Faculty Resources
Below is a short list of resources we've compiled that may be useful to faculty designing writing intensive courses across the curriculum. If you are aware of any other helpful material or online writing sites, we'd like to know about them. Please contact the Washington College Writing Center, and we'll add your suggestion to our list.
Writing Resources in the Miller Library
The following bibliography lists some of the texts on teaching writing available in the Miller Library. We've arranged them under three subjects: writing across the curriculum, general composition and rhetoric, and writing assessment.
On Writing Across the Curriculum
Bazerman, Charles and David Russell, Eds. Landmark Essays on Writing Across the Curriculum. Davis, CA: Hermagoras Press, 1994. <PE1404 .L28>
Bean, John C. Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996. <PE 1404 .B35>
Capossela, Toni-Lee. The Critical Writing Workshop: Designing Writing Assignments to Foster Critical Thinking. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1993. <PE 1404 .C75>
Corbett, Edward P.J. , Nancy Myers, and Gary Tate, Eds. The Writing Teacher's Sourcebook. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. <PE 1404 .W74>
Fulwiler, Toby. Teaching with Writing. Portsmouth, N.H.: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1987. <LB 2365.E5 F85>
Fulwiler, Toby and Art Young, Eds. Programs That Work : Models and Methods for Writing Across the Curriculum. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1990. <PE1404 .P67>
Griffin, C. Williams, Ed. Teaching Writing in All Disciplines. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1982. <PE1404 .T4>
Herrington, Anne and Charles Moran, Eds. Writing, Teaching, and Learning in the Disciplines. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1992. <LB 1576 .W76>
Horner, Winifred Bryan. Composition & Literature: Bridging the Gap. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983. <PE1404 .C618>
Howard, Rebecca Moore and Sandra Jamieson. The Bedford Guide to Teaching Writing in the Disciplines: An Instructor's Desk Reference. Boston : Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1995. <PE 1404 .H69>
Johannessen,Larry R., Elizabeth A.Kahn, and Carolyn Calhoun Walter. Designing and Sequencing Prewriting Activities. Urbana, Ill.: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills: National Council of Teachers of English,1982. <LB1631 .J62>
McLeod, Susan H., Ed. Strengthening Programs for Writing Across the Curriculum. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1988. <PE 1404 .S873>
Moss, Andrew and Carol Holder. Improving Student Writing: A Guidebook for Faculty in All Disciplines. Pomona: California State Polytechnic University, 1988. <PN 181 .M67>
Myers, John W. Writing to Learn Across the Curriculum. Bloomington, Ind.: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1984. <LB 1576 .M94>
Simon, Linda. Good writing: A Guide and Sourcebook for Writing Across the Curriculum. New York : St. Martin's Press, 1988. <PE 1408 .S48796>
Tchudi, Stephen N. Teaching Writing in the Content Areas: College Level. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association of the United States, 1986. <PE 1404 .T36>
Walling, Donovan R. A Model for Teaching Writing: Process and Product. Bloomington, Ind.: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1987. <LB 1576 .W34>
Walvoord, Barbara E. Fassler. Helping Students Write Well: A Guide for Teachers in All Disciplines. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1986. <PE 1404. W35>
White, Edward M. Teaching and Assessing Writing . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1985. <PE1404 .W48>
Williams, James D. Preparing to Teach Writing: Research, Theory, and Practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998. <PE 1404 .W54>
On Composition and Rhetoric
Bean, John C. Engaging Ideas: The Professor's Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996. <PE 1404 .B35>
Berthoff, Ann E. The Sense of Learning. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1990. <PE1404 .B474>
Corbett, Edward P.J. , Nancy Myers, and Gary Tate, Eds. The Writing Teacher's Sourcebook. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. <PE 1404 .W74>
Elbow, Peter and Pat Belanoff. Sharing and Responding. New York: Random House, 1989. <PE1408 .E382>
Fulwiler, Toby. Teaching with Writing. Portsmouth, N.H.: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1987. <LB 2365.E5 F85>
Graves, Richard L., Ed. Rhetoric and Composition: A SourceBook for Teachers and Writers. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook, 1990. <PE1404 .R48>
Johannessen,Larry R., Elizabeth A.Kahn, and Carolyn Calhoun Walter. Designing and Sequencing Prewriting Activities. Urbana, Ill.: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills: National Council of Teachers of English, 1982. <LB1631 .J62>
Lindemann, Erika. A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982. <PE1404 .L53>
Myers, Miles and James Gray, Eds. Theory and Practice in the Teaching of Composition: Processing, Distancing, and Modeling. Urbana, Ill.: National Council of Teachers of English, 1983. <LB1576 .T485>
Perl, Sondra, Ed. Landmark Essays on Writing Process. Davis, CA: Hermagoras Press, 1994. <PE1403 .L36>
Walling, Donovan R. A Model for Teaching Writing: Process and Product. Bloomington, Ind.: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1987. <LB 1576 .W34>
Writing : the nature, development, and teaching of written communication. Hillsdale, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates, 1981. <P211 .W72>
Zinsser, William. Writing to Learn. New York: Harper & Row, 1988. <PE1429 .Z53>
On Assessment (Grading, Portfolios, etc.)
