Laura Nelson

“They Might be Rock Star: Strunk and White in an Alternate Universe”

 Grades 9-12

Laura Nelson, St. Joseph Central High School, St. Joseph School District. Laura uses film clips of student work, scoring guides, a sample syllabus, and a touch of old-school smarts in the form of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style to provide tools to push students to a higher level of critical thinking and writing. *Literary critic Harold Bloom tells us that “the most authentic motive for deep reading of the now much-abused traditional canon is the search for difficult pleasure.” Ha! Try telling that to a roomful of teenagers who revere Adam Sandler and whose future prospects rise and fall with the ACT, a test that doesn’t seem to care about Shakespeare or Faulkner. In a world driven by high stakes testing and media morals, it is becoming increasingly difficult to transfer a love and understanding of literature to our students. And, as anyone knows, if students don’t internalize the text, we have no hope of getting them to write or speak about it articulately. Using film clips of student work, scoring guide theory, a sample syllabus, and a touch of old-school smarts in the form of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, Laura will provide you with the tools (including sample lessons and scoring guides) to push students to higher levels of critical thinking and writing. In an alternate universe, we teachers have what it takes to give the entertainment industry a run for its money. Come to this session and take up the challenge! *Write to Learn program description