Developed in the spring of 1985 by a special task force of instructors, this bibliography lists sources to aid in teaching writing. Items are listed in the following categories: (1) books that raise issues and provide perspectives, (2) books that deal with writing across the curriculum, (3) books that deal with practical applications, (4) books…

Exploring a variety of ways to train students to think critically within the context of writing and literature classes, this journal issue presents cognitive strategies for teaching poetry, short stories, composition, the research paper, and critical reading. The titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "Constructing the…

A college-level composition course in English as a second language uses a "freewriting" technique and de-emphasizes rules and structure to emphasize writing strategies. The course is divided into three major segments: drafting, revising, and fine-tuning. In the first segment, students are encouraged to develop fluency by trying a number of topics,…

Noting that issues surrounding grammar instruction are a source of controversy within the English language arts curriculum, this concept paper examines the usefulness of formal instruction in naming parts of speech, diagramming sentences, naming types of phrases and clauses, and naming sentence types. Following an introduction that defines…

An analysis of the interaction between self and other in the one-to-one writing conference, informed by theories of Louis Althusser, Jurgen Habermas, Mikhail Bakhtin, and others, can help tutors view one-to-one conferences as a dynamic meaning-making process occurring within an integral social context. Bakhtin/Medvedev's discussion of discourse…

An effective, 3-week unit on the 1920's in America, inspired by a reading of "The Great Gatsby," is designed around the idea of structure in history, government, literature, and writing. It has the following aims for students: (1) to understand the history of the 1920s, (2) to see literature as a creative shaping of the experience of the…

Intended to show teachers how their approaches to the teaching of writing reflect a particular area of research and to show researchers how the intuitions of teachers reflect research findings, the articles in this book are classified according to three approaches to writing: processing, distancing, and modeling. After an introductory essay that…

This report presents the results of a national survey of a selected group of college and university teachers of writing considered to be the best by the directors of their writing programs. The first chapter explains how the sample of teachers was selected, examines the distribution of the sample across types and sizes of institutions, summarizes…

In response to the Utah State Board of Education's new high school graduation requirements, five task forces of adult basic education teachers were charged with the identification of functional competencies for adult students in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and computation, and with the development of curricular materials…

This paper focuses on a language variation model that incorporates a number of concepts from linguistic and rhetorical studies. The model views language variation as a product of two correlating causes: one, the user and his or her personal, regional, and social dialect; and the other, the user's use of the language in terms of such discourse…

E. D. Hirsch's call for authoritative knowledge about composition is flawed, according to this document, because he focuses on the product and not the process of composing, thereby excluding more of the problem of composition than he includes. Hirsch's principle of readability--that styles that communicate meaning with less effort from the reader…

The children of Appalachia, a region characterized by a strong oral tradition, are constantly defining their roles in their society through language. In so doing they are contributing to the maintenance of the patterns of life in that society. Children observe the functional uses of story at a very early age, and narratives emphasize group…

Intended to enhance the quality of language arts instruction in the first grade, this curriculum guide defines objectives, lists some basic resources, and offers suggested teaching activities. The five strands covered include language and grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. An articulation chart at the beginning of the guide…

Intended to enhance the quality of language arts instruction in the second grade, this curriculum guide defines objectives, lists some basic resources, and offers suggested teaching activities. The five strands covered include language and grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. An articulation chart at the beginning of the guide…

Intended to enhance the quality of language arts instruction in the third grade, this curriculum guide defines objectives, lists some basic resources, and offers suggested teaching activities. The five strands covered include language and grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. An articulation chart at the beginning of the guide…