The Big Picture: Readings for Developing Writers [Paperback]

Jill A. Lahnstein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130938351 | ISBN-13: 978-0130938350 | Publication Date: November 7, 2002 | Edition: 1

An exciting approach to learning and refining reading and writing skills prevails throughout this provocative anthology. It interests readers in several works on a certain theme, engages them in reading instruction while reading, and prompts them to complete a writing assignment based upon what they have read. Forty thought-provoking readings on a number of subjects are organized around five general themes: people, places, events, phenomena, and issues. The essays, short stories, poems, and excerpts—along with the six activities that follow each one—will help readers bring all the pieces together to create and understand “the big picture.” For anyone who wants to find out that reading can be fun, and that anyone can learn to be a good writer.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Big Picture is designed for instructors who teach holistically, who integrate reading and writing in their instruction, and who are ready for a new, exciting approach to teaching developmental students. Students read several works on a certain theme, engage in reading instruction along the way, and then move on to a writing assignment based upon the readings. Students get the structure they need, and they arc engaged and interested.

Each selection is surrounded by activities designed to help students get the most from the reading.

• Prereading. Students are given an activity related to the topic to prepare them for the reading. Many include free writing, brainstorming, or minor research.
• Annotating. Students are encouraged to take an active part in their reading by underlining key words and phrases and by writing notes in the margins.
• The Selections. The Big Picture contains 40 reading selections divided into five themes: People, Places, Events, Phenomena, and Issues. Readings include essays, short stories, poems, textbook excerpts, letters, an interview, excerpts from book-length works of nonfiction, a speech, and a radio broadcast.
• Exploring Vocabulary. Students are asked to define key terms from the selection.
• Profiling People. Using the profile sheets in the text, students are asked to write a profile of a character in the selection.
• Exploring the Text. These open-ended questions prompt students to think critically about the content of the selection.
• Exploring Ideas. These open-ended questions challenge students to examine the ideas presented in the selection.

Each unit ends with additional Suggestions for Reading, Suggestions for Summarizing, Suggestions for Writing, and Suggestions for Profiling.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I talk to so many students who tell me, "I hate English!" or " I'm not good at writing!" or "Reading is boring!" The Big Picture is my attempt to convince you that reading can be fun, that students can be good writers, and that nobody has to hate English. You already know so much about English, reading, and writing that if you wrote it all down it would fill a library. Furthermore, you have already spent a great deal of your time in school learning about the various components of written language: spelling, grammar, vocabulary, sentences, paragraphs, and much more. This text, then, is designed to help you broaden and refine your reading and writing skills; the readings and the activities will assist you in making the connections you need to bring all the pieces together and understand the big picture.

In The Big Picture, you will encounter forty thought-provoking readings on a number of subjects. The readings are organized around five general themes: People, Places, Events, Phenomena, and Issues. Accompanying each reading are six activities: PREREADING

The prereading activities are designed to warm you up to the specific topic addressed in the reading. These activities will have you free writing, doing research, or engaging in collaborative activities with your peers. ANNOTATING

Annotating is a method of underlining material in a reading and taking notes in the margins. It is a very important way to connect with reading material and to understand the reading material more fully. Each reading includes an annotating prompt that will help you focus your annotations. EXPLORING VOCABULARY

Having a well-developed vocabulary is vital to being a good reader and a good writer. Consequently, each reading includes an activity that will help you expand your vocabulary and become familiar with using a dictionary and a thesaurus. PROFILING

After reading you will be asked to complete a profile sheet. The profile sheets will assist you in gathering literal and implied information about the reading, which will hone your analytical and reading skills. These profile sheets may also serve as a basis for your own writing. EXPLORING THE TEXT

You will find a set of questions after each reading that will prompt you to examine the way the text is written. When answering these questions, you will be asked to identify main ideas, identify an author's purpose, characterize an author's tone, or analyze other aspects of the text. Examining a text this way will help you become a better reader and help you become more aware of the kinds of decisions writers make. EXPLORING IDEAS

The questions in this section will require you to examine the content of a reading and/or examine yourself in relation to the ideas in the reading. Here you might be asked to agree or disagree with an author's ideas, interpret a quote, or share a personal experience. These questions will provide you with an opportunity to develop your own ideas about a topic.

One of the keys to becoming a better reader and a better writer is exposing yourself to the written word. Consequently, at the end of each unit, you will find a list of suggestions for reading books about the theme of the unit. The books listed are fascinating and wonderful and reading them will strengthen your reading abilities. In addition, you will find a list of suggestions for summarizing essays from the unit and a list of possible writing assignments.

The Big Picture also contains several appendices with useful information for you to reference as you go through the cycle of prereading, reading and annotating, exploring vocabulary, profiling, exploring the text, and exploring ideas. CONTEXT CLUES

Here you can access two specific strategies for defining words in the readings before consulting a dictionary. WORD PARTS

In this appendix you will find lists of common prefixes, word roots, and suffixes that will help you define words in your reading. SUMMARY WRITING

The third appendix outlines a strategy for summarizing essays; it includes a sample summary as well. CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD WRITING

Appendix Four provides a brief description of the components of good writing (controlling idea, support, unity, logical order, transition, and clarity). THE WRITING PROCESS

The final appendix suggests a specific sequence of writing to help you achieve the characteristics of good writing.

All these components make up The Big Picture. While using this book, I hope you learn more about reading and writing than you thought you could, and I hope you enjoy your semester. Good luck to you.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 225 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (November 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130938351
• ISBN-13: 978-0130938350
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring, May 5, 2006

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Dr. Bronte Esley (NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Picture: Readings for Developing Writers (Paperback)

I used this text for my developmental class. For the first couple of weeks I followed the author's recommended strategies at the end of each chapter; however, my students soon found those tasks quite boring: so we improvised and came up with our own critical thinking strategies. Our own way of doing things was much more successful. I regret having asked my students to buy this book. You can find much better texts on the market: texts that are more inspiring and more useful for fostering critical thinking skills.