Anson, Chris M., Ed. Writing and Response: Theory, Practice, and Research. Urbana, Ill.: National Council of Teachers of English, 1989. <PE1404 .W6934>
Belanoff, Pat and Marcia Dickson, Eds. Portfolios: Process and Product. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1991. <LB 3051 .P6146>
Calfee, Robert C. and Pamela Perfumo, Eds. Writing Portfolios in the Classroom: Policy and Practice, Promise and Peril. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates, 1996. <LB1029.P67 W75>
Cooper, Charles R. and Lee Odell, Eds. Evaluating Writing: The Role of Teachers' Knowledge About Text, Learning, and Culture. Urbana, Ill.: National Council of Teachers of English, 1999. <PE 1404. E93>
Greenberg, Karen L., Harvey S. Wiener, and Richard A. Donovan, Eds. Writing Assessment: Issues and Strategies. New York: Longman, 1986. <PE1404 .W694>
Meyers, Miles. A Procedure For Writing Assessment And Holistic Scoring. Urbana, Ill.: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills, National Institute of Education: National Council of Teachers of English, 1980. <LB1631 .M85>
Paris, Scott G. and Linda R. Ayres. Becoming Reflective Students And Teachers : With Portfolios And Authentic Assessment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 1994. <LB1029.P67 P37>
Purves, Alan C., Joseph A. Quattrini, and Christine I. Sullivan. Creating The Writing Portfolio. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishing Group, 1995. <PE1408 .P88>
Purves, Alan C., Joseph A.Quattrini, and Christine I. Sullivan. Creating The Writing Portfolio: Instructor's Manual. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishing Group,1995. <PE1408 .P88>
Grosvenor, Laura, et al. Student Portfolios. Washington, DC: NEA Professional Library, 1993. <LB 1029 .P67 S78>
Walvoord, Barbara E. and Virginia Johnson Anderson. Effective Grading: A Tool For Learning and Assessment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998. <LB 2368 .W35>
White, Edward M. Teaching and Assessing Writing . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1985. <PE1404 .W48>
Zak, Frances and Christopher C. Weaver. The Theory and Practice of Grading Writing : Problems and Possibilities. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1998. <PE1404 .T478>
Model Handouts for Peer Review
These three models take similar approaches to the peer review process. In particular, they provide an established sequence of tasks for the reviewer to complete in a logical progression. They also give the reviewer some helpful language for discussing the writing (terms like "thesis," "organization," "coherence"). After discussion, the handouts should then be returned to the writers to be used during the revision process. Generally, to be successful, peer reveiw should occur regularly through the semester and should be supported by class discussion. It often takes some repetition to get students to see the usefulness of the review process. The following models can be adapted to meet the criteria of the specific assignment at hand.
Model 1: PEER RESPONSE SHEET
Writer: ___________________________ Responder: ____________________________
1. What has the writer done that seems to work especially well? What lingers on your mind?
2. What is the main point, the work's thesis? Don't just reiterate the topic, i.e. a specific important cultural change (or something gauged to the assignment). What point is being made about that change? Is it clearly expressed?
