Guided by the belief that free writing is something that must be learned in order to do it, the teachers and writers who coauthored this book discuss and suggest ways of learning to write and of teaching writing. Interspersed throughout the book are exercises for the reader; they must be done by the reader/teacher who hopes to teach writing.…

Describes a method for preparing students for vocabulary quizzes that enables students to make a personal connection with the new words. Students remember as many of the new words as they can, then free write about each one to arrive at a definition.

Reports on the positive effects of free writing that is followed by rewriting. (RL)

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…

Free writing--writing without concern about spelling, grammar, and punctuation--provides students with opportunities to practice without being judged. Some free writing activities are described that allow teachers of subjects other than English to improve their students' writing skills without sacrificing time for their own subject. (JMD)

Offers guidelines on helping young children develop into independent writers. Explains what to expect at different stages, such as semiphonetic and phonetic stages, drawing as a prewriting activity, and writing and revising once drawing no longer dictates writing. Offers suggestions for providing an environment that supports the writing process.…

The principles used by Tim Gallwey in his books "The Inner Game of Tennis" and "Inner Tennis" can be applied to the teaching and learning of writing. The objective is to overcome mental obstacles which our conscious ego puts in the way of our creative self. Such obstacles as fear, lack of self-confidence, lack of concentration, trying too hard,…

Four case studies evaluated the use of self-recorded word counts of freewriting in grade one, two, three, and four classes, under both loose and restricted time limits. In each case, the number of words written in a session increased over time and this increase accompanied improvements in the expressiveness of the freewriting, with little evidence…

Divided into four sections, this workbook offers assistance to teachers in preparing writing lessons and then in presenting these lessons in their own classrooms. Part 1, "The Writing Lessons," consists of 22 prewriting preparation and instruction lessons followed by 10-minute writing exercises covering various aspects of freewriting,…

Research suggests that the informal language of journals is very important. Language scholars such as J. Vygotsky (1962), J. Moffell (1968, 1982), P. Elbow (1973, 1982), and M. Shaughnessy (1977) believe that human beings find meaning through exploration in their own talking language. To add to the evidence in this area, a study conducted in an…

In an effort to actively engage students in writing and introduce them to more rigorous texts and assignments, the first-year literature/composition course at Nassau Community College (New York) was modified. The primary change consisted of the teacher participating in all classroom and take-home writing assignments. In addition, texts by authors…

By following the "steppingstone" or marker theory of dividing one's life into no more than 12 and no less than 8 significant periods, a student in a writing course can develop a brief response for each phase to articulate multiple experiences. Writing teachers can aid students in realizing that important life experiences are the stuff of…

Intended for teachers and encompassing all aspects of teaching writing, this book applies the process paradigm to junior and senior high writing instruction. Part 1, "Process and Paradigm," outlines challenges faced by junior and senior high school writing instructors, defines the process paradigm, and presents a sample integrated…