concept is

functional.

.

DEFINITIONS TO BE NOTED
Concept in The Language Arts The Conceptual Approach To Teaching Inductive Teaching Procedures
7

A . LANGUAGE
Language, oral and written, is the medium of communication. Each language has a history and a recognizable structure. It functions variously as it is directed toward the accomplishment of different purposes.

1. Each language has its own peculiar structure.

2. Each language has dialects.

3. Modern languages are

the result of historical

(Xl

development.

4. Speech is primary. Writing symbolizes speech/thought.

5. Language changes.

6. Language has differing social functions.

7. Words convey meaning at various levels of literalness and abstraction.

(To be completed)

CON C E P T S C H ART
B. LITERATURE
Literature reflects human experience~-the life of a people. It reflects certain constant human concerns. It deals with value judgments. It selects .from human experience and orders that experience.
1. Literature reflects universal elements in human experience.
2. Literature reflects the culture.
3. Literary works may be classified by type-form.
4. A literary work has structure.
5. Literature affects the culture.
6. The relationship of the reader to the literary work is individual and personal.
(To be completed)

C. COMPOSITION
Composing in speech and in writing is a purposeful ordering of experience, to clarify thought, to communicate thought and feeling, to express oneself. The composer's experience and his reactions to it provide the basis for composing.
1. Composing involves having something to say.
2. Composing involves purpose.
3. Composing involves the expansion or condensation of an idea.
4. Composing involves arranging selected material into recognizable order.
5. Composing is usually done within recognizable patterns.
6. Composing involves manner of expression.

THE TEACHING OF COMPOSITION: A CONCEPTUAL APPROACH
The conceptual approach to teaching the English language arts is based on the assumption that a major goal of the educative process is the student's development of concepts. Through many concrete experiences, the student can be led through the developmental stages: unconscious use, then recognition and identification, and finally conscious and analytical application of the concept. Again and again, the same concept may be approached at increasing levels of sophistication as the student moves through school. The teaching problem is to provide for the emergence of these concepts.
I. Composition in Relation to Other English Language Arts
The discipline of English includes two bodies of knowledge (the nature, history, and structure of language; the meaning, patterns, and effects of literature); four processes (listening, speaking, reading, writing); and a set of values, both explicit and implicit, that allow distinguishing between effective and ineffective, appropriate and inappropriate use of language.
These aspects are closely interrelated. Literature is meaning preserved in language. Language is the medium central to the four processes: receiving communications is possible largely through listening to and reading Languages; sending communications is possible largely through speaking and writing language; and language is intimately involved in the thinking that precedes and accompanies the four processes basic to language.
Of these four processes, speaking is primary, both in the time at which it develops in the individual and in its frequency of use. Language functions first as a set of sound symbols in listening and speaking activities which begin involuntarily for the individual and are then capable of being developed to function at high levels of conscious, sophisticated control. Reading and writing are secondary forms, developing at later times and occurring with less frequency. Acquisition of the processes of reading and writing is the result of conscious activity for the individual, who generally must be taught to read and write (both calli~raphy and composition), Once initiated in the individual, these four processes continue throughout life.
A major problem in the teaching of communication skills and arts is helping the student use the secondary forms (written symbols) as effectively as he uses the primary forms (sound. symbols).
9

Chart 1. RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE FOUR LANGUAGE PROCESSES

I

Processes A. Primary Forms (using sound symbols)

Movements Possible

1. (Receiving) Listening

2. (Sending) Speaking

Unconscious to conscious Uncontrolled to controlled Simple to sophisticated

B. Secondary Forms (using written symbols

3. (Receiving) Reading

4. (Sending) Writing

Conscious to more conscious Controlled to more controlled Simple to sophisticated

II. The Nature of Composition
,
Composition is different in nature from language and literature. As areas of the English language arts, language contains a body of factual information about what language is and how it works, and literature is a collection of meaning preserved in language.. In studying these areas, the student approaches mater.ial that already exists. But the area of composition differs, because it is a process. The act of composing, whether in speaking or in writing, includes a complex of procedures through which an individual makes his meaning apparent. The student of composition, then, must act to create a product.
Man attempts to find order and meaning in his experiences by composing them: putting them together and arranging them. Composing in speech and writing is only a part of this larger process; but it is a most significant part involving effort, attention, and conscious patterning with consequences in the external world 'of audiences as well as in the internal world of private thought.
10

\
The basis of all composing is surely an internal matter.

rhe processes that lead to expression in sounds and written

symbo~s are not available to public inspection. The reports

of wr~tersand speakers, the speculations of psychologists

and introspective experience suggest what may be involved '

represented in Chart 2.

