Critical Passages: Teaching the Transition to College Composition (Language and Literacy Series)

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.

Kristin Dombek and Scott Herndon are Faculty Instructors in the Expository Writing Program at New York University.