Young children use poetic language naturally in that they express themselves through metaphors, colorful images, and unique word choice. Since this ability has often been repressed by the time children reach the middle grades, this article suggests classroom activities intended to stimulate children's natural poetic expression. These activities,…

Argues in favor of teaching writing in the FL class. The following specifics are discussed: 1) When should writing begin? 2) When should written work occur in a largely oral lesson? 3) How is writing introduced? 4) Which written exercises are worth doing? 5) When can creative writing begin? 6) Writing as a response to reality. (KM)

Remedial readers may be given opportunities to be creative through three approaches: inventiveness games, branched fiction, and pantomime and creative dramatics. Inventiveness games can stimulate creative thinking and serve as a launching pad for creative writing activities. In branched fiction, the story works up to a cliffhanger situation and…

THE SCOPE OF THE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM CENTER'S RESEARCH PROGRAM IN TEACHING COMPOSITION TO THE BEGINNING WRITER IS DEFINED IN THE EIGHT PAPERS COMPRISING THIS COLLECTION. THE TOPICS FOR THE PAPERS ARE--(1) LIMITING THE AIMS OF TEACHING COMPOSITION IN THE SEVENTH- AND EIGHTH-GRADES TO INCLUDE ONLY NARRATIVE AND DESCRIPTIVE WRITING AND…

The 22 articles in this collection, written by experienced teachers of English, present effective learning activities for developing a variety of skills, qualities, and attitudes in writing. Demonstrating different teaching methods, the articles relate to key principles advocated by the National Writing Project: attention to fluency, peer…

A recent study (Shapiro & Shapiro, 1970) showed that fourth graders from an upper middle class background with varying degrees of intelligence, creativity, and language achievement could be taught to express themselves poetically. The present study was undertaken to replicate these results with children from less advantaged backgrounds. The two…

Pupils can learn to write more effectively if they go through the cycle of prewriting, writing, and rewriting practiced by the publishing author. The writing class should not be hampered through studying writing backward, from the process of reading, or through the restrictive efforts of a too-precise teacher. By becoming aware of his world and…

In teaching students to write for an audience, teachers should stress the meaning and purpose of the composition over rhetorical correctness and should emphasize style as well as content. Four teaching approaches through which students may establish and communicate their purposes are (1) "immediate feedback," in which teachers motivate pupils…

Because most poetry education is ineffectual, this book attempts to help the teacher stimulate student interest in poetry by (1) suggesting a rationale and objectives for teaching poetry, (2) warning the teacher to avoid those poems for which he has no personal enthusiasm and to avoid overexplaining those poems he likes, (3) urging, for example,…

An innovative approach to the teaching of poetry to juniors in high school is described. The subject matter selected for the class was "Spoon River Anthology," and students were then asked to write poems to appear in their own "Kyte Creek Anthology." The students were given copies of 40 poems from "Spoon River," and…

The central focus of this second edition is the same as that of the first edition: to describe the language-experience approach and to identify instructional practices which can be followed to teach reading with this approach. In addition, the volume expands the theoretical foundations of language-experience communication, extends the…

Discusses the philosophy of publishing high school student writings in "English Journal," and calls for submissions. Prints a student short story, analyzes its merits, suggests ways to use it for teaching, and approaches to revision. (JG)

Provided and discussed are examples of children's writing that can be valued aesthetically. Teachers should help children evaluate their own writing processes and products. This self-evaluation will help children develop their own creativity and make them more able to appreciate the writing of others. (RM)

Discusses ways to elicit the final project in a high school writing workshop--supplying the opening 20 to 30 pages of a novel. Examines student interests and writing styles in conjunction with the beginning pages of published novels. (RL)

Describes a language arts teacher's work at a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children, showing how the teacher established student reading habits before developing their writing. (A novel written by one of the students is included as an example of the work done in the program.) (RL)