Two literacy leaders acknowledge the challenges of teaching LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) issues in the classroom. While children come from a variety of family structures, it is necessary to acknowledge that a gay individual was once a child sitting in a classroom. An argument against marginalization and an advocacy for inclusion of…

In order for culturally disadvantaged children to expand their language skills, the classroom teacher must show a positive attitude toward the students and their language.

Teachers participating in an inservice class report their own personal responses to the use of poetry in the classroom.

Describes the expressive writing of Japanese elementary school children, citing examples designed to encourage American language arts teachers to use their responses to students' writing to bolster children's attempts to become actively and personally engaged in their writing. (HTH)

Teachers should respond to children's writing in positive, encouraging ways. (DD)

Teachers should encourage children to write in order to help them understand their feelings of anger, hurt, guilt, and so on.

Recounts a teacher's involvement with students in the spontaneous process of learning to write. Presents the benefits of such an approach as preferable to conventional structured methods of writing instruction. (HTH)

Recommends that teachers look for and value the freshness, naivete, humor, and wisdom in children's writing. Samples of children's writing are provided to illustrate these traits. (AEA)

Examines typical elementary school teachers' marks on student writing assignments, which place greater emphasis on mechanics at the expense of content. Suggests ways in which writing program effectiveness might be improved by shifting focus to the development of creative and effective content, during which mastery of mechanics will occur…

Examines how prospective teachers can better understand the importance of interpretive moves and become more adept at asking literary questions. Argues that skills instruction often takes away from literary discourse. (MM)

Illustrates the strength of the Socratic method by showing its applicability to a troubled student. Discusses feedback in the process-oriented approach to writing instruction, examining the purpose, nature, and focus of response. (MS)

Highlights children as a source of information about curriculum development. Observes how and why some first grade children write, and how this may affect teachers' instructional assumptions. (HTH)

Clarifies misconceptions about the Ann Arbor, Michigan court decision on the teaching of students with Black dialects. Explores the impact of teacher attitudes toward substandard English on teaching students with Black dialects and lists ERIC sources for increasing knowledge and sensitivity to differing dialects. (HTH)

Proposes that looking at classroom experiences out of the corner of one's eye (both literally and figuratively) allows one to know some of the peripheral action, feelings, and results of "moments of passion." Notes that this perspective may be a more characteristic description of such moments than images produced by a straightforward…

Suggests adapting teacher-written responses on children's compositions to their individual differences as an effective way to promote educational progress. Written comments can take the form of reaction to the child's ideas, encouragement, correction, or evaluation/instruction. (AEA)