Simon and Schuster Short Prose Reader combines high-interest reading material with creative, principled writing instruction.   This insightful and prolific author team have done it again! These are the authors with the know-how and capability to engage students. The Simon and Schuster Short Prose Reader is process-oriented and based on interactive pedagogy; it combines creative, up-to-date writing instruction with traditional concerns for correctness, coherence, and clarity. Short, high-interest readings provide ideas for writing, suggest ways to approach a topic, and illustrate strategies for organizing and presenting information. Each essay is accompanied by questions and assignments that guide students in analyzing what they have read and in composing their own essays. Students will experience success in their writing and will become more involved in learning; teachers will find the approach convenient and easily adaptable for their own course.  

Table of Contents:
Thematic Contents.   Editing Skills Contents.   Preface.   1. Active Reading.   Learning to Be an Active Reader. Keeping a Journal. Previewing the Reading. A First Reading. Staying Aware of Conventions. A Sample Essay: Bob Greene, “Handled with Care.” Marking the Text. Clarifying Meaning. Making Inferences and Associations. Writing to Understand and Respond.   2. The Reading-Writing Connection.   Writing in Response to Reading. Building an Essay. Sample Student Essay: Tara Coburn, “Someone to Help.” Resources for Writers on the Internet. Responding to a Reading: Russell Baker, “Learning to Write.” Suggestions for Writing.   3. Strategies for Conveying Ideas: Narration and Description.   The Point of Narration and Description. The Principles of Narration and Description. The Pitfalls of Narration and Description. What to Look For in Narration and Description. Evan Thomas, “Rain of Fire.” Mike Royko, “Jackie's Debut: A Unique Day.” William Recktenwald, “A Guard's First Night on the Job.”Judith Ortiz Cofer, “More Room.” Kelly Berlin (student), “Domestic Abuse.”   4. Strategies for Making a Point: Example and Illustration.   The Point of Example and Illustration. The Principles of Example and Illustration. The Pitfalls of Example and Illustration. What to Look For in Example and Illustration. Elizabeth Berg, “My Heroes.” Brent Staples, “'Just Walk on By:' A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space.” Daniel R. Meier, “One Man's Kids.” Tim Jones, “The Working Poor.” David C. Lair (student), “My Key Chain.”   5. Strategies for Clarifying Meaning: Definition and Explanation.   The Point of Definition and Explanation. The Principles of Definition and Explanation. The Pitfalls of Definition and Explanation. What to Look For in Definition and Explanation. Gloria Naylor, “Mommy, What Does 'Nigger' Mean?”Isaac Asimov, “What Is Intelligence, Anyway?”Wayson Choy, “I'm a Banana and Proud of It.”Michael Agger, “Silent Responsibility.” Kerri Mauger (student), “Nothing to Be Scared Of.”   6. Strategies for Sorting Ideas: Classification and Division.   The Point of Classification and Division. The Principles of Classification and Division. The Pitfalls of Classification and Division. What to Look For in a Classification. Judith Viorst, “Friends, Good Friends–And Such Good Friends.” Paul Chance, “I'm OK; You're a Bit Odd.” David Elkind, “Types of Stress for Young People.” Juleyka Lantigua, “The Latino Show.”Bobby Lincoln (student), “Contemplating Homicide at the Mall.”   7. Strategies for Examining Two Subjects: Comparison and Contrast.   The Point of Comparison and Contrast. The Principles of Comparison and Contrast. The Pitfalls of Comparison and Contrast. What to Look For in Comparison and Contrast. Mark Twain, “Two Views of the Mississippi.” Suzanne Britt, “Neat People vs. Sloppy People.” Brendan O’Shaughnessy, “A Whole New Ballgame.” Kathy Seal, “The Trouble with Talent: Are We Born Smart or Do We Get Smart?” Dana Webb (student), “Shopping Online.”   8. Strategies for Explaining How Things Work: Process and Directions.   The Point of Writing about Process and Directions. The Principles of Process and Directions. The Pitfalls of Process and Directions. What to Look For in Process and Directions. Carol Fleischman, “Shopping Can Be A Challenge.” Garrison Keillor, “How to Write a Personal Letter.” Emisly Nelson, “Making Fake Flakes.” Dave Barry, “There Are Rules, You Know.” Ann Moroney (student), “A Graceful Stride.”   9. Strategies for Analyzing Why Things Happen: Cause and Effect.   The Point of Cause-and-Effect Writing. The Principles of Cause-and-Effect Writing. The Pitfalls of Cause-and-Effect Writing. What to Look For in Cause-and-Effect Writing. Rick Reilly, “The Biggest Play of His Life.” Stephen King, “Why We Crave Horror Movies.” Jade Snow Wong, “Fifth Chinese Daughter.” Greg Critser, “Supersize Me.” Amy Bohrer, (student), “Blogging: An Emerging Addiction.”   10. Strategies for Influencing Others: Argument and Persuasion.   The Point of Argument and Persuasion. The Principles of Argument and Persuasion. The Elements of Good Argument. A Sample Annotated Argument: Joshua Wolf Shenk, “Ignoring the Solution.” The Pitfalls of Argument and Persuasion. What to Look For in Argument and Persuasion. Arthur Ashe, “Send Your Children to the Libraries.” Bill Bryson, “The War on Drugs.” Barbara Huttmann, “A Crime of Compassion.” Debate: Examining the Death Penalty. David Leibowitz, “Death Penalty Showdown.” Jim Dwyer, Peter Neufeld, and Barry  Scheck, “When Justice Lets Us Down.” Debate: The Right to Same-Sex Marriage. Mary Ann Glendon, “For Better or for Worse?”  Katha Pollitt, “Adam and Steve-Together at Last.” Leonard Pitts, “Dearly Beloved, Why Are We Debating This?” Mace Boshart, (Student), “Gay Marriage Should Be a Civic Issue.”   11. Combining Strategies: Further Readings.   David G. Myers, “ Do We Fear the Right Things?” Langston Hughes, “Salvation.” Cynthia Crossen, “Marriage in the U.S.: Early, Often, and Informal.” Jack Hitt, “Navajo Code Talkers: The Century's Best Kept Secret.” Richard Selzer, “The Discus Thrower.”   Glossary.   Credits.   Index.