Suggests using poetry's short short forms for a methodical and rapid series of writing assignments that emphasize both careful writing at the sentence level and overall planning and respect for form. (HTH)

Inventive activities in the creative writing classroom can generate a great deal of excitement for the writing of poetry. Such activities might begin with improvising ways in which poetry can be written in alternative media, such as haiku on clay tablets that can be glazed and fired, then macramed together into wind chimes. Another activity,…

By incorporating letters to the editor and other reader participation columns in print media into the content-focus of the course, composition teachers can bring to life the student's rhetorical situation, especially with respect to audience and purpose. Such reader-writing is especially effective when students analyze the texts for clues to the…

Four case studies evaluated the use of self-recorded word counts of freewriting in grade one, two, three, and four classes, under both loose and restricted time limits. In each case, the number of words written in a session increased over time and this increase accompanied improvements in the expressiveness of the freewriting, with little evidence…

Discusses the benefits to be derived from full collaboration in the writing process. Suggests that students learn from sharing their abilities and difficulties and gain emotional and technical support from working with their peers. This is particularly helpful for those students who lack confidence in their writing. (RBW)

Group activities in the classroom can be a useful way to explore various standard rhetorical patterns. For descriptive writing, students can select and write about unsigned collages made by classmates. The writer can try to find a unifying theme that characterizes the artist's personality. A narrative component can be added to descriptive writing…

Examines teacher attitudes that inhibit experimentation and stifle the development of beginning writers. Illustrates the drawbacks of insisting on (1) using only one approach to learning to write, (2) keeping a quiet classroom, (3) fitting letters between the lines of ruled paper, (4) using primary pencils for all writing activities, and (5)…

Culled from ideas contributed by people attending conferences of the National Council of Teachers of English and by readers of "NOTES Plus" and "IDEAS Plus," the activities contained in this booklet are intended to promote the effective teaching of writing and literature. Teaching strategies offered in the first section of the…

This document was developed as a resource for teacher trainers and adult educators who are teaching writing to adults. It has been designed to provide suggested intended learning outcomes, instructional strategies, and resources in an easy-to-use format. Most of the document is a chart that lists 10 intended learning outcomes, with parallel…

The film, "Telling an Old Story" (part of the series "Writers Writing" that was coproduced by WNET and Learning Designs and televised by WNET in 1985), was integrated into college developmental writing classes and proved to be an effective strategy for the improvement of students' writing skills. The film was presented with the…

This document was developed as a resource for implementing the teaching of writing in adult education programs. Based on curriculum, assessment, diagnosis, prescription, instruction, evaluation, and classroom management. The program is presented in a 12-step systematic sequence. The steps are the following: (1) develop/customize/adopt a writing…