This article deals with one interesting area of Thirteen/WNET's website (www.thirteen.org), which is Students' Take, designed especially for children in after school programs. Students' Take offers students in after school programs the opportunity to publish original Web pieces covering a range of topics of special interest to them. Its…

It is recognised that verbal texts do not result only from words. They may involve the mental manipulation of other modes of representation such as images and sounds. If this is the case, we must consider what is not operating with writers who find it extraordinarily difficult to produce verbal texts. Are they failing to mentally code or…

The power of drama provides a real context for narrative writing, and in this book the tool kit of drama strategies has been laid out and used effectively by teachers across a wider range of imaginary contexts. Using drama makes possible a vast range of themes and story contexts which enthuse and hook children into the writing process. The real…

Presented completely in Spanish and intended for elementary level students, this book offers 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.…

Most teachers would agree that children should undertake a wide range of types of non-fiction writing, but there are many questions about how this aim should be achieved and about how teachers can help children learn about the various structural demands of particular writing forms. "Writing frames" are one strategy which can help…

A study determined the impact encouragement of invented spelling has on a child's writing through a comparison of writing samples produced by children encouraged to use invented spelling with writing samples by children encouraged to use conventional spelling. Three first grade classes participated in this study, two of which are located in…

This booklet is a representative collection of children's essays and drawings from "Father of the Year" contests sponsored by the National Center for Fathering and the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative. The materials have been selected from tens of thousands of entries received from communities across the nation. The essays are divided by grade…

Compares writing products of 60 third-grade students who drew before writing a story to writing products of 59 students who wrote without drawing. Finds that students who drew produced more words and overall wrote better than nondrawers. Notes that results were consistent for boys and girls regardless of group membership. (PA)

Compares written stories of normally achieving and learning disabled (LD) children in grades 1-3. Tests receptive language, figure copying, and spelling. Finds that groups differed on figure copying, spelling, and written productivity, but not receptive language. Finds that non-LD grade level groups differed on two components of the handwriting…

Provides descriptive information about use of morphologically complex words in story writing of second and third graders, some with learning disabilities. Examines how commonly and accurately children used inflections, derivations, and compound words spontaneously in writing. Shows significant differences between grades and groups in frequency of…

Discusses strategies and activities that a teacher can use to help a young writer become a fluent writer. Suggests that it is essential for teachers to provide an abundance of opportunities for children to write. (RS)

Describes Image-making Within the Writing Process, an innovative art-based literacy program designed to entice even the most discouraged of learners with a series of process-oriented art explorations and concrete tools for thinking through and designing stories. (SR)

Recounts the author's experiences in Zimbabwe working with Zimbabwean educators regarding the role of children's literature and writing in the classroom. Discusses Zimbabwean children's literature, publishing difficulties, and Zimbabwean children's writing. (SR)

A shift in emphasis from product to process has had a profound influence on the way writing is taught. Articles in this theme issue focus on developing the ability to write for communication, the ability to manage the writing process, and an understanding of the social context in which the writing process is embedded. (SLD)

Considers different fifth-grade students' transformations through expressing themselves with poetry. Claims the content of children's writing suggests a complete revision of standard educational ideas about who the children are, what they know, how they think, and how much they can learn if teachers only know how to tap into their brilliance. (SC)