This qualitative study examined the nature of preschoolers' composing and processes in a Head Start classroom, prioritizing children's intrinsic motivation to engage in a project-like composing activity. Eighteen three- to five-year-old students participated. Data were collected across 33 classroom visits over a 3-month period. Primary data were…

Text review activities in formal schooling settings are by and large carried out vertically and often in an authoritarian way, in which teachers usually assign text production activities for students whose only readers and reviewers are their own teachers. Consequently, students rarely have the experience of sharing their texts with one another.…

Writing is complex, and the more researchers understand the cognitive processes and engagement for writing, the more complex the relationships between cognition and producing writing appear. Writing theory is constantly shifting from a focus on mechanics and form to a focus on creativity and sociability. This literature review analyzes four…

English as a second language (ESL) writing teachers face distinct challenges as they try to help students write in the language that is appropriate and natural to the native-English-speaking audience. It is disheartening when the writings of even advanced-level second language students often contain many awkward sentences and non-English-like…

This activity is designed to be utilized in a School Law class, but is also appropriate for a class in Human Resources. Holding students and staff accountable for their actions is essential to a well run school. School principals are prepared to deal with student accountability and student discipline issues, but rarely are principals ready to deal…

"Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition"[R] ("CIRC") is a comprehensive reading and writing program for students in grades 2 through 8. It includes story-related activities, direct instruction in reading comprehension, and integrated reading and language arts activities. Pairs of students (grouped either by or across…

The environment is a ready-made subject in writing classrooms, and teachers at all levels are encouraging students to write about nature and environmental issues. Environmental issues provide a equitable meeting place for students from a variety of different backgrounds, interests, and ideologies. There are also many pedagogical advantages to…

One of a series of guides to the teaching of writing at the elementary and secondary levels, this publication suggests activities to use in teaching the three stages of the composition process: prewriting, writing, and postwriting. The first four sections discuss the steps involved in the three stages of composition, research findings on the…

While discouraging using writing as punishment, this pamphlet shows how writing can be a tool to support learning. The pamphlet discusses the following ten ways that writing can be used in any school subject to enhance learning and to develop students' thinking processes: (1) to identify personal goals, (2) to comprehend reading material, (3) to…

This special journal issue focuses on writing in the elementary school. Topics discussed in the various articles include (1) a technique for teaching persuasive composition, (2) writing in the second and third grades, (3) correlating writing assignments with the study of literature, (4) a problem solving approach to composition, (5) the Virginia…

This collection of papers by participants in the Puget Sound Writing Project (Washington) includes discussions of ideas and strategies that have been used in classrooms and that are based on clear theoretical principles. The topics discussed in the nine entries are: writing as a process through which students discover what is on their minds,…

A journal-based college composition program has been developed that links journal writing to the development of competence in more formal writing. Students write both free choice and assigned entries, and their entries become the basis of all the themes they write; in-class assignments focus on the improvement of specific aspects of the journal…

Briefly described is an instructional activity, the "Short Story Booklet," designed to aid exceptional students in grades 7-12 to put their thoughts on paper. The students write stories using processes of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing and compile them into booklets. (DB)

This learning module is intended to improve the writing and business communications skills of individuals working in health care occupations. The module, which is designed to be presented in a 6-week course of twice weekly 2-hour sessions, targets an audience with basic grammar and punctuation skills but no formal introduction to the process of…

The value of using a word processor and its features which help English as a second language students improve their writing are discussed, including student assessment, possible teaching methods, and possible learning activities. (CB)