Describes a two-part approach to teaching the student research paper that encourages students to make a science of developing research gathering techniques and an art of blending the gathered materials with a perspective that will make the paper more than just a summary of facts. The approach uses biography as a model for research. (HTH)

Offers four reasons for using the case approach in introductory technical writing courses and a sequence of six cases that can be used. (RL)

Suggests the value to modern students of paraphrasing and describes exercises in paraphrasing. (DD)

Argues that the perennial problem of boring student writing is solved when assignments provide writers with target readers, enabling students to find their appropriate voice. Discusses a sample assignment in which students explain how to do something they do well to readers who don't know how to do it. (JG)

Presents a simple classroom exercise that transforms a remote future need for grammatical competence into a more practical, immediate, and useful skill. (HTH)

Proposes that a systematic program of summary writing may be particularly effective tool for helping students overcome egocentrism by requiring them to focus objectively on someone else's ideas. Describes a program of summary assignments that foster dialectic thinking. (HTH)

Offers a writing exercise, based on a comic-strip theme, that teachers can use to relieve tensions between them and their students while developing students' expressive writing skills. (RL)

Discusses ways journalism faculty can contribute to the goals of Writing across the Curriculum (WAC) programs, including: speaking at WAC teacher training seminars and publishing student writing. (MS)

Describes an exercise in which students cut out T-shirt drawings, sort the T-shirts into groups, and "write" a classification essay by pasting the T-shirts on sheet of paper. The T-shirts in each group become the examples used in one body paragraph of the classification essay. (HTH)

Describes a practical freshman composition writing assignment in which students composed career profiles of notable alumni, which were subsequently used by the college career planning and placement office. A sample letter and profile are included. (HTH)

Coaching is the central activity in the "game" of teaching, and it is an activity that can have a lifetime effect on language learners. This book presents a "coaching approach" to instruction in written language--an approach that is eclectic, pragmatic, synthetic. The approach in the book centers on finding balance--ways of…

Once students can identify main (independent) clauses and main ideas, a simple graphic system will demonstrate whether their sentences are strong and unified. The student underlines the main clause of a sentence and circles the main idea. In a strong, unified sentence, the circle will sit on the line. If the circle does not sit on the line, the…

Explains how to use various periodicals to demonstrate to composition students that writing style is both accessible and controllable. (AEA)

This manual is intended for instructors who wish to help students improve their writing skills. Part 1 of the manual which is divided into three sections details reasons why students have problems with writing, and includes examples of some faulty constructions. The final section includes: (1) a summary of strategies for improving student writing;…