Jeff Anderson Conference

My Four-Minute Version

“When bankers train to identify

counterfeit money,

“they study authentic bills.

“for it is in knowing

intimately the genuine,

“that one is able to identify the

false.” --Deanna

Eaton

We wouldn’t give bankers a

counterfeit twenty

And say, “That’s not it.”

And give them another

counterfeit

And say, “That’s not it, either.”

How often am I guilty of feeding

students counterfeits?

Is my feedback on papers showing

students what to do or what not

to do?

In 2007, the Carnegie

Corporation sponsored a study

on writing instruction called

Writing Next.

In the U.S., 7,000 kids drop out of school

every school day.

A large number of them are

basically illiterate.

Seventy-Percent of 4th-12th

graders are low-achieving writers.

This is a

National

Literacy

Crisis

One of the 11 methods the study found effective

was imitation of models

Here’s an example:

“His room smelled of

cooked grease, Lysol, and age.”

--Maya Angelou

“His room smelled.”

Students, what’s the difference?

Yes, the first one is more detailed.

What else do you notice?

“His room smelled of

cooked grease, Lysol, and age.”

--Maya Angelou

Here’s my version of Angelou’s sentence:

Frank’s backpack

smelled of warm cinnamon gum,

Axe, and desperation.

Discuss with a classmate: What are differences

between my version and Angelou’s?

Similarities?

Now, write your own version.

This academic discussion could

lead to talk/practice of

serial commas

concrete and abstract nouns

voice and tone

story ideas

proper nouns

And the whole time, students are staring at

and re-shaping the work of a master writer.

It changes their writing. It will

sink in.

The same way students

remember when a class clown

yells, “Jackson is on the five-dollar bill!”

Isn’t he?

Right, wrong, or ridiculous,

We can’t always erase the

mistakes once kids absorb

them.

So, why do I spend precious

class time looking at mistakes?

Telling someone they’re wrong is

not teaching.

Showing them what’s amazing could give them

a place to launch.

Of course, the best methods

are usually mixtures of a

few.

You can find the Carnegie Study,

Writing Next, online.

Jeff Anderson has a blog

where you can find and post juicy mentor

texts. It’s free.

We also have a few of his books.