Describes five prewriting activities for courses that emphasize writing and deemphasize discussion of literature. The activities focus on organization and theme statement so that students think about every possible subject, theme, and approach. (HTH)

Describes the use of a popular magazine column to stimulate discussion and to motivate writing using specific marriage difficulties as input. This technique affords opportunities for role play, short story writing, and letter writing. (TJ)

Freewriting is an effective means of teaching students how to develop persona in writing. One approach is to have students imagine that they are inanimate objects or nonhuman creatures, provide them with a specific situation or environment, and ask them to freewrite for five to ten minutes. Another slant is to have them become famous historical…

An approach to teaching the novel to high school students by tying literature and the printed media (newspapers and magazines) together is described in this brief article. PROCEDURE (excerpt): To link the study of the printed media to the study of the novel, book reviews, one positive and one negative, were duplicated for classroom use. Students…

An approach to teaching the writing of poetry is presented in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): A poet's purpose is to amuse, to instruct, to embellish truth, or to vitalize dull reality. Poets compress, using the minimum number of words to gain the maximum effect, yoking seemingly disparate ideas into metaphors, creating poetic…

An approach to teaching grammar through the use of speaking and listening activities is presented in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): Why practice the language simply by completing worksheets or exercises in the grammar book? There are various ways to teach language through speaking and listening exercises. These are several…

Describes exercises designed to teach students the differences between one-word and two-word forms. (HOD)

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: This exercise replaces the standard, often boring introductory lecture on using the dictionary with a group assignment that encourages the students to observe and analyze the entry for at least one word very carefully. In doing so, the students discover for themselves both the kinds of information…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: LEVEL: College. AUTHOR'S COMMENT: When I first began as a college composition instructor, I gave a standard explanation that definition was necessary if students wished to argue logically or to explain an unfamiliar subject. I showed examples of definitions, discussed ones in the text, and then sent…

An approach to using values clarification exercises in a college freshman composition or a high school English class is presented in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): Since the integration of writing and thinking is vital in the development of writing abilities, the values clarification experience is a natural bridge for students to…

An approach to writing for junior high through college writing and literature classes is presented in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): Writing from literature, instead of only about literature, can provide creative approaches to the study of literary works. The activities listed can be done in conjunction with the study of a single…

Discusses word games and activities that encourage students to use dictionaries and alternate forms in their writing. (HTH)

An approach to teaching literary point of view to high school and college composition classes is described in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): My students demonstrate little understanding of the concept of point of view. They seem unaware that selecting a point of view is an important decision for a writer, because it controls the…

Discusses how a college literature class staged a mock murder trial of the main character of Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," using the text to substantiate the prosecution and defense. This method encouraged previously quiet students to join in class discussion and fostered a careful interpretation of the story. (HTH)

Describes a nonthreatening method for introducing videotaping to a speech class by allowing students to construct videotaped projects, such as news programs or interviews in groups. (HTH)