Explains how students can learn to write reports based on encyclopedia information without resorting to copying or becoming bored. (FL)

Explores activities described in ERIC documents that are designed to create in the student an awareness of audience beyond the classroom setting. (HTH)

Presents seven writing lessons for elementary students: choosing effective words; writing similes; writing paragraphs; writing descriptions; letter writing; comparing and contrasting; and understanding point of view. Some of the lessons have unusual themes, such as pizza, pickles, and hoboes. (SJL)

Offers several brief creative writing activities that are quick, convenient, and encourage students to enjoy and play with words and ideas. Presents these ideas in a calendar format, one for the primary level and one for the intermediate level. (SR)

Because children are experts in at least one subject--themselves--their best written work is usually autobiographical. This article suggests various specific autobiographical writing assignments teachers might want to use with their students. (JMK)

Uses poetry and poetic prose to remind readers of the power of poetic language. Discusses the author's experience as a poet and her work with teachers to bring poetry into children's lives. (SR)

Intended for elementary level students, this book presents 12 writing ideas and several suggestions on how students can make a book using their writing. Each writing idea is presented with a brief description (addressed to the student), several examples of student writing, and a blank page on which to write. Writing ideas include freewriting,…

Contends that by using nonfiction writing as a daily developmental process, a child finds a predictable, nurturing, and accepting environment which helps teachers understand their students, helps children learn, and promotes acceptance of both the student and the child. (MS)

Healthy competition and longer writing projects helped to overcome some of the difficulties associated with the long residencies of visiting writers in elementary schools. (RL)

Discusses length and speed, spontaneity, and discipline as the attributes that affect creative writing assignments, students' development as creative writers, and appropriate methods of teaching creative writing. (RL)

Reviews the literature on sentence combining effectiveness; reports on research suggesting that much still needs to be learned about (1) the effects of sentence combining on writing ability, (2) the interaction of sentence combining with other activities, and (3) the efficacy of using sentence combining exercises beyond the eighth grade. (AEA)

This writing unit with a Halloween theme includes exercises and worksheets to develop prewriting, writing, and rewriting skills. (SJL)

The Italic Handwriting Series developed for public schools in Portland, Oregon, emphasizes a continuous flow in handwriting development and instruction and is designed to allow a more natural transition from print to cursive. Italic writing was first implemented during 1983-84 at the kindergarten through fourth-grade levels, with an additional…

Presents an instructional unit, "Literary Lifeboat," a purposeful writing exercise in which students write character justifications for familiar stories. Describes the unit's implementation in a Year 5 class, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the exercise. (MM)

Argues that teachers of young children need to recognize and take advantage of suitable opportunities to model their writing skills. Offers examples of possible activities. (FL)