Teaching “Rigid Rules, Inflexible Plans, and the Stifling of Language” by M. Rose

Mar 28, 2019 | Composition Concepts, Quick Tips

by Maricat Stratford

 

Objective

English 1023 students will read “Rigid Rules, Inflexible Plans, and the Stifling of Language” by M. Rose and gain awareness of the explicit and implicit writing rules and assess their utility.

 

Introduction:

Reflection question – List three writing rules you have been taught. Who taught you these rules?

 

Part 1: Pre-Reading Activity — 4-Corner Discussion

 

1. Post on the board the following 4 statements:

  • Following rules is essential for being a strong writer.
  • Most strong writers follow rules, but there are some exceptions.
  • Most strong writers don’t need to follow rules.
  • Rules get in the way of writing, and should not be taught.

 

2.  Assign one corner to each statement, and ask students to move to the corner with the statement with which they most agree. 

 

3. Then, in their groups, ask them to briefly discuss their reasons for why they agree with these statements. Students will then share their reasoning with the class and may engage in debate. Students who are convinced by another group’s arguments may change location in the classroom to reflect this (ie, go to a different corner.)

 

Part 2: Reading

Students will read the text by Rose; the instructor may choose to draw attention to certain passages or, conversely, skip certain passages.

 

Part 3: Post-Reading Discussion

 

1. Ask students to reflect on which of the four categories from the pre-reading activity they believe Rose, as well as the students Rose profiles, would fit into.

 

2. Emphasize the need for flexible heuristics that fit the writing situation. Refer back to writing rules students shared in the introductory reflection, and ask students to brainstorm ways to rephrase or reconceptualize these rules into flexible, useful heuristics.

 

 

This activity worked well for my class; the 4-corner debate was especially effective because a few students chose extreme positions apparently to be contrarian, which resulted in a lively and thoughtful debate. And, in the post-reading discussion, students shared that they felt they had received permission to be more creative and expressive in their writing. Note that a 50-minute class will most likely not have time to do the full reading in the class period, so the instructor should plan accordingly.

Maricat Stratford is a Teaching Assistant for the English Department at University of Arkansas.