Just as composing a story, a report, or an argumentative essay is challenging for most students with LD, so it is challenging for teachers in inclusive settings to instruct them (Gillespie & Kiuhara, 2017; Grünke & Leonard Zabel, 2015). The articles in this issue of "Insights into Learning Disabilities" are geared towards special…

Responsive professional development is about watching learners closely, interpreting observations to make nuanced decisions, and taking action to support learners at particular moments. What might they be ready to do next? What instructional moves will best provide "just enough" support? In other words, what is the next wise action?…

Given the focus of recent standards-based reforms, K-12 students are expected to engage in reading and writing activities across disciplines to strengthen their literacy skills in all content areas. These students are simultaneously called upon to develop understandings of the practices of science and engineering through their K-12 science…

This theory-into-practice paper integrates Tomasello's concept of Joint Attentional Frames and well-known ideas related to the work of Russian psychologist, Lev Vygotsky, with more recent ideas from social semiotics. Classroom procedures for incorporating student-created Joint Attentional Frames into literacy lessons are explained by links to…

"Blogging for the sake of blogging is fine, but what is the value added?" That's a question educational blogging advocates are now coming around to answer, and the value they're finding may seem preposterous to those who associate blogging with barely literate loudmouths and cyber predators. Can this often belligerent wasteland of poor…

A joint project of the United States Postal Service and the National Council of Teachers of English, this book provides ideas and activities to help students in grades 4 through 8 get into the letter writing habit. Section 1 stresses the joy of writing letters to friends, relatives, pen pals, and celebrities. The second section describes letters…

Suggests three ideas for writing poetry: photographic portrait poems (writer looks at a photograph and describes it); fashion statements (writer picks out a style of dress and writes about what it suggests); and advice poems (writer gives advice to himself/herself in the form of a poem). (PA)

Involving children with meaningful occasions such as journal writing may be one way to communicae the importance of writing, not only as a fundamental communication skill but also as a means for personal learning and development. Journal writing focuses on the process rather than the product. (CL)

The author's mother has taught advanced classes at a small Catholic elementary school. She also does private tutoring for at-risk students from neighboring high schools and colleges in an affluent suburban area. The author teaches at a large public, urban university. Her mother tutors Algebra through Calculus in a fairly traditional lecture-style…

Suggested writing projects to stimulate thought-to-theme writing connections involve: (1) haiku based on animals; (2) acronyms as vocabulary builders; (3) aromas and textures as inspiration; (4) writing proverbs and fables; and (5) a "musical chairs" approach to story-writing, with props supplied at intervals to test creative technique. (FG)

Twenty-four writing exercises which have been found successful in challenging gifted children are provided. Among exercises described are having the class write a story about information of their choosing from an almanac and having students write a story about what they usually think about just before falling asleep. (PHR)

Intended for teachers of grades 4 through 8 who want to adapt the activities listed in the publication "P.S. Write Soon!" for classroom use, this guide provides chapter by chapter examples of the kinds of classroom projects suggested by the book that can be incorporated into an existing unit on letter writing or used as the basis for…

Intended for the reluctant writer who finds writing difficult or is unable to put ideas on paper, this guide examines the characteristics of the reluctant writer and suggests strategies for teachers to use when dealing with these characteristics. It also reviews the writing process, categorizes the reluctant writer according to grade level, and…

Offers writing assignments and exercises for students in grades one through eight. (HOD)

Presents a worksheet that asks students to describe themselves as writers. (MM)