'

Chart 2. SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION OF COMPOSING

EXTERNAL STIMULUS SITUATIONS (1)

Observing Reading Listening Conversing TV viewing Feeling-tasting-touching-smelling

afr immediately as well as cumulatively

~

t~

INTERNAL PROCESSES (2)

Content (facts, concepts, meanings) Symbolic patternings (for reception
and expression of facts, etc.)

Nonlinguistic
Pantomime Gesture Music Design

These are expressed in
~
BEHAVIOR (3)

"" ----- Linguistic

Speaking ------(including song, math

Writing (including musical notation,

verbalizations, etc.)

math signification, etc.)

For purposes of

Informative communication Persuasion Self-expression Therapy Enjoyment Clarification of thought

11

The materials of composing are derived from experiences (1). These experiences are stored and available in some kind of internal system or code (2) which consists of facts, ideas, concepts, and meanings which are patterned in language and nonlinguistic forms. Triggered by one or more of the many varied purposes served by all forms of communication, the content of the internal system becom~s available. It is released in behavior (3) which, when not purely automatic, may be said to be in some sense "composed," whether its form is nonlinguistic, linguistic, or both. The act of composing or expressing to effect the purposes of composition in turn modifies the internal processes from which behavior springs. Thus there is a continuous cycle of intake and of expression with accompanying changes (revision, alteration, development) in the stored and released content.

It is clear that spoken composition and written composition

are so closely allied that they are simply different symboliza-

tions of the same process. It is clear, also, that teachers must

be concerned with the internal processes when they approach the

teaching of composition. The cultivation of this internal

material, its enrichment in both symbol patterns and content, is

the heart of the matter. Teaching strategies must have this as

their central focus. 'Teachers of language arts are interested

chiefly in deliberately composed language behavior, although

they should not forget that there are nonlinguistic forms of com-

position.

.

III. The Activities in the Process of Composing
What 'are the activities in the process of composing? Again, reports of writers and speakers, the speculations of psychologists, and introspective experience provide some help, suggesting several recognizable activities that are presented in Chart 3.
They do not constitute an orderly progression, for they overlap and intertwine.

12

Chart 3. OUTLINE OF THE PROCESS OF COMPOSING

1. Purpose, motive, drive, ne~d, intent.
2. Content, material, substance, facts, ideas, concepts, meanings.
3. Reflection, consideration; selection of model, mode, style, tone, relevant ideas, content.
4. Tentative, uncommitted formulations trial runs.
5. Symbolization in speech or writing commitment to general form and content.
6. Revision - modification of symbolization.
7. Final commitment - speech, tape, manuscript, print.

-Selection-rejection -Selection-rejection
-Selection-reject ionbroad evaluation
-Selection-rejectionbroad evaluation -Selection-rejection
-Selection-rejection -Broad evaluation

A child's spoken composition often demonstrates that he has, without conscious effort, made selections of material,words, tone appropriate to his purpose. The problem in teaching compo8ition is to induce the student to progress from such unconscious selections, to awareness of the implied decisions, and finally to consciously made decisions. With sufficient training and skill, he may eventually reach a competence similar to that of many speakers and writers who move through the process of composition almost automatically, often appearing to perform several activities simultaneously.
Helping the student to discover possible content and the varieties of purpose - and particularly the interrelationships of content and purpose- can make the preparation for symbolization pleasant and proIitable. And careful exploration of the activities of reflection and trial runs should help eliminate the often tortured results of an assignment that simply calls for "a lO-minute speech by tomorrow" or "a 500-word theme by Friday."
13

IV. Important Assumptions for Teachers of Composition From the discussion of the nature and the process of compo-
sition, certain useful assumptions can be formulated: 1. Written and spoken composition comprise only one aspect of an
individual's efforts to' bring order and meaning to his experience. 2. The internal processes of storing and releasing content and symbol patterns are of major importance. 3. Spoken composition precedes written composition in the development of an individual's language skills. 4. An individual can function only with the level of language proficiency and use that he has achieved. 5. An individual can function only with the experiential content that is available to him.
The concepts elaborated in detail in this report are intended to represent what the mature composer recognizes as being involved in the composing process. It is possible, though a bit difficult, to imagine that a person might have all of these concepts clearly developed and still not be able to speak and write effectively, because these concepts have meaning only if they are developed in a context of much composing activity. But the point here is that the concept~ are not the same thing as the skills of composing. These are the concepts that should guide the teacher's planning, but it is quite possible to imagine that a person can speak and write well without being able to verbalize the concepts that guide what he is doing.
14

