Presents an interview with Wendy Bishop, known for her ground-breaking work in the teaching of creative writing, and Gerald Locklin, known for his many published poems in small underground presses. (TB)

This article offers teachers and students an idea for a curriculum-related poetry break or "poetry getaway." The teacher identifies poems that relate to classroom content or themes; then, he gathers a series of objects that connect to the poems and places them in a suitcase. When it appears that everyone could use a poetry getaway, a student is…

An alternative to the often artificial writing workshop model focuses on learning through imitation and on the writing process rather than the product. This alternative model also involves considerably more reading than a typical workshop class, requiring students to read the way writers do, with a critical understanding and an awareness of the…

Describes a technique for teaching writing, discusses some of the problems writing teachers face, and presents a sample of the writing produced by a fifth grader. (RB)

A product of the Wisconsin Writing Project, this guide for teachers is intended to stimulate students' writing and reading of poetry and help them derive a greater understanding of the craft. A discussion of definitions and an overview of the guide are followed by descriptions of student needs and goals. The major portion of the guide contains a…

Analyzes the attitudes teachers hold about the use of abstractions in children's writing and examines some of the diction teachers impose on students in the name of concreteness. (RB)

Describes a technique for teaching creative writing to students attending an open admissions college. (RB)

Teacher prescription of form and content stifle students' poetic creativity. (JH)

This paper cites descriptions, by professional writers, of two stages in the composing process that appear to correspond with the two modes of mental activity separately controlled by the hemispheres of the brain. The stage of writing a first draft involves unconscious, personal, irrational, intuitive writing which may be called "writing for…

Revision--the process of seeing what you've said to discover what you have to say--is the motivating force within most established writers. Since most writers need to revise over and over, teachers should not communicate revision to students as punishment. Many students are given only one opportunity to produce a writing project, but students…

This paper describes an approach to teaching writing through design. Students were asked to design the following items: a dance, an outfit, a toy, a game, and a recipe. As these designs were completed, they were then presented to an audience and time was provided for the students to write about their experience of the process of producing. A…

This paper describes an approach for teachers to use in editing students' poems. The general editorial tactic recommended is for teachers to edit first drafts toward figures of speech, and towards the schemes and tropes that are latent or emergent within the students' writing. It is suggested that teachers avoid dealing directly with the contents…

A program in which poets teach poetry in the classroom has been undertaken in the California public schools. This book focuses on the program and contains several short articles on various aspects of teaching poetry writing, a collection of student works, two photo essays, and practical techniques devised by poet/teachers. A bibliography lists…

Written to encourage imaginative approaches to teaching writing, this paper contains ideas for developing writing skills by encouraging creative writing, formal analysis, and criticism despite the traditional lack of literary analysis in the creative writing classroom. In addition to including teaching techniques for practicing literary skills…