Presents a way of teaching process explanation in a technical writing course. Urges that the assignment ask students to explain a process they have learned from experience or from observation. (TJ)

Discusses how words function with regard to the reality they represent. Claims that, generally, people substitute descriptions of reality for reality. (JD)

Suggests ways to help students revise their written compositions by teaching them to "see" their work again. (DF)

Describes a writing assignment (useful for junior high through college age students) that seeks to improve students' descriptive writing through a set of class writing assignments using visual and concrete objects. Allows students to gain awareness, gain knowledge and discuss it, and ask questions as a body of learners rather than in isolation.…

Describes the use of Tarot cards to help students achieve clarity in descriptive writing and learn how to interpret symbols. (TJ)

Presents a method that enables students to become aware of nonverbal communication and to incorporate it into their descriptive writing. (TJ)

Discusses using comics in high school and college writing and English classes to teach figurative language and other literary terms and techniques such as style and descriptive writing. Describes several activities and notes benefits of using comics in this way. (SR)

Recommends a series of sense exploration exercises to help students develop more adequate descriptive writing. (TJ)

Presents two assignments that are designed to help students (at the high school and college levels) to develop a sense of place while building skills to improve their narrative writing. Includes the assignment sheet. Describes how students create a Michigan Travel Guide from their final drafts. (SR)

Describes a class writing exercise for high school and college English classes (which functions well early in the first semester), which emphasizes a basic idea (that close inspection of a subject will reveal that there is a lot to say about it) by having students describe in detail a person's face, first as a class and then individually. (SR)

Describes a writing activity in which students imagine how a certain land area can become a world-class tourist attraction. Outlines how the assignment is carried out and its impact on the development of descriptive writing skills. Provides student response to the actual activity. (HB)

Suggests the importance of George Orwell's "1984" for today's students and recommends specific analytic and descriptive writing activities to develop critical reading skills. (MM)

Discusses the philosophy of publishing high school student writings in "English Journal," and calls for submissions. Prints a student short story, analyzes its merits, suggests ways to use it for teaching, and approaches to revision. (JG)

Describes BreadNet, a computer network linking Middlebury College English teachers, their associates, and students. Network extends to rural English teachers and their K-8 students. BreadNet used for student pen pal program, teacher teleconferencing, information access. Also describes BreadNet's problems and future possibilities. (TES)