3. Can you identify the major sections of the paper and tell how they relate to the main point? Try listing them to test whether the organization is clear and the sections in the best order.
4. Are the quotations, paraphrases, summaries taken from outside sources woven smoothly into the paper, analyzed, and properly documented? Locate any that seem plopped in.
5. Identify any places that raise questions or seem confusing or sketchy. What might help?
6. Is the language-the syntax, the diction-clear, precise, smooth? Note any places where the writer should look again.
7. To help the writer revise, offer at least two other suggestions not mentioned before.
Model 2: REVISION GUIDE
YOUR NAME:
CLASS:
DATE:
AUTHOR'S NAME:
Use the following guideline to direct your reading of the rough drafts for this assignment. Answer each question fully so that the writer can use your comments to help his or her revising. Write on the back of this sheet if you need more space.
1. Does the writer have an identifiable point or thesis? If so, what is it?
2. What specific details and/or support help the writer make the point?
3. Is the paper well organized and easy to read? Does it indicate something of the professor's expectations, or encourage conversation? Does it require a written response? Does it move from high to low order concerns? Identify places where it is not well organized.
4. Does the writer respond to all parts of the assignment? If not, what is left out?
5. Does the paper sustain your interest because it teaches you something? If so, what is it?
6. Are the mechanics, like grammar and spelling, correct?
7. What do you like best about the paper?
* Freely adapted from Preparing to Teach Writing: Research, Theory, and Practice, 2nd ed. by James Williams
Model 3: Peer Review Worksheet
Writer:
Peer Reviewer:
1) Read the essay's introduction (the first paragraph or two) and try to identify the writer's main proposition or thesis. Does it identify a specific question or problem related to the chosen topic and take a position? Does it give you an idea of where the paper will go from here? In the space below, briefly sum up the writer's thesis in a sentence of your own.
2) As you read through the body of the essay, sum up what you think is the basic idea of each paragraph in a single complete sentence.
body ¶ 1
body ¶ 2
body ¶ 3
body ¶ 4
3) Once you've done that, look back and see if the body paragraphs accomplish what the thesis statement claims. Do the paragraphs use specific details to support the main idea? Do the ideas follow from what has been said earlier in the essay? Is there anything else you want to know that has been left out? List at least one or two details and explain why you think they work or don't work.
4) Finally, read the conclusion. Is the writer's idea convincing? What do you think the writer did best in the essay? Is there one most important thing you would suggest for improvement?
Writing Across the Curriculum on the Web
The following web sites are only a small sample of the writing resources available for faculty and students on the web. While they contain substantial content of their own, these six sites also provide more exhaustive lists of links to other Writing Across the Curriculum sites, so they are all good places to start.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/wac/index.html Purdue University's Online Writing Lab is one of the most frequently recognized resources for writing on the Web. It provides links to the best WAC programs and publications, so this would be a good place to browse.
http://www.edtech.vt.edu/uwp/ and http://CISW.cla.umn.edu/ Virginia Tech's University Writing Program and Minnesota University's Center for Interdisciplinary Writing both provide advice pages on topics such as "Grading and Responding to Student Writing," "Assignment Design," "Ways to Emphasize the Writing Process," and "Peer Review Groups," as well as sample syllabi from courses across the curriculum.
http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwwac/ The Georgia State University web site offers a section of "Advice for Developing a Writing Intensive Course," a guide for peer critiques, sample syllabi and a bibliography of articles on writing across the curriculum, arranged by discipline.
http://aw.colostate.edu/resource_list.htm Colorado State University's "WAC Clearinghouse" provides another list of links, models, and general information on writing in the disciplines. Through this site, you can also join WAC-L, a leading email discussion group for faculty teaching writing across the curriculum.
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/cwp/lib/libdir.html The Indiana University at Bloomington web site offers a well-annotated bibliography of articles on writing across the curriculum, arranged by subject (critical thinking, evaluation, pedagogy, etc.) as well as by discipline.