Intended for teachers, students, and writers, this guide provides exercises for improving writing techniques and using literary devices. Following an introduction, the six chapters deal with the following techniques: (1) describing place, including observation and exaggeration; (2) describing people, including "inside/outside" portraits and…

This essay focuses on a project that involves the integration of various electronic media and traditional classroom activities with the purpose of creating and maintaining a creative community. This evolving hybrid learning project seeks to integrate not only college classrooms and electronic environments, but also various communities of writers,…

The methods used by a college freshman composition teacher to make writing an authentic and natural activity for students are outlined in this paper. Among the techniques described are the use of (1) warm-up activities to encourage sharing written efforts, with teacher-as-participant; (2) peer editing groups; (3) reflection questions; (4) student…

One of a number of reports of a study of the writing development of 14- to 16-year-old students, this booklet is divided into two parts. The first part uses five criteria to analyze what four secondary students learn from composing imaginary stories: (1) What resources are used in the setting or situation? (2) What kind of ordering is used? (3)…

A sequential series of writing assignments designed and tested for a tenth grade writing workshop through the cooperative efforts of college and technical high school English teachers is discussed in this paper. Twelve assignments and their underlying educational theories are explained. The first six assignments are described as progressive and…

Although the importance of writing is well recognized, it is largely neglected in the elementary curriculum because of the current emphasis on reading; to change this trend, teacher educators must influence teachers to adopt positive attitudes toward writing. They should help teachers derive satisfaction from writing experiences, demonstrate…

This publication describes 97 classroom activities that employ the newspaper as an aid for teaching language arts skills. The activity ideas are grouped according to four categories: creative writing (ideas for writing such pieces as news accounts of events in stories and poems, letters to the editor, and reviews of books and television programs);…

A committee of Oklahoma educators prepared this reading activity guide as an aid for elementary school teachers to improve their students' reading skills. Described for each activity are the objective, necessary materials, and the procedure. For many activities, a variation or variations also are suggested. The activities are arranged in the…

This document is a partial record of the interaction between three poets, Michael Mott, Dabney Stuart, and Sylvia Wilkinson, and the students of elementary, middle, and secondary schools in metropolitan Richmond and the surrounding area. The objectives of the program were: to lead students to believe that their personal thoughts and feelings are…

In considering reasons for employing creative dramatics as part of the input and motivation for an experience in creative written expression, it is important to consider the primacy of oral language over written language, especially for children. Drama involves talk, movement, and the involvement of self in expression which is outer-directed;…

Several techniques are presented which were used to enliven secondary-school German instruction in Switzerland and to increase student interest and motivation. Classes listened to haiku, discussed the elements of the form, and then wrote their own haiku on suggested topics. A quasi-musical choral speaking performance was developed on poetry of…

This study used poems written by fifth graders to determine any differences in the quality of children's writing which might have been induced by the "broad exposure" approach to teaching poetry, the "analytical" approach, or the "non-exposure" approach. A story-writing pretest was given to 93 fifth grade children who were then randomly assigned…

Presents five strategies for helping elementary school students learn to write fiction: (1) stress topic selection; (2) use literature to teach fiction writing; (3) stress main character change or problem solving; (4) emphasize reality-based stories; and (5) encourage students to research their fiction. (SKC)

This book remaps theories and practices for teaching creative writing at university and college level. This collection critiques well-established approaches for teaching creative writing in all genres and builds a comprehensive and adaptable pedagogy based on issues of authority, power, and identity. A long-needed reflection, this book shapes…

Presents journal entries concerning the methods, classroom illustrations, conversations, and results of teaching fiction writing to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students at a New York City junior high school. (RL)