CONCEPT I: COMPOSING INVOLVES HAVING SOMETHING TO SAY

, 1.1 , 1. 2

The composer's experiences direct or vicarious - pro- ., vide the basis for composing ,
Composing involves reaction to and evaluation of experiences.

Note:

These sources of material function at all levels of composition, but in increasing degrees of complexity.

15

CONCEPT I: COMPOSING INVOLVES HAVING SOMETHING TO SAY

LEARNINGS:

The wording of the learnings suggests a sequence in the development of understanding on the part of the learner.

Repetition of the same or a similar idea at a later point (Learnings 2, 7, 15) reflects the learner's gradual growth of understanding in breadth; depth, complexity.

1. A person can talk about things he does and sees

and thinks about.

2. Stories from books are things to talk and write

about.

3. A person can make up and tell or write about what

might happen to storybook people after the end of

the story.

4. Parties and programs and special days give a per-

son special things to say or write in special ways.

5. A person can talk or write about what other people

say or have written.

6. A person can talk or write about the way he reacts

to people and happenings.

7. A person can talk or write about things he reads

in books.

8. Observing and listening accurately provides use-

ful material to talk and write about.

9. The more. a person observes,the greater is his

supply of material to talk or write about.

10. A person can talk or write about the ideas he

believes in.

11. Each person's exper~ences are valuable to him,

and worth composing about.

.

12. Thinking about and discussing experiences of all

kinds, one's own and other people's, can generate

ideas for composing .

13. The values a person holds and his commitment to

ideals ~re material for composing.

14. A person's attitudes toward people, events, and

ideas may be the basis for composing.

15. Reading of all kinds of materiaiprovides experi-

ences for composing.

16. Information from many sources provides materials

for composing.

16

17. ~valua~ing, reorderin~, and extrapolating 1deas 1n other people s compositions provide materialforcomposing.
18. Tangential ideas from reading proVide materials for composing.
\
CONCEPT I: COMPOSING'INVOLVES HAVING SOMETHING TO SAY CHECKPOINTS FOR THE TEACHER
1. Have we provided students with meaningful classroom experiences to serve as a basis for speaking and writing?
2. Have we preceded composition by many activities of thought and discussion?
3. Have we encouraged students to clarify and state their values and develop tentative commitments to ideas and ideals?
4. Have we helped students see and value the uniqueness of their own experiences?
17

CONCEPT I: COMPOSING INVOLVES HAVING SOMETHING TO SAY SAMPLE CLASSROOM ACTIVITY - HIGH SCHOOL
Half the class might write about an experience or topic about which they have very limited (or no) experience. The other half writes about a topic which is an . actua~ part of the individual's experience. The themes or paragraphs may be read aloud and compared for extent of detail and vividness of expression. This may serve to demonstrate that the largest store of information the individual has for composing is his own experience.
18

CONCEPT II: COMPOSING INVOLVES PURPOSE

, 2.1 , 2.2

People compose: ---to gain the satisfaction of
self-expression ---to clarify their thinking ---t9 convey information, thought,
feeling ---to influence thought, feeling,
action ---or just for fun.
The individual's purpose influences' the selection and ordering of content, and the choice of form, tone style.

These purposes function at all levels of composition.

19

CONq~PT II: COMPOSING INVOLVES PURPOSE

LEARNINGS:

The wording of the learnings suggests a sequence in the development of understanding on the part of the learner.

Repetition of the same, or a similar idea at a later point (Learnings 3, 8, 11) reflects the learner's gradual growth of understanding in breadth, 'depth, complexity.

1. It is fun to create interesting sounds and pic-

tures with words.

2. Sharing experiences with others can be fun.

3. A person can get people to do things by talking

or writing to them.

4. A perso~ can understand things better when he

talks or writes about them.

5. Sometimes a person feels better to get things

off his chest by writing about them.

6. A person may use words to express an idea, to

ask questions, to express feelings.

