*Purpose*Audience*Context

     I read Chris W. Gallagher and Amy Lee's Teaching Writing That Matters: Tools and Projects That Motivate Adolescent Writers, because as a high school English teacher who's taught 10th graders in the name of preparing them for the writing test and is now teaching AP Lit & Comp Seniors in the name of preparing them for the AP test, teaching writing is something I struggle with on a regular basis.
     I know as conscientious teachers we all struggle with the pressures of standardized testing and its impact on our classroom practice.  This book addresses that concern specifically as it relates to the teaching of writing.
     The text is broken down into three parts, which are basically a primer on the concept of Writing Studies, the Key Concepts, and a Tool Box of writing strategies for the classroom.  In a move designed to help the novice theory reader better follow the "why" behind the "how" of the Tools and Projects That Motivate Adolescent Writers mentioned in the subtitle, the authors relate the teaching of writing to the process of teaching, especially in the first two parts.  The third part provides the hands-on application of that theory.
     The introduction and part one introduces the reader to the idea that there is no one single "academic discourse" because each discipline has its own language and conventions. (p X in Intro)  They also address the idea that students are unable to 'transfer' generalized writing skills (the kind we're asked to teach for the tests) across different contexts.  Instead it is argued that students need to learn to work within the 'discourse community' they entered.  In other words, instead of teaching them to be prepared for one particular scenario, we need to teach them the skills (think ninja writing skills) to be equipped to deal with any writing situation that may come their way.  Which is where I got my title from: the authors see purpose, audience, and context as shaping all writing, so instead of teaching by style/type of writing I think these might make my next writing focus lessons.  "Active intelligence" and "sound judgment" should drive our writing.
    The authors also call for rhetorical awareness - on the part of writers and teachers. (Although, if we're asking our students to do it, shouldn't we really be both?)  One of my favorite quotes from the book is, "Writing teaches writers how to write - - and how not to write."  It's all about reflection - which is a difficult concept to teach to immediate-gratification-driven teens.  Any suggestions?  That was the one area in which I found this text lacking.  I loved so many of the writing suggestions . . . and tried them myself or tweaked them for use in my classroom.  There is, however, a frequent call for reflection, and after attempting to implement that consistently throughout my classes last year I had great difficulty getting my students to understand and participate in a meaningful way.  I tried modeling.  I tried writing out the reflection.  I tried small group reflection.  I'm open to suggestions, especially because I'm starting with 9th graders next year who may be more open to it.
     The text closes with three toolboxes of writing activities.  If you're struggling with ways to incorporate writing into your classroom in ways that matter, then flip to this section.  The first two parts will help you understand why you really want to and really need to, but this section will give you the practical application.