Describes an assignment that bridges the gap between research on disciplinary discourse and the curricular goals of a first-year composition course, which, in this case, was linked with a section of first-year history. (TB)

Examines several pieces of writing (class assignments as well as writing done outside of school) by the author's 10-year-old daughter. Notes the different kinds of learning promoted in them, and maintains that school writing assignments should be as "real" as possible. (SR)

Discusses a literacy-enhancement program for undereducated university staff members tutored by college students taking a composition course on literacy. Focuses on the essays of one college student to illustrate how the sequence of writing assignments in the course fostered the reading and writing processes of academic literacy. (SR)

Compares two advertising assignments to demonstrate how different approaches to audience radically affect students' critical understanding of popular media texts. Argues that "audience" needs to be present in writing assignments as a cultural experience rather than a merely static rhetorical category. (TB)

Argues that writing teachers must create an organic curriculum with the language of home and community at its core. Suggests that writing teachers help students examine language features, dialects, and language attitudes in their communities. Notes that such student inquiry influences class discussions and can reshape attitudes toward students'…

Discusses an alternative to the conventional close reading of a literary work in which students take on the role of any member of a film crew (director, screenwriter, filmscorer, etc.) and communicate how the scene would best be transferred to the screen. Notes that the activity cultivates critical analysis and serves as a springboard for personal…

Describes, in a case study-like format, a cognitive strategy that might be helpful to the learning-disabled (LD) college student who must organize and write a longer text. Presents a brief description of an LD student and an actual writing assignment. Describes how the student completed the task. Discusses educational implications. (RS)

Describes an assignment designed to dispel prospective English teachers' dichotomous ideas about language ("right" or "wrong"); gain a sense that more than one dialect could be accepted; and understand that the variations from the handbook rules ("errors") might even be rhetorically based. (TB)