It is possible to reconcile two supposedly warring viewpoints toward composition pedagogy: that writers know what they want to say before they begin writing (a viewpoint that stresses the communicative function of writing), and that writers discover what they have to say in the act of saying it (a viewpoint that focuses on the heuristic value of…

Discusses well-written, moving children's stories that can be used to promote children's writing. (RL)

Existing evidence suggests that students do less well in writing argument than they do in writing narrative reports, and the reasons for the poorer performance are complex and interactive. In some ways argument is more cognitively demanding than narrative, but lack of experience in persuasive writing, and the interrelated nature of the writing…

Surveys the history of composition instruction in America and concludes that imitation exercises may still be valuable to modern students. (JL)

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)

Taking a cautious view of research into the workings of the brain, this booklet suggests that such research has merely given validity to a truth good teachers have always known: all people have two ways of thinking, a linear, logical way, and a spatial, intuitive way. It also suggests that faced with cries for "basics" in education, it…

Describes research, practice, and resources for giving students writing activities in several rhetorical contexts and to various audiences. (RL)

Reviews research on handwriting instruction that focuses on these questions: (1) Do learners need particular writing instruments and paper? (2) Should educators encourage students to trace or copy? and (3) How can educators evaluate learners' writing? Offers implications and suggestions for handwriting instruction. (BB)

An analysis of the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks shows that she can be used as a model for students at many grade levels to emulate. Her poetry excels as a model, not only because of her imagery, but also because of her use and modification of both traditional and newer forms of poetry and her skill with the devices of sound. Like other evolving and…

Reviews research on the spelling performance of regular and special populations (learning-disabled and ESL) students. Offers research-supported instructional strategies that can help such students become more accurate at spelling when engaged in real writing activities. (RS)

To clarify how writing across the curriculum improves learning across the curriculum, this book provides an overview of the current state of writing instruction at the secondary and college levels as it applies to teaching in the content areas. Each chapter contains practical ideas for using writing in the classroom, along with a discussion of the…

Research indicates that student journal writing promotes the development of independent thinking as well as writing skills. Journal writing helps students comprehend course material, relate course content to their own lives, and prepare for class discussions. Instructors who use journal writing to help students achieve instructional objectives are…

For use by teachers in helping students become better writers, this booklet describes and illustrates cognitive mapping, a prewriting technique that helps students combine their verbal and visual skills in order to produce ideas and to plan stories, plays, reports, or essays. The first section of the booklet discusses the interrelations between…

Writing textbooks are changing to reflect the curricular shift from an emphasis on product to an emphasis on process. The product approach focused mainly on surface features and used an instructional strategy of testing writing rather than teaching it. The process approach focuses on what effective writers do as they move through the stages of…

There are a number of reasons for using creative writing in elementary and secondary English curricula. When students practice using figurative and literal language, they improve their speaking abilities, and their language becomes more concrete, more explicit, more descriptive, and more interesting. Writing poems and short stories forces students…