Reviews the case of Cissy Lacks, who was summarily dismissed from her teaching job after her principal went into a locked closet and found a videotape of students reading their creative compositions, which contained profanity. Discusses the effect of censorship on teaching. (TB)

Thirteen intermediate-level students with learning disabilities and poor writing ability were taught how to use a prestructured story web to improve their narrative story writing ability. Students improved in the primary target behaviors of planning time and holistic (quality) score but showed inconsistent results for other target behaviors such…

This article introduces a special section of four papers featuring strategies for improving the story writing skills of elementary and secondary students who have problems with written language. It outlines the elements of story grammar, describes characteristics of students with writing problems, and notes the strategies presented in the four…

Discusses the theoretical basis for poetry's potential for the language acquisition process. The article presents a practical plan for the progressive integration of poetry into the language classroom and concludes that the process of poetic analysis aids the formation of critical reading and thinking skills. (26 references) (CK)

Learning how to write in English is important for many language learners, particularly those studying at colleges and universities. Second language learners have traditionally learned to write by completing fill-in-the-blank exercises that focus more on accuracy than the composing process. Creative writing gives learners practice in composing and…

This survey of literature discusses the content and research methodology of 25 articles on creative writing written since 1988. It is divided into sections covering articles discussing (1) definitions of creativity; (2) theoretical aspects of teaching creative writing; (3) specific teaching methods; (4) journal writing to discuss literature; and…

Of all the language skills, writing is the most difficult challenge for language teachers because students have less experience with written expression. Stimulated by audio-visual materials throughout their lives, students are novices in the discipline of writing. Making writing an ongoing part of foreign language acquisition from the first day in…

A practicum was designed to improve 30 kindergarteners' understanding, enjoyment of, and ability to compose poetry integrated across the curriculum in order to enhance their cognition and reading skills. The practicum was also designed to impart the value of teaching poetry to young children. Parents were involved in the process. The practicum…

Teachers who restrict their teaching of writing to elements of exposition are likely to fail because there is insufficient content, interest, or challenge in learning simple exposition, and the techniques that contribute to polished exposition are more easily accessible when approached through aesthetic writing. A teaching sequence for using…

Techniques for encouraging personal writing in a non-threatening setting are discussed. (JH)

This booklet, building on the premise that humans have a natural affinity with poetry and from an early age associate rhyme and rhythms with the joys of learning language, develops activities that enhance appreciation, engagement, response, and discrimination. The ideas presented in the booklet have been tried by practicing teachers in their…

This annotated bibliography of 23 articles from the ERIC database on publishing student writing is addressed to anyone interested in publishing student writing as part of an instructional approach to teaching writing skills. An overview section includes representative articles, and a section on strategies for publishing follows. The two remaining…

Sentence combining can act as a corrective for the large number of language arts lessons and activities that emphasize errors. Based on familiar sentence patterns, sentence combining provides models of effective language use and encourages students to examine and try more expressive and interesting styles of speaking and writing. Sentence…