Annotated Bibliography #3

Johnson, Tara Star, Leigh Thompson, Peter Smagorinsky, and Pamela G. Fry. “Learning to Teach the Five-Paragraph Theme.” Research in the Teaching of English 38.2 (2003): 136-176. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/40171635>.

A study that seeks to determine possible reasons why teachers continue to teach the five-paragraph theme despite such strong criticism against it. The authors follow one teacher, Leigh Thompson, from graduation from a well-regarded education college to her student teaching and then to her first year as a hired teacher. The study finds that Leigh’s lack of instruction in teaching writing contributed to her inability to call into question the effectiveness of the five-paragraph theme. She learned how to teach writing from a cooperating teacher who teaches that “content is if they follow directions,” meaning, in part, not writing in the margins (156). Despite an open-ended administration at her first job, her colleagues pressure her to teach to the test in order to make herself and the school look good by keeping test scores high. The study warns critics not to “oversimplify intentions of the legions of teachers who take this approach” because they may be thoughtful educators otherwise (171). The study’s main setback is its lack of data on student writing. Otherwise it is a very interesting look into the thought processes and influences of a beginning teacher.