7. Telling a story can please both the composer and

those with whom it is shared.

8. A person may convey a message (invitation, letter,

direction, announcement) to an individual or to a

group.

.

9. To record or convey information, a person may

need to summarize what he sees, hears, or reads.

10. One may compose about a particular subject in

order to interest another individual or a group.

11. One may compose to influence the tbought, feeling,

or action of others. (The composer is responsible

for what he says.)

12. One may summarize events, discussions, results of

meetings as a record or as a report to a group.

13. One may use the process of composing to clarify and enrich his own thinking.
14. Some purposes restrict the form and style of composition (resolutions; business letters, formal invitations .. )
15. A composition may combine several purposes. 16. Apparent purpose sometimes disguises true purpose
(satire,propaganda).

20

CONCEPr II: COMPOSING INVOLVES PURPOSE
CHECKPOINTS FOR THE TEACHER 1. Have we provided opportunities for speaking and writing that exploit the varieties of purposes that composition can serve? 2. Have we taken advantage of the opportunities for composing that arise in the normal course of school and community life? 3. Have we provided experiences in composing that involve the student's own purposes and concerns? 4. Have we devised ways to help the student clarify his purpose?
21

CONCEPr II: COMPOS ING INVOLYES PURPOSE SAMPLE CLASSROOM ACTIVITY - ELEMENTARY
A class decides to have a party. One group composes invitations to parents; another plans oral invitations for certain school personnel. For entertainment the group composes a short dramatization. To order some necessary props, a group composes a business letter. To make appropriate costumes several students find necessary information in books and report it. One group designs a brief program.
22

CONC:EPr I I I :

COMPOSING INVOLVES THE EXPANSION OR CONDENSATION OF AN IDEA

, 3.1 , 3.2 , 3.3

Generalizations are expanded, clarified, supported by statements of particulars.
Statements of details or particu- ' lars may be summarized.
The degree of expansion or condensation is determined by the purpose

These aspects of expansion-condensation function at all levels of composition, but in increasing degrees of complexity.

23

CONCEPT III: COMPOSING INVOLVES THE EXPANSION OR CONDENSATION OF AN IDEA
LEARNINGS
The wording of the learnings suggests a sequence in the development of understanding on the part of the learner.
Repetition of the same, or a similar idea, at a later point (See Learnings 1, 4, 7, 10) reflects the learner's gradual growth of understanding in breadth, depth, complexity.
1. Adding words like big, blue, tall can make clearer what a thing looks like; words like slowly, gently, angrily make clearer how something acts.
2. Sometimes a story can be retold in fewer words. 3. Showing how something is like or not like something
else can make both things clearer. 4. Details of many different kinds (description, facts,
examples, reasons) may be used to make an idea clearer, more interesting, or more vivid. 5. Many related details or facts can be summarized into a general statement. 6. The number and nature of details to be included varies with the plan of the composition.
7. An idea or fact may be proved by giving related
ideas or facts. 8. Some types of composing demand the inclusion of
only one type of details about a particular idea. 9. The extent of development for various parts of the
selected topic is determined by the relative importance of the parts. 10. High level abstractions (democracy, justice, honesty) can be clarified through adding concrete terms. II. The purpose of the composer determines the proportion of generalizations to statements of particulars.
24

CONCEPr III: COMPOSING INVOLVES.THE EXPANSION OR CONDENSATION OF AN IDEA
\
CHECKPOINTS FOR TEACHERS
1. Have we provided many opportunities for students to define, classify, and elaborate ideas?
2. Have we helped students see the need for supporting generalizations with specific details?
3. Have we given students frequent opportunities to summarize?
4. Have we found ways to help students sense the need for proportion and balance in composing?
25

CONCEPT I I I: COMPOSING INVOLVES THE EXPANSION OR CONDENSATION OF AN IDEA

SAMPLE CLASSROOM ACTIVITY'- PRIMARY

A teacher reads a story to the group. They discuss the

story freely and are then asked to extend the story through

answering lead questions. Young children can do this orally

or dramatically; older children may write.

.

