A collaborative effort on the part of teachers from and consultants for the University of California, Irvine/California Writing Project, this guide presents ideas for teaching writing as a process at all levels of the curriculum. Each section of the guide presents an essay introducing the section topic, followed by practical ideas for teaching…

The major purpose of this book is to describe the basis, features, and future of the whole language movement. Topics included in the book include: (1) a description of what is known about language and language development; (2) presentation of a whole language perspective on literacy development, involving both reading and writing; (3) presentation…

The development of a composition segment in a course in English as a second language for graduate students in a Chinese technological university is described. The approach used in tailoring the program to student needs and university requirements under the severe constraints of scheduling and available resources is discussed. Letters to the…

The paper describes strategies for teaching six different handwriting skills to learning disabled (LD) elementary students. A rationale for each strategy precedes step-by-step procedural descriptions. Strategies in the following areas are described: (1) introducing LD children with motor coordination deficits to alphabetic symbols using sandpaper…

A project concerning standard English acquisition among college students speaking nonstandard English is reported. A review of literature revealed that nonstandard forms of English are problematic, that few solutions to these problems exist, and that educators suggest comparative/contrastive instruction or instruction in proofreading to teach…

Current approaches to the research paper rarely emphasize more than secondary research in library collections and data bases. Instructors can help students expand their range of possible information sources by posing three questions: Who is likely to know about this? From where does information on this subject come? and, Who pays for this…

A research project examined whether students in an English 104 freshman composition class would develop the ability to think analogically and divergently by using synectics as an aid to invention in composition, and whether these students would develop a more positive attitude toward writing. (Synectics is a highly structured group activity based…

Students who are motivated to write and learn generally pay attention to written comments on their rough and final drafts; students who are not motivated generally ignore written comments and do not use them in revision, but nonetheless are concerned about grades. One effective way of increasing student interest in writing and skill development is…

The 1983-84 State Compensatory Education (SCE) Program in the Austin Independent School District included several components at the elementary and secondary levels. In 18 elementary schools, 16 full-time and one half-time SCE teachers provided assistance to students at or below the 30th percentile in either language arts/reading or math.…

To advocate the work of Gregory Bateson, especially his Double-Bind theory, this paper describes how the theory can be applied to particular instances and to the general experience of black students in a predominantly white, authoritarian college setting. The paper argues that miscues on the part of black students in the classroom and in writing…

When college freshmen are required to write, it seems that they operate under several values that appear to be perpetuated by schooling and should be addressed. It is important to realize that the contexts for writing of middle school students and college freshmen are virtually identical. The first comparable value is speed--the rapid expression…

Literacy studies of young children imply that college teachers need to be able to make a connection between what the students bring to the composition classroom and what they are writing in the university. Teachers need to discover students' writing backgrounds, the anxieties, rules, and attitudes they bring to the classroom. In addition, research…

As both draw upon language and experience, and both deal with meaning, writing and reading can be learned concurrently. Writing activities having a positive effect on reading skills include notetaking and sentence combining exercises. A more productive way of improving reading comprehension through writing is to have students base their writing on…

Developed from a comparison of the writing performance of eighth grade students in Delaware with a representative national group, this writing resource guide provides a detailed description of the state's writing assessment procedure and offers educators guidance in evaluating student writing and improving student writing skills. After describing…

Intended to stimulate teachers to make use of their own experiences at the writing desk and in the classroom workshop to discover what is meaningful about writing and teaching, the articles in this collection reflect what the author has learned over the years through writing. The articles in the first section emphasize the writing process, and…