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MACMILLAN READER, THE
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MATERIAL TYPE : BOOK
AQUISITION NO. : 5873
"Does the world really need another reader?" That may have been
your reaction when you first saw this book. Such a response
wouldn't surprise us at all. Our bookshelves sag under the weight
of all the readers we've used over the years, as perhaps yours do. The
texts as a whole were serviceable, but we came to feel we wanted
more than was being offered. For one thing, most readers contained an
all too predictable blend of selections, with many of the same pieces
cropping up from one book to the next. Equally troubling was the fact
that the books provided students with little direction on ways to
think, read, and write about the selections. We wanted a different
kind of reader-one that would offer fresh examples of professional
prose and would take a more active role in helping students become
stronger reader, thinkers, and writers.
Our first concern, then, has been to enliven the mix of selections
that commonly appear in readers by finding contemporary
pieces not yet tapped by other anthologists. Although The Macmillan
Reader does include many popular and classic essays, a number of the
fifty-five selections were discovered only after a lengthy
search for stimulating new material. Among these are "Handled
with Care" by Bob Greene, "Allene Talmey" by Betty Rollin,
"Wanting an Orange" by Larry Woiwode, "The Bubble Gum
Store" by Calvin Trillin, "Channelled Whelk" by Anne Morrow
Lindbergh, "Children's Hospital" by Peggy Anderson, "Horace's
Compromise" by Theodore Sizer, "The Beekeeper" by Sue Hubbell, "In
Depth, but Shallowly" by Dave Barry, and "High Noon" by Art Spikol.
Although our priority has been to find engaging new pieces,
we've been careful to choose selections that range widely in subject
matter and approach, from the humorous to the informative, from
personal meditation to polemic. In addition, all the essays have
been class-tested. We've made sure that each selection captures
students' interest and illustrates clearly a specific method of
development.
Just as our first concern has been the quality of the selections,
so our second concern has been the quality of instruction accompanying
the selections. Our aim has been to prepare a reader that projects the
voice of a real teacher working with students in a
knowledgeable and helpful way. And so we have designed The Macmillan
Reader with several important instructional features: comprehensive
chapters on the reading and writing processes, detailed introductions
for each group of rhetorical selections, and a wide variety of
questions, activities, and assignments. The following pages explain
how these features will help students read more critically, think more
logically, and write more skillfully.
Our first chapter, "The Reading Process," discusses the importance of
reading and offers students a brief program for becoming better, more
perceptive readers. The chapter describes a three part process for
reading with close attention, careful thought, and a high level of
interpretive skill. Each step explains how to proceed and often
includes questions that students can ask as they work at strengthening
their grasp of the material. The three-step process not only will
sharpen students' understanding of the selections in the book but also
will promote the rigorous thinking needed to write effective essays.
A special activity at the end of the reading chapter gives students a
chance to use the process just studied. First, they read an essay by
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ellen Goodman; then
detailed commentary shows them how to apply the reading techniques to
the selection. Last, they respond to a number of sample questions, all
of them similar to the kind that follow each selection in the book.
The chapter thus gives more than lip service to sharpening students'
reading skills; it presents a class-tested plan for developing
higher-level reading abilities and offers students an
opportunity to apply what they have learned.
The second chapter, "The Writing Process," introduces students to
essay writing. The chapter emphasizes that writing is a process, a
gradual transformation of random ideas and free-form thoughts into
polished prose. We have divided the process into six stages:
prewriting; stating the thesis; developing the thesis with solid
evidence; organizing the evidence; writing and connecting the parts of
the essay; and revising. But right from the start, we let students
know that the composing process is ultimately a personal matter and
that each writer will adopt his or her own version of the sequence
described in the chapter. We explain each stage in detail,
llustrating central concepts with examples of student work. And a
series of activities allows students to practice the skills involved
in each stage.
To demonstrate the connection between the reading and writing
processes, the writing chapter ends with an annotated student paper
written in response to Ellen Goodman's "At a Nuclear Age," the essay
presented in the reading chapter. The student paper embodies many of
the principles discussed in the writing chapter and so prepares
students for the essays they will compose. A commentary follows the
student paper, explaining the strengths of the essay and pointing out
spots that could use additional work.
The next nine chapters of The Macmillan Reader contain
forty-nine selections grouped according to nine rhetorical patterns:
description; narration; exemplification; process analysis;
comparison-contrast; cause-effect; definition;
division-classification; and argumentation-persuasion. We have
sequenced the chapters to reflect a progression from the more
experiential to the more analytic modes. But because each chapter is
self-contained, the patterns may be covered in any order. If a
thematic approach is preferred, the alternative table of contents near
the end of the book will help organize an effective course.
