Transcript The Writer as an Artist Grammar as Brushstrokes

The Writer as an Artist
Grammar as Brushstrokes
Karen Greco
Tomball , High School
Tomball, Texas
July 72004
Tomball is a rural community,
25 miles north of Houston.
Hewlett Packard provides their
tax base. The district has one
high school , two junior highs
and six elementary schools.
Classroom Profile
•
•
•
•
Straight Seven Schedule
55 min. classes
25-30 students per class
I teach four classes of English IV Reg.
two classes of English IV AP.
• Sponsor – The Writers’ Club (45 students)
Supportive Research
• Harry R. Noden
Image Grammar, Using Grammatical
Structures to Teach Writing
“Parallel structure has rhythm.”
“The writer is like an artist, and he or she can
add details to each sentence in the same
way that artists use brush strokes for detail.”
Supportive Research
• Donald M. Murray
Crafting a Life in Essay, Story, Poem
“Writing poetry is profound fun, a serious
game played with a light touch. Poetry says
more in fewer words. Poetry is the bouillon
cube of literature; meaning is compressed in
the reader’s mind.”
Supportive Research
• Constance Weaver
Teaching Grammar in Context
“Grammar is best learned developmentally
and in context. Students can learn to edit
their writing to develop a rich language.”
The Pocketbook: an simple product
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fold blank paper into halves 3x’s
Crease the center for a sharp edge.
Gently tear the center fold.
Return the book to the “hot dog” fold.
Push to make “diamond shaped” hole.
Continue to press into 1/8 page book.
The Writer as a Painter
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Article- a, an, the
Noun- stuff
Pronoun- represents stuff
Adjective- describes stuff
Adverb- how stuff moves
Preposition- relationship of stuff
Participles- “ing” or “ed” verb
Absolutes- nouns + participles
Adding Brush Strokes
•
•
•
•
A simple stem sentence : “The dog ran after the cat.”
Add a participle as a brush stroke.
“Barking and snarling, the dog ran after the cat.”
Painting with Absolutes
“Teeth barred, the dog ran after the cat.”
Painting with Appositives
“The dog, a huge St. Bernard, ran after the cat.”
Painting with action verbs
“The dog sprinted suddenly after the cat.”
Additional Product
Use an index card to write a
“prepositional poem.”
Each line should a with a
prepositional phrase, then add
additional brushstrokes to
enrich the language.
In the Middle
On a dark corner,
beneath the broken street light,
within my fragile heart, I felt a crack begin.
After you left me, for another woman,
In my silence and pain, I began to wonder
How can I start again?
Celebrate
variety!