Some illustrative stories and questions follow:

1. Angus and the Ducks--MarjorieFlack "What did Angus think about while he was under the sofa?"

2. Ask Mr. Bear--Marjorie Flack

"Whatdo you think Mr. Bear(Whispered in Danny's

ear?f'

"--

3. Inch by Inch--Leo Lionni "What-aid the nightingale do when he finished his song?"

26

CONCEPT IV: COMPOSING INVOLVES ARRANGING SELECTED MATERIAL INTO RECOGNIZABLE ORDER

I 4.1
I 4.2 I 4.3

Ordering is arranging and expressing ideas to indicate their relationship , and relative emphasis.
Order may be natural or logical
Ordering includes having a recognizable beginning, middle, and end.

These principles function at all levels of composition, but in increasing degrees of complexity.

27

CONCEPT IV:

COMPOSING INVOLVES ARRANGING SELECTED MATERIAL INTO RECOGNIZABLE ORDER

LEARNINGS: .

The wording of the learnings suggests a sequence in the development of understanding on the part of the learner.

Repetition of the same or a similar idea at a later point (Learnings 1, 7, 9) reflects the learner's gradual growth of understanding in breadth, depth, and complexity.

1. First ideas and last ideas are usually important

ideas.

2. Sometimes ideas build to a climax or surprise

ending.

3. Stories and letters have beginning, middle, and

end.

4. In telling a story or expressing ideas, the order of

thoughts may show how the thoughts are related (time,

spatial, causal).

5. Signal words may also indicate how ideas are related.

6. Pitch and pause in speech and punctuation in writing

help show how ideas are related.

7. The arrangement of ideas in a planned composition

(oral or written) indicates the relative importance

of the ideas (topic sentence/generalization; sub-

ordinate ideas/supporting detail).

8. The relative importance and organization of selected

materials may be revealed by blocking, grouping, or

outlining (in simple or detailed form).

9. In the composition the relationships of ideas are

indicated by position,. by structure, and by signal

words and groups of words.

.

10. The same ideas may be arranged and expressed in

various ways that influence the emphasis and meaning

of the ideas.

11. Some forms of composition (exposition, debate, . ~ .)

have formal introduction, body, conclusion.

12. Emphasis is achieved by appropriate decision re-

garding the placement of topic, paragraph, sentence,

phrase, word.

28

CONCEPT IV: COMPOSING INVOLVES ARRANGING SELECTED MATERIAL INTO RECOGNIZABLE ORDER
CHECKPOINTS FOR THE TEACHER
1. Have we provided many varied opportunities for organizing thought in oral as well as written composition?
2. Have we provided many situations that will help the student see that order and arrangement are important in informal as well as formal composit10n?
3. Have~~ helped students experiment with alternative arrangements of the various parts (phrases, sentences, and par~graphs) within the whole?
4. Have we helped students understand the nature of the vari~us orders for the whole composition?
29

CONCEPr IV: COMPOSING INVOLVES ARRANGING SELECTED MATERIAL INTO RECOGNIZABLE ORDER
SAMPLE CLASSROOM ACTIVITY - SECONDARY
Activities growing out of a field trip (visit to newspaper Office) furnish opportunities for discussion and writing. Preliminary investigations include study of first -newspapers and magazines, modes of early and modern journalistic writing with emphasis on satiric and serious approach. Discussion of authors' purposes then and now .furnish basis for newspaper writing.
A visit to a newspaper office includes interviews with sports writers, fashion editors, columnists, and advertising artists .. Compositions may be study of newspaper writing, some phase of journalism or its history, changes in newspaper writing, feature story, consideration of journalism as a vocation.
Shorter compositions may be news stories, featurettes, human interest stories., editorials, letters to the editor, informal essays.
30

CONCEPT V: COMPOSING IS USUALLY DONE WITHIN RECOGNIZABLE PATTERNS

, 5.1
, 5.2 , 5.3

The same. ideas may be expressed in various patterns.
Some patterns are oral, some written,',
Some patterns are ~igid; others, flexible.

The general patterns function at all levels but in increasing degrees of complexity.