The Macmillan Reader treats the rhetorical modes as discrete
patterns because such an approach helps students grasp the distinctive
characteristics of each mode. We also stress, though, that writers
rarely set out to compose an essay in a particular pattern. Rather,
they choose a mode or combination of modes because it helps them meet
a broader rhetorical purpose. Each of the nine
rhetorical chapters has the following format:
A comprehensive explanation of the particular method of
development begins the chapter. We have divided the explanation into
three sections. First, we describe the general characteristics of the
pattern; we then explain when to use the pattern; and finally, we
offer practical suggestions for writing an essay or part of an essay
in that mode. Throughout the explanation, we remind students that a
writer's purpose and audience determine which pattern, or mixture of
patterns, to use in an essay.
A student essay using the pattern under discussion is then
presented. Written in response to one of the professional selections
in the chapter, each essay illustrates clearly the unique features of
that method of development. In selecting student papers, we looked for
strong, interesting essays that would encourage other students to
write with equal thought, vigor, and attention to revision.
Commentary on each student essay helps students evaluate the
paper, identify its strengths, and locate areas that could be
sharpened. A special feature of the commentary is a "before" and
"after" version of the part of the student essay; these two versions
help students appreciate the crucial role that revision plays in the
writing process.
Two kinds of additional writing assignments are included at the
end of each rhetorical chapter: "General Assignments" and "Assignments
with a Specific Audience and Purpose." The first
group encourages students to discover their own approach when
using a specific method of development; the second develops
their sensitivity to concrete writing situations
The professional selections in the rhetorical chapters are
accompanied by the following:
1. A bio,graphical note and preview. The biographical information
gives students a perspective on the author, and the
preview creates interest in the piece.
2. Questions for Close Readin,g. The first question asks students to
identify the thesis of the selection. The next three
questions prompt students to return to the selection to
focus further on the content of the piece. The fifth question
provides work in vocabulary development
3. Questions about the Writer's Craft. The first question in this
series helps students discover for themselves some of the
features of the rhetorical pattern used in the selection. The
other three questions treat such stylistic matters as tone,
purpose, audience, figures of speech, and organization.
4. Questions for Further Thought. These questions ask students
to reflect on a variety of issues related to the selection. The
questions will inspire lively classroom discussion and help
students refine their thoughts before beginning to write.
5. Writinsg Assignments. Four writing assignments, all using
the selection as a springboard, follow each professional
selection. The first two assignments ask students to write
an essay organized around the same pattern of organization as the
selection. The last two assignments, which maybe written using any
pattern of development, are particularly helpful for instructors
preferring a thematic approach in the course. At times, one of
these last two assignments will call for some basic research, such
as interviewing people or consulting periodicals. In addition to
making the assignments as stimulating as possible, we've also been
careful to supply students with guidelines for tackling the
assignments.
The Macmillan Reader includes a number of other features. A
"For Further Reading" section near the end of the book contains
five additional selections representing a variety of topics and
rhetorical patterns. For easy reference, a glossary lists all the
terms and concepts presented in the text. And a comprehensive
Instructor's Manual contains the following: detailed answers to the
"Questions for Close Reading" and "Questions about the Writer's
Craft"; suggested activities; pointers about using the book; and a
syllabus showing how The Macmillan Reader can be used in conjunction
with The Macmillan Colle,ge Handbook.
To summarize, The Macmillan Reader has been designed to
support students through all phases of their work in a freshman
writing class. As students read the selections, a series of questions
encourages them to do close, analytical work. And as students
shape their own essays, the book keeps them in touch with the
principles of sound thinking and logical writing. In short, we think
you'll find that The Macmillan Reader is indeed different from
Other readers; it provides students with clear guidelines for reading
critically, thinking logically, and writing skillfully.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We are pleased that prepublication reviews of the manuscript were
so strong that the book has been christened with the name of one of
the country's oldest and most prestigious college publishers.
We would like to thank Eben W. Ludlow, Executive Editor at
Macmillan, for his enthusiastic commitment and insightful advice
as we worked on the book. Our appreciation also goes to Wendy
Polhemus at Macmillan for her skillful attention to the countless
details involved in the production process. The following writing
teachers reviewed the manuscript and provided valuable suggestions
that guided our work:
Chris Anson, University of Minnesota
Barry Maid, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Elizabeth Metzger, University of South Florida
Steve Odden, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point
Marie Secor, The Pennsylvania State University
Carl Singleton, Fort Hays State University
Judith A. Stanford, Merrimack College
We are especially indebted to Janet M. Goldstein, Cynthia M.
Leary, Linda McMeniman, and Maryann Porch. Creative teachers
of composition, each of them contributed in meaningful ways to
the book's final shape. And we owe thanks to Dorothy Carroll for
her efficiency and patient good humor when typing and retyping
the manuscript. Finally, we are thankful to our students. Their
reaction to various drafts of the manuscript helped focus our efforts
to fine-tune the material. To the ten students whose writing is
included in the book, we owe special thanks. Their thoughtful and
carefully revised essays demonstrate vividly the potential of student
writing and the power of the composing process.
Judith Nadell
John Langan
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