Critical Passages: Teaching the Transition to College Composition

By Scott Herndon and Kristin Dombek

Book Overview

This practical handbook examines the gap between high school and college-level writing instruction, providing teachers with guidance for helping their students make the transition from the five-paragraph, pyramid, or AP essay to the complex, thoughtful writing expected of them in college. Drawing on literary and cultural theory as well as their personal experience, the authors:

Offer practical strategies for dealing with the many challenges of the writing classroom, such as helping students to become invested in the writing process, fostering a dynamic classroom environment, balancing the teaching of grammatical and rhetorical forms with the teaching of thinking, and motivating students to analyze written, visual, and cultural evidence in rigorous and original ways. Present a progressive approach to teaching that helps students expand their thinking and move away from the simple theses expected of them in high school. Invite readers to reflect on their practice and try new approaches. Share useful strategies for employing contemporary theoretical frameworks to help students think and write about written texts, visual art, mass media, and a spectrum of contemporary cultural issues. Include many samples of classroom projects, three month-long progressions of readings and writing prompts, and model essays that show both the process and final product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807744166
• ISBN13: 9780807744161
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Teachers College Press
• Length: 131 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.2" x 10.2"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic reference for a new teacher!

I felt lost entering my first semester as a college composition teacher; I've only taught literature and speech up to this point. This book has been instrumental in preparing my lessons and approach to teaching. It makes sense--students need to know how to THINK before they can learn how to WRITE. I highly recommend this book to all new composition teachers, as well as composition teachers looking to breathe new life into their syllabi.

Finally!

Finally, a book about how to write beautifully that is beautifully written. I am a professional writer and also teach writing to college freshman and found this book to be invaluable. Herndon and Dombek capture perfectly the most common writing traps and challenges faced by young writers making the rocky transition to college-level writing. More importantly, they detail highly original writing exercises that demand sophisticated analysis and observation of visual art and popular culture. This is a must-read for teachers of writing and anyone who believes that we can, and should, expect more from our young writers.