A ten-day plan for letting students create their own choose-a-plot books is given. Students develop skills in creating plot structures, coming up with logical story lines, and inventing striking characters. Instructions for adapting the plan to word processing programs are given. (MT)

The usefulness of the computer for facilitating children's creative writing and for manipulating structures in writing is illustrated. (MP)

The study compared stories written on either a word processor or handwritten by 15 children (ages 8-12) with learning disabilities. Use of the word processor resulted in fewer spelling errors for children with severe spelling problems and longer stories for children having problems with the mechanics of the writing task. (Author/DB)

Describes a pilot program that used computers to help teach creative writing to children in New York's South Bronx. (CRH)

The article describes how to use a word processing program and add-on story starters for different genres to enhance elementary students' creative writing skills. Teachers input story starters, then students select a genre and add on a story version in that genre. Students can also develop their own story starters. (SM)

A comparison of compositions written by 19 sixth graders using pencil and paper with those written by 19 sixth graders using word processors found that though the quality of writing, accuracy of grammar, and reading ease did not differ between the two approaches, students using computers wrote more words and sentences. (PEN)

The word processor is an effective tool for students composing poetry because of the formatting features and the ease of revision. This article includes several poetry writing activities and identifies software which can be utilized in teaching students to write poetry. (IAH)

Suggests techniques for the efficient use of one word processor among many students by dividing the writing process into stages of prewriting, writing, editing, and publishing. Examples of exercises and evaluations, a guide to producing a book, and a list of publications that accept children's writing are provided. (CLB)

A study examined the subtle impact of word processing (used alone) on the way students approach their writing tasks. Nine elementary school teachers were trained in techniques of naturalistic observation and received a kit containing important guidelines for their observational task, daily log sheets, and journal forms. The teachers then observed…

Synthesized speech was added to a word processor used by children in grades two and five. Each student wrote four stories on a microcomputer and received spoken feedback on two of them. It was found that students wrote longer stories, edited more, and enjoyed writing more with the spoken feedback. (24 references) (LAE)

A study of the effects of a typing tutor plus a computer-based word processor versus paper and pencil on the writing of six elementary students with behavioral disorders found small improvements in capitalization, spelling, punctuation, and complete sentences attributable to either method, though story length increased for three of six students…

Many reading teachers, cognizant of the creative opportunities for skill development allowed by new reading-writing software, are choosing to use microcomputers in their classrooms full-time. Adventure story creation programs capitalize on reading-writing integration by allowing children, with appropriate assistance, to create their own…

This document consists of the 1996 issues of CompuKids, a bimonthly publication designed to assist children and their parents and teachers in getting the most out of using computers. The publication includes descriptions of available software, tips on hardware, and adaptations for Macintosh and IBM/Windows products. Regular features include: (1)…

Created by children in grades 5-8 who were enrolled in a year-long Hupa language class, this computer-generated, bilingual book contains descriptions and illustrations of local animals, birds, and fish. The introduction explains that students worked on a Macintosh computer able to print the Unifon alphabet used in writing the Hupa language.…