31

CONCEPT V: COMPOSING IS USUALLY DONE WITHIN RECOGNIZABLE PATTERNS
LEARNINGS:
The wording of the learnings suggests a sequence in the development of understanding on the part of the learner.
Repetition of the same or a similar idea at a later point (Learnings 3, 8, 10, 12) reflects the learner's gradual growth .of understanding in breadth, depth, and complexity.
1. A story may be told in story form or in a poem. 2. A story may be told in the action of a play or drama. 3. Letter forms have conventional patterns. 4. An idea may be presented in a prose statement of fact. 5. Poems to express how the composer feels may be of
many forms. 6. Essays may be of varying forms for different degrees
of seriousness. 7. An idea may be presented in the various patterns of
journalism: the news story, the feature, the column, the cartoon, the editorial. 8. Information of immediate interest may be conveyed by oral announcement, poster, memo, bulletin, letter. 9. Information of long-range interest may be' conveyed by speech, lecture, informative essay, article, brochure. 10. Invitations may be oral, informal written, formal written, or engraved (with rigid pattern). 11. There are conventional patterns for certain uses: resolutions, debates, introductions to formal speeches, legal use .. 12. A speech, debate, sermon, editorial, letter, advertising blurb ... usually folLows a chara6teristic pattern. 13. Literary forms may be combined for certain effects: epistolary novel or short story, poetic drama. 14. Literary convention establishes a definitive framework for some forms within which a greater or lesser degree of variation is possible: drama, short story, ballad, debate. 15. Literary convention establishes rigid patterns in certain forms: sonnet, ode, ballad, triolet, hai ku.
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CONCEPT V: COMPOSING IS USUALLY DONE WITHIN RECOGNIZABLE PATTERNS
CHECKPOINTS FOR TEACHERS
1. Have we provided opportunity for the student to become aware of the variety of patterns available to the speaker or writer?
2. Have we encouraged students to experiment with composing in many different patterns?
3. Have we provided opportunities to use such unusual forms as cartoons, posters, caricatures, movie scripts?
4. Have we tended to over-emphasize the long theme of 500 words or more?
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CONCEPT V:

COMPOSING IS USUALLY DONE WITHIN RECOGNIZABLE PATTERNS

SAMPLE CLASSROOM ACTIVITY - JUNIOR COLLEGE
Students are asked to locate literary selections dealing with "death" or some other such topic. SoIile are to locate poems, others plays, others novels and short stories. These are simply listed. The lists are considered. Does there seem to be more of one form than another? Are there differences in the kind of statement that tends to be made in each form?
Following discussion, one selection is made from each list for common reading. Each student is then assigned the task of composing some verse on the topic and a short essay. What is the difference in the two kinds of writing from the composer's point of view?

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CONCEPT VI: COMPOSING INVOLVES MANNER OF EXPRESSION

, 6.1 , 6.2 , 6.3 , 6.4

The composer works within the level of language which he has achieved at a given point.
The composer's manner of expression reflects his individuality.
An individual's manner of expression t varies with purpose, pattern, and occasion.
The manner of expression indirectly reflects the composer's attitude toward life and his fellowmen as well as toward the immediate subject.'
t

These principles function at all levels but in increasing degrees of complexity.

