A ten-day plan for letting students create their own choose-a-plot books is given. Students develop skills in creating plot structures, coming up with logical story lines, and inventing striking characters. Instructions for adapting the plan to word processing programs are given. (MT)

A class newsletter can help students learn about each other while they gain important social, writing, and interviewing techniques. Computer programs to produce a newsletter, to do word processing, and to manage data are described. (MT)

A review of the Writer Rabbit software program details its multiple classroom uses, focusing on language arts activities such as practicing identification and classification of sentence parts, practicing spelling, and inventing stories. (CB)

Strategies developed by teachers for using word processing software in writing programs for grades K-6 are presented. These strategies will work with just one computer in a classroom. Two software programs are described. (MT)

Nine activities are suggested that are designed to help students develop skills in utilizing proofreading as an aid to good spelling. Included is a suggested list of word processing and other software which has spelling check features. (IAH)

Describes how personal digital assistants (PDAs) can help even the most reluctant young writers feel empowered. Designed to provide a one-computer-per-person ratio for an entire classroom, they offer interactive word processing at a low price. PDAs are useful because they are ready when the students are, they promote collaboration, and they make…

Proper software can turn a classroom computer into a teacher's productivity tool. Word processors, electronic spreadsheets, and filing and graphing programs make classroom and administrative duties less time consuming. (DF)

Elementary school students are often exposed to computer usage before they have been taught correct typing techniques. Sample exercises to teach touch-typing to young children are provided on a reproducible page. (JL)

A description is given of a cooperative learning, group writing, and word processing project for seventh and eighth graders which used peer pressure to motivate students to improve their writing. Students published their stories in a newsletter. Information is provided on word processing programs suitable for classroom use. (IAH)

Language arts skills and writing projects can be combined with activities that teach the fundamentals of word processing to improve the language arts curriculum. Suggested lessons cover five writing and editing operations common to most word processing software. (DF)

Computerized word processing can be a valuable tool for writing instruction because the machines make it easier for students to properly revise and correct their work. Ways that teachers and students can use the machines are described, and problems, such as limited access to computer terminals and the necessity for students to type, are noted. (PP)

Examines how technology can support elementary school writer's workshops, noting the nature of the writer's workshop and exploring how word processing and desktop publishing programs can help nurture developing writers. The article presents several ways teachers can use computers in writer's workshops (drafting and revising, writing mechanics,…

The word processor is an effective tool for students composing poetry because of the formatting features and the ease of revision. This article includes several poetry writing activities and identifies software which can be utilized in teaching students to write poetry. (IAH)

Presents two articles: "Your In-Class Communication Center" and "New Software Programs." The first suggests three ways for teachers to use their word processing program to generate standard forms, produce a class newsletter, and create a homework checklist for each student. The second presents information on software programs (grade level, focus,…

Three elementary teachers describe how they became involved in computer technology and the projects that caught their interest. One teacher used word processing to enhance students' writing abilities. Another used software to tailor learning to all levels. The third tried an international telecommunications program that allowed children to…