A random sample of language arts, social studies, and science high school teachers (N = 361; 53% women) from the United States were surveyed about what their students wrote, their use of evidence-based writing practices, the adaptations they made for weaker writers, how they assessed writing, their preparation to teach writing, beliefs about the…

A recent article in "The Chronicle of Higher Education" comparing perceptions of college preparedness in writing from the vantage point of high school teachers and college faculty shows that the two groups have dramatically different views. What accounts for these differences in perception? What types of writing assignments are high school…

Outlines a process by which senior high school students study Jonathan Swift's'"A Modest Proposal" and then write their own satirical essays by modeling the tone and style of Swift's essay. (SR)

Substantially updated for today's world, this second edition offers chapters on 12 different categories of writing, each of which is briefly introduced with a definition, notes on appropriate writing strategies, and suggestions for using the book to locate topics. Types of writing covered include description, comparison/contrast, process,…

Presents a conception of writing assignments as a navigation through five writing "events" that students experience through individually imposed writing tasks. Describes the five events within each assignment. Concludes with positive student evaluations. (HB)

Discusses five ideas for writing projects designed for high school students, including the church story, the house story, the newspaper story, and teaching the library "our" way. (PA)

Encourages students to attempt to capture the voice of established poets in parodies. Notes that this close interaction with literature allows the students to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of literary styles. Presents two student parodies of William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." (RS)

Describes the development of a writing assignment using the four discourse types to write about a single, physical object. Reviews specifically how this assignment was carried out to completion by students. Defends the assignment as a framework for the study of writing. (HB)

Proposes that students can best learn to recognize and enjoy irony by creating it. Outlines a class activity and two exercises that help students write with irony. Concludes that the energy created by ironic tension encourages students in their writing and reading. (PM)

Demonstrates how grading students journal can be made easier by making the journals goal-oriented, such as using them as the basis for exams. Suggests that journal assignments can involve more complex learning tasks such as analyzing, interpreting, and applying course materials in specific ways. (PA)

Aims to teach students how to merge the realms of creativity and analysis by using metaphors. Presents various activities to develop metaphorical thinking and writing skills. (PA)

Argues that a prevalent mistake made by teachers preparing writing curricula and assignments is dividing writing into classes or modes. Suggests alternatives to classifying writing. Envisions writing as a discourse act and assignments as performance of such acts. (HB)

Describes a senior-year requirement of a high school in Oregon consisting of a prescribed research paper. Demonstrates the benefits of this requirement among those in college writing courses. Argues that freeing students to choose a topic may be the key. (HB)

Presents and discusses a course outline for a high school playwriting course (for which English credit is earned). Offers several writing assignments and a series of sequential steps designed to help students reach the goal of writing a one-act play. (SR)

Describes the activities in a high school English class aimed at instructing students concerning the concept of "historical fiction." Outlines class activities in which students are asked to write fictional narratives based on the historical facts concerning the sinking of the "Titanic." (HB)