/
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CONCEPT VI: COMPOSING INVOLVES MANNER OF EXPRESSION
LEARNINGS:
The wording of the learnings suggests a sequence in the development of understanding on the part of the learner.
Repetition of the same or a similar idea (Learnings 1, 7, 10) reflects the learner's gradual growth of understanding in breadth, depth, and complexity.
1. The way something is said or written shows how one feels. ("There's the fire engine." "There's the fire engine!")
2. Certain ways of speaking suit certain kinds of people. (Ministers, policemen, teachers)
3. Sometimes one chooses words for their sounds as well as their meaning.
4. Manners of expression are somewhat like individuality in choice of clothes and food.
5. Simplicjty, directness, and exactness contribute to clarity.
6. Variety of expression lends freshness and interest. 7. Trying out different ways of expressing an idea
(word choice and.sentence patterns) develops skill in selecting the way most effective for the occasion. 8. Word choice may consciously or unconsciously reflect bias or attitude. 9. Both words and sentence structure influence the flow and rhythm of language. 10. The sound of the language, both words and structure, can help convey the appropriate climate for the content.
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CONCEPT VI: COMPOSING INVOLVES MANNER OF EXPRESSION
CHECKPOINTS ~OR TEACHERS
1. Have we encouraged students to respect that which is unique in their own writing and the writing of others?
2. Have we helped students to realize how the finished form of the speech or the composition gives a picture of the "selfH?
3. Have we helped students notice the ways in which the personality or bias of a speaker or writer is revealed?
4. Have we asked students to work wlth material that demands patterns of expression that are beyond their level of language development?
5. Have we helped students see the connection between the choice of words and sentence patterns and the effects of the composition?
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CONCEPT VI: COMPOSING INVOLVES MANNER OF EXPRESSION
SAMPLE CLASSROOM ACTIVITY - JUNIOR HIGH A picture of a battered car is displayed in the class-
room. Details of this kind are given: ---5 boys, all hospitalized, 1 seriously. ---Tire marks of 50 feet were visible at the scene. ---on a curve. ---raining ---1 A.M. Pupils are asked to plan one sentence telling about the
accident, giving at least three of the above details. A tape recording is made of the sentences of 10 or 12 students. When these sentences are played back, the pupils select (1) the sentence that is expressed in the most characteristic idiom of the composer, (2) the most optimistic sentence, (3) the most pessimistic sentence, (4) the most cynical sentence, and (5) the most effectively expressed sentence. Features of each expression are discussed in explanation of choices. Later the recorded sentences are mimeographed. The class examines the sentences for evidences of correlation between variety of sentence patterns and effectiveness of expression.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
Applega te, Mauree-, HELPING CHILDREN WRITE. New York: Harper and Row, 1950. 173 pp. $2.40 A very practical book by a master teacher.
Burrows, Alvina, et aI, THEY ALL WANT TO WRITE. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1952. Revised edition. 256 pp. $4.65 The text is as encouraging as the title and very helpful with suggestions.
Connolly, Francis, A RHETORIC CASE BOOK. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1959. Second edition. 799 pp. $5.50 The book provides discussion of various kinds of writing and gives copious examples and analyses. It is planned as a textbook for college students, but teachers will find it useful for reference and possible use with advanced students.
McCrimmon, James M., WRITING WITH A PURPOSE, PART I. Cambridge: Houghton Mifflin, 1950. Second edition. 635 pp. $3.25
McKenzie, Belle and Helen F. Olson, EXPERIENCES IN WRITING. ,New York: The Macmillan Company, 1962. 291 pp. Paperbound A textbook designed for use in high school classes, this work deals with writing and revising autobiograpical and fictional stories, poetry, personal letters, reports and criticisms. Many of the illustrations are students' works.
National Council of ,Teachers of English, WRITING. Champaign, Ill.: National Council of Teachers of English, 1958. $1.00 This is a portfolio of twelve four-page articles on teaching writing in the high school. These are principally reprints from the English Journal and taken together make a very usable collection.
Taft, Kendall B. and others, THE TECHNIQUE OF COMPOSITION. New York: Rinehart and Company, 1960. Fifth edition. 636 pp. $4.75 The discussions of style, of organization and development and of the forms of writing are very helpful. This is a college text that provides good reference material for the high school teacher.
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Talmadge, John, James B. Haman and Fred Bornhauser, THE RHETORIC-READER. Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1962. 562 pp $4.50 The authors state: "The Rhetoric-Reader is a book about writing. It sets forth rhetorical principles and suggestions for applying these principles, presents examples of distinguished prose and analyses of these examples,' and provides an appendix on grammar and syntax." The organization of the book makes it easy to use. The questions, theme topics, and illustrations provide excellent study helps to the student or to the teacher who uses it for reference.
I!. PERIODICALS Cook, Luella B. "Fundamentals in the Teaching of Composition," The English Journal, Vol. 30, No.5 (May, 1941)-:-
"Form in Relation to Thought," The --~E~n-g~l~i~s~h--J=o-u--r-nal, Vol. 37, No.5 (May, 1948).---
"Writing as Self-Revelation," The English -J;-o--u--r..n,..a.-l-,;;--V..-o--l-..3.c8= , No.1 (January, 1949).
LaBrant, Lou. "Writing Is More Than Structure," The English Journal, Vol. 46, No.5 (May, 1957).
Strom, Ingrid M. rJResearch in Grammar and Usage and Its Implications for Teaching Writing," Bulletin of the School of Education, Indiana University, Vol. 36, No.5 (September, 1960).
Trainor, Francis X. and Brian K. McLaughlin, "An
Inductive Method of Teaching Composition," The English Journal , VoL 52, No. 6 (September ,"1963) .
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SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES IN
COMPOSITION
Grade Level- - - - - - -
Activity: (Maximum of 100, words, please.)

Contribution primarily to Concept #- - - -Learning(s) ~---
Contribution also to Concept(s) #--------------

School

Teacher
Mail to:
Dr. Bernice Freeman, Chairman Troup County Board of Education LaGrange, Georgia

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