Discusses how powerful the letter is as a form and vehicle for writing, particularly because the language of letters is the closest to natural speech and represents casual spontaneity associated with conversation. Suggests practical ways of including letter writing in the classroom and provides sample letters as illustration. (KEH)

Discusses a technique for helping students see the value of revision by using a previously written and revised composition as an illustration. (TJ)

Presents a three-part exercise that deals with poetic excess: heightened exaggeration of deliberately conflicting ideas. States that part 1 deals with hyperbole, part 2 with paradox, and part 3 with combining hyperbole and paradox in a single poem. Gives examples of students' poems using the technique. (PA)

This document is a guide that a science teacher might prepare for students with the help of an English teacher. The first section provides a rationale for the guide and discusses types of writing done in science classes and the ways this booklet might help students. Guidelines are delineated for answering study guide questions, writing essays, and…

A method for stimulating and facilitating organizational writing in the secondary school is described in this paper. Pictorial sequences are coordinated and arranged to typify the four major styles of writing: narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive. These sequences both portray a meaningful event in keeping with the writing style and…

Advantages of peer evaluation of writing are outlined, questions that arise once instructors decide to use this method are presented, and steps to develop students' awareness of what to look for and what to say about the writing of peers in English composition and other disciplines are discussed. (MBR)

Describes an activity in which students write guided-imagery scripts that are related to works of literature. (MM)

Describes an exercise to elicit student interpretations of Robert Wallace's poem, "Ungainly Things." (MM)

Describes a pre-writing dialogue prompt, a word association activity, and a writing assignment that draw upon students' memories of saying good-bye. (MM)

Presented in this article are suggested strategies for developing skills in written communication. The topics addressed include spelling and syntax. Emphasis is on individualized student needs and making instruction functional and relevant to the requirements of today's society. (EB)

Describes a series of activities designed to encourage students to tap their experiences with other cultures as a resource for their writing. Provides a sample "response sheet" to use with a writer's workshop exercise. (MM)

This study describes a workshop course for high school students interested in writing articles, biographies, and humorous essays. Emphasis is on form and content, with special attention to the development of individual styles. Course objectives for the student include: (1) imitating various sentence structures, paragraph constructions, and unique…

The instructional practice of imitation works most effectively as a developmental and remedial instrument within a writing-centered, student-centered pedagogy. In this context, imitation can accelerate natural language acquisition and encourage language competence and control, thus enabling student writers to focus their attention on particular…

Sentence combining is a powerful tool for structuring information and can be used effectively throughout the composing process. The teaching of composition can integrate into the composing process a number of concepts, including the use of heuristics, intellectual strategies, organizing principles, and sentence combining. A useful model for the…