Synopses & Reviews
Active Voices I, II, III, and IV are collections of writings by students, all based on the assignment sequences in James Moffett's
Active Voice: A Writing Program Across the Curriculum. The books provide a powerful composing/literature program built on these writings and arranged in divisions that reflect Moffett's universe of discourse -- the multiplicity of forms within which nearly all real-world writing is carried out.
The student writings in Active Voices are not the result of contests nor are they models produced by particularly talented young writers. They come from ordinary students; and as pieces to be read and considered, they reflect well the tentativeness and mistakes that occur (and are overcome) as writers develop their skills. By reading the work of their peers, students see how the problems they encounter are dealt with and, moreover, see that good, serious literature is not just the work of recognized authors.
These books offer numerous suggestions for a literature/writing program that goes far beyond that found in traditional texts. There are accompanying Teaching Guides available upon adoption of ten or more copies of the texts.
Synopsis
A collection of writings by students, all based on the assignment sequences in James Moffett's Active Voice provides a powerful composing/literature program.
About the Author
A past president of NCTE, a member of the National Writing Project Task Force, and teacher of literature for two generations of students, Sheridan Blau directs the South Coast Writing Project and the Literature Institute for Teachers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he is a senior faculty member in the departments of English and Education.James Moffett is the author of Teaching the Universe of Discourse, Coming on Center: Essays in English Education (Boynton/Cook), Storm in the Mountains: A Case Study of Censorship, Conflict, and Consciousness, and senior editor with Betty Jane Wagner of Student-centered Language Arts, K-12 (Boynton/Cook). He is the editor of Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories (with Kenneth McElheny), Points of Departure: An Anthology of Nonfiction, and co-editor of Active Voices: A Writer's Reader, I-IV (Boynton/Cook). The recipient of a Carnegie Corporation Grant and a Distinguished Author Award (1982) from the California Association of Teachers of English, Mr. Moffett has taught at Phillips Exeter Academy and served on the faculties of Harvard, UC/Berkeley, San Diego State, and Middlebury College's Bread